8 Exotic Places for Lovers

During the course of my travels, I’ve chanced upon some places so romantically charged that I could hear the blues tugging on my heartstrings.  Since it’s my job to share my secrets, I present a gallery, alternatively titled:  8 Places I Really Did Not Want to be Travelling Single. ​

Sunset from the Rose Garden, Cappadocia, Turkey

It’s a remarkable view over a remarkable landscape.  Thousands of strange rock formations can be found in this region of central Turkey, where people have lived in caves for thousands of years, and “fairy chimneys” pointing at the sky give an alien charm.   A popular sunset spot called the Rose Garden is a short drive from the main town of Gorome.  Here, the rocks glow as pink as the cheeks of the lovers enjoying the moment.   The fairy chimneys are also undeniably phallic, just in case you needed something to stroke your imagination. ​

Drifting Amongst the Firebugs, Malaysia

Picture the scene:  You’re floating down a river just after  dusk, the silence broken by wooden oars dipping into the still water. An old man rows in the traditional fashion – standing at the bow, his back towards you, his leathered arms in perfect rhythm with each stroke.   The night is young, the air is warm.   All of sudden, you see a  tiny flash of light, then another, then another.   Rounding a bend, your jaw drops as the trees on either side of the river look like lights in a disco, pulsing with thousands upon thousands of tiny neon flashes.   Firebugs glow as part of their mating ritual, and the romance of such a moment is thick.   I turn to my guide: “You’re a great guy Mr Kabir, but right now, I kind of wish you were a single girl.”
To which he replies:  “No offence Mr Robin, but I wish the same.” Unfortunately, firebugs hate posing for photos, so here’s the river before the disco opens.  ​

Overnight in a Bedouin Tent, Wadi Rum, Jordan

Deserts are hot places to be, just like our most feverish romantic dreams.   In Wadi Rum - a desolate but beautiful valley of sand, punctuated by mountains of rock - it is possible to ride into the desert on camel, and spend the night in a traditional Bedouin tent.  A gourmet meal is cooked in ancient fashion; by baking meats and vegetables beneath the hot sand, served with pita, salad, humus, and all the delicious trimmings.  You’re free to explore the surrounding rock hills, feeling the dry air blowing in your hair, listen to the crackle of the fire while shooting stars spray across the clear night sky.   It was an incredible night, pity I was being filmed by the Word Travels crew, and, with no one to cuddle with, picked up a nasty cold. ​

Bled Island, Bled, Slovenia ​

Slovenia is a jewel of a country in central Europe, and the waters of Lake Bled shimmer with an emerald glow.   European aristocrats have always flocked to its quiet summer shores, and in the middle of the lake rests the country’s only natural island, a striking view for the first-time visitor.  The first church was built here in the 11th century, the current steeple dates to the 1500’s, and 99 steps lead up to sanctuary.  Legend has it that if a groom can carry his bride up the stairs, it will be a lasting and successful marriage.    It might be too much a feat in this day and age, but the romance and beauty of the island, coupled with the surrounding Julian Alps, are better than flowers and a box of chocolates. ​

Blackwater Rafting, Waitomo, New Zealand

Somewhat similar to our Malaysia experience, only this time, we’re in the water, underground, and floating through caves on a rubber tube.   It’s a typically adventurous activity for visitors to New Zealand, so how does this end up on my Romance list?   Deep in the caves, it is pitch dark save for the light of your headlamp.   A wetsuit keeps you warm, but the cool underground stream rushing over your skin cannot help but get the goose bumps flaring.   Eventually, you make your way to a cavern where you sit in a big, black rubber tube, link your legs around your partner, and float downstream like waterproof doughnuts.  Your guide asks you to switch off your light, and then you see them: a milky way of stars, deep in the earth.   Phosphorus glow worms twinkle, and all you can hear is the drip of water, and the breathless sigh of those around you. ​

The Locks of the 3 Gorges Dam, China

It’s been described as the most ambitious engineering project in history, a marvel of science, the redesign of nature by man.   China has damned the Yangzte, the third biggest river in the world, and the 3 Gorges Dam, the world’s largest, will generate the equivalent energy of 18 nuclear power plants upon completion.   Cruises have been operating for years, and sit outside, in the early morning humidity, while massive transfer and cargo ships make their way through the five immense locks.  Intelligence, power, size and ambition are all aphrodisiacs, and they all meet right here, as your ship drops metres at a time, protected from disaster by the ominous gates that hold back the floods.   It’s a surreal experience, and oddly enough, an exotically romantic one too. ​

Ilha Grande, Brazil

This photo was taken in Ilha Grande, but to be honest, it could be anywhere in Brazil. Anywhere in a country where couples will randomly start dancing on old cobblestone, sometimes to music that’s only playing in their heads.   Public displays of affection don’t go down in Canada too well, but in Brazil, and throughout Latin America, it is common sight to see couples smooching their lips off, at the dinner table, on the streets, hell, even in a bank meeting.   And it’s not just the young folks either.  Elderly lovers are as into it as the teenagers.   The result is an undeniable atmosphere of romance, where love is proudly on display, and if you feel like you need to watch, well, then, go ahead. ​

Badeschiff Bar, Berlin, Germany

Why swim in the river, when you can swim in a swimming pool in the river? Another warm summer night, and the hip beach bars that have sprung up alongside Berlin’s Spree River are starting to get busy.  DJ’s are playing some smooth jazzy beats, the cocktails have umbrellas, and it’s the perfect time to strip down and take a dip in the pool.   Swimming over water is a weirdly romantic, not to mention wet, surprise, here in the heart of the Berlin.  ​