Wander Where?

If you're wondering where to wander, this is really the 'Travel Tips' section, but since we are all different types of travelers, I will not tell you what you must see, or must do. Instead, I will tell you all of the things I did and loved in the places I traveled to, and you can pick and choose to wander accordingly! Think of it as 'Travel Ideas.'

AUSTRALIA

I love Australia, and so far I have just scratched the surface having only visited Sydney. There are endless things to do in this great city, and these are some that I really liked.

Sydney

·      Bondi Beach – This is a truly model-y beach! I have never seen so many beautiful people from all parts of the world in one place. Great place to watch and be watched if you’re so inclined. Oh, and there’s surfing too.

·      Taronga Zoo – It is true, sometimes once you’ve seen one zoo you’ve kind of seen them all. However, the animals here are pretty unique and for as many zoos as I’ve been to, these animals were still interesting to see. I think the Meerkats were my favorite; I had total Lion King flashbacks of Timon, just without Pumba.

·      Weekend Market at the Rocks – This was the most amazing market I have ever been to. The streets are closed off in this area just a few minutes from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. There are endless stalls filled with culinary treats, home décor, fashion, unique jewelry, and tons of other sure to be exclusive finds. If you happen to be in Sydney over a weekend, this is a great market to explore.

CANADA

Canada is a clean and happy place. There is so much to see and do here and there is always a festival or cultural event taking place. I didn’t spend much time off the beaten path, but there were still some great things to see while on it.

Montréal

·      Rue Saint-Paul in Vieux Montréal – To avoid sounding cliché, I won’t say this street was charming, so just use a mental thesaurus to imagine it described otherwise. I was completely transported to Europe walking down this street lined with restos and shops and lovely cupcake places. This was also the scene of my first heavenly poutine experience, and it would be worth a visit if only for that.

Niagara Falls

·      Maid of the Mist – I must admit, without any biased loyalty, that I am a bigger fan of the American Niagara Falls experience. That said, it was still a lot of fun to venture out on this large boat and get so close to the falls that it felt like getting caught in a torrential downpour. It is also pretty cool to say I have ridden a bike from Canada to the United States even though it was just a short 2-minute ride across the bridge.

Toronto

·      The Bata Shoe Museum – Okay, for some this may not be of interest, but for shoe lovers such as myself this is a neat place! There is a lot of history to be learned and understanding of cultural practices as relating to shoes and costume. There is more to this place than just pretty shoes.

·      CN Tower – Yes, this is very touristy and after a while all of these very tall towers aren’t much different from one another. However, lying down on a 2 ½ inch glass floor with over 1100 feet beneath you is quite an interesting sensation to experience.

·      The Royal Ontario Museum (R.O.M.) – This museum is huge and you can hardly see all of it in less than a full day. There is lots to see and something for everyone. I was lucky enough to catch an exhibit on Caribbean art during Caribana.

·      Victory Café – This is a nice place to share a drink with friends in the evening. You can look out on the old fashioned buildings of Mirvish Village and enjoy the cozy atmosphere.

THE CARIBBEAN

Trinidad

·      Maracas Beach – This is a great beach for hanging out (or more appropriately called limin’ in local lingo). Do not leave without having a bake n’ shark at Richards.

Tobago

·      Argyle Waterfalls – I spent my entire life traveling to Tobago, and only visited the waterfall relatively recently. Had I known how beautiful it was, I would have checked it out much sooner. If you want to go to the top of the waterfall, it is a decent little hike, on not so even terrain, but it is very manageable. The water is freezing cold no matter the outside temperature and stings your skin like a million tiny little pricks. But the experience is exhilarating, and besides, what good would traveling to the top be if all you were going to do was travel back down?

·      Glass Bottom Boat Tour – I have loved this since I was a child and it never gets old. Sure you will be endlessly hassled upon arrival to Store Bay beach about whether or not you’d like to take the tour, but you do, so the nagging won’t matter. The boat travels to the coral reef and you can watch the brilliant array of beautiful fish swimming below you. There will also be a chance to snorkel with provided equipment. The Nylon pool is my favorite treat, as the water is strangely warm and silky and there is just nothing like it.

·      Pigeon Point Beach – You know the very distinctly Caribbean image of a thatched-roof hut at the end of a small pier surrounded by shockingly teal waters? Well that is this beach—well it may be other beaches as well—but this is one of them. Although there is a nominal fee for entry, it is well worth the $3 US dollars you will spend. You can relax in the sun all day, have a drink, enjoy tasty local dishes, shop around a bit, have another drink, and sun bathe some more. The best part is, you can walk well out into the ocean and the water will still be at waist level!

THE MIDDLE EAST

Bahrain

·      Bahrain National Museum – Great place to learn about the history of Bahrain, the architecture and forefront of the building are also works of art.

·      Gold Souq – What can I say? This is just a jewelry lover’s dream. And don’t be fooled by the name, you can find all kinds of jewelry here, plus some of the best silver I have come across. You can even get things custom made!

·      Ritz Carlton Manama – Well, this place only made the list because I was lucky enough to have family that is fancy and has a membership to the club here. Under normal circumstances, this would have been outside of my range. But, the grounds are stunning and quiet and you can have lunch or stroll along the man made (and very salty!) beach looking out onto the Manama skyline.

·      Tree of Life – This tree is in the middle of the desert, completely surrounded by sand, with no known water source. It is kind of amazing. The tree is huge and just looks so peculiar all on its own in that setting, it is worth the long drive through the desert, and I have never seen a more vibrant sunset than the one here.

Dubai

·      Al Qasr Hotel – I am by no means rich, but I did get to pretend just for a little while at this lavish hotel. Dubai is filled with opulence and most of it was packed right into this place. Al Qasr even means “the palace” which is exactly what it felt like. Hey, no one would know that I wasn’t a princess from Trinidad…would they?

·      Bastakiya – A walk back in time to through this old district is a glimpse at what Dubai was like before it got all rich and trendy.

·      Dancing – There are lots of places to go dancing, although sadly, I didn’t get to all of them. The people here have fun and wherever you go is likely to be a good time. 

·      Desert Safari/Dune Bashing – I never thought I would love seeing my life flash before my eyes. But somehow, as these jeeps rose and plunged over the huge sand dunes and our driver pretended he was going to kill us, I realized I had never had so much fun! It was crazy and I seriously thought the car might topple over, but it was the kind of experience you just have to stop and appreciate. I was in the middle of a desert in a very far away land; the only thing missing was a mirage of a model-y guy coming to sweep me off my feet! Okay, but on a serious note, the desert safari was part of a day-trip package that included a late night camel ride and an outdoor meal in the middle of the desert complete with music and belly dancing for entertainment. It was a day brilliantly well spent!

·      Jumeriah Mosque – For non-Muslims, this is your opportunity for cultural understanding and to visit a mosque, a practice not often afforded to non-Muslims. The experience is unique, the mosque is beautiful, and it is a chance to see from the inside what another life is like.

·      Mall of the Emirates – Shopping! Oh, and Ski Dubai is here too.

·      The Palm Islands – The islands really would be better seen from an aerial view so you can actually see the palm, but it is still pretty cool to know you are driving in the stem of the palm tree! You need permission (or lots of money) to be able to drive all the way into the branches of the palm, as they are mostly private.

·      Souq Shopping – More shopping! But the experience here is cool and cultural, and oh the things you can buy! Everyone is trying to make a deal so haggle, haggle, haggle!

·      Water Taxi across Dubai Creek – or abras as they are known locally. If I ignored the skyscrapers and the fanny-packing tourists squeezed next to me, I could have just pictured myself in an ancient Dubai, one before cars and fanny-packs, when life was simple. 1 dirham ($0.27) will get you from Bur Dubai, where the textile souq and Dubai Museum are, across the creek to Deira where the famous gold souq and yummy restaurants overlooking the creek are.

SOUTH AMERICA

Ecuador

·      The Amazon – This place is incredible even though it was just one tiny portion of an immense rainforest. With the tour I took, we got to watch a young man catch fish for us that would later be prepared for our dinner. We got to wear traditional face paint of the local indigenous group. We took a precarious ride in a canoe down the river, swung from jungle ropes, sampled exotic fruits we’d never seen, and fell asleep in pitch-black darkness listening to completely foreign animal sounds in the night. It was incredible and I would do it again a thousand times over.

·      Football Match – Ecuador vs. anyone would be a great match to see because it is all about the ambience. I was able to watch Ecuador vs. Brazil at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito. If you love soccer, this is an awesome experience. If you don’t, you may be converted after this. It is exciting, loud, passionate, and the Pilsener comes in very large cups. By the end of the match, you will be singing along to the rally songs (whether you speak Spanish or not!).

·      Laguna Quilotoa – Aside from the fact that I made a huge mistake by not taking the donkey, this crater-lake is majestic (there was really no other word). From the top of the almost mountain, you can see a pool of strikingly teal water below. A hike down will bring you closer to the water and the grand appeal of this place. Now, hiking back up can be quite a challenge, especially with the incredibly high altitude, so just don’t make the same mistake I did; the donkey is your friend.

·     Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) – This is so cool! I am sure most have never straddled two hemispheres before, so it is a unique experience. There is a little museum and some shops, plus places to grab a quick bite. If you are lucky though, you might get a local to show you the actual, true middle of the world.

THE UNITED STATES & TERRITORIES

Puerto Rico

• Bacardi Factory Tour – A neat tour, interesting history, and free drinks. Enough said.
• Bioluminescent Bay at Fajardo – This experience was so incredible, I wrote all about it here. It would be a serious shame to miss this during a visit to Puerto Rico.
• Isla Verde Beach – Although it rained on my only day here, the beach is great and even better when lined with beautiful Puerto Ricans!