Travels, countries I've been to... [10]
Travel is one of the things that make me feel most alive. I love experiencing the world in its vast variety, and a long-term goal is to travel to each and every continent on earth. While I still have much of the world to explore, here's a running list of the countries that I've been fortunate enough to travel to (and may this list forever continue to grow:
- Canada - quite obviously; the country where I was born and will forever consider "home", regardless of where I end up.
- United States - visions of driving countless miles across the Northern States as a child, and pop that's half the price of Canada. Random states visited include New York, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Washington.
- Iceland - heh, yes, I've been to Iceland. Little did I know that in the near future I would live in my own literal "ice land".
- Scotland - my favourite country behind my own. Coming from Scottish ancestory, there's not too much about the land of my ancestors that I don't enjoy: the pub scene, the green beauty, the castles, the history, the haggis...hell, I even love the bagpipes (and remember: " a man is judged by the size of his sporran." - Fast Cash Commercial)
- England - although it didn't quite compare with Scotland, it still had its moments. In the two days that we explored London, we managed to sit at the same performance of Lord of the Dance (Michael Flatley's last) as Prince Charles and Phil Collins (no, we didn't see them) and get horribly lost on the London underground. Thanks to the two bobbies who pulled us through about five tolls to set us on the right path, and to all those who didn't laugh and point at the stupid Canadian tourists.
- Taiwan - my (future) wife and I lived here for over six months, spreading our vast knowledge of the English language (quick, what's a noun? no, really, someone please tell me....) to unsuspecting Taiwanese school children. It was at times traumatic (we were there during - and felt quite strongly, sometimes I think to this day - the huge earthquake of 1999, but we carry many fond memories of Taiwan and its people (and for me, the best darn mangos from the lady with the gold tooth).
- Dominican Republic - spot of our honeymoon, and home of the most beautiful beach in the world (Punta Cana). We liked the DR so much we returned here in February of 2004 to spend a day in Catalina Island and a week in La Romana, which was also phenomenal.
- Mexico - fabulous country in every aspect. Amazing food, people, and one of the most beautiful natural wonders that I've personally experienced: the Cenote underground rivers and caves in the Mayan Riveria. I cannot wait to return.
- Martinique - the second stop on our great cruise of 2004, and a fascinating country. We took a tour around the island and managed to see everything from rain forests to a rum distillery to one of the world's most dangerous active volcanoes.
- Barbados - probably the warmest water I have ever had the pleasure of swimming in. Beautiful.
- Grenada - my favourite country in the Caribbean and a place I want to spend some serious time in some day. We only saw this Spice Island for one day, but it really grabbed us.
Honourable Mention::
- Resolute - although this doesn't qualify as a country, seeing that it's part of Canada, it most definitely felt like living in another world. Erin and I did two year's penance here.