OK, so I've probably written versions of this at several points during my life, but they've all been lost due to crashed computers, missing notebooks, and the like, so here goes nothing. Those I've already ticked off will have a description next to them.
1. Travel to 100 countries (been to 19, with 3 more to come in next few months) and all 7 continents
2. Visit all 50 states (missing: AK, HI, OR, MT, NM, LA, MS, AL, DE, NJ, CT, RI, MA)
3. Go skydiving (summer 2012)
4. Go on a safari
5. Climb the Eiffel Tower (twice, 2001 and 2008)
6. Learn the play the guitar
7. Write a book
8. Go SCUBA diving on the Great Barrier Reef
9. Have a happy family
10. Have a career I enjoy
11. Work for Disney (2003)
12. See the Grand Canyon
13. Go to the Olympics
14. Go to a World Cup
15. Bachelor party in Las Vegas (2010)
16. Be fluent in 3 languages (working on Spanish)
17. Visit Galapagos Islands
18. See the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel (2001)
19. Explore the streets and canals of Venice (2001)
20. Backpack Europe (2008)
21. Run a marathon
22. Hike a volcano (Pacaya, Guatemala, 2012)
23. Learn to surf (Sayulita, Mexico, 2010)
24. Brew my own beer (Summer 2012)
25. Visit the Greek Islands
26. Explore a souk in Morocco
27. Hike Kilimanjaro
28. Go canyoning (El Salvador 2012)
29. Visit Yellowstone (Summer 2012)
30. Salsa dance in Colombia
31. Hike the Lost City in Colombia
32. Visit Lake Ometepe
33. Go ziplining in Costa Rica
33. Visit a concentration camp site (Dachau, Germany, 2008)
34. Go to tennis Grand Slam tournaments (US Open, French Open)
35. Visit Zanzibar, Tanzania
36. Go on a winery biking tour in Argentina
37. Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro
38. Amazon boat cruise
39. Pyramids of Egypt
40. Explore the cellar bars of eastern Europe (Prague, 2008)
41. Take a bullet train in Japan
42. Drink beer at the Hofbrauhaus, Munich (2001 and 2008)
43. Explore old Cartagena, Colombia
44. Stonehenge (2001)
45. Ring of Kerry/Cliffs of Moher, Ireland (2009)
46. Visit Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
47. See Angel Falls, Venezuela
48. Eat and sightsee in Chicago (2012)
49. Go pub crawling in Dublin (2009)
50. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
51. Hike the Great Wall of China
52. See apes in the wild in Uganda
53. Explore Mayan ruins in Mexico (Tulum and Coba, 2011)
54. Island hop in the Caribbean
55. Go skiing in Switzerland/Austria
56. Go on a fjord cruise in Norway
57. Bike Guanzgzhou Province in China
58. Explore the night markets in Seoul, South Korea
59. Raft Class IV/V rapids
60. Experience Carnival in Caribbean or South America
61. Skeleton Coast in Namibia
62. Hike to Everest Base Camp
63. Hike Roraima, Venezuela
64. Explore the former Yugoslav republics
65. Go to an electronic music festival
66. See U2 and Jimmy Buffett in concert
67. Hike Machu Picchu
68. Volunteer at an orphanage
69. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
70. Cross the Sahara
71. See Teotihuacan, Mexico (2011)
72. Go to the top of Burj Dubai
73. Become excellent at photography
74. See the Packers at the Super Bowl
75. Ski Whistler/Blackcomb
76. Go caving
77. Explore cenotes in the Yucatan (2011)
78. See Jerusalem
79. Hike Cinque Terre, Italy
80. Go zorbing
81. Visit the National Mall/US Capitol (1995)
82. Visit Istanbul and Cappadocia, Turkey
83. Tour breweries in Belgium
84. See the beaches of Normandy and Mt Ste Michelle, France
85. Explore the Balearic Islands, Spain
86. See where Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand
87. Have a Subaru with a bike/ski/kayak rack
88. Learn to take care of the cabin and shack
89. Shoot and gut a deer
90. Explore the Boundary Waters
91. See the sights of London (2001)
92. Visit Chiang Mai and the southern beaches of Thailand
93. Halong Bay, Vietnam
94. Cape Town and Table Mountain, South Africa
95. Stay in a beach hut on a South Pacific island
96. Trace my roots in Ireland and Poland
97. Go castle trekking in Romania/eastern Europe
98. See Yemen and Oman
99. Host and go CouchSurfing
100. Bike the World's Most Dangerous Road, Bolivia
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Colombia Dreaming
Sort of like California dreaming, but with more emphasis on coffee and avoiding the FARC and less on overpaid celebrities and earthquakes. The two month countdown has commenced until I fly from Minneapolis -> Cartagena and the excitement is palpable. Here are a few of the things I'm looking forward to experiencing in this off the beaten path destination:
1. Explore inside the city walls of Cartagena's Old Town.
One of the oldest cities in the Americas, Cartagena was founded in 1533 and its city walls still stand, enclosing what looks like a beautiful (usually termed "romantic", little use I'll have of that while there!) old town on the city's peninsula. The Spanish founded the city - though its location had been inhabited by indigenous people for centuries prior - and erected the walls to keep out invading Englishmen (read: pirates). Cartagena was Spain's main link to the goldfields of South America, and as such ships departing Cartagena were perfect pirate fodder. The city, however, could not be overrun by the English owing to the perfect construction of the city walls, and so gold could be stored within the city until an armada was able to safely scurry the gold across the Atlantic. Anyway, stoked to ramble around the city and beach and snap lots of pictures.
2. Taganga
Just past the bustling city of Santa Marta, further up along the Caribbean coast, sits the small fishing/beach village of Taganga. It's apparently a backpacker haven, though according to Hostelworld's hostel reviews, none of its lodgings are especially good, so I may stay at one ranked highly in Santa Marta. The plan at this point is to do my SCUBA certification dive there, and spend a day in the water making like a fish. Of course, that will require me to find the time in the States to do the proper coursework beforehand, which I am sorely in need of scheduling on one of my off weekends.
The diving is not world class, but the water is certainly clear enough for what I'll be attempting
Sort of reminds me of my ex's parents winter home location in Chacala, Mexico along the Pacific Coast - mountains right up to the curvature of a small bay dotted with fishing boats, though Chacala was completely off the beaten path of backpackers and independent travelers and hopefully remains so today!
3. Exploring Tayrona National Park
About an hour taxi ride from Santa Marta is this wondrous looking place, full of beautiful coves and beaches with hammocks galore.
The adventure is partly in getting there. After taking the taxi to the drop-off point, you have to catch a bus to the first beach, then start walking...and after about 3-4 hours of hiking, you reach beachfront lodging.
The park is also full of howler and titi monkeys, lizards, snakes, thousands of types of bird, and other wildlife. I'm especially looking forward to having a chance to seeing monkeys in the wild!
4. San Gil
After my time along the Caribbean coast, my plan is to take an overnight bus from Santa Marta to San Gil, deep in the mountains of central Colombia. San Gil is known as the adventure capital of Colombia, and is chock-full of highly rated hostels that will help you plan and book adventurous outing in the area. Some of these include:
Caving, with underground rivers and waterfalls to explore. One of the tours even claims that at one point, everyone turns their lights out and under pitch darkness, a blind jump into an underground grotto is an option. Plus, underground waterfalls. Sounds fun.
Rafting. San Gil has access to class 3-4 rapids, which I've never attempted before but certainly plan to!
Paragliding. Never done this, either, but if the weather conditions cooperate, I think I'll give it a go!
Mountain biking. Never really done this, like this, either. Bring you to the top of the mountain and let you bike down a thousand meters or so of elevation. I'm in!
Swimming in waterfall pools/absailing. There are a lot of waterfalls in the area, some perfect for swimming in their pools, and one which gives you the option to rappel down the waterfall, like the guy in red.
Exploring Parque Gallineral. The central park in San Gil is a nature preserve full of hanging vines and gushing streams, beer vendors and snack shops, and is a definite must.
Eat hormigas. Chocolate covered ants are a specialty in this part of Colombia, so when in Rome...
Barichara. A perfectly preserved colonial town set in the mountains just outside San Gil, the entire city has been declared a historic site by the Colombian government.
5. Bogota
The 3rd largest city in South America, and 5th largest on the American continent, Bogota was not too long ago a pretty unsafe and unpopular destination for tourists of any sort. That's changed a lot in the past 10 years, and now offers up such delights as the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), described as a must-see; Andres des Carnes, a steakhouse-cum-nightclub that every blog seems to rave about; and a few quaint cobblestone neighborhoods ripe for rambling. I'm excited to compare Bogota to Mexico City, my other experience in a Latin American megacity.
1. Explore inside the city walls of Cartagena's Old Town.
One of the oldest cities in the Americas, Cartagena was founded in 1533 and its city walls still stand, enclosing what looks like a beautiful (usually termed "romantic", little use I'll have of that while there!) old town on the city's peninsula. The Spanish founded the city - though its location had been inhabited by indigenous people for centuries prior - and erected the walls to keep out invading Englishmen (read: pirates). Cartagena was Spain's main link to the goldfields of South America, and as such ships departing Cartagena were perfect pirate fodder. The city, however, could not be overrun by the English owing to the perfect construction of the city walls, and so gold could be stored within the city until an armada was able to safely scurry the gold across the Atlantic. Anyway, stoked to ramble around the city and beach and snap lots of pictures. 2. Taganga
Just past the bustling city of Santa Marta, further up along the Caribbean coast, sits the small fishing/beach village of Taganga. It's apparently a backpacker haven, though according to Hostelworld's hostel reviews, none of its lodgings are especially good, so I may stay at one ranked highly in Santa Marta. The plan at this point is to do my SCUBA certification dive there, and spend a day in the water making like a fish. Of course, that will require me to find the time in the States to do the proper coursework beforehand, which I am sorely in need of scheduling on one of my off weekends.
The diving is not world class, but the water is certainly clear enough for what I'll be attempting
Sort of reminds me of my ex's parents winter home location in Chacala, Mexico along the Pacific Coast - mountains right up to the curvature of a small bay dotted with fishing boats, though Chacala was completely off the beaten path of backpackers and independent travelers and hopefully remains so today!
3. Exploring Tayrona National Park
About an hour taxi ride from Santa Marta is this wondrous looking place, full of beautiful coves and beaches with hammocks galore.
The adventure is partly in getting there. After taking the taxi to the drop-off point, you have to catch a bus to the first beach, then start walking...and after about 3-4 hours of hiking, you reach beachfront lodging.
The park is also full of howler and titi monkeys, lizards, snakes, thousands of types of bird, and other wildlife. I'm especially looking forward to having a chance to seeing monkeys in the wild!
4. San Gil
After my time along the Caribbean coast, my plan is to take an overnight bus from Santa Marta to San Gil, deep in the mountains of central Colombia. San Gil is known as the adventure capital of Colombia, and is chock-full of highly rated hostels that will help you plan and book adventurous outing in the area. Some of these include:
Caving, with underground rivers and waterfalls to explore. One of the tours even claims that at one point, everyone turns their lights out and under pitch darkness, a blind jump into an underground grotto is an option. Plus, underground waterfalls. Sounds fun.
Rafting. San Gil has access to class 3-4 rapids, which I've never attempted before but certainly plan to!
Paragliding. Never done this, either, but if the weather conditions cooperate, I think I'll give it a go!
Mountain biking. Never really done this, like this, either. Bring you to the top of the mountain and let you bike down a thousand meters or so of elevation. I'm in!
Swimming in waterfall pools/absailing. There are a lot of waterfalls in the area, some perfect for swimming in their pools, and one which gives you the option to rappel down the waterfall, like the guy in red.
Exploring Parque Gallineral. The central park in San Gil is a nature preserve full of hanging vines and gushing streams, beer vendors and snack shops, and is a definite must.
Eat hormigas. Chocolate covered ants are a specialty in this part of Colombia, so when in Rome...
Barichara. A perfectly preserved colonial town set in the mountains just outside San Gil, the entire city has been declared a historic site by the Colombian government.
5. Bogota
The 3rd largest city in South America, and 5th largest on the American continent, Bogota was not too long ago a pretty unsafe and unpopular destination for tourists of any sort. That's changed a lot in the past 10 years, and now offers up such delights as the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), described as a must-see; Andres des Carnes, a steakhouse-cum-nightclub that every blog seems to rave about; and a few quaint cobblestone neighborhoods ripe for rambling. I'm excited to compare Bogota to Mexico City, my other experience in a Latin American megacity.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Afghanistan
AFGHANISTAN...
It may be first alphabetically among the world's nations, but it certainly does not rank first among the countries you'd be most inclined to visit. And for the foreseeable future, you're probably not going to want to risk life and limb to journey to a bombed-out nation. But, hopefully someday the Taliban's presence will be a distant memory and the country will be much more accessible and inviting to visitors. Because, like every Central Asian nation, it is home to some amazing natural scenery. The spot that caught my attention, however, was completely man-made (and subsequently destroyed).
Bamiyan and the outline of one of its destroyed Buddhas
Up until the Taliban got their hands on them and dynamited them due to their status as religious idols, two massive Buddha sculptures stood framing the Bamiyan valley. Even without the statues, the outlines were completely impressive, and the entire area is riddled with monks' tunnels and caves and smaller untouched statues. The area is a UNESCO heritage site, and the Swiss and Japanese governments are coming up with the money to help Afghanistan rebuild both statues. Some day, this will once again be one of the world's wonders, and until that time stands as a stark reminder of the destruction of religious intolerance.
It may be first alphabetically among the world's nations, but it certainly does not rank first among the countries you'd be most inclined to visit. And for the foreseeable future, you're probably not going to want to risk life and limb to journey to a bombed-out nation. But, hopefully someday the Taliban's presence will be a distant memory and the country will be much more accessible and inviting to visitors. Because, like every Central Asian nation, it is home to some amazing natural scenery. The spot that caught my attention, however, was completely man-made (and subsequently destroyed).
Bamiyan and the outline of one of its destroyed Buddhas
Up until the Taliban got their hands on them and dynamited them due to their status as religious idols, two massive Buddha sculptures stood framing the Bamiyan valley. Even without the statues, the outlines were completely impressive, and the entire area is riddled with monks' tunnels and caves and smaller untouched statues. The area is a UNESCO heritage site, and the Swiss and Japanese governments are coming up with the money to help Afghanistan rebuild both statues. Some day, this will once again be one of the world's wonders, and until that time stands as a stark reminder of the destruction of religious intolerance.
Wanderings
In another life, I was a nomad. And at times, in this life as well. Not too many people I know, minus army brats, have moved as often in their lives (whether across the country, or across town) as I have. For one reason or another (flooded apartment, anyone?) I've changed living spaces and places on a yearly basis for the past eleven years. It only makes sense then, I suppose, that travel would rank highly on my list of favorite things to do. So here it is: my I'm-going-to-take-the-world-by-storm blog, a digital photoessay of places I've traveled and others I'm just dying to see.
At Yellowstone NP this past summer...with the ubiquitous orange polo
So, without further ado, let's start with one reason to visit every country in the world. Vamos!
At Yellowstone NP this past summer...with the ubiquitous orange polo
So, without further ado, let's start with one reason to visit every country in the world. Vamos!
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