Big Blue Huddle

I don't really have a bucket list per se, but there's a few things I'd like to do while I am still healthy...like get a pilot's license and fly...fly fish for Tarpon...golf on a couple of world famous courses (Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Pacific Dunes, Spyglass Hill, etc.) - not Augusta of course because you have to be a member and either a billionaire or a VIP in politics or Hollywood

Anyway, I've exhausted my love for travel after spending eight years living on the road, in planes, and in hotels. First year was a ball, second year not so much, and down hill from there. I've been all over the U.S. (surprisingly I never got to Hawaii or Alaska), Europe, Japan (the Ginza Strip, rode their hi-speed trains, etc), virtually everywhere in Israel including walking up to the Dome of the Rock against multiple warnings from soldiers), etc., sometimes for fun, but mostly for business. I would be happy to never fly in a seat on a passenger plane the rest of my life

However, if I had the gumption to travel, here's the three places I'd like to see in my lifetime:

1) Madagascar...such a strange part of the world with Boabab trees and exotic animals found nowhere else in the world



2) Amazon River...as much of it as possible on a comfortable boat



3) A combo trip to Australia and New Zealand





What three places you'd like to see while still breathing and walking?

The Great Wall

The Pyramids

Somewhere to see the Northern Lights

We have traveled extensively but unlike Ric, we will never tire of it. There are so many places we would love to visit and see.
One such place, if all things go right, we are scheduled to do in September as we have an Arctic Circle cruise booked and we will be visiting Iceland and Greenland. Iceland has always been on our list so again, hopefully, we will get to do that very soon.

Funny Tim mentioned the Great Wall. We also had a trip to China booked and an excursion to the Great Wall, but then the Pandemic hit, and all was canceled. With things being the way they are now, who knows if we will ever make that, but we will try.

Another place we always wanted to visit and made it there several years ago was St Petersburg Russia. Russia was always the enemy but when we went, relations were pretty good and many cruise ships went there. It was a dream come true to visit this place that for so many years, the thought of doing it was impossible.

As I mentioned in the other thread, we have never really spent time in California. One of my dreams and maybe #1 on the bucket list was to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. This is a good possibility to happen, but not this year.

We also would love to visit Japan. We have never been to this part of the world, the Far East. Many people have said places like Viet Nam are the 'in'-thing now, but frankly, I have no desire to go there.
Another place we need to get to and almost did except for the pandemic in South Africa. My wife has a distant family in Capetown and we had a cruise booked from there for this past January, but circumstances killed that, but that is also high on the list and you can throw in a short safari with that.

As the other thread showed, there are so many places in the USA that are magnificent and people should try and do that first. If I had to name a place people should visit here, besides the regular Grand Canyon, etc, is Monument Valley Arizona. Trulu one of the most remarkable places you will ever see.

Quote from: LennG on July 08, 2022, 08:06:48 PMWe have traveled extensively but unlike Ric, we will never tire of it. There are so many places we would love to visit and see.
One such place, if all things go right, we are scheduled to do in September as we have an Arctic Circle cruise booked and we will be visiting Iceland and Greenland. Iceland has always been on our list so again, hopefully, we will get to do that very soon.

Funny Tim mentioned the Great Wall. We also had a trip to China booked and an excursion to the Great Wall, but then the Pandemic hit, and all was canceled. With things being the way they are now, who knows if we will ever make that, but we will try.

Another place we always wanted to visit and made it there several years ago was St Petersburg Russia. Russia was always the enemy but when we went, relations were pretty good and many cruise ships went there. It was a dream come true to visit this place that for so many years, the thought of doing it was impossible.

As I mentioned in the other thread, we have never really spent time in California. One of my dreams and maybe #1 on the bucket list was to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. This is a good possibility to happen, but not this year.

We also would love to visit Japan. We have never been to this part of the world, the Far East. Many people have said places like Viet Nam are the 'in'-thing now, but frankly, I have no desire to go there.
Another place we need to get to and almost did except for the pandemic in South Africa. My wife has a distant family in Capetown and we had a cruise booked from there for this past January, but circumstances killed that, but that is also high on the list and you can throw in a short safari with that.

As the other thread showed, there are so many places in the USA that are magnificent and people should try and do that first. If I had to name a place people should visit here, besides the regular Grand Canyon, etc, is Monument Valley Arizona. Trulu one of the most remarkable places you will ever see.

Always wanted to see St. Petersburg (not Florida's St. Pete where my mother was born and where I've been dozens of times growing up...LOL)

I've driven the Pacific coast several times and it is beautiful. One thing about California, there's a lot of rocks, boulders, and cliffs on the shoreline that is much different than the beach scenes that are shown on TV. Finding a decent beach in California is elusive at best...especially the further you go north from San Diego. I'd avoid Black Beach near San Diego unless you are really comfortable in the nude as it's the largest nude beach in the country...and a heads up, 90% of the nudists are dirty old men. If in Coronado though, the beach is one of the most beautiful anywhere. Around L.A. you pretty much have to go to Venice Beach...just try to avoid the crazies that are everywhere

Seems Vietnam might be on some people's bucket list because of Ban-Gioc Falls...which I agree is quite a sight, but I have no interest in Nam (or Thailand, Philipines, etc.)



Japan is beautiful. Unbelievably clean. Every morning women come out and sweep the sidewalks and there are little spouts that wash them every day. No one litters. Taxis have automatic doors that open and close for you with paper rolls that automatically change on the seat and the back so you are always sitting on a clean seat. Flowers everywhere and are beautifully manicured. There are no rude people there and they are so nice it almost makes you sick...LOL. There is a shock to the system when you return home to JFK and see garbage everywhere and little mini-cyclones of papers and garbage in the air. I get the same shock returning from European cities. Last time I was over there my protege "Aji" and I stood on a perfectly modern and super clean platform waiting for one of their bullet trains. Aji said "according to the schedule, the train will arrive at 9:10" then told me to watch the digital clock lit up on the wall. With a minute to go, the train was in sight and slowing down. It came to a slow crawl with 10 seconds left on the clock. When the last second on the clock ticks down, the train is at a complete stop and hear the clank of the brakes and doors opening at precisely 9:10 - not a second earlier or a second later. It's amazing. One other thing that makes me laugh, store fronts have umbrellas in bins available for people to use in case it rains or someone needs shade from the sun. Whoever uses them ALWAYS brings them back  . I laugh because if they did that here, no store could replenish the umbrellas fast enough and they'd never see one return

Going to the Arctic Circle huh    That would be incredible, but man I hate the cold in my old age. Monument Valley would interest me though

We make 2 stops in Iceland and 2 in Greenland, but we do not go directly over the Arctic Circle, it is just called that in the brochure. To be honest, from what we hear, temps around the beginning of Sept, when we will be there, are like out temps in mid Oct, cool (and could be colder) but not below freezing, (which IS my kind of weather).

You and I are similar in that we respect things. My wife would kill me if I ever left even a candy wrapper out and not thrown in the garbage. As I said, we travel extensively (going to Colonial Williamsburg/Virginia Beach tomorrow). Thru most of our travels, away from metropolitan areas, the county is clean. Sure we always see a discarded bottle, or a few beer cans left somewhere but not as much litter on the road. Too bad one can't say the same for NY and probably other metropolitan areas. Your description of Japan makes me want to go there even more. Thanks

Thanks for mentioning all those beaches, too bad we would never go to them. As you know as I have mentioned quite a few times, I had had several cases of melanoma and try and avoid the sun as much as possible. Probably because I grew up on the beaches of the Rockaways in NY, and since a young adult, I pretty much despise the beach. I have been to maybe some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, from Hawaii to St Thomas to Aruba and more and we only visit them to stroll along for a bit and then head for the nearest palm tree and shade. The ocean holds nothing for me anymore.

I have posted some nice pics of Monument Valley in the photography thread if you want to see what this place really looks like.
Funny story, (well not so funny) if you don't mind. About 5 years ago, we did another road trip out west to see my brother who lives outside Durango Colorado. We have been to Monument Valley 2 other times before but never stayed right in the Valley itself. We made a reservation in the one establishment ther e and being an avid photographer, I wanted to go out at night and view the sky, takes some pix in a place where there is basically no real light. Wouldn't you know it, it rained that night. The first rain they had had in months and the people were celebrating it while I was kicking the furniture. Alas, we'll have to go back.