C – Continents

Lets make this a fun one.

I have already talked about some of my dreams and bucket list, if you will. Another major to-do on my list is expensive in both money and time but am very close to finishing it – to visit all seven continents.

At the time of writing this post, I have five under my belt with one more right around the corner. I have wanted to do this for about two decades now and its crazy to me that by the end of May 2024, I will only have one continent left.

In chronological order –

Asia – I was born here, spent the first two decades of my life and been to several states in the subcontinent. Admittedly, there are several countries I would like to visit in Asia but for right now in my life, I am good checking it off my list.

North America – spent a little over a decade of my life here. My thoughts, opinions and some political analysis of America will all be in my book (WIP). Mexico is absolutely delightful – I have been to Tijuana, Rosarito and Mexico city. Mexico City is my second favorite city in the whole world, hands down. Never been to Canada, though its right there. I am not a fan of cold places, there is only one exception…

Europe – London, baby. This city comes in very close just above Mexico City as my favorite place in world. Was it fun to see the Kohinoor in the British Museum? No. I could feel my ancestors screaming in my brain across time and space but there is so much more to do in London. It is the land of Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and Jeffrey Archer. My favorite day was walking around to various cafes, sipping on some warm tea and reading Jeffrey Archer, I found a small little spot that served sourdough pizzas, fresh and made to order and ended the night with a beer at a pub next to the hostel I was staying at. This was my first ever solo trip, it lasted only four days but I fell in love with the city and would love to move there one day. I was in London in January and the first (maybe last) time I did not mind the cold one bit.

Oceania – The main goal was obviously to visit the LoTR set in New Zealand. I had not anticipated loving Auckland as much as I did. It easily takes the third spot in my list of favorite cities. I went during their Autumn season and the weather was very pleasant. I had a day here and there when it rained a little but just a drizzle that cleared away quickly. The food was amazing. I learned a lot about the indigenous culture of New Zealand, something I would like to study further and maybe find literature that analyzes American and New Zealand Indigenous cultures – please let me know if you have any book suggestions. I did hop over to Australia as well, I mean its right there but got to say, Sydney was unimpressive after Auckland. Just my own personal experience, probably because I have been to several big cities and Sydney seemed like your average big city. Perhaps my surprise at Auckland’s beauty paled Sydney in comparison and perhaps Melbourne is different. I did find amazing Indian food in Sydney and the opera house did not disappoint. I am not discounting the entire country obviously and would love to revisit. I found a train that travels through the Northern Territory to Adelaide but it was all booked out and a tad bit expensive, for another time I guess. Another solo trip that I enjoyed immensely.

South America – I sort of cheated on this one. My partner and I had a little less than a week and I really wanted to see South America, we looked at several countries but what I wanted out of this vacation was to chill, relax by a pool or a beach and not have to see a bunch of things. So we picked Colombia and I say ‘cheated’ because Colombia is the Caribbean, it is very different than the rest of the continent. There aren’t many places that are more relaxing than the Caribbean. I would definitely choose Cartagena for a sip-cocktails-by-the-pool vacation. Though South America is checked off the list, I will definitely be planning trips to the other parts of the continent.

Coming right around the corner is Southern Spain and Morocco, crossing off Africa. I have been planning and saving for this trip for a while now and I promise a post will be on its way after I am back from the vacation.

The last is Antarctica, I already know I want to do a cruise but would like to splurge on a little bit of luxury if I can. It will no doubt take a lot more saving before I can get to it but hey, a girl can dream.

Travelling is absolutely wonderful but I do have to agree with Sinatra.

It’s very nice to go trav’ling
To Paris, London and Rome
It’s oh, so nice to go trav’ling
But it’s so much nicer
Yes, it’s so much nicer to come home

Frank Sinatra

Have you been to any of these continents? What are your favorite places to visit? Is there something you hate about travelling? I’d be very interested to hear what y’all have to say.