We all have a travel bucket list – places you have dreamed about visiting as a kid, places you have read about or seen in movies. I have been fortunate to visit some beautiful countries, and a lot of these destinations were on my bucket list, but I still have a few to tick off.
- Were they all everything I had dreamed about ….No
- Was I disappointed with some of them ….YES
- Would I change anything I did or didn’t do…. No
When I was ten years old, I had to do a project at school and write about a place I wanted to visit one day. I chose Hawaii and LA.
Why?
Surfing dudes with sun-kissed skin and blonde hair that ride waves at amazing beaches -that was the teenage dream I dwelled upon. I had seen beautiful cities of Hawaii in travel magazines that took my breath away. Add to it a romanticised idea of visiting Hollywood and meeting actors or even…staring in a film! My favourite one – Grease – was filmed there.
Fast forward nine years, I was in Maui, Hawaii and paid a visit to Hollywood in LA.
My dream places to visit were not everything I had imagined when I was a schoolgirl. It turned out that Grease was mainly filmed in a studio. The Hollywood sign wasn’t all lit up, it was on a big hill, and I am sure one of the letters was missing or falling over. Hollywood was too big for a 19-year-old girl. On top of that, I couldn’t drink either.
The beaches were so beautiful in Maui back in the day, and I did give surfing a try to impress tanned surfers, but it was not my cup of tea, and it was costly. Who would have known that once daydreaming of visiting magical Hawaii, I didn’t enjoy it that much at the end? Oh, well. It’s called life, I guess 😉 Fast forward another 15 years, and I returned to both places, this time to a different island in Oahu. That turned out to be a different experience, although I still couldn’t surf, and it was still expensive. But as I got older, I think I started appreciating things more. We rented a car, went to Waikiki beach, and stayed at some lovely beachfront hotels feeling happy and content.
A must-do is a visit to Pearl Harbour. The feeling when you are approaching the Memorial site is breathtaking, and the eerie silence speaks volumes. Another must is to participate in Luau ( a traditional Hawaiian party or feast usually accompanied by entertainment) to take part in Hula, the Polynesian dance of the native Hawaiians. The first time I learnt about Luau was from one of my favourite films, Grease.
You see all these beautiful travel destinations in TV shows, get obsessed with the idea of visiting them, and it can become sometimes disappointing when you do. I am a firm believer that if you have an opportunity to see all the places that are on your bucket list, DO IT. Life is short. Some will be disappointing, and others will be everything you imagined and more.
Another place, which I think is on a lot of peoples bucket lists, is Australia.
Again this is another place that I had specific ideas about, and maybe I was disappointed with certain things. Still, in the end, I gained some fantastic experiences and memories that I will cherish forever.
First stop – Singapore
A visit to Singapore Zoo was one of the most memorable and unique activities I’ve had so far. Can you imagine monkeys jumping from tree to tree over your head? Wow, what a memory! Sentosa Island is a must-see, as well, especially in the evening. Sipping on a Singapore Sling at the famous Raffles hotel was another highlight.
Next stop – Sydney
I had a certain idea in my head of the Sydney opera house as an imposing white shiny building. Ok, so it turned out to be not shiny and white. It has a cream colour, and it’s made of shells (precast concrete panels). The interior of the opera house looks very retro style.
I travelled with my very young children, so the bridge walk wasn’t an option.
I also visited Melbourne to see and stay with my friend and her husband I used to work with on the cosmetic counters back home. These memories are very special to me. I took a DVD of Rita, Sue and Bob too (a very Yorkshire film) and we ended up laughing non-stop. I visited Surfers Paradise and the Sunshine Coast, attended Sea World and stayed in the Versace Hotel where all the celebrities stayed when they filmed I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, a UK series. Then we went to Noosa, the Blue Mountains and even visited Steve Irwin zoo before finishing in Brisbane. My kids were so small they couldn’t bloody remember all the fantastic places we stayed in. Although, they can look back on photos and hopefully revisit all these amazing countries for themselves and make more exciting memories one day.
This is what travel means to me – making memories.
