most memorable new places of the decade

Technically I should have done this last year, since 2000-2010 is actually 11 years. But let’s not be pedantic: 2010 really does sound like the end of the first decade of this century, and we should treat it as such.

I travel a lot, and new places leave a deep impact on me, perhaps even more than new people. There are variations in sound, scent, humidity, and general atmosphere in every place, and we enter into such deep symbiosis with them (despite my anti-relationism) that unforeseen major life changes and even personality changes often follow us in our movements.

If you don’t believe me, just reread Nietszsche’s Ecce Homo, which makes as powerful a case for this point as anything else I’ve read.

The basic criterion here is which of these places have left the strongest traces in memory. Some of them have grown on me over time (somehow I only rated Istanbul the 4th best new place of 2002, though it is now perhaps my favorite city in the world), while others had a more immediate sort of thrill.

Instead of ranking them à la Ivakhiv’s books, I’ll put them into categories. And remember, I’m only counting places that I visited for the first time somewehere between 2000-2010.

HOME

Cairo. No explanation needed. As of July 2000 I had never set foot in Egypt, but now it is the backdrop for everything. Don’t expect Cairo to be beautiful, because it’s not. But it’s lively and endlessly surprising.

ALL-AROUND FAVORITES

These are places for which I find myself always looking for excuses to go back.

Istanbul. Still hovering around #1 on my favorite world cities list, and it’s now emerging as a cultural power as well.

Alexandria. Fresh air and seaside for worn-down Cairenes. Not much trace remaining of its glorious history, unfortunately. But it’s still a badly underrated place. Most travel guides maltreat fair Alexandria.

Ghent, Belgium. The late medieval eeriness of the place, that’s what I love. A perceptive American friend of mine lives in Antwerp, yet she avoids nearby Ghent because it “gives her the heebie-jeebies.” I feel the same vibe she does, but for me there’s a positive spin on it. Great place to walk around alone at 1 AM to sample the eeriness to the full.

Beirut. Another seaside/fresh air special, and the political edginess adds a certain excitement to the place.

Malta. I’m just adding Malta now, about 8 hours after first making this post, and I can’t believe it slipped my mind.

DARK HORSE

Scarborough, England. It’s supposedly just another old working class sea resort. But I adored it, and think of it often.

STRONGLY IMPRINTED WITH ONE EVENT

Salloum, Egypt. Just a minor desert town on the border with Libya. But it’s where I had the good fortune to witness a total eclipse of the sun in late March, 2006. If you’ve never seen a total eclipse, please do. It’s far more bizarre, and far more awe-inspiring, than you’d expect.

Dublin. A nice city overall, but for me it will always be the place where I received my first copy of Tool-Being, FedExed by Open Court to my hotel. Also discovered that Guinness drunk in Dublin is not the same thing as Guinness anywhere else. In Chicago it was always bitter; in Dublin it’s almost creamy.

BEAUTIFUL

Rio de Janeiro. Predictable but unavoidable. There can’t be a more beautiful large city on earth.

Palolem, Goa, India. Most beautiful place I’ve ever seen: like a caricature of paradise. Crescent-shaped beach with pounding but endurable waves, all of it lined with coconut trees. Perfect light. 2.5 hours by bus from the nearest good-sized population center, keeping the crowds down somewhat. If you’re looking for the perfect honeymoon location, this should be on the short list.

Machu Picchu, Peru. We approached the ruins in the mist after a gruelling 3-day hike at altitude (very hard for me with my lowlander’s blood). The solar eclipse in Egypt was the most sublime thing I’ve ever seen, but if I’ve ever had a sublime experience involving human-made structures, this was it.

Delphi, Greece. This could go in the next section (“historical resonance”) as well, but Delphi first deserves to be praised for its beauty. I never imagined the setting would be that stunning, perched on a mountainside with the sea visible not too far away.

HISTORICAL RESONANCE

Athens. If you’re a philosopher, then obviously you have to see Athens. It doesn’t look anything like what you probably expect. To me it feels more northern European than Mediterranean, though I doubt that’s a universal sentiment. It’s nice to have the real Athens in your mind when reading the classics rather than whatever fabricated Athens you had imagined beforehand.

Luxor, southern Egypt. My own favorite part is the vast Temple of Karnak, but there’s a lot to choose from.

Mt. Sinai, Egypt. The usual pitch to tourists is “climb overnight and see the sunrise.” I’ve seen better sunrises, but the climb itself is incredible; actually, it’s a hike rather than a climb. Wrapped in a blanket (I’ve never had the temperature drop so much from starting point to finish line) I even had the opportunity to look like a Biblical character.

Sarajevo. Strange to be there in person after watching it on television in its temporary 1990’s role of “most dangerous city on earth.” There’s also the WWI angle.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki. Strange to encounter both of these as real places. They left a permanent impression.

Korean DMZ. Without question the scariest place I’ve ever been. The tension is genuine, and if war starts while you’re in the DMZ, you’re completely screwed. No one will be able to save you; you may as well be inside the hull of the Titanic on the ocean floor waiting for a rescue. It won’t come.

ATMOSPHERE

Damascus. The Old City feels pretty small if you know Cairo. But it’s entirely enclosed within walls, which gives it a comforting and humane feeling: no chance of accidentally wandering into the wrong neighborhood. Trees and even a babbling brook inside the walls. Steam baths and the best candy the world has to offer.

Leh, Ladakh (Kashmir), India. Himalayas and Tibetan Buddhism.

Vilnius, Lithuania. “A strange city” is how Lonely Planet put it, I think. They meant it as a compliment, and so do I. The whole city center is on the UNESCO list. Sudden vacant areas appear as you walk through Vilnius, filled with chirping crickets. The Lingis Archive will eventually settle there as well (no joke); a room is already prepared in the City Museum. They will take his artifacts no less than his manuscripts and letters.

Peruvian Amazon. Wild parrots uttering random Spanish phrases from the jungle. I was in an ecolodge.

Mumbai. Great place, and probably no description needed.

PLEASANT SURPRISES

Lima, Peru. No longer remember what I was expecting, but I rather liked Lima.

Sofia, Bulgaria. Endless tree-lined brick backstreets near the city center, perfect for walking and thinking.

Toulouse, France. One of the gems of midsized European cities. It doesn’t crush you with history, but feels contemporary and livable.