Top 5 Places Around the World Where You Lose Track of Time
Aaron Byrd, KCRW DJ.
I absolutely love to travel. Currently I’m up to 16 countries and it’s a bit of an addiction, I admit, but to quote the wise Anne Litt — “it’s a great problem to have.” I have been thinking back on all my travels — from horrible hostels and 13-hour train rides to some of the most euphoric sunsets and food that doesn’t make you miss your momma’s cooking. So I present to you the top 5 places around the world where you seem to lose track of time.
1) Barcelona, Spain:
My absolute favorite city in the world (thus far). As a city by the beach, it’s a lot like Los Angeles…but way better. It’s rich in history, amazing landscapes, great venues for live music, stunning museums, beautiful people. Barcelona oozes cultural appeal. A few highlights:
La Ramblas is a thoroughfare with lots of street theater, much like 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, and it ends at the beach, just like our Sunset Boulevard.
All the Antoni Gaudi architecture, La Sagrada Familia to Casa Vicens…it’s all simply stunning and transformative. For example, the Gaudi park, Park Guell, is like Alice in Wonderland for adults — you wander about for hours examining all his structures as if you were in a museum.
2) Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica:
This place is a true getaway in every sense of the word. Tucked away on the southern Caribbean coast of the country, nearly bordering Panama, Puerto Viejo is ALL ABOUT CHILL!
Just south of the main commercial district is a “green” resort called Almonds and Corals, where the rooms are elevated so that you can see spider monkeys in the tree canopy and are awakened by the sounds of howling monkeys. This isn’t some official advertisement for the resort, but if you do go, you will not be disappointed.
3) Koh Lanta, Thailand:
Thailand is truly a hippie’s haven and I’m a true hippie at heart. I was amazed by how many people I met there who were “just passing through” and ended up staying for up to 10 years. There’s a mystique about Southeast Asia, and Thailand in particular, that’s difficult to put into words. Koh Lanta, on the Andaman Sea, is an island where one of my fantasies came true — staying at a beach bungalow, I walked out to the sand, looked left…looked right…and there was not a soul in sight. Imagine you on a beach that looks like a Corona commercial — hot tropical sun and some of the most pristine water you’ll ever see in your life. Thailand baby, no place like it.
4) Cinque Terre, Italy:
Cinque Terre, or ”The Five Lands,” sit on the coast between Pisa and Genoa. The five villages can only be reached by boat or train and are connected by a walking trail, with the shortest hike between any two being about 25 minutes. The mountainside trek is right above the point where the Mediterranean and Tyrrenian Seas converge. Italy declared the region a national park and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As long as these two distinctions remain, there will never be any large hotel or restaurant chains. Every business in Cinque Terre is a true “mom and pop” and I can say without hesitation that Italy has the best food in Europe and Cinque Terre has the best food in Italy.
Being from a large metropolis, such as Los Angeles, when you’re in a town with no cars, no roads, no McDonalds, no Starbucks, and a summer high season of about 500 people, it is very easy to completely lose any sense of time or space.
5) Brasil:
Okay, the fact that I listed a country as opposed to one particular city, as I did with the other four, should tell you a lot about the country. Some may say I have saved the best for last. The most amazing thing about Brasil is it’s people’s philosophy on life. Work to live, not live to work.
Tags: Aaron Byrd, culture, sightseeing, travel
