From Nessie to Sharks: Best Travel Stories of the Week

April 27, 2008

Having just watch the heavily promoted movie The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007); I couldn’t help but to wonder about Nessie. The Loch Ness Monster is probably one of the most talked about mysteries in the world, which has brought up overwhelming controversies: is it really real? Is it just a merely overrated folklore? Is there a scientific explanation for Nessie’s existence? Or worse yet, is Nessie just a big, puffed up lie told by a circus mogul?

Well, whatever the answer is, there’s always one thing that is genuinely true: Nessie is a pure goldmine for Scotland. The somewhat over-hyped mythology of the monster has been known to give a £6-million contribution towards the tourism industry of the country.

Thus, when the number of sightings went down drastically from around ten a year in the 1990s to none in 2008; it seems sensible that the Scots are worried. Read the story written by Neil Wilson, Is the Loch Ness Monster Dead? for The Lonely Planet. He revealed how the locals are still hoping that the world will still keep an eye out for the legendary creature—for the sake of the thriving tourism.

But if mythical beings are just not your cup of tea; try real-life beasts instead. Sure, tourists will do what ever it takes to have a glimpse of Nessie on the Loch, but we bet that they will never want to encounter the beasts of these beaches.

As Stephen Regenold wrote for Forbes Traveler, apparently the United States has more shark-human interactions than any other country in the world. The sand may be golden tan; the waters clear blue, but who knows that there has been fifty reported attacks in 2007 alone? Read Stephen’s account of the nine beaches commonly associated with shark attacks in North America’s Top Shark-Attack Beaches.

However, there are other deep water experiences that don’t come with jaws—at least, not the deadly ones. Try the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, where the diversity of life spans from bryozoans to humpback whales. Peter Frank, editor in chief of concierge.com, encourages you to visit the reef as one of the 10 Great Endangered Places to See While You Still Can.

Sadly enough, according to Frank, The Great Barrier Reef—along with nine other natural and historical legacies that has drawn an overwhelming interest from tourists around the globe—currently faces a great threat of annihilation. Just picture this: global warming is causing glaciers to melt, unlawful hunting and logging are causing habitat deterioration, and acid rain is slowly demolishing the Taj Mahal. Bearing these in mind, we can presume that these legacies might not survive the next couple of decades.

So, by the time you’re reading the article, I’d be off planning my next vacation to Agra, India. Speaking of Agra—which is the city of grandiose architecture—India is not only known for its remarkable heritage of erotic temples or exotic food. Yes, fellow lady travelers, souvenir shopping is a part of the Indian’s travel excitements. Anything from silk embroidered saris to the finest Kashmir carpets is within your reach—all for notable prices.

Sharell Cook shares her precious findings in Shopping in India: A Guide as to What to Buy and Where.

Anyway, if any of these travel stories have inspired you to arrange your next trip, why not pen down the experiences from your previous ones while you’re at it? Who knows, the road might lead you to become one the renowned travel writers of the world.

Travel writing can be an interesting career, where you can both satisfy your passion of traveling and writing at the same time. Sure enough, it has its own perks and let-downs, but Julie Schwietert—one of the most prolific article writers for Matador Travel—reveals the Top 5 Secrets Travel Writers Won’t Tell You. Check it out and see for yourself why travel writing can be so much fun.

That’s all for this week, but I’ll be back next week to bring you the list of five best travel stories from all over the web. Well, if they inspire us, we’d like to make sure that they inspire you, too!