Quote Originally Posted by BrentJackson
To answer the request of my favorite place of those, that's a hard question. It really is.

Australia is something awesome even to a Canadian. It's vast. I mean a European must feel like he's on another planet, the distances between places are so huge. And I must admit, some of the stuff I saw was bizzare. Is there any place else in the world with a combination pet food/porno store? (I kid you not - that was in a small town in the Outback not far from Broken Hill in NSW.)

Sydney has a geography like few cities in the world - Seattle, San Francisco and Monaco is about as close as it gets. Aussies are so friendly that at first it was quite scary. But get into it, and it just feels like you haven't traveled far at all. I'll be going back sometime in my life.

Africa is not as uncivilized as people make it out to be. Cape Town has to be one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, and I can see why its residents in many cases wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Practically the entire Indian Ocean coast of SA from Cape Town to Durban is supposed to be gorgeous, but I didn't see anything beyond Port Elizabeth. Namibia is another vast open landscape with few people - but a huge amount of wildlife. Even in a Toyota Land Cruiser, you have to watch for animals - apparently they have had problems with even elephant/car interfaces. Botswana is a similar story, as is much of SA's Great Karroo. It's so empty its amazing. Unbelievably hot at times too - When I had to stop for gas in Beaufort West, the temperature according to the stations thermometer was 114 Fahrenheit. Johannesburg is something else, too - even far beyond than Cape Town, this is like two cities in one. Just miles from shocking-rich Sandton and Houghton is dirt-poor Alexandria, rough and ready Soweto and crime-ridden fallen city Hillbrow. You have to see it to believe it. But believe me, you don't act wealthy in Hillbrow or Soweto if you value your life.

Canada has much to offer. The range of mountains from Northern California to the Yukon is jaw-dropping virtually in its entirety. US Route 2 through Stevens Pass in Washington State is one of the most amazing drives I've ever done - a well-maintained winding two-land road through the Cascades. No trucks in sight, and only a few small towns along the way. If you wanna see this one, do it in July or August, when its not raining and the Pacific Northwest gets the "Kodachrome skies". My little Toyota MR2, US Route 2 on a Kodachrome-sky 25-degree July day is as close to driving heaven as I've ever come.

Britain is a place I liked, but never quite figured out. This is especially true of Scotland. Getting around by car (or even by train) is such a challenge that even this world traveller got lost often. The countrysides are quite idyllic, but I never really got into it. Northern Ireland has fantastic people, at least until I told them I have a Protestant father and Catholic mother. I decided to get out of that pub after that.

The Republic of Ireland has the most talkative people I have ever experienced. That, and it certainly was a neato experience tracing my family's roots in County Kerry.

In all honesty, Europe is a gorgeous place and great for history, but I liked Western North America, Africa and Australia more interesting and more awesome. A bit adventurous, too - in Europe, everything you see somebody has seen before and its all too easy to see and experience. Africa is quite another matter. And I must admit, driving like Colin McRae on a dirt road in Namibia is fun.
Very good summary of Southern Africa. Luckily when I stay in Jo'burg I stay in Sandton. The Indian Ocean coast is beautiful as you've said but I like the sparseness of the Atlantic coast too.