My (Travel) Bucket List

Most of us have goals that we may only ever dream about.  For me, many of those goals have focused on travel.   I have been fortunate to have been able to cross a few things off my own bucket list.  So I thought I would take the opportunity to share it here with you.  Since I have already managed to cross a few things off my list I have had to come up with new things to add to it as well.

Enjoy!

My Original (Travel) Bucket List

I've checked the following off the list!

-Visit the acropolis in Athens, Greece.

-See the pyramids at Giza in Egypt.

-See Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

-Travel through the streets of London on the top deck of a double decker bus.

-See the Canadian flag that stands at Vimy in France.

-Listen to Galway Girl in a real Irish pub.

-Ride in a hot air balloon. (this was in Luxor, Egypt)

-Take a cruise on Loch Ness.

-Visit the Alcazar in Segovia, Spain.

-Whitewater rafted the Kicking Horse River in Beautiful British Columbia.

This is just the tip of the iceberg...

My new and improved list is too long to include everything but here are some of the highlights:

-See the maritime provinces of my own country--I have only been to Newfoundland so far, but never to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.

-Climb a bigger mountain--I can say this because I've actually climbed two, one called Marble Mountain here in Canada and Mt Sinai in Egypt--I hope one day to tackle Mt. Kilimanjaro.

-See Macchu Picchu after having hiked the Inca Trail.

-See Bath and Stonehenge--I spent a long time in the UK and missed out on these!

-Sample sushi in Tokyo and see some traditional kabuki theatre in Japan as well.

-Walk along the Great Wall in China.

-Wander through the streets of Moscow.

-Visit the many amazing people I have met from Down Under.

-Go on Safari in Africa....

And too many more to list here.  I hope that I have only seen the start of my adventures and that they will continue for many more years to come.

Next time The Working Holiday and why I wish I would have known about this sooner!

Happy traveling!

I hope it's still there when I get the chance to visit . . .

One of the places I have been hoping to get to (but likely won't for a couple of more years) is the site of Machu Picchu in Peru. Sadly, this destination has been in the news recently due to heavy rainfall and flooding which has been the cause of mudslides in the area. The disaster had stranded many tourists in the area after affecting both the famous Inca Trail and the railway used by visitors that choose not to brave the 4 day hike. As well lives were lost in the mudslides as well. Just recently those stranded were evacuated by helicopter and are beginning to make their way home.

So far reports are promising that the ancient site has survived Mother Nature's worst and still stands intact. The Peruvian government has said that the railway will be restored as well in due time. So my dream to visit this ancient wonder is not dead yet.

For those who aren't familiar with the ruins, the site of Machu Picchu was built by the Inca in around 1450 AD which was at the height of the Inca Empire. The name means "old peak" By the time the Spanish arrived in the area just over 100 years later the site was already abandoned. Machu Picchu is often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas" and was rediscovered by the outside world in 1911 when Hiram Bingham, an American historian, found the site with the help of the local people. Since then, the "old peak" has become a major tourist destination. If you want to learn more about this UNESCO World Heritage Site click here.

So in the meantime, I am trying to shape up for the 4 day hike I will have ahead of me when I do make it to Peru--if the Inca Trail is open then I intend to walk in the footsteps of the ancients to make my way to the city in the clouds.