10 places I want to visit before I die

 

Honestly, I’d like to visit everywhere.

There are very few places you could name on this globe that I would say no to visiting, I am very lucky and have done a fair amount of travelling in my life. I used to be that person that would never visit anywhere more than once – there was just too much world to see and it was pointless to keep going back to the same place. That plan began unraveling as I began making friends that lived in the towns and cities I’d visited – I then wanted to go back and see them. I am slowly making peace with the fact that I won’t see the whole world in my life time, but I do have certain places that I reeeeeally want to see before I die. I just need to find people to do them with.

So, here we have it…

 

 

10. Australia

This may seem weird seeing as I just gave up the opportunity to go and live there and experience it but just because my life direction has changed, doesn’t mean that I never want to visit. It just means I want to do it differently – give me good company, a car and a road trip. We can learn to surf, scuba dive off the great barrier reef, go swimming with sharks. IT’S WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF.

 

 

9. Hong Kong

 

China as a whole I find pretty fascinating but the more I read about Hong Kong the more I want to visit. The view from Victoria Peak is worth the flight itself, no? Hiring a Junk Boat, visiting the markets and temples, go and see the Buddha. Oh, and TEA – how could you visit China and not have afternoon tea?

I want to hike the Dragon’s back – WHO’S COMING WITH ME?

Also, can we also high five me for not mentioning (until now) that there is a Disneyland there too.

8. Tokyo

 

I want to walk over the rainbow. As in the bridge that is shaped like one. I want to learn to make sushi from the masters (and eat my weight in it too). The markets, the bars, the fashion… what is not to love? An old friend visited Tokyo a few years back and since then I have wanted to visit. His stories combined with his photos… what a place! There may also be another Disneyland just outside Tokyo… what?

 

7. Hawaii

This just looks the definition of paradise. In the words of every millennial I CAN’T EVEN. The obsession started when I watched Elvis in Paradise Hawaiian Style as a child – since then it’s always been on my list of places to visit. Of course there are multiple islands to visit and the things I’d like to do are dotted around the islands, the volcanoes park is a definite must, you can go out on a boat from Maui and humpback whale spot, Waimea Canyon looks like something out of someone’s imagination and not a real place that you can actually visit. Who wants to come with?

 

6. Amazon Rainforest

 

Most people, I think, associate the Amazon with Brazil because that is predominantly where it covers but you can also access it from Colombia, Peru and various other South American countries. Why do I want to visit the Amazon? It’s fascinating! 5.5 million-ish miles of rainforest, dating back at least 50 million years. Home to thousands of species of plants, animals and millions of insects… the list is endless. I mean, obviously I’d probably shit myself at the prospect of getting attacked by a jaguar or anaconda but I think the risk is worth it.

 

5. Lapland, Finland

 

Because… SANTA. But also, I’d love to see the Northern Lights. I have been to Finland before as my friend lives in Helsinki but never to Lapland.

 

4. Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland

 

I realise this changes to tone of this list a lot but it is somewhere that I feel I need to see before I die. I cannot explain why, I just feel it inside me that I need to. Like most people I remember learning about the atrocities that took place in WWII thanks to Hitler and the actions of others. I remember reading Anne Frank’s diary as a young girl myself and watching a film adaptation when I was around 12 years and being so distraught at the scene where Anne is separated from her father that my mum had to turn the film off and calm me down. All this happened not even 50 years before I was born, something that I cannot understand, even now. I have visited Anne Frank haus in Amsterdam and cried my way around the National Holocaust Museum in Washington and now I want to visit Auschwitz.

 

3. Vietnam

 

Their history is fascinating to me. A country that, 50 years ago, was in the midst of a war. They have come out the other side and are rebuilding their country on their terms. The differences in the north and south of the country, the landscapes, new species of animals that have been discovered in recent years; it all fascinates me. I can’t wait to one day discover it for myself.

 

2. Kenya

 

I need to go on an African safari in my lifetime. I need to. The idea of going almost brings me to (happy) tears. I would undoubtedly sob as I saw some of the most beautiful creatures in the world in the flesh – those I know that have been say that no number of David Attenborough documentaries can ever prepare you to see the animals in the flesh. It takes your breath away. I CAN’T WAIT. My reasons for choosing Kenya as the place to experience this is purely because of the research I have done into it – Kenya seems to be THE place.

 

1. Machu Picchu, Peru

 

I do not know where my fascination with this place has come from. There is no specific time that I can recall it starting, I just know that for as long as I can remember I always wanted to visit it. That magical city above Peru. We can hike some of the Inca Trail, maybe take a train some of the way. It’s gotta happen.

 

There is so much world to see.

“Travelling leaves you speechless and turns you into a storyteller”

 

All I ever wanted was the world.

Patience is a virtue, or so we’ve been told. I am not, by nature, a patient person. I want everything done yesterday and I want to be where I want to be now not tomorrow, or the next day, or this time next year. I can be very short-sighted when I’m looking at things; I don’t always see the little steps that lead to the big picture. I then end up frustrated and annoyed at myself that I haven’t turned my goal into reality within 2.5 seconds. There is a reason that my old work team (MC Massive, big up yourselves) called me Veruca Salt.

 

In my defence though, it’s not something that many of us practice – life moves so quickly for so many of us that time to be practice patience is a luxury most of us feel that we don’t have. We are so switched on, all of the time. Running from A to B, working towards that next deadline. Time to plan and slow down, time to reflect on what we have accomplished is pretty much non-existent. We’re too busy looking at what we HAVEN’T done in the time frame we’ve allocated we look past what we have – I’m sure it can’t just be me that does that, or is it?

 

Luckily for me I have people around me that are willing to inject me with a shot of reality at just the right time. When I get excited about something, I want it as soon as possible so I come up with crazy plans and time frames in which these things are going to happen – I guess you could say I get carried away. This past week I finally got down to Eastbourne to see my most favouritest people in the world (yes, favouritest is a word) and whilst we were sitting in The Art House eating, drinking and catching up I was talking Rachel through my recent decision to click my ruby slippers home instead of following the yellow brick road to Oz (sorry, having musical conversations on Facebook whilst trying to write) and discussing what is next for me, what I’ve decided I want now I have taken the time to actually think about it and start being a real grown up. (I feel like I’m betraying Peter Pan just typing that)

PETER, I’M SORRY, DON’T HATE ME

 

So there I was spouting all these things off that I want to achieve by tomorrow and Rachel was there, as she always is, to be the one to talk me down with a “you can do it all, just not as quickly as you want”. Michaela’s the name, high expectations is my game. I have been told my expectations are too high frequently and that I expect too much of both myself and others. This is just an example of that – having someone kick me a bit and help me be a bit more realistic on what I can achieve in a set time frame is a gift. It also means I am less likely to hate myself and call myself a complete failure this time next month when I haven’t done it all. As Rach said, nearly everyone has things they want to do, things they would change about their life but you have to be realistic about what you can do and when. Just because it isn’t happening now doesn’t mean it won’t ever. (MY BEST FRIEND IS SO WISE, Y’ALL)

 

So tomorrow I am going to sit down and re-write my 2017 goals (we all know January is just a trial month anyway, it doesn’t really count) with time frames to achieve it in and y’all, for once in my life I’ll make them realistic, I’ll exercise patience. Well, I’ll try… I mean I am new at this patience thing, cut me some slack!

 

XOXO

 

Micks

 

 

p.s I realise I am not from Texas and the like where it is acceptable to say y’all, but I just enjoy that amalgamation of words so don’t hate!

 

p.p.s Rachel, thank you for being awesome

 

p.p.p.s Thanks y’all for reading #sorrynotsorry : )