Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The Bucket List

Tuesday, November 05, 2024    No comments

Is human knowledge only to be found in books?

As wonderful as books represent, document, and express human thoughts, they are not a substitute for direct, personal contact that comes from seeing, hearing, feeling, and experiencing things for oneself.

Can any book truly capture the exhilaration of windsurfing on Maui, snowboarding on freshly fallen powder at Whistler, piloting a Cessna single-engine aircraft, swimming with sharks in Bora-Bora, racing a sportbike at Laguna Seca, or seeing Fiddler on the Roof musical on Broadway?

"The business of life is the acquisition of memories. Ultimately, that's all there is" - Carson of Downton Abbey.
 
As part of my self-development, I have created a list of experiences and travel destinations I want to see.


Ideas to Do
  1. Visit the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
  2. Explore Tokyo and the temples of Kyoto, Japan (Done, 6/22/2018)
  3. Hike the Trolltunga Trail near Bergen, Norway
  4. See an Opera at the famous Teatro Alla Scala and Vienna State Opera
  5. Walk the Great Wall of China
  6. Explore Rio de Janeiro and Iguazu Falls in Brazil
  7. Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans
  8. Attend ABK or Pritchard Windsurfing Camp in Baja or Maui (Done, 7/26/2018)
  9. Motorcycle around Europe with Edelweiss Bike tours
  10. See Northern Lights (in Alaska or Norway)
  11. Dive into the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
  12. Visit Hallstatt, Austria (Done, 7/5/2017)
  13. See the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
  14. Go on a Safari in Kenya
  15. Visit Machu Picchu, Peru
  16. See the Seven Wonders of the World:
  17. See the Seven Wonders of Nature:
  18. Visit Every Continent
    • Visited: Europe, North America, Asia/Middle East
    • Not Visited: South America, Antarctica, Australia, Africa

Places to Visit
  1. Thailand (Bangkok, Koh Samui)
  2. Greece (Crete, Athens, Meteora, Vasiliki)
  3. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
  4. New Zealand (Christchurch)
  5. Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin)
  6. Machu Pichu, Peru
  7. Croatia (Dubrovnik, Plitvice National Park)
  8. China (Beijing, Great Wall, Shanghai, Hong Kong)
  9. Switzerland (Done, 1/1/2019)
  10. Blue Lagoon, Iceland (Done, 10/2/2017)
  11. Southern Italy (Naples, Pompei) (Done, 9/24/2023)
  12. Sicily
  13. Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
  14. Rio de Janeiro (and Iguazu Falls)
  15. Southern France (Dijon, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Gruissan)
  16. Fiji Islands
  17. South Africa and Cape of Good Hope
Musicals to See
  1. Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812
  2. Crazy for You
  3. My Fair Lady (Done, 9/22/2018)
  4. Gypsy
  5. Guys & Dolls
  6. Funny Girl
  7. Avenue Q (Done, 9/24/2018)
  8. A Chorus Line
  9. Wicked (Done, 8/31/2019)
  10. Anything Goes (Done)
  11. Kiss Me Kate (Done)
  12. 42nd Street (Done)
  13. Hamilton (Done)
Operas to See
  1. La Traviata
  2. Rigoletto
  3. Tosca
  4. Turandot
  5. Otello
  6. Falstaff
  7. Porgy & Bess
  8. Nabucco
  9. Carmen
  10. Madame Butterfly
Restaurant to Try
  1. French Laundry, Napa (if I can ever get in)
  2. Pizza in Naples (supposedly the best pizza in the world) (Done, 9/24/2023)
  3. Sushi in Japan (done, 6/13/2018)
Windsurfing/Wing Foiling Destinations
  1. Bonaire (Sorobon Resort, Jibe City, Duckerbeck Pro Center)
  2. Cabarete, Dominican Republic (Vela Windsurf Cabarete)
  3. Lake Garda, Italy (Duotone Pro Center Torbole)
  4. North Shore, Maui, Hawaii (Hi-Tech Surf Sports) (Done, 10/24/1998)
  5. Tarifa, Spain (Surf Center Tarifa)
  6. Vasiliki, Greece (Nefeli Vasiliki)
  7. Crete, Greece (Freak Surf Crete)
  8. Columbia River Gorge (Big Winds), Oregon (Done, 6/5/1999)
  9. Guisson, France

Ski Resorts to Try
  1. Verbier, Switzerland (done, 1/1/2018)
  2. St. Anton, Austria
  3. Niseko, Japan
  4. Vail, Colorado
  5. Breckenridge, Colorado
  6. Snowbird, Utah
  7. Revelstoke, Canada
  8. Nozawa Onsen, Japan
  9. Meribel, France
  10. Zermatt, Switzerland
  11. Nevados de Chillen, Chile
  12. Mammoth Mountain, CA

100 Things to Do Before You Die
  1. Visit all 7 Continents (visited Europe, North America, Middle East)
  2. See the Grand Canyon (done)
  3. See Northern Lights in Alaska or Norway
  4. Visit Australia
  5. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef (Scuba dived on Wailea, Maui)
  6. Swim with Dolphins (Inna swam with Dolphins in Xel-Ha, Mexico)
  7. Go on a Safari in Kenya
  8. Walk the Great Wall of China
  9. See the Seven Wonders of the World
  10. New Year's Eve in Times Square, NYC (visited Times Square)
  11. Visit Brazil
  12. Visit Greece
  13. Visit Machu Picchu
  14. Visit Galapagos Islands
  15. Go to Mardi Gras, New Orleans
  16. Celebrate Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
  17. See Iguazu Falls, Brazil
  18. See Amazon Forest and River
  19. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Ireland
  20. See Stonehenge (was nearby but did not stop)
  21. Sleep in a Castle
  22. Stand on the Equator
  23. See Victoria Falls in Africa
  24. Write a Book
  25. Visit Blue Lagoon, Iceland (Inna did so in 2017)
  26. Attend the Olympic Games
  27. Travel to all 50 U.S. States
  28. Attend Oktoberfest in Germany
  29. Visit Mount Everest Base Camp
  30. See the Pyramids and Great Sphinx in Egypt
  31. See a play at the Globe Theater, London
  32. Halloween Horror Night at the Universal Studios, Orlando
  33. Visit South Africa
  34. Mountain bike at Soquel Demo Forest
  35. Blackpool
  36. Dirt bike the Rubicon Trail near Sacramento
  37. Be an extra in a TV Show or Movie
  38. Ride a Camel (Boris in Israel)
  39. Ride an Elephant (Inna rode an elephant on Bali)
  40. Run a marathon
  41. Walk on the Edge of C.N. Tower (Toronto 2015)
  42. Surf on Maui's North Shore (Maui 1998)
  43. Windsurf on Maui (Spreckelsville, Maui, 1998)
  44. Race a motorcycle on a race track (Laguna Seca)
  45. Learn to ride an off-road Motorcycle (Hollister)
  46. Learn to Water Ski (Lake Tahoe)
  47. Pilot an Airplane (Cessna 172SP)
  48. Fly on an Ultralight (Birds in Paradise, Kaui 2008)
  49. Learn to sail a large sailboat (J/24 at OCSC Sailing Club)
  50. Hike Half-Dome, Yosemite
  51. Ride a Helicopter (Maui, Hawaii)
  52. Dive in a Submarine (Oahu)
  53. Go on a Road Trip
  54. Shower in a waterfall
  55. Travel to Italy
  56. Get Married
  57. Learn a Foreign Language (French)
  58. Go Whale Watching (in Alaska)
  59. Visit France (Paris, Niece, Lyon, Honfleur, Etretat, Mont St. Michel)
  60. Go White Water Rafting (Sacramento River, White Salmon River)
  61. Attend a Broadway Show (Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, Cats)
  62. Go Camping (Vancouver Island, Olympic National Park)
  63. Kayaking (Lake Tahoe, Bora-Bora)
  64. See the Mona Lisa (in the Louvre)
  65. Visit Yellowstone National Park
  66. See an Iceberg (Alaska Cruise)
  67. Visit Louvre Museum
  68. Visit the Sistine Chapel, Vatican
  69. Climb a Mountain (Mt. Tallac)
  70. Go to a Drive-in Cinema (Sacramento)
  71. Eat at a 5-star restaurant (Manresa)
  72. Ride a jet ski (Lake Tahoe, Bora-Bora)
  73. Float in the Dead Sea, Israel
  74. Visit Walt Disney World, Orlando
  75. Ride on the London Eye
  76. Fly First Class
  77. Play paintball
  78. Rock Climbing 
  79. See Cirque du Soleil
  80. Ride in a Limousine
  81. Ride a Roller Coaster (Disney, Great America, 6 Flags)
  82. See NYC Times Square at Night (NYC 2016)
  83. Snowboarding (Whistler, Mt. Hood, Mammoth)
  84. Go to a Concert (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, History of the Eagles)
  85. Start Your Own Business
  86. Try Paragliding
  87. Caribbean Cruise (Emerald Princess 2007)
  88. Get a passport
  89. Visit Spain
  90. Swim with Sharks (Bora-Bora)
  91. Attend a Wedding
  92. Ride a Horse
  93. Learn to Play Piano
  94. Go on a plane/train by yourself.
  95. Madame Tussauds
  96. Learn to Skateboard
  97. Learn to Dance
  98. Visit Las Vegas, Nevada
  99. See the Rock of Gibraltar (Celebrity Constellation Cruise from Dover to Barcelona)
  100. See Niagara Falls, U.S./Canada (Niagara Falls, 2015)






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