Bucket list

I don't have much of a bucket list. I've even added some things to it after I've done them just so I can cut them off! 😁

My list

- Seeing a tiger in the wild > Made it to India. Made it to Rajasthan. Didn't get to a tiger reserve

- Seeing a snow leopard in the wild > I might have to strike this off because the chances of me making it to Siberia are slender than slim I reckon. I did see a snow leopard in the Geneva zoo. That should count for something right?

- Gazing upon a living fossil > Tuatara. New Zealand. Check.

- Stepping inside "the world's most luxurious hotel" Burj Al Arab

- Taking a dip in the infinity pool atop Marina Bay Sands

- Visiting the Atomium in Brussels, Belgium > There's a photograph of my father in front of this structure from the 80s, which stuck with me. Six years ago, I took my own.

- Seeing a glacier > Been to the site of a former glacier in Lucerne, Switzerland and to the Franz Josef glacier in New Zealand, so I think I may be allowed to cross this off

- Trying unusual dishes from different cultures > I do enjoy culinary adventures but not being a voracious meat eater, I don't go on too wild an adventure .. So, this is an entry with a personal twist.

The accidental additions are

- Taking a sleeper train > Travelled overnight by Livitrans Express from Hanoi to Sapa, Vietnam

- Going up in a hot air balloon > Did it right here in dear ol' Sri Lanka!

- Visiting some of the best chocolate producing nations > You'd think a chocoholic would have already had this on their list but noooo. Only after I'd been to a few of them did I think it best to put it on there

- Visiting Halong Bay > Watching the sun set over the bay while bobbing about in the water as flying fish sail past you has got to be one of the most amazing experiences in the world!

Where to stay, where to stay

Finding accommodation is the more enjoyable part of travel preparation for me. I like doing research and finding bargains.

In Europe, it's hostels all the way. Hostelling International has a great network.

People of all ages are welcome. Beds are comfortable and clean. Prices are reasonable. In most places, breakfast is provided. I've seen many backpackers grab a few extra slices of bread for the road and they weren't chased down that road by irate hostel staff so I'm guessing that's a pretty regular practice.

On the one hand, if you'll be out all day there's no sense in paying for a hotel room.

On the other hand, if you're staying in one place for several days, a hotel does make some sense because the alternative is to lug your possessions about with you or to find a locker to rent for the day.

In Asia, hotels, minimum three stars, are best in my experience.
The hotels I stayed at in India and the Maldives were really good. So were most in Malaysia, except the one in Kuala Lumpur with its leaky shower that drove the room's occupants a bit crazy over time.

What I got to experience in Vietnam was quite special. There were hotel stays, a night in a bunk bed on a train, a home stay in a remote village sleeping on mattresses on the ground and a night on an anchored boat.

I stayed with family in the USA so I can't comment on what to try or not over there.

In New Zealand, because the tour I took catered to a slightly older crowd, the hotels were a bit fancy. And I was lucky because as a solo traveller, even though I had agreed to share with another available traveller, I got my own room in every city. So, I stayed in near luxury! 😆

Budget vs luxury travel

As I'm planning my next holiday, I'm torn between cutting corners and treating myself.

Scrimping and saving for a low-budget holiday is an experience. Nomadic backpacking teaches you to pack light and survive on the bare minimum, be it clothing or nourishment. And you quickly learn a thing or two about a nation by their transport system, which you have to navigate on your own. Where to buy tickets, their validity, which bus/train goes where etc. On top of which you have to read up on the sights you see and their locations. You could splurge on audio guides everywhere you go, but that cost kinda piles up.

Taking a medium- to high-end tour once in awhile is great too I tell ya! Your luggage is picked up and delivered so you don't have to worry too much about how much you've packed. Your meals cover all food groups and don't need to be inhaled in three minutes before your transport leaves. And you are taken about in a large comfortable coach with a lovely guide regaling you with humourous stories and fascinating facts about whatever you see.

I find a mix of both extremes works best for me. Choosing a hostel over a hotel softens the blow of dining at a fancy restaurant. As does taking public transport to a star attraction where entrance costs the GDP of a small nation!

The first

I didn't start exploring Sri Lanka in earnest until I had been abroad a few times. I succumbed first to the lure of the greener grass that is foreign travel.

I remember little of my first journey abroad other than that it was a KLM flight, my first and last time in Business class and that I was on the passenger list as Mrs!

Oh and having reached my destination, Holland, I accompanied my sister to a recital where I promptly fell asleep. I'm told my dulcet snores did nothing to improve the performance! 😄

This would be the time to mention that my first air travel was alone and took 25 hours 😋 I was knackered!

Where do they go?

Seriously, where do all the photographs I take for visa applications each year go? I couldn't find a single one. There must surely be dozens among which must be at least one where I look both human and current, but no, no such luck.

So I had to get a new batch done.

The studio that has stood at the top of my road since I was a wee girl seems to have picked up its skirts and disappeared overnight.

The sign on the shutter said something about Battaramulla. The number given was for a videographer who kindly gave directions to his establishment but had no idea where the studio had got to so I made a trip to Battaramulla. Of course the studio wasn't there. Life is never that simple for me.

So, much to the amusement of my taxi driver, we rode right back to where we started and discovered that the studio had in fact only moved a few metres away.

Oh well ... At least it only took five minutes to be handed a new glossy set of photographs.