Forget perfect: Adventure is unfiltered. In a new blog series, G Adventures is asking a few people to share memories from trips where things went a bit sideways, but it made for the best story — and the most unforgettable experience. Today, three G Adventures staff members tell the story behind their weird, wild and wonderful Unfiltered moments on the road. Have your own Unfiltered story? Click here to find out how you can win a trip for two with G Adventures by sharing it.
Giannina Culqui Munoz, Peru:
"The story started during my last vacation in April. That’s when my best friend and I decided to visit the Empire State Building, because it's one of the most famous buildings in NYC, and because it has an amazing view. It was difficult to choose the time to have the perfect photo taken there. We finally decided to go during the evening, around 6 p.m., so we could take pictures of the NYC skyline during sunset. Unfortunately, we arrived around 9 p.m. — and we hadn’t thought of the weather on the rooftop. It's still rather cold during April in New York and since we are Latinas, any temperature below 16 degrees (Celsius) is freezing for us. So the perfect photo never happened. Firstly, because it was crowded, so it was impossible to get a space just for our own. And the weather didn't help: The wind was so strong that I never got a good shot, since my hair tossed around with wind, my eyes were closed, and I couldn't smile because I was freezing! Nevertheless, it was a great night with an amazing view — and my best friend."
Jing Tantheeptham, Thailand:
"This photo was taken four years ago, on my first camping trip in Australia with Julio — my Ecuadorian best friend, and the photographer behind this image — on the road trip from Adelaide, South Australia to Alice Spring, Northern Territory. The trip spanned 6,000 kilometres over six days and five nights, by truck. We curled up under billions of stars, protected our food from dingoes, drove past a dead kangaroo on the way, and hit one storm at night. After the long way, finally, we saw it: Uluru! Before the sun rose, Julio offered to take the photo for me. I really trusted how the professional he and his DSLR camera looked. One year later, Julio and I had a chance to meet again — on his trip to Thailand — and he brought all photos from the trip to Australia. Imagine how surprised I was when I saw this photo! We smiled and laughed out loud. The photo isn’t perfect, but it always reminds us of our great memories, and our friendship."
Hoa Nguyen, Thailand:
"I planned a kick ass quad bike ride in the beautiful countryside of Siem Reap, Cambodia, but ended up hitting a random bush — probably the only bush around for miles, but I still managed to hit it. Of course, one of my passengers caught the moment, and made sure the whole group was let in on my amazing driving skills. I am from Vietnam, and for those who haven’t been to Vietnam, we are known for being fearless when it comes to driving!"
How do you do #AdventureUnfiltered? Whether it's not being able to find a bathroom in India or sampling crickets at a night market in Beijing, we want to see photos of your weirdest, wildest, most wonderful adventures — and if you share, you could win a trip for two to the destination of your choice. Click here to share your #AdventureUnfiltered moment to win.
