Huntsville leaves endearing impression

Huntsville leaves endearing impression

Huntsville, Alabama may not be the first destination on the top of your mind, or even on your bucket list at all, but after reading this post it will likely move up more than a few notches. We all conjure impressions of various destinations around the world based on the information we've gathered and absorbed over time. Some destinations are easier than others to form an impression as there is much more information and history to draw from. It's important to note that impressions are not only often wrong, but often skewed based on the information we've absorbed.

Take Paris for example, most people think of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, street-side cafes, fine French cuisine, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and perhaps, Moulin Rouge. For the most part, what you expect is what you get. However, that's not always the case. I'll never forget my first trip to New Orleans; I had little to no interest in the city because my ignorant impression was that of a party scene wrapped around Mardi Gras. Boy, was I wrong! When I visited a couple years ago I discovered a world-class destination not only rich in history, but culinary, music and hospitality mastery.

I mention the above to illustrate a point, that all too often our impressions of a destination are wrong due to our own individual level of ignorance. I recently visited Huntsville, Alabama for a travel conference and got but a glimpse of what I believe is an up-and-coming travel destination. While my knowledge and expectations of Huntsville were limited, those expectations were far exceeded. I truly hope to visit Huntsville again one day to further explore the city that could be compared to an onion as it has many layers to discover.

As we began descending out of the mountains toward Pokhara, we could see how expansive the city was. Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal, next to the capital of Kathmandu. When we arrived in Pokhara, it felt like a place I really wanted to explore. The pace was much calmer than that of Kathmandu. The traffic, roads, sidewalks and level of pollution were all remarkably better than that of the capital. Pokhara is located on Phewa Lake in central Nepal. It's known as the gateway to Himalayas and it is quite popular with thrill seekers. For example, Pokhara is home to Highground Adventures, whose attractions include the longest and greatest vertical zipline drop in the world, as well as a Nepal's only tower bungee jump.