So previously, this blog post was titled ‘Three cheers for my bucket list’. When Rem – the techie friend who handles the nitty gritties of this blog – saw a strike through the word ‘bucket’ in the heading, her first reaction was: “What on earth woman! We don’t mess with headings!”

Luckily for me, it was said in an affectionate yet exasperated manner rather than a fire-breathing dragon style.

The strike through the term was symbolic of my tumultuous relationship with the term ‘bucket list’. At times the term makes me feel hopeful and eager about goals in life and at others, it feels like someone whispered ‘death’ and ‘time limit’ in my ear. #morbidmuch

But more on that later.

Dedicated net surfing (& stalking) + research = Wish lists

Back to wish list-making. If you are like me who feels focussed after scribbling on colourful sticky notes and pastes them all around – only to be distracted by the fluttering pieces of paper #colourfuldistractions – you know how amazingly important (and fun) list-making is. The amount of dedicated internet surfing and level of expertise showcased while stalking people on social media, all to decide whether a place can grace your travel wish list, is unparalleled.

Being honest, I would need a lifetime to be able to scratch off all the places on this humongous list (a little difficult unless you are paid to travel). #dreamjob #anyonelistening? But nevertheless, as a Pinterest image aptly stated

So here goes part of my travel wish list. Have you been to any of these places? Are there more places I should add to this list? Are you planning to travel to any of these places soon and willing to sponsor my tickets? Tell me.

‘To those who can dream, there is no such place as far away’.

• Bhutan… a picturesque landscape, the happiest place on planet earth and pocket-friendly!
• Cambodia… Yasodharapura aka Angkor, Battambang, Phnom Penh and Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, among other things
• Live in at least 2-3 villages along Italy’s Cinque Terre
• China… during the Chinese New Year celebrations, walk the Great Wall and hug a panda
• Egypt… Pharoahs, pyramids, the Sphinx and the Mummy (-ies)
• Swim along the Great Barrier Reef
• Greece… Has anyone noticed the massive number of UNESCO sites in this region? Like the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, the Oracle in Delphi, Meteora Monasteries, Knossos and basically everything mentioned in Greek mythology.
• Greece… Return to relax in those beautiful islands!
• Ireland… Coz after reading all those Nora Roberts novels even I want to be sprinkled with some Irish magic and sing bawdy songs in a local pub
• Japan… if cherry blossoms and the food, especially Shojin Ryori, isn’t reason enough, there’s Kyoto, Mount Fuji, pod hotels and geishas
  Note (to self): Must read Memories of a Geisha again
• Morocco… the sparkling sea, the soaring mountains and beautiful cities like Fes, Asilah, Chefchaouen, Marrakech, Merzouga
• Explore Myanmar’s Bagan Archaeological Zone, touted to be at par with Angkor
• New Zealand… Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as also the Maoris and their culture. Enough said!
• See the Northern Lights and/or Southern Lights… check out the photos in Google images will you?
• Walk through Peru’s Machu Pichu and Vilcabamba for a glimpse into the Inca civilisation, shake hands (or is it legs?) with a Llama
• Pompeii in Italy
• Scuba diving in the crystal clear waters of Seychelles
• Scotland… For the very cool Edinburgh-Glasgow-Aberdeen, hunting for Nessie, lochs and highlands, bagpipes and kilts
• Witness the mass migration in the Serengeti plains
• Hop aboard the TransSiberian railway
• Turkey… history, history and so much of beautiful history that seems to jump out of those photographs of buildings, bazaars, hammams and Whirling Dervishes
• Vietnam… ummm, maybe I should just move there for a month or two?
• Travel somewhere with my sister
• Be part of a food challenge (the tasting bit of course!) at Masterchef Australia. How else do I get to meet Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston (cue dreamy sigh)
• Manage a hot air balloon ride, preferably during sunset/sunrise
• Watch some of the Olympic Games… anywhere

Note: This is an ever-evolving list!

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photos: Vaibhav Tanna & Rapti Bhaumick