Travel seems to hold a special place in the hearts and minds of most of us, whether it is the vacation to get away from work or the lifetime memory created by visiting a special place or having a unique experience. This is Part 3 of Stephen’s 200 travel bucket list ideas – my own personal memory-makers from a lifetime of travel to 54 countries.
It is a long list with a lot of photos, so I have segmented the list into four parts, each one with links to the other three. What follows is Part 3, #101 – 150 of the list.
101. View the city’s amazing skyline from the 88th floor of the Park Hyatt, Shanghai, China
102. Learn how to make Tom Yum Goong and more, at a Thai cooking class in Bangkok, Thailand
103. Go whitewater rafting on the Colorado River, near Beaver Creek, Colorado
You won’t find scores of thrilling adventures in my bucket list. I prefer a tame hike to a beautiful spot for a spectacular photograph. Several years ago, as part of an early Internet conference, I did participate in whitewater rafting at the mecca for such activity, the Colorado River. It was definitely an adrenaline rush; but for me, it became a one-time activity to cross off the list.
104. Hike in the Mars-like landscape of the volcanic crater, Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii
There are plenty of things to do on Maui. Learn more in my post: 10 unusual things to do in Maui
105. Hike through hilly tea plantations, then drink tea at Longjing Village, near Hangzhou, China
106. Explore a mini-version of Holland, but off the coast of Venezuela: the island of Curacao
The Dutch managed to get around the world and spread their influence. One such place was Curacao, a little Caribbean island that is closer to Venezuela than the main string of the Caribbean. You will notice the Dutch influence from the moment you set your eyes on the architecture, but it is still an island paradise at heart.
107. Take a small guided tour through the White House, Washington D.C.
108. Step back to the 12th century with a tour of Edinburgh Castle, in Edinburgh, Scotland
109. Experience a deluge of 7 inches of rain in one afternoon in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is a nice island. San Juan is a nice city. Unfortunately, my bucket list memory of the place was an astounding deluge of rain throughout the day that forced me to stay holed up in a hotel room. And once the rains stopped there was the inevitable flooding that hampered travel the ensuing days. I was happy to get on a plane to leave the island until we discovered on the tarmac that one of the engines was literally on fire. Quite a trip.
110. Participate in the 12K (7.5 mile) “Bay to Breakers” race in costume, in San Francisco, California
111. Take a relaxing sunset cruise on the Xi Hu (West Lake), Hangzhou, China
112. Appreciate one of the more unique airport stopovers in Keflavik, Iceland
Today Iceland, with its varied and dramatic landscape, is a serious tourist destination. Two million people visit annually. Years ago, it was just a convenient stopping point on charter flights from the U.S. west coast to Europe. Keflavik is a charming little town near the airport, with roots as a fishing village and gateway to many wonders, including the Blue Lagoon.
113. Learn to ski during the day at Deer Valley and dine at night in Park City, Utah
114. Walk through history, from the Pantheon to Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps, in Rome, Italy
115. Watch every detail of how Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are made, in Battle Creek, Michigan
Back in the 1970s I sold millions of dollars’ worth of computers to run the operations of Kellogg’s of Battle Creek. I understood a lot about their business and always got a kick out of visiting the plant to watch the magic of corn flakes being made. Dozens of freight cars of sugar sat outside, as the major ingredient in cereals such as Frosted Flakes. The smell of corn being toasted and rolled into flakes was memorable. Unfortunately, tours of the plant are history, a victim of America’s changing breakfast tastes.
116. Attend a “yellow umbrella” rally to support freedom of speech in Hong Kong
117. Watch martial arts performed in Stanley Park with a background of Vancouver, Canada
118. Catch a rainbow trout in one of the 10,000 lakes and fry it onshore, at Red Lake, Minnesota
When my family lived in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, we would escape to a large lake not far from the Canadian border. A stay in a little cabin, a sunburn from fishing on the lake all day, and plenty of fireflies and mosquitos at night are the most vivid memories.
119. Learn how to make all kinds of jiaozi (dumplings) at a cooking school in Beijing, China
120. Eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to ring in the New Year, Puerta del Sol, Madrid
121. Sail completely around the Pitons and island in a day at St. Lucia, Caribbean Islands
When I lived on the east coast of the U.S., I was a frequent visitor to the Caribbean islands. One such trip was to St. Lucia, an island rich in both history and natural beauty. A sail around the island gave one a special opportunity to view the twin mountains, the Pitons, from every angle. The other thing I remember was how popular the island was with German tourists, who were a long way from home.
122. Play an old string instrument in the home of a family in the Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam
123. Attend the ceremonial “burning of witches” on April 30th, in Prague, Czech Republic
124. Spend day and night in Tivoli Gardens, the inspiration for Walt Disney’s park, in Copenhagen, Denmark
Tivoli Gardens is more than 100 years older than Disneyland, but still going strong as an amusement park. And like so many things in Copenhagen, there is a warm and friendly atmosphere. The rides and entertainment range from classic to modern. It might be the second-happiest place on Earth.
125. Touch the 46-meter gold-plated Reclining Buddha, in Wat Pho Temple, Bangkok, Thailand
126. Walk on black, red, yellow and gold sand beaches on the same day, road to Hana, Maui
127. Tour Jinshanling Great Wall with Olympic Gold medalists, Hebei Province, China
This activity was featured in my post: China – U.S. tourism ready to soar
128. Consume a spettacolare pizza at a restaurant in the birthplace of pizza, Naples, Italy
Where certain foods originated are often up for debate, but most people agree that the pizza as we know was first prepared in Naples, Italy back in the 1700s. The wood-fired Napoli pizza still flourishes in pizzerias all over the world, but there is nothing quite like sharing one in the city of its birth.
129. Munch on Mozart kugel and other confections and pastries in Vienna, Austria
130. Take a boat trip to Drottningholm Palace, royal family residence, Stockholm Sweden
131. Observe tropical orchids, ferns, and ginger plants at Singapore Botanic Gardens
Do you have a problem keeping plants alive? This garden was founded in 1859 and is still amazing people daily with its fern and flora. Aided by its situation near the equator, Singapore Botanic Gardens houses more than a thousand species of orchards. It is the only tropical garden to honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
132. Eat the freshest sushi after the auction in the morning at Tsukiji fish market, in Tokyo, Japan
133. Visit the outlying temples and the imperial Mountain Resort in Chengde, China
Learn more about this region in my post: Chengde Mountain Resort is China’s secret
134. Savor every stop on a 4-hour culinary tour through Charleston, South Carolina
135. Take a seat in the baseball dugout at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants
136. Wander through Gyeongbokgung Palace, built in the year 1395, in Seoul, South Korea
137. Photograph the Chartres cathedral, Europe’s finest gothic architecture, Chartres, France
138. Listen to wind-created music from large metal tubes, Sibelius Monument, Helsinki, Finland
139. View the Crown Jewels, symbolic of the British Monarchy, inside the Tower of London, England
Kings and queens in England have stored their crowns, robes, and other royal ceremonial objects in the Tower of London for more than 600 years. If only our closets contained such treasures. As a bonus, one gets to wander around a real castle and its grounds.
140. Be inspired by the contemporary art at the Broad Museum, Los Angeles, California
141. Spend a peaceful day among Spanish moss-draped oak trees, Savannah, Georgia
142. Skipper a 30-ft sailboat for whale watching from Newport Beach, California to Catalina Island
I learned to sail and got certified through a club in Newport Beach. The boat of choice was a 30-foot Catalina, perfect for cruising up and down the coast from Huntington Beach to San Clemente. The highlight excursion was to head west, to the treasure that is Catalina Island. With any luck, you could be followed by dolphins or spot a whale. On one sail a whale the length of the boat silently surfaced next to us. It was a scary but thrilling moment.
143. See astonishing sea creatures at one of the world’s leading aquariums, Monterey, California
144. Drive 200 km per hour (125 mph) on the autobahn, between Köln and Frankfurt, Germany
Germany’s autobahns take some getting used to if you are a polite defensive driver from the United States. Cruise at what you think is a high speed in the left lane, and you will soon encounter fast-approaching flashing headlights in your rearview mirror. I mean really fast-approaching. You soon learn that, even driving at 200km per hour (125mph) in a BMW, the left lane is for passing only.
145. Savor an authentic dinner overlooking lotus ponds at Manda de Laos, Luang Prabang, Laos
Read more in my post: Time is now to visit Luang Prabang, Laos
146. Sample local delicacies at a remote market, then get food poisoning, Inle Lake, Myanmar
#147. Gaze at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, in Vatican City, Italy
We mere mortals are not allowed to take photos inside the Sistine Chapel, but the view of the ceiling is nonetheless etched in our memory. To just imagine Michelangelo lying on his back painting such a mural, and to see the results at floor level, is to recognize artistic genius. If you can visit before the crowds as part of a small group tour, even better. See my post: A Rome visit can be upscale on a budget.
148. Photograph the snow-capped Grand Tetons reflected in lakes near Jackson Hole, Wyoming
149. Watch baseball at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Fenway Park, Boston, and Yankee Stadium, New York
150. Learn the magical ways of giraffes, up close, at Giraffe Center, near Nairobi, Kenya
You can learn more in my post: Visit Nairobi before and after a safari
