Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
Where The Streets Have No Name
By Lee | 
9 Comments » 
‘Wallis and Futuna. Where? Wallis and Futuna. Never heard of it.’ This is a pretty good characterization of some of the conversations that I have had about Wallis and Futuna recently as nobody has ever heard of it. I must say, there’s no real reason to have heard of it unless you are fascinated by French overseas territories or you are a Travelers Century Club member. The two islands are linked together through French colonization only but trace their roots back to Tonga and Samoa. I visited the island of Wallis and found out it was a land of extremes. Extreme heat, extreme rain, extreme humidity, extreme amounts of dead pigs and extremely large money. And oh yeah, the streets have no names. In fact, there are no signs period. But that’s part of the fun.
(more…)
Fiji and Vanuatu
By Lee | 1 Comment » 
The South Pacific is a wonderful place filled with beautiful islands and friendly people although getting around can be tough. For me, the best place is Fiji. The name Fiji alone sounds tropical and almost made up. The islands are beautiful and the country is easy to manage. Some might say it is too touristy and built up but you know what-if a lot of tourists go someplace it’s probably pretty good! Besides we’re not talking Cancun here in terms of numbers of tourists, we’re simply talking more than say…Tuvalu! Make of it what you like but there’s no debating that Fiji is pretty awesome. It’s easy; it has something for everyone, good restaurants, great scenery and the best sunsets I have ever seen. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it and learn the word “Bula” because you’ll be saying it a lot.
(more…)
The Most Boring Country on Earth
By Lee | 4 Comments » 
I cannot believe that Tuvalu is a real United Nations member country. Technically, they have the same voting power as Germany or another large nation and that blows me away. It is technically the second smallest population wise country (less Vatican City) in the world behind nearby Nauru but with Tuvalu being split up over three atolls, it feels like the smallest. Fongafale, the main island, has about 4000 extremely nice people on it but they all pretty much do nothing all day and give new meaning to the word lazy. They sleep a lot; both on hammocks all over the road, on the ground or on the airstrip because that’s where they can get the crosswinds in the oppressive heat. It’s really amazing to watch. In fact, I will go ahead and call Tuvalu the single most boring place in the world. There is really nothing to do-at least anything that could sustain you for more than an hour or so. With that assessment, I will state for the record that I will never return to Tuvalu but I am mostly glad I came; mainly because they asked if I was carrying animal semen! see photo below row v…
(more…)
Guadalcanal
By Lee | 4 Comments » 
The Solomon Islands don’t get a ton of tourists and quite frankly, there isn’t much to do. However, I guess that’s part of the charm as I’ve been quite content here the past few days just relaxing and taking in the culture and people on Guadalcanal Island, which is the home of the capital Honiara, some cool World War II relics and the main airport, Henderson Field. If any of the names I’ve just thrown out there sound familiar it’s because Guadalcanal is one of the most famous and the first Allied victory against the Japanese in World War II. Also, Henderson Field is the same guy who the airfield on Midway Island is named for as he was the first pilot shot down during that battle.
(more…)
The Tokelau Expedition
By Lee | 24 Comments » 
I’m not sure where to begin here as the last five days have been exceptionally trying from a traveler perspective and a lot has happened; but in fact very little has happened. Let me try to clarify what that means and talk about my disorganized, botched, delayed, misled, trying, grueling, shocking and ultimately exhausting and relatively unfulfilling expedition to Tokelau.
(more…)
It Takes Two To Tonga
By Lee | 9 Comments » 
Tonga is one of those places you’ve always heard about because it has a cool name and sounds really exotic. It seems so far (and it is) and you know they have some big Polynesian looking dudes that play Rugby and some even play in the NFL. You know it’s near Samoa and some of those other “ones” down in the Pacific somewhere but you really don’t know anything about it. Sound familiar? You may recall it was the first place to ring in the new Millenium as it’s essentially on the date line. Well I have to say that after two days on Tonga I can say, not much goes on here and this place is as laid back as anywhere I’ve been. There isn’t much to do but for what there is to do, I like the Tongan attitude and slogan…”Do it the Tongan way…Tomorrow”.
(more…)
Aloha From Oahu
By Lee | 10 Comments » 
I first went to Hawaii in March 2004 for ten days or so and I really didn’t have that great a time. I spent my time on Oahu, Maui and Kauai and wasn’t too upset to leave the islands and head back home. Six years later was a much different story. I had a blast and spent my entire 5 days on Oahu, less the day I flew to Midway. More importantly I think I accepted Hawaii for what it was, Honolulu in particular. It is a bit of Vegas meets Disneyworld with all the cheesiness and tourists but at the same time, it’s beautiful and has a lot of interesting history and once you escape Waikiki, Oahu is a pretty awesome place to be. The North Shore and the east of the island are pretty cool and have lots of hidden little places and amazing restaurants, shrimp trucks and shave ice places. In fact, the shave ice places are so good that when Obama returns to Hawaii he makes sure to visit his favorite ice place-I saw the pictures and had my ice served by the same guy who served the President with his fat lip ring and all-that was pretty cool!
(more…)
Return To Midway
By Lee | 12 Comments » 
On June 4, 1942 one of the most famous battles in the history of war and the most famous Naval battle of all time was fought on and around a small atoll in the South Pacific called Midway Island. This battle was supposed to be a sneak attack by the Japanese on the unsuspecting Americans. The Japanese would easily have the Americans outnumbered and have more firepower. However, before the attacks the Americans broke the code of the Japanese and were prepared for this planned sneak attack. The Americans were ready and the Battle of Midway has been called the turning point of the War in the Pacific. The outmanned Americans defeated the Japanese and gave confidence to their efforts in the Pacific and damaged the momentum the Japanese had established. Yesterday I was privileged enough to visit Midway Island for the 68th Anniversary commemoration of that bloody day and it was a day that I will never forget.
(more…)
Paradise Under Palau
By Lee | 5 Comments » 
Palau is pretty much everything you’ve ever dreamed of in a little paradise that’s far from everywhere but unlike anywhere. It has the best underwater marine life and coral I have ever seen. The varieties of fish are varied and abundant while the coral sparkles and exudes incredible color combinations in the hot afternoon sun. The Rock Islands are what you dream about in bed or at work as they are simply spectacular and unlike anywhere else I have seen. It’s an otherworldly feeling and Jellyfish Lake is indescribable as it feels like you’ve been invaded by millions of little aliens with pulsating brains. The only downside about Palau is it’s very expensive and of course the fact it is so far away. However, if you can swing the time and the cash, it is truly unique and has this jaded traveler humbled by the experience and wishing for more.
(more…)
Yap Yap Yap
By Lee | 5 Comments » 
Yap is an unusual place. Almost all there is to do lies beneath the surface of the ocean yet you don’t ever find yourself bored. There’s really no beaches like most Pacific islands. The island has a population of about 11,000 although you would never believe that because you’ll only see a handful of people. It is famous for its rai or stone money and the filthy betel nut that seemingly everyone, men and women, chews and spits out. It is home to some of the nicest and most easy going people around and oh yeah, they have these amazing corals reefs with the best snorkeling and diving I have seen anywhere on Earth.
(more…)
Pages
- About Lee Abbamonte
- Ask/Contact Lee
- Country List
- Country Qualifications-What makes it Count as a Country
- Mt. Kilimanjaro Journal
- Mt. Kilimanjaro Slideshow
- Newsletter
- Pictures of Lee
- Press Clips
- Sponsorship
- Standards for Visits
- TV/Trailer/Africa Slideshow
- Useful Travel Links
- Why Travel?
Email Updates
Categories
- Africa
- Airlines
- Asia
- Australia/New Zealand
- Caribbean
- Central America
- Europe
- General Travel
- Indian Subcontinent
- Middle East
- New 7 Wonders
- North America
- Oceana
- Picture of the Day
- Random
- South America
- Top 5 Lists
- Travel on TV
- Trip Blog
- Trivia
- World Sport
- Indian Ocean
Monthly Archives
Travel links
- Travel Medical Insurance
- Discount Hotels
- International Airfare
- Travel Gear Guide
- Cheap Air Tickets
- Around the World Airfare
- Airport Parking
- South Africa Travel
- Travel Visas
- Adventure Tours
- Youth Hostels
- Travel Blogs
- Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
- Bali Travel
- London Hostels
- World Cup Jerseys
- Flights to Europe
- Italy Travel Guide
- Flight Tracker
- Amsterdam Hostels
My Links
- Travel Sites