My Dream (Bucket) List

The Ardent Traveler is feisty about her craving to see the world before she turns old and grey. She’s painstakingly created a (growing) list of destinations to visit, myriad cultures and adventures to experience and landscapes to behold.

EXPLORE

• Milford Sound, New Zealand √
• The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
• Taj Mahal, India √
  
• Petra, Jordan,
• Colosseum, Italy
• Table Mountain, South Africa √
  
• Kilmanjaro, Tanzania
• Uluru, Australia
• Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan-Palestine
• Grand Canyon, USA
• Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
• Amazon Jungle, Brazil
• Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Peru
• Iguazu Falls, Brazil
• Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
• Kruger National Park, South Africa √
  
• Daintree Forest, Australia
• Swaziland √
  
• Angkor Wat, Cambodia √
  
• Alcatraz Prison, San Francisco, USA
• New York, USA √
• London city √
• Masai Mara, Kenya
• Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
• Ancient temples of Borobodur, Indonesia
• Terracotta warriors of Xian, China
• Bhutan
• The Acropolis & the Parthenon, Athens, Greece √
  
• Matterhorn, Switzerland
• The Pinnacles, Australia
• Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), Northern Territory, Australia
• Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
• Paris, France
• Hong Kong √
  
• Egypt and the great pyramids
• Highlands of Sarawak, Malaysia
• Wadi Rum, Jordan
• Lake Titicaca, Peru
• Kakadu National Park, Australia
• Rome and the Vatican, Italy
• Atacama Desert and El Tatio geysers, Chile
• Yosemite National Park, California, USA
• Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand √
  
• Mayan ruins of Tikal, Guatemala
• Angel Falls, Venezuela
• Salar de Uyuni salt flats, Bolivia
• Moai statues on Easter Island, Chile
• Terraced rice paddies of Bali, Ubud, Indonesia √
  
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Timbuktu, Mali
• Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, Palawan, Philippines √
  
• Lhasa, Tibet
• Sri Lanka √
• St Petersburg & Moscow, Russia
• Tasmania, Australia
• Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
• Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
• Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile
• Cedars of Lebanon, Bcharre, Lebanon
• Mount Ararat, Agri, Turkey
• Lake Baikal, Russia
• Kazakhstan
• Mongolia
• Guilin – Yang Shuo Hills, China √
• Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia √
  
• New Guinea, Indonesia/Papua New Guinea
• Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, Australia
• Cape Point, Eastern Cape, South Africa √
  
• Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

EXPERIENCE

• Climb the Great Wall of China √
• Hike to the base camp of Mount Everest
• Ride a horse in Nepal
• Climb up Table Mountain, South Africa √
• Bask on a secluded island in Maldives √
  
• Swim with bottlenose dolphins anywhere in the world
• Visit a real castle – Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany √
  
• Camp out in the great outbacks of Australia
• Skydive in New Zealand √
  
• Soak in Budapest thermal baths √
  
• Float in the Dead Sea, Israel
• See the BIG 5s while on a safari in Africa √
  
• Dive in Sipadan, Malaysia √
• Zorbing in Rotorua, New Zealand √
• Hike the Lord of the Rings trails in New Zealand (Tangariro NP) √
• Cage dive with great white sharks, South Africa (Not me, but Terence!) √
• Climb Mount Kinabalu √
• Climb Mount Tahan, Malaysia √
• Explore Mulu Caves, Sarawak, Malaysia √
• Witness the migration of wildebeest in the Serengeti, Tanzania
• Climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
• Go on a tiger safari in India √
  
• Cruise down the Kerala on a boat house
• Sailing in Auckland, New Zealand √
• Hike up Mount Pinatubo, Philippines √
• Visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, South Africa √
• Go up to the World Trade Center in New York, USA √
  
• Visit ground zero, New York, USA
• Live in the Brooklyn ghettos, New York, USA √
• Whale watching in Kaikoura, New Zealand √
  
• Watch a geisha in action, Japan
• Ride an elephant in India √
  
• Shop till I drop in Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, Thailand √
• Explore a secluded island in Greece (Sifnos) √
• See wild orang utans and proboscis monkeys in East Malaysia √
  
• Witness the Northern Lights, Lappi, Finland or Norway
• Camp in Yellowstone National Park / Alaska and witness grizzly bears from afar
• Visit the concentration camp of Tuol Sleng, Phnom Penh, Cambodia √
• Tour Dachau concentration camp in Germany √
  
• White water rafting in North Johnstone River, Australia or Zambezi River, Zambia or Nepal
• Hike to the Hole in the Wall, Eastern Cape, South Africa / bordering Swaziland √
  
• Sea-kayaking with orcas, Canada
• Climb Mount Cook, New Zealand
• Motorbike around Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia √
• Jaguar-spotting in the Pantanal, Brazil
• Be in the presence of Emperor Penguins, Antartica
• Come face-to-face with mountain gorillas, Rwanda/Uganda
• Thread on a glacier, Patagonia, South America
• Disneyland, Anaheim, California, USA
• Trek into El Chalten, Argentina into Glaciers National Park to behold the great Mount Fitzroy
• Hike to the Pinnacles in Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia
• See live puffins in Farne Islands, Northumberland, England
• Hike up to Stromboli, Aeolion Islands, Italy to witness a live volcano (maybe stay the night)
• Traverse through the Sahara Desert

JOURNEY

• Take the Transiberian Railway across China & Russia
• Backpack around South America
• Road trip down Route 66, California, USA
• Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, Australia √
  
• InterRailing around Europe
• Karakoram Highway, Pakistan
• Hiking on the John Muir Trail, High Sierra, USA

SAVOUR

• Savour all kinds of cheeses in France/Italy/Switzerland
• Street food at Shilin night market in Taiwan
• Eat lots of Southern style food, New Orleans, LA, USA
• Peking Duck in China
• German bratwurst, Germany √
  
• Escargot in France
• Dog meat on a skewer in Thailand √
  
• Pastries from a patisserie in France / Belgium
• Free meal at a Gudwara (Punjabi temple) in India √
  
• Simple meal cooked by a Swazi in Swaziland (country tucked in the middle of South Africa) √
  
• Deep fried Zucchini flowers in Tuscany, Italy
• Authentic sushi in Japan
• Monkey stew cooked by indigenous folks in Malaysia √
  
• Still wriggling octopus in Japan
• Famous street food in Penang, Malaysia √
  
• BBQ in Australia Ribs in New Zealand √
  
• Kimchi, Bibimbap, and everything else in Korea
• Moussaka in Greece √
• Pastel de Natas (Portuguese egg tart) in Portugal
• Dim Sum in Hong Kong, China √
  
• Nasi Lemak (Malaysia) √
• Haggis in Scotland √
  
• Enjoy a First-class meal on board
• Afternoon tea at Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa √
  
• Fried bugs in Thailand √
  
• Frog legs anywhere in Asia √