My Expat Life

On Friday night at beers we were discussing where we want to travel. On Sunday Debra sent me her list of places she wants to see.

I’ve been afraid to put my list in any real form of writing. Because the more I travel the more I want to travel. I’m afraid that by putting it on paper, or in list format it will grow even more crazy. But without much thought to it and in no order other than somewhat geographical, this is the list I dashed off (in about 20 min or less). I’m sure there is lots I’ve forgotten. And I added some places I’ve been but want to always visit again and again and again…

Asia –
Japan – Kyoto, Mt Fuji (in August so I can climb to the top), Hiroshima
Vietnam – Hanoi, boat trip along Mekong
Laos
Cambodia – Phnom Penh (Killing Fields), Sihanoukville
Thailand – Krabi, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket again and again
Hong Kong
China – Chengdu or Wolong province (see Panda Bears, on hold now after earthquake), Great Wall
Borneo – See the Organ tans in Sabah
Indonesia – Bali
India – Taj Mahal
Maldives – Before they’re covered with water
Nepal – Trek to Mt Everest Base Camp and around to side where you can see all the way to the top
Philippines – So I can see all of ASEAN

Antarctica

Africa –
Egypt – Cairo, Great Pyramids
Morocco - Casablanca, Marrakech
Kenya
South Africa – Kruger National Park, more time in Cape Town (touch Atlantic and Indian Ocean in same day
Rwanda – See Gorillas, http://www.responsibletravel.com/Trip/Trip100267.htm
Zambia – Victoria Falls, White water rafting on Zambezi

Oceania
Australia - Tasmania, South Australia, more than 15 min looking at Uluru, Sydney, Sydney, Sydney
New Zealand - http://www.ultimatehikes.co.nz/

South America
Peru - Lima, Machu Picchu
Chile - http://www.gochile.cl/eng/Guide/ChileNationalParks/TorresdelPaine/Torres-del-Paine-1.asp
Argentina – Patagonia
Brasil – Amazon, Rio
Costa Rica – White water rafting, snorkelling, whatever

North America –
Cuba (first place I’m going once Americans allowed to go there, or I get a different passport)
Manitoba – See polar bears
Alaska
Rest of Eastern half of Canada

Europe –
Germany – many, many places
Austria
Russia
Italy – Pompeii, Rome, Venice, Milan (for more than one night)
London – can visit hundreds of times and still love
Paris – can visit hundreds of times and still love
Belfast – return in a few years to see how it has changed as they continue to recover from the Troubles
Czech Republic - Prague
Greece- Athens
Hungary - Budapest
Croatia
Amsterdam
Sweden - The Ice Hotel

I wonder what the list would look like if I took time to think about it and do more research. Occasionally I’ll bookmark a website of somewhere I want to go and am afraid I’ll forget about. Those are included.

Update
I knew I’d forget a few places and of course they’ve been coming to me at random moments during the day.

Again in no particular order:
Spain - Running of the bulls
Madagascar
Mauritius
Fiji
Galapagos
France - Nice, Normandy, French Alps and WINE COUNTRY
Copper Canyon
Israel
Dubai
Bhutan
Tanzania - Mt Kilimanjaro
Belize
Glacier National Park
Spain - Barcelona, Bunol - Tomato fight, Madrid

Still know there are many more I am forgetting. Particularly in Africa.

Oh yeah. Travel bug is strong. This is why I try to avoid the Lonely Planet and Let’s Go Books in all bookstores.

It is 9 pm, I haven’t had a cocktail today, I must be home from holiday. And I am so not happy about that.

Phuket was absolutely wonderful. At 10 am Phuket time, when I arrived at my hotel, that 6 am alarm ringing was history. I was changed into the bikini, slathered in sunscreen and out to see things through my viewfinder in record time. I had picked a hotel in the south western area of Phuket. The monsoon weather comes from the south west so it meant there was no swimming on my direct beach. It also meant that my area was quiet and had way fewer inhabitants than some other areas of the island. In my initial walk around, there weren’t many people to be seen at all. A very, very, very, very nice change from Singapore. My hotel was FABULOUS! And again because of monsoon season, very few other occupants. That meant no fighting for the good pool chairs. It meant I got the same chair everyday. I was right next to the young couple from Jersey (UK Jersey, not New Jersey). They were next to the woman from Queensland. To my right were the French families, and around the corner to the left was the scary woman who had a finely leathered look to her. Everyday those were our chairs. No one dared interlope. Even if I spent all but one hour of Saturdays’ sun time touring and snorkeling around other islands, my pool chair was still vacant waiting, hoping for my return. I could even leave my stuff at my chair, go to my room, go to lunch at a nearby restaurant or make a soda run to the nearby store and I knew my stuff would be untouched on my return. And the pool people looked out for each other. We found the shop with the cheapest cokes, shared books, shared DVDs, shared eating place suggestions. We were in it together.

I long ago gave up trying to get a good margarita anywhere in Asia, but something made me order the one at the hotel. Perhaps it was the crazy cheap price, or the lounging in the sun all day, not really sure. But damn that thing was good. Tasted like an actual margarita, made with actual tequila. I had two with dinner. Two and I was good and done.

Saturday I wanted my ocean swim time so I booked a speedboat tour to Phi Phi Islands. You might recognise the area in my pictures from the movie “The Beach”. The coral areas we snorkeled around were not that good. Lots of bleaching, but the water was crystal clear and there were lots of colourful fishies to look at. No Nemo though. And!!!…there were MONKEYS!!! MONKEYS people. Many monkeys. On an area called Monkey beach, what are the odds of that? The tour guide was great too. I was the only one on the tour alone and the only one whose name he learned. On some other trips I’ve done people haven’t known how to treat the single person, but he made me feel more special and not alone at all. Yeah, I tipped at the end of the tour. Truly fabulous day in all.

Sunday was back to the pool, beach and wondering around the neighbourhood. Well, that and a bit more time at the spa. Who can resist cheap massages; cheap massages at 10% discount? Not I.

I really loved Phuket. Loved that I could just wander along and not get lost. Wander along and find great places to eat, great coffee shop, nice ice cream stand. Two guards outside a more upscale hotel would even snap to attention and salute as I passed. Did I pass more often than necessary just to be saluted? Quite possibly. God knows I loved the curry. Red curry snapper at lunch Friday. Green curry chicken at dinner Friday. Yellow curry prawns on Saturday. Red curry beef on Sunday night. Yellow curry chicken on Sunday night. So colourful, so awesome, so cheap. A good lunch or dinner was about 160-200 Baht for the main. That is about $6 US. Cocktails ranged from 99-200 Baht. I’m sure it would have been cheaper if I drank at the stand outside the market next to the hotel, but I opted for the hotel bar or the cute places near the hotel. I loved that when I would come back to the hotel there was an employee to ask me how my day was, ask where I’d been, just check up on me. And they were genuine when they asked. Can’t wait to go back.