I consider myself a man of the world. I can name all 197 countries in the world. I'm quite good with world capitals, major world leaders, population estimates, and geography. I keep up with current events from Europe to the Middle East to Sub-Saharan Africa. I've just never been to any of these places. I've never been off the continent. My parents have each been to Europe and Asia within the last year. My younger brother (26) spent a semester in Ireland and visited a whole handful of countries in Europe from Spain to the Netherlands to Italy. My other youngest brother (21) is going to Brazil this summer for the World Cup. That means that I will be the last member of my immediate family to leave the continent. I don't even have a passport. I can fill my head with knowledge, but I can't be a proper citizen of the world without experiencing it first hand. I've seen every corner of this country from the Grand Tetons to Time Square but I've remained for too long in the box that is America. Not having the time or resources for world travel can't be an excuse for too much longer. I've got to make time. I've got to make it work with my budget. The only question is where to I want to go when I get on that plane. This should serve as a list of my top 5 countries to visit. Please note that it's probably not an actual Top 5. Four of my top 5 are probably on the same continent (surprisingly NOT Europe) so I'll consider this the top 5 countries that I'd like to visit that are all from different continents that I haven't been to yet. My goal is to see the world and have different life experiences, but it's also to enjoy myself. I don't want to visit every country. These selections do not represent my desire to avoid poverty and destitution. They're represent my desire to avoid turmoil and unrest. Going to Ghana to build schools or provide clean water is great, it's noble. Doing anything in North Korea is just plain dumb. I have no desire to go to Afghanistan. I'm not so much concerned as to whether my shipment of capitalism, democracy, and freedom arrived safely to the people of Afghanistan...just have them let me know when they stop throwing acid on girls for attending school and I'll see if I can't book a weekend there. Even more developed countries that aren't as American-friendly are off the list as of present. Thailand looks beautiful, but I saw Brokedown Palace...I'll pass for now. Here's the current Top 5 on the approved Ray O'Brien Travel Wish List:
#5: Chile
The only reason that this ranks #5 is because South America is the only continent where I don't have a sure fire #1 MUST VISIT country. Argentina sounds awesome. I'd love to go to Peru and see Machu Pichu. In going with my Stay Alive Manifesto, the only places that I'll be avoiding like the plague are the favelas of Rio de Janeiro (after Brokedown Palace, I also saw City of God...amazingly good movie, terrifying casual violence), Venezuela for the obvious reasons that it's a corrupt, impoverished, violent, drug-riddled, post-apocalyptic squalor pit, and possibly Colombia (I'll need to do more research on just how common their neckties are in the post-Escobar era). However, Chile seems pretty righteous. It's a land of great food, literature, and culture. It's a land of mystery and history. It contains both Easter Island and the Galapagos Island. Through these I can explore the mysteries of early civilizations and the origins of man. The variance in it's landscape means that I will have beaches, mountains, deserts, and jungles to explore. The vineyards there are some of the best in the world. The largest swimming pool in the world is at the San Alfonso del Mar Resort in Chile. You can sail a boat in it. You can hike Patagonia. Chile is one of the best spots in the world for stargazing. And when you've grown tired of camping and sleeping under the stars (not sure that's possible) you can stay in a hotel like the one pictured on the left. That's right...that is a hotel.
#4: Tanzania
This selection is all about adventure. It's by far the lowest country on this list in terms of placement on the Human
Development Index. It's right about in the middle of the African countries. It places 22nd out of 52 African countries (#152 overall). The super elite-level intelligence people among you might be saying: "But Ray, Africa has 54 countries." Yes. It does. South Sudan and Somalia were not able to be rated. South Sudan has only been a country since 2011 and UN members were not able to gather sufficient data to rate Somalia...so let's assume that they fall below Tanzania. Or if you want to just see a movie and stereotype the country off Hollywood's depiction of it like Ray has already done twice in this post...watch Captain Phillips. This low HDI means that I'll most likely be roughing it on this trip. I'm not talking about hostel in Europe roughing it. I'm talking about questionable access to clean water roughing it. But there's SO much to do in Tanzania. The versatility of it's landscape and wildlife are what make it the most appealing destination. And this trip would be about getting back to my roots. Sure my ancestry is Irish, but since the oldest human remains were found in Tanzania...aren't we all really from Tanzania. There are three things that I must do in Tanzania. The first would be to go on a proper safari. The second is to go to The Rock restaurant off of Zanzibar. Thirdly, I want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Let's be honest...I'll never tackle Mount Everest. It requires a level of climbing expertise, disregard for safety, and tolerance of physical discomfort that I just don't have. I really don't have any desire to climb it. Sure, it's an accomplishment. But when it comes to mountain climbing, I'm in it for the view...and I hear that Kilimanjaro's is better. Everest may be the top of the world, but Kilimanjaro has an allure all it's own. When you look down from the summit of Everest you can gaze across the Himilayas at what I'm sure is a breathtaking view of all of the other 8,000 meter high peaks that in it's range. Do you know what mountain range Kilimanjaro is a part of? It's not. It's a lone tower rising high above the Serengeti. You can see for miles, into other countries. If you look at the picture on you're right, you'll see a view of Kilimanjaro...from Kenya. And more importantly, I can climb Kilimanjaro. It will take some training, but I wouldn't need to dedicate my life to it like I would Everest. There is very little technical expertise required to climb it. All you really need is to be in decent shape and properly pace your ascent over a week in order to properly acclimate.
#3: Japan
Japan is a land of much beauty and much bizarre shit. Chile and Tanzania are must visits because as a lover of nature and exploration I have to experience the terrain that they would offer an adventurer such as myself. However, visiting Japan is just as much about immersing myself in the culture as it is about experiencing the actual landscape. The Japanese have cultural norms and extremes that are difficult for Americans to understand. They're so efficient that they've engineered square watermelons so that they can stack them easier without wasting space. They're youth are so tech-centric that they shower with their smart phones and idolize a cartoon hologram pop star at "live" concerts. It is discouraged to blow your nose but encouraged to loudly slurp your soup. They will wait hours in line to pet common house cats at cafes. You can't buy potato chips from a vending machine, but you can buy the used panties of teenage girls from vending machines. Sleeping at work is smiled upon by Japanese employers. They buy Hole-in-One insurance because otherwise they'd go into financial hardship from all of the gifts that they are expected to by for their friends and family after such an accomplishment. I probably have misunderstood or misrepresented more than one of these cultural oddities that I've listed...but that's all the more reason that I need to explore this fascinating land and people. I'd certainly need to spend some time in Tokyo to immerse myself in the people and the culture, despite the fact that Tokyo is otherwise my nightmare. I hate crowds and lines and Tokyo is just an interweaving series of both. The trains there hire people simply to push and pack passengers in to maximum capacity. No thanks. But after I've figured out what this place is all about, I'll head out to more rural Japan and take in the breathtaking beauty of it's natural landscapes. I want to see Mount Fuji. I want to see the cherry blossoms, the Sengen shrines, the Oshino Hakkai hot springs, and Shiraito Falls. I also have a friend who lives in Osaka. Maybe Shigeki will let me crash on his Ashiatsu table.
#2: Malta
Europe has scores of desired travel locales that await my arrival. Friends have regaled me with tales of how places like Rome, Paris, Stockholm, and Prague are not to be missed and are the most incredible places that I'll ever lay my eyes upon. But the pull is not as strong to go to a place that has already been visited by those that I hold near and dear. I want to forge my own path. I want to set out for adventures unknown. I want to make like Stevie Nicks and go my own way. I can't throw a rock in a group of my friends without it ricocheting off of three people who have been to Rome. But have any of them ever been to Valletta? Malta looks awesome. It's certainly the road less traveled among Americans, but it's brimming with cultural beauty and centuries of history that AP European History didn't have time to cover. They're a very fun-loving, go-with-the-flow people. And boy do they take direction well...Napoleon was only in Malta for six days and he managed to end slavery, create twelve municipalities, and establish their current public finance, judicial, and public education systems. Say what you will about Napoleon's efficiency...that still requires a tremendous ability to take direction. They never even revolted against British imperialism, instead quietly gaining independence through diplomatic negotiations in 1964. They're a beautiful island nation. You can see some of their breathtaking scenery in the first season of Game of Thrones. However, seeing as Daenerys Targaryen's premiere nude scene and all of the scenes in and around Littlefinger's brothel were filmed in Malta...you may have been a little distracted from Malta's intrinsic beauty on a couple of occasions. But several films use Malta's picturesque scenery for filming locations, if at any point you were watching Gladiator, The Count of Monte Cristo, Cutthroat Island, Troy, or Never Say Never Again and thought "Wow, That is gorgeous"...the scene was probably shot in Malta. The photo at right shows a filming location for the movie Popeye. Tell me that you don't want to go there immediately.
#1: Australia
I yearn for a land down under. If I ever win the lottery, or in the more likely case that my cancer scenario from the previous Friday Night Writes strikes, you all won't be seeing or hearing from me for at least a month. That's because I'll be taking my newly acquired resources or time and gallivanting off to embrace the wonders of Oceania. And it'll take about a month for me to even crack of the surface of all the things that I want to do in Australia. I've got little in interest in seeing the Australia that their tourism bureau hypes up. The Sydney Opera House may be among the world's most famous architectural feats but I've got little interest in fighting the masses to see it or Bondi Beach or Ayer's Rock. I'll take the road less traveled. Walkabouts are also fairly popular with visitors but I think that there's enough Outback for all of us...so that I might do. My Australian To Do List is a Sheppey long, but I'll share some of the highlights. I want to golf the longest golf course in the world. That would be Australia's Nullarbor Links. It might not be the longest in terms of playable distance, but it's 1365 kilometers long, as the holes are spread out along the Eyre Highway and spans the states of Western Australia and Southern Australia. I'd love to trek the Daintree Rainforest via bushwalks, morning river cruises, and 4WD tours...maybe even take part in one of their crocodile spotting expeditions. I'd love to swim with the dolphins at Monkey Mia, do some wine tasting in Hunter Valley, and play some baccarat at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. I might even join the crowds to engage in some of the more worthwhile tourist experiences such as climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, swimming in Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island, and scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. I also might climb Mt. Kosciuszko. That way if I ever get to the top of Kilimanjaro I can tell people that I've climbed two of the Seven Summits to impress them, despite the fact that with a prominence of 7130 ft, it wouldn't even be the most challenging mountain I've conquered to date.
Thanks for reading. It's blog contest time. The first person who can correctly identify the six countries in this post's title graphic and post them in the comments will get $10.00 mailed to them by yours truly.
No comments:
Post a Comment