When I travel, I always have a journal at hand to keep a record of my itinerary and experiences, so I can be whisked back to a particular adventure or sensation any time thereafter.  This has proven to be a useful tool for reminiscing and a good resource to others wanting some insight on a specific location.

As I have recently condensed all my individual travel journals into two books, I had a great time going back through my experiences thus far and smiling at all the quirky details.

my travel journals!

One thing I usually include for each destination entry is a section called “notable mentions.”  These are funny or unique things I notice about a location that have stood out for one reason or another.  I thought it would be fun to include some of those gems here.  Enjoy!

– Peru is extremely dry.  The air is dry, the soil is dry and the baked goods are dry…especially chocolate cake…don’t be fooled!

-95% of men in Canada are really attractive, no matter what city I happened to go to.  I don’t know the reason for this, and I also don’t care.

– In the UAE, it’s illegal for a woman to be pregnant and unmarried.  Also, the combination of incense and rubbing alcohol was an ever-present aroma in the malls and other large buildings…it must have been in the cleaning products.

– Wild roosters and cats roam free in Bermuda, but all the animals appear to be healthy and well taken care of.  Also, when stopped at a traffic light, the signal changes from red to yellow and then to green.

– You can order beer out of vending machines in Japan, or order breakfast.

– A popular trend in Mexico is to adorn teeth with various metals.

– Iceland has exotic menu choices such as puffin, horse, shark and whale.

– The air in Costa Rica smelled sweet and so fresh.

– Beware of public busses in Italy…men try to rub their junk on you when standing behind you in close proximity!