Travel is in my blood

I come from a small country, a real tiny island-state, so my fellow citizens travel overseas quite a fair bit. We take every opportunity to get out of the country and explore the world around us. We stretch our vacation leave and every public holiday to go traveling. Even a 1-day public holiday, combined with the weekend can provide for a nice 3-day break at nearby beach resorts or a shopping trip in the regional capitals.

I'm lucky to be blessed with the opportunities of travel. Below is the list of places I've traveled to for leisure:

1. Thailand - Bangkok (4 times), Krabi, Phuket
2. Malaysia - Johor Bahru, Kuantan
3. Indonesia - Medan, Bintan (2x), Batam (3x)
4. Japan - Tokyo (2x), Sendai, Hakone, Osaka
   
5. Korea - Seoul
6. Philippines - Manila
7. Hong Kong (4x)
8. China - Guangzhou (4x), Yiwu (2x), Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou, Zhongsan
   
9. Taiwan - Taipei (2x)
10. USA - Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe
11. England - London (4x), Nottingham (2x), Manchester (2x)
12. France - Paris (2x), Nice, Versailles
13. Spain - Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Ecijia
14. Italy - Rome (2x), Florence (2x), Venice (2x), Milan, Pisa
15. Vatican City (2x)
16. Switzerland - Bern, Lucerne, Zurich, Lugano, Geneva, Montreux, Gruyere
17. Belgium - Brussels
18. Netherlands - Amsterdam
19. Denmark - Copenhagen
20. Germany - Berlin
21. Hungary - Budapest
22. Austria - Vienna, Salzburg
23. Australia - Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide
24. New Zealand - Christchurch, Wellington, Queenstown

This probably doesn't sound very "open-minded", practising a little favouritism - highlighting some, discarding others. But hey, this is my blog after all and if I can't be subjective and honest with my feelings here, when can I? So to list a few of my favorite travel places (not in order of merit though):

• Jiuzhaigou, China - upon the sight of the multi-hue lakes, I finally grasped the notion of paradise on earth. It really exists!

• Italy - Ah, savoured la dolce vita and I can't seem to get enough of it yet. Which is why I visited it 2x within 2 years! I simply adore Venice, when it's quiet and not over-run by American teens on summer vacations (no offence to American teens, but their presence do tend to"Disneyfy" the place) Venice is just so different and impossibly romantic. Just stepping out of the railway station and seeing the canal before you instead of the usual traffic, you know you're in some place different. And the renaissance city, Florence, with its hearty Tuscan cuisine? Give me a bistecca fiorentina and a glass of chianti any time! Rome - not built in a day and most definitely, can't see it all in a day. Would relish an opportunity to explore more of Italy - Sicily (more of the Italian food & hunks!), Naples, Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast, more of Tuscany. And I want to see the Vatican again. This time with a copy of Dan Brown's Angels & Demons in hand and explore the sites while tracing the path of the fictitious illuminati. Heck, the Da Vinci Code made me wanna see Paris again.

• Spain - Hola espanol! A vibrant, culture-rich country, pulsating with life and yet taking it easy with siestas. Adored the Moorish architecture, the Palacio Real with its exquisite china rooms, the fantastic Prado Museum that opened my eyes to Velasquez, the Las Ramblas, Gaudi, Gaudi and more Gaudi in Barcelona, had my first taste of the intimately intense art of flamenco, witnessing the gruesome bull fight at Ecijia, savouring tapas and sangria, starting the day with a breakfast of churros and chocolate, embracing Spanish hospitality.

• Tokyo, Japan - tasted the freshest sushi ever at the massive Tsukiji market. I love sushi and sashimi and in Tokyo (probably applies to whole of Japan), there just isn't such a thing as bad fish! Every morsel of sashimi I ate was delectable. Yum!

• New Zealand - Aoteoroa, land of the long white cloud. An amazing country with amazingly kind, friendly folks. Went before the LOTR trilogy was released, but it was everything the movie made it out to be. Yet another paradise on earth! Wouldn't mind revisiting the place and take in the sights where LOTR was filmed. The Shire anyone? May also summon courage to try bungee this time and oh heck, zorbing as well.

• My backpacking trip in Europe (that's how I managed to visit so much of Europe - England, France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Hungary - all on a shoestring budget!) Great fun roughing it out and the camaraderie. Meeting like-minded travellers, exchanging tales and getting inspired. Counting your pennies and going out on a limb. Everyone should backpack at least once!

My travels have so far been limited to much of Asia and Europe, with a little exploration into North America and the Pacific. I would really love to venture into the Middle-East , Africa, South America and more Eastern Europe. Of course, to round-off the continent-hopping, I wouldn't mind heading out to Antarctic and Arctic, if possible. It would be quite a sight, taking in the icebergs and bleak winter scape.

It's probably quite hard to put up a list of places I wish to travel to, since I pretty much am curious about every place and if possible, would like to cover every part of the world with my limited time here on earth. But still, I thought it will be fun to do this little exercise to sort out some of my travel wish-list and take a moment to indulge in my wanderlust whims again.

Travel Wishlist

Island Getaways

• Bali, Indonesia - reputed as "The Island". How can I resist?
• Maldives - again, its reputation precedes. But being the curious reader, I'm a sucker and will still head to all these commercially-raved places, as they too make up a part of this wondrous world of ours.
• Mauritius - to compare with Maldives?
• Cebu - enjoy Mabuhay hospitality and some of the best diving spots (ok, so I don't dive. snorkel then)
• Australian Islands - Lindeman island, Frasers ...etc
• Pangkor Laut, Malaysia - spa resort getaway
• Koh Samui - the sun, the sand and fiery Thai cuisine - an unbeatable combination!
• Bora Bora, Tahiti & other pacific islands - ideally reside in a villa sitting over the clear, jeweled sea.
• Santorini, Greece - what's not to like about white-washed villas overlooking a caldera?
• An Indian or Sri Lankan island - experience ayurvedic treatment at a coastal spa

Exotic Travels ("exotic" for me at least, for these places are as far removed from home as can be)

• Lijiang, Yunnan, China - have a soft spot for well-preserved ancient cities
• Hoi An, Vietnam - see above. Hoi An's supposedly great for value-for-money bespoke clothes too, so this can be an entry under shopping trip too
• Any African country - to do the safaris. see the Serengiti. And yup, pretty much everything possible and recommended. See, I hardly know Africa. Oh yeah, Capetown too. And Morocco.
• India - the Taj Mahal and Agra fort. Kerala and Cochin too. To soak up the colours and smells. Wouldn't mind checking into a yoga retreat too.
• Brazil - Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro - Corcovado, Copacabana & Ipanema beach, capirinhas & bikinis!
• Cuba - Havana nights.
• Egypt - Cairo, Luxor, Giza. The pyramids, sphinx and so much more! Yes, riding camels falls under the "so much more".
• Angkor Wat, Cambodia - no, it's not because of Tomb Raider. Have yet to watch the Lara Croft installment. But would really like to visit and marvel at this historic ancient ruins.
• Borobudur, Indonesia - again, same reasons as for Angkor Wat.

More Europe (I just love the ease of cross-border travel, traipsing through the different cultures & languages)

• Scandinavia - Sweden, Norway, Finland. Especially Finland, to see the surreal phenomenon of aurora borealis
• Iceland - Reykjavik. 2 words - Blue Lagoon.
• Russia - St Petersburg & Lake Baikal
• Greece - Athens, Santorini, Mykonos - to relive the ancient Greek mythology & more
• Prague, Czechoslovakia - yes, can't believe I've not been there already. Charles Bridge, wait up!
• Poland - Auschwitz
• Scotland - heard that its scenery rivals that of New Zealand. This I gotta see. Edinburgh too.
• Oxford, England - must see this site for all its history and glory. Ok, I'll admit it, also for its setting as Harry Potter's Hogwarts castle, for Lyra's Oxford as depicted in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.

Shopping Trips/ City-Hop

• New York City, USA - what I imagine to be the essence of American commercialism and consumerism and the world's capital, really! Of course for The Chrysler Building and Empire State building too.
• Dubai - to see the Burj Al Arab, the crazily-huge Dubai Mall (in the works, but should be completed by the time I get a chance to visit), see the palm-shaped "The World" (might not be completed yet, but harbour the hope) and the gold souks.
• Monaco & Cannes - drove past them while making my way from Nice to Ventimiglia to catch a train. For some sunshine along the promenade des anglais. Would be a real treat if can catch some F1 (Formula One race car driving) action while in Monaco. Actually missed it while I was in Montreux, Switzerland. My hotel was right over the race circuit but we had to leave a day before the race. Real bad timing.

Natural Wonders

• Finland - aurora borealis (have to repeat it again here, because it seems like such a mind-blowing sight)
• Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia - just one look at the online wallpaper of its 16 turquoise lakes and I'm sold
• Hokkaido, Japan - no particular "natural wonder" sight in mind, but have read that the scenery is fantastic. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to enjoy the scenery while soaking in natural hot springs or enjoying a ryokan prepared kaiseki and those succulent Hokkaido crabs! Not forgetting fresh sashimi of course.
• Canada - another place with supposed gorgeous scenery. Again wouldn't hurt to be enjoying the scenery while doing some Whistler skiing or savoring fresh salmon and oysters and sipping icewine!

The Remote (probably not so remote by the time I arrive)

• Bhutan - is this indeed the last Shangri-la?
• Tibet - just to marvel at the massiveness of the Potala Palace (actually, with the Lhasa Express chugging at full speed now, the "remote" Tibet is probably a long gone notion)

Adventure Travel

• Sabah, Malaysia - for the rainforests
• Nepal - Mt. Everest would be great, but will try for a more realistic Annapurna base camp trek
• Machu Picchu, Peru - do the Inca trail
• Sky-dive in Cairns, Australia
• Hot-air ballooning over the Nile, Egypt
• Amazon Forest, Brazil - see the lungs of the world, I must!
• Sand dune rides at Dubai, UAE - have yet to visit desert landscape, so this will be quite a treat
• To scale the Great Wall Of China, Beijing, China - ok, maybe not so much of an adventure, but heard you do have to walk quite a bit. Then again, what am I talking about. Every travel experience is already an adventure in itself!

Just to Say I've Been There

• Christmas Island
• Easter Island
• Kuala Lumpur

The above list is not exhaustive, given that I've an insatiable curiosity for travel. Would love to check back on this list a year or few years later and find myself checking off some of the places on my travel wish-list and of course, adding even more places to it.

Realised I've churned out quite a long list, out of sheer greed! But if I have to narrow it down to the top 3 new places that I'll wish to visit RIGHT NOW, they've gotta be ... urgh ... this is too hard ...

• Bhutan - before mass tourism sets in, if it ever does. Fingers crossed.
  
• Brazil - specifically the Amazon, before the planet gets any more polluted
  
• New York City - before the dollar strengthens! I definitely wanna get more mileage out of my dollar.

How about you? What's your top 3 must-visits & why?