25 Must See Places for Travelers

There are many places I still want to see and things I want to do in my lifetime. My earlier bucket list included overcoming my fear of heights.  I managed that by reaching the peak of Picacho Peak in southern Arizona.  It took 2 or 3 years of attempting it but I finally did it.  I also climbed a wall on a cruise ship and went up in a glider plane.

Everyone’s bucket list looks different.  I was in Mexico recently and spoke to two women in their early 60s who were having their hair corn-rowed.  That is when the hair is finely braided and beads are intertwined.  The interesting part was they both had short hair and I was fascinated as I watched them have the hair extensions put in as part of the procedure. They both remarked that having the corn-rows done was something they had on their bucket lists and they also managed to do other things on their list.  One had gone parasailing for the first time and the other one had done a jungle zip line trip.  The night before they had both danced on a bar top. They realized how short life was when a close friend their age died suddenly after a very brief battle with cancer. 

It used to be that people dreamed about seeing the Seven Wonders of the World in their lifetime.  With the world being so much easier to get around now and people have more free time the dreams are being realized.

In 2001 there was a new list for The Seven Wonders of the World.  These included:
The Great Wall of China
Petra - Jordan
Christ the Redeemer – Brazil
Machul Picchu - Peru
Chichen Itza – Mexico
Coliseum – Rome
Taj Mahal – India

There is only one remaining wonder of the ancient world left which is the Great Pyramid in Egypt.  I’ve climbed the Great Wall and Chichen Itza and seen the Coliseum in Rome. I definitely want to see Machul Picchu and the Great Pyamid.  If I don’t visit India or Jordan or Brazil, that’s okay.  I still have a number of other things I want to accomplish.

25 Other Top Items on My Travel Bucket List:
Visit Buckingham Palace   

Hear Big Ben in London strike

Visit Stonehenge   

Hear the Pipers in Scotland  

See the Alaskan Icebergs  

Go through the Panama Canal Locks
Look into a Hawaiian Volcano

Snorkel in Hawaii

Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef

See the sunrise from Ayers Rock
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon  

Do a safari to the Serengeti

Overlook Victoria Falls

Take a romantic Canal Boat Ride in Venice

Ride the Orient Express
Buy a carpet in Turkey
Have a drink in Casablanca  

Visit the White House

Watch Old Faithful blow in Yellowstone

Stand on Four Corners (USA)
Visit Havana, Cuba   

Lie on 7 Mile Beach – again!
Swim with turtles, dolphins, and sting-rays

Swim with the Manatee  

Go Barefoot Sailing in the Caribbean

Even though I am already a Baby Boomer in my 60s, I will accomplish what is still left on my travel bucket list!

Where to Find Vancouver Hideaways!

It is hard to imagine the West End of Vancouver is still one of the most densely populated areas in North America. It’s surrounded by a rapidly changing skyline but maintains a feeling of  simpler times.  The peace and beauty is evident to all those who live in the the area and may it never change.

I was very happy to settle down for a few years again in my birth city of Vancouver, Canada.  I wanted to stay as “green” as possible and so chose to live and work in the West End of the city, just a few blocks from Davie and Denman.

I loved the quaint area between Denman, Stanley Park, the lagoon, and English Bay.  I’d while away the weekend hours exploring all there was to see.  A brisk 12 KM walk around the sea wall to the new skyline of Coal Harbour, breathing in the ocean air, was all I needed to maintain a healthy balance in my life.

I really didn’t need a vehicle and was glad I didn’t have to find parking on a daily basis.  I don’t think the parking situation has improved either in the last forty years!  People still vie for a two-hour space on the many tree covered side streets so they can show their grandchildren the beaches they played on with their own grandparents many decades before.  The great bus and sky train system is still the best alternative.

The architectural beauty of old brick low rises nestled among higher balcony-adorned buildings is a reminder of days gone by in the West End.  An occasional heritage home is also tucked in between, turned into classic apartments with high ceilings and marbled faced fireplaces. Wonderful names adorn buildings that have stood the test of time like Ocean Bay and the Sylvia.  Many have interesting histories.  The Whitehouse Apartments, for instance, was infamous sixty years ago for housing one of the top madams in Vancouver.  Many people have lived in the area all their working life and have chosen to remain in the West End after they retired. 

To really enjoy the area, just snuggle into one of the tiny corner parks and watch the squirrels chattering in the trees, looking for tid-bits as the seagulls scream high above. If you are lucky, you may even see a resident skunk or raccoon ambling along the sidewalk as evening approaches.  I paused often when I was walking, especially in the autumn. I loved watching children toss the riot of colourful leaves into the air and giggle as the colours gently floated down around them.  The magnificent horse chestnut trees may have muted the sounds of sirens and the busy traffic along English Bay but you had to be prepared to be bumped on the head as chestnuts fell in the fall.

I'm no longer living in the West End but now I get to go down and visit the same old spots with my granddaughter.  She is being raised in my favourite part of the city. 

The new online blog, www.insidevancouver.ca is a great place to find out what can be discovered in the West End.  The blog encourages locals to write about upcoming events and is a great place to view photos of the area.   

There are very few songs written about Vancouver, Canada.  Canadian Tom Cochrane mentions the "Vancouver Lights" quickly in his famous song "Life is a Highway."  There were many times I identified with the words to the song “Life's like a road that you travel on. When there's one day here and the next day gone."  It's such a beautiful city