Saturday, September 05, 2009
If I could, where would I be right now?
Tricia and I have been traveling less than we used to. Combined we've lived in 4 countries and have visited 20. Since we've had Eve and Arjun, we've hit our dry spell. We did go to Australia with Eve and to India with both the kids. But, I'll be the first to admit that the India trip was probably a mistake. Arjun was 6 months old and needed 3 naps a day. You live, you learn.
Here is my list of 10 places we want to go to
1. Mohenjo daro & Harappa
Where is that? In the Punjab/Sindh area of Pakistan
Why do we want to go here? Shall I start with my Paki jokes? These megacities were the birthplace of the Indus River Civilization, which created the culture of the Indian subcontinent. We've been to Lothal, which was interesting, but the money sites are all in Pakistan. As an Indian I can now get a visa for Pakistan to finally visit my neighbor.
Why this trip would be difficult? Though, my perception is that I could get a tourist visa easily, this may not be entirely true. I'm sure there will be flaming hoops I'll have to jump through.
2. Meghalaya:
Where is that? A small state in north western India. The state's name literally translates to "Abode in the clouds".
Why do we want to go here? This state has the some of the most spectacular old growth rain forests in the Indian subcontinent. Shillong, the capital city is supposedly one of the prettiest state capitals in India and is the gateway to Bangladesh. This trip could turn out to be a twofer.
Why this trip would be difficult? Not too many airlines fly to Shillong from Bombay. Plus the state is relatively poor and the infrastructure is mostly non existent making travel to places like the Garo Hills challenging.
3. Tibet/Bhutan
Where is that? Both countries are nestled between India and China.
Tibet above and Bhutan below
Why do we want to go here? The stark beauty of these arid countries. The dying culture. The dramatic colors. The architecture. I could go on, but I romanticize both these countries
Why this trip would be difficult? Bhutan is easy-ish to get to. There are flight both from New Delhi and Calcutta. Tibet on the other hand is difficult to get to because of the Chinese. There are ridiculous visa restrictions in place.
4. Turkey
Where is that? South eastern Europe or Western Asia, depending on which province you're currently standing in
Why do we want to go here? Firstly, we have many god friends from here and have heard interesting stories. But, that by itself does not sell it. The Anatolian peninsula is one of the oldest inhabited regions in the world. I'm especially interested in heading to Neolithic settlements like Çatalhöyük & Çayönü. I'm also interested in heading to Troy and of course Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul for all the history lessons. And one more word: Capadocia.
Why this trip would be difficult? It won't be. We'll have to pick up some Turkish like "Götüne koyarim"
5. Egypt
Where is that? Like Turkey, Egypt too is transcontinental. She sits between Africa and Asia. The Suez Canal sits between the two parts.
Why do we want to go here? First the blatantly obvious: The Great Pyramid of Khufu. The Pyramid of Kafhre. The smaller Pyramid of Menkaura. The other places we're interested in are Sinai, towns in the Upper Egypt area and a Felucca cruise on the Nile
Why this trip would be difficult? No reason. I imagine the culture is very similar to South Asia.
6. Kingdom of Cambodia
Where is that? To the east of Thailand, next to Vietnam
Why do we want to go here? Angkor, the world's largest pre-industrial civilization, and Angkor Wat the temple at it's epicenter. Koh Thonsáy, an island with beautiful white sand beach.
Why this trip would be difficult? Land mines. None of the areas we're interested in have them any more, but there are other areas that still do.
7. Brazil
Where is that? The largest country in north-west South America
Why do we want to go here? So many reasons, Manaus, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Porto Alegre and so much more.
Why this trip would be difficult? This country is huge and whitting the list down would make us miserable. And yes, we'd like to visit Florianópolis and Belém too. To many choices, aaaaarrrgh.
8. Iceland
Where is that? An island country located in the North Atlantic
Why do we want to go here? The terrain in Iceland is so rugged due to centuries of volcanic activity; this is where the US tested their lunar landing module that eventually drove on the moon. Glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, dramatic lava fields, countless waterfalls and naturally heated hot tubs, perfect for sitting in to watch the northern lights. Sounds awesome?
Why this trip would be difficult? Björk and Sigur Rós. But seriously, it's bloody expensive.
9. Kenya
Where is that? In Eastern Africa, next to Somalia and Ethiopia
Why do we want to go here? Safaris through the 19 national parks and game preserves, the mosques at Mombasa, the Great Rift Valley; the coffee plantations at Thika, view Mt. Kilimanjaro and its spectacular beaches.
Why this trip would be difficult? There has been a substantial amount of tribal violence since 2008's elections, though things are quiet now, should be avoided while traveling with kids in the near future
10. Peru
Where is that? In South America, situated on the western side, next to Brazil and Columbia
Why do we want to go here? Machu Picchu, the lost city floating in a kingdom of clouds, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, a mysterious settlement that the Incas built, occupied, and deserted, all in less than a century. With 84 of the earth's 104 known life zones, Peru is rich in wildlife diversity. The Amazon basin is home to pink dolphins, jaguars, giant river otters, primates and more. Peruvian music, food and culture.
Why this trip would be difficult? No reason
--
So, I cheated, the list above are places we'd like to today but are slightly out of reach, so places I did not mention because I know I will make it before I get to the list above: Switzerland (Tricia's first love), Mexico (Teotihuacán), China (Forbidden City, Xi'an)
Others up for consideration: Jordan, Israel, Iran, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Scotland, Zimbabwe, French Polynesia, Venezuela, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti
Here is my list of 10 places we want to go to
1. Mohenjo daro & Harappa
Where is that? In the Punjab/Sindh area of Pakistan
Why do we want to go here? Shall I start with my Paki jokes? These megacities were the birthplace of the Indus River Civilization, which created the culture of the Indian subcontinent. We've been to Lothal, which was interesting, but the money sites are all in Pakistan. As an Indian I can now get a visa for Pakistan to finally visit my neighbor.
Why this trip would be difficult? Though, my perception is that I could get a tourist visa easily, this may not be entirely true. I'm sure there will be flaming hoops I'll have to jump through.
2. Meghalaya:
Where is that? A small state in north western India. The state's name literally translates to "Abode in the clouds".
Why do we want to go here? This state has the some of the most spectacular old growth rain forests in the Indian subcontinent. Shillong, the capital city is supposedly one of the prettiest state capitals in India and is the gateway to Bangladesh. This trip could turn out to be a twofer.
Why this trip would be difficult? Not too many airlines fly to Shillong from Bombay. Plus the state is relatively poor and the infrastructure is mostly non existent making travel to places like the Garo Hills challenging.
3. Tibet/Bhutan
Where is that? Both countries are nestled between India and China.
Tibet above and Bhutan below
Why do we want to go here? The stark beauty of these arid countries. The dying culture. The dramatic colors. The architecture. I could go on, but I romanticize both these countries
Why this trip would be difficult? Bhutan is easy-ish to get to. There are flight both from New Delhi and Calcutta. Tibet on the other hand is difficult to get to because of the Chinese. There are ridiculous visa restrictions in place.
4. Turkey
Where is that? South eastern Europe or Western Asia, depending on which province you're currently standing in
Why do we want to go here? Firstly, we have many god friends from here and have heard interesting stories. But, that by itself does not sell it. The Anatolian peninsula is one of the oldest inhabited regions in the world. I'm especially interested in heading to Neolithic settlements like Çatalhöyük & Çayönü. I'm also interested in heading to Troy and of course Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul for all the history lessons. And one more word: Capadocia.
Why this trip would be difficult? It won't be. We'll have to pick up some Turkish like "Götüne koyarim"
5. Egypt
Where is that? Like Turkey, Egypt too is transcontinental. She sits between Africa and Asia. The Suez Canal sits between the two parts.
Why do we want to go here? First the blatantly obvious: The Great Pyramid of Khufu. The Pyramid of Kafhre. The smaller Pyramid of Menkaura. The other places we're interested in are Sinai, towns in the Upper Egypt area and a Felucca cruise on the Nile
Why this trip would be difficult? No reason. I imagine the culture is very similar to South Asia.
6. Kingdom of Cambodia
Where is that? To the east of Thailand, next to Vietnam
Why do we want to go here? Angkor, the world's largest pre-industrial civilization, and Angkor Wat the temple at it's epicenter. Koh Thonsáy, an island with beautiful white sand beach.
Why this trip would be difficult? Land mines. None of the areas we're interested in have them any more, but there are other areas that still do.
7. Brazil
Where is that? The largest country in north-west South America
Why do we want to go here? So many reasons, Manaus, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Porto Alegre and so much more.
Why this trip would be difficult? This country is huge and whitting the list down would make us miserable. And yes, we'd like to visit Florianópolis and Belém too. To many choices, aaaaarrrgh.
8. Iceland
Where is that? An island country located in the North Atlantic
Why do we want to go here? The terrain in Iceland is so rugged due to centuries of volcanic activity; this is where the US tested their lunar landing module that eventually drove on the moon. Glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, dramatic lava fields, countless waterfalls and naturally heated hot tubs, perfect for sitting in to watch the northern lights. Sounds awesome?
Why this trip would be difficult? Björk and Sigur Rós. But seriously, it's bloody expensive.
9. Kenya
Where is that? In Eastern Africa, next to Somalia and Ethiopia
Why do we want to go here? Safaris through the 19 national parks and game preserves, the mosques at Mombasa, the Great Rift Valley; the coffee plantations at Thika, view Mt. Kilimanjaro and its spectacular beaches.
Why this trip would be difficult? There has been a substantial amount of tribal violence since 2008's elections, though things are quiet now, should be avoided while traveling with kids in the near future
10. Peru
Where is that? In South America, situated on the western side, next to Brazil and Columbia
Why do we want to go here? Machu Picchu, the lost city floating in a kingdom of clouds, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, a mysterious settlement that the Incas built, occupied, and deserted, all in less than a century. With 84 of the earth's 104 known life zones, Peru is rich in wildlife diversity. The Amazon basin is home to pink dolphins, jaguars, giant river otters, primates and more. Peruvian music, food and culture.
Why this trip would be difficult? No reason
--
So, I cheated, the list above are places we'd like to today but are slightly out of reach, so places I did not mention because I know I will make it before I get to the list above: Switzerland (Tricia's first love), Mexico (Teotihuacán), China (Forbidden City, Xi'an)
Others up for consideration: Jordan, Israel, Iran, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Scotland, Zimbabwe, French Polynesia, Venezuela, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti
Labels: travel
