Searching for Unique: A Traveller's Guide to Extraordinary Experiences

by Nancy O'Hare, Susan Fitzgerald (Editor), Chad O'Hare (Photographer)

Overview

Written before the pandemic, this book highlights the most unique destinations around the world for travellers looking for something different.

You will get:

• 3 Multi-day treks following ancient trails with more locals than foreigners;
• 4 Hiking routes offering diverse landscapes and solitude;
• 6 Temples to immerse yourself in local tradition;
• 6 Festivals filled with traditions few outsiders see;
• 5 Kingdoms with a legacy that still resonates; and
• 4 City breaks unlike any typical urban escape.

After visiting over eighty countries and living on five continents, the author found these destinations to be the most unique. If you want an amazing experience where you can connect with local culture and be active outdoors, then this book is for you.

Every destination includes a short story about what to expect and tips to make your own trip.

Written by a traveller, for travellers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781775039068
Publisher:	Nancy O'Hare
Publication date:	11/12/2018
Pages:	330
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Nancy O'Hare is the author of two travel books, Dust in My Pack and Searching for Unique. Nancy writes about our world's most unique destinations alongside her husband whose photography exposes remarkable landscapes and intriguing cultures. She had a career in finance for nearly twenty years, living and working across five continents, before switching to write about her true passion of exploring lesser-visited regions. Nancy's love for nature and cultures is revealed in narratives pulled from all seven continents. Destinations are structured into themes, such as trekking and ancient sites. Inspire your inner traveller with her refreshing perspective on little-known destinations.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter One: Wilderness Treks

Bhutan—Tackling the Snowman Trek

Bhutan—Treading Mystical Lands along the Merak to Sakteng Cultural Trek

Iceland—Finding Solitude in Eastern Iceland

Chapter Two: Little-Known Hikes

Colombia—Entering the Home of the Sun God in the Páramo de Ocetá

Cuba—Uniting Sierra, Cigars and Solitude in Parque Nacional Viñales

Faroe Islands—Dodging Wind and Rain across Vágar and Gjógv

Portugal—Capturing the Milky Way in Madeira

Chapter Three: Ancient Temples

Bhutan—Chasing Demons in Chimi Lhakhang

Myanmar—Biking through Bagan’s Four Thousand Temples

Myanmar—Meeting Monks in Nyaungshwe

Myanmar—Behold Gold and Treasure at Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya

Sri Lanka—Walking with Pilgrims at Mihintale

Sri Lanka—Scrambling Up the Boulder Temple of Pidurangala

Chapter Four: Rare Festivals

Bhutan—Unmasking the Yak Cham

Bhutan—Glimpsing Sakteng’s Secluded Ceremonies

Bhutan—Burning Arches and Masked Dancers at the Tamshing Phala Choepa

Bhutan—Translating Sutras inside Thimphu’s Buddha Dordenma

China—Unrolling Tibet’s Oldest Thangka at the Gyantse Festival

Malawi—Dancing the Malipenga on the Shores of Lake Malawi

Chapter Five: Fallen Kingdoms

Estonia—Unravelling Tragedy and Myth at Kuressaare Castle

Latvia—Finding Rugged Simplicity at Cēsis Castle

Lithuania—Mingling with the Old and New in Refined Vilnius

Sri Lanka—Delving into the Spiritual Past of Anuradhapura

Sri Lanka—Shifting Waters at the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa

Chapter Six: Modern Metropolises

Bhutan—A Trickle of Change Enters the Secluded Capital of Thimphu

Brunei Darussalam—Discover Bandar Seri Begawan’s Pulse beneath its Formal Facade

Cuba—Losing Yourself in Havana’s Tangle of Art, History and Authority

Myanmar—Mandalay’s Shimmer and Serenity

About the Author

Other Books by the Author

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

The Prairies Book Review: "Certainly a keeper...

Searching for Unique, O'Hare's second book is a sincere effort at creating a well-informed travel to remote, challenging places. The matter-of-fact narrative takes readers to heartwarming journey across exotic lands while exploring different social causes: affordable housing, cost of living, and children's education in developing countries among others. The stunning black and white pictures are a treat to the eyes."

Nancy McNair, travel lover and marketing enthusiast: "Searching for Unique was just that, a compilation that threads together Nancy's travels in a way that allows you to pick up any chapter and immerse yourself in her next adventure. Not only that, Nancy provides invaluable information related to each story in hopes that this may be a jumping off point in your own 'search for unique'."

Judge, 8th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published eBook Awards: "Through essays that highlight both history and her personal experiences, Nancy O'Hare has crafted a book that will help you fill up your bucket list, and keep your wanderlust alive. It is perfect for people who want to collect memories, not just passport stamps, and for those who love to travel vicariously by reading about the journeys of others. A continuous theme in the essays is the author's belief that we can and should embrace cultural differences, and that the more experiences we have, the more we see similarities. The author's passion for beauty and the discovery of more obscure destinations shines through and is infectious.

Because this book contains both narrative and practical advice, it is written for travelers, not tourists. It's going to appeal to some people more than others and can't be all things to everyone. There are sections of tips for those who wish to follow in the author's footsteps, but readers will need to do more research on a particular location if they actually wish to visit. For this reason, it would be wise for the author to focus marketing and sales copy on the fact that this is both a piece of travel memoir and a jumping-off place for would-be adventurers."

From the Publisher