Well that is the big question, isn’t it? I have been asked by a few people where I will be going when things open up again. Now that’s like taking a kid into the candy store and saying “What would you like?”…. ummmm …. everything?
I feel therefore that when I think about where my next trip will be that I should be bold and go somewhere that might be a little bit out of my comfort zone. Why would I do that? Well because being under this lockdown over the last year has taught me how incredible and wonderful it is to have lasting memories. I am so lucky to already have a ton of these from the places I have visited – so perhaps I will have to stretch myself a little in order to gain the memories of some really unusual places. Um … where shall I start?
A private charter of a yacht to cruise into Desolation Sound. This has been a dream of my husband’s for a long time and I agree, it is a beautiful part of the world. You can rent a motor yacht for about $4 – $5 thousand for a week – but you have to know how to drive the thing. Now this idea both delights and scares me. I love that coastline but I also know that my husband is much more of an adventurer than I am. He is always looking for the path less travelled – and I like safety in numbers. So I have the fear of ending up in some fjord along the Sunshine Coast and never being able to get out of there because he thought it looked “interesting” and wanted to explore. It’s sort of like skiing with him – just follow me, he would say, I know where the green run is – and then I find myself on the edge of a black run. Aaargh!
Galapagos – I haven’t done this yet and have heard such amazing things about the animals and the underwater life. I am not a strong swimmer and sometimes get a bit panicky when snorkelling – so this really isn’t a great fit for me. But the photos look amazing. Maybe I could do it. I can recall snorkelling off the remote islands of the Comores in the Mozambique Channel. The water was crystal clear and it wasn’t deep at all but boy I just kept swimming because I was terrified of putting my feet down. You see some of these oceans are covered with what they call seagrass and it’s yucky. Can you IMAGINE what sort of creatures are lurking in that grass. omg. Get me outta here.
Consequently, I have a bit of a block when it comes to snorkelling. I don’t know why I should say that as I loved snorkelling in Tahiti but then the ocean floor was white sand so I could totally see there were no bugs there – just a few sharks swimming off to the side in the deeper water. !!!
Kilimanjaro – I have friends who have done the hike and it is such an achievement. I just don’t want to puke and apparently if you get hit with mountain sickness due to the altitude it is pretty miserable. I absolutely hate throwing up. I have friends who can have a good upchuck and then feel much better afterwards. Not me. I end up a shaking trembling mess so although I would like nothing better than a selfie on the top of Mount Kili I think it will just have to be a dream I will never accomplish.
Gorilla Trekking – Having travelled through a fair amount of Africa you would think I had done this already – but no. Why? Mmmm – well the jungles of Uganda and Rwanda are pretty dense and can sometimes get muddy so you have to wear wellingtons on your trek. Sometimes you could walk the whole day without a sighting. This description sums it up –
“Difficulty in trekking
Mountain gorillas in Bwindi live in areas of high altitude, which make hiking strenuous before travelers get to the gorillas. Also, Bwindi is an impenetrable forest with dense undergrowth; thorny bushes and shrubs which make it difficult to walk through. The canopy does not allow light penetration keeping grounds wet and slippery and also make photography a struggle.”
Apparently it can be quite exhausting. So I am almost persuaded that this sounds too much to handle – and then I come across this.
And I am SOLD …. sign me up!
The Travel Lady's Blog 
Lesley, nice dreams but expensive and may also require some training. Some of these I would like but: Boats, power and sail, in Canada require training and certification, for boat and radio. You would be expected to help your husband moor the boat. At least most power boats now have bow thrusters. I would like this in Caribbean but with captain & cook but this dramatically increases the cost. So probably not going to happen. Galapagos should be doable. Snorkelling is only part of it. Gorilla watching fees in Rwanda have increased dramatically over the last few years and you only get a short set time. Kilimanjaro would be nice but I think it is never going to happen for me. Some hiking friends have done it relatively recently, one with Brian Keating’s group, and you may not be affected by altitude sickness but you should exercise before you go, especially climbing, stairs etc.
There is a pent up desire to travel as we’ve been shut down for over a year but the world isn’t open yet.
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all good points Hugh. There is a company in Comox that offer certification and yes the youtube video they showed made me think that this would not be a holiday for me with the stress of mooring the boat. I agree that my dream of a yachting holiday would be with a captain and cook … but I will have to keep buying the lottery tickets. Also, yes, we are going to have to be patient a little longer. When we do travel again it has to be safe to do so otherwise it doesn’t make any sense. Thank you
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Leslie, You should come to Central Asia and visit the 5 Stans and see the Silk Road, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. There is really a diversity of geography, taste and architecture.
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Oh my goodness – YES – I will add that to my list. I love discovering other cultures and history. One of my majors in my BA was Classical Life and Thought and included a lot of Ancient History. The Silk Road was so important. Wow – going to do some more reading while I am locked down. Thanks Doug
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