I have a dream … I would like to travel and visit every single country in the World. The problem is that day by day the World is becoming a very dangerous place. Look at this list of countries (For E.g.), not in any particular order:

1. Venezuela
2. Columbia
3. Honduras
4. Iraq
5. Syria
6. Central African Republic
7. Nigeria
8. Burkina Faso
9. Somalia
10. Yemen
11. South Sudan
12. Afghanistan
13. DR Congo

It is not clear how I will manage to visit these countries, as of now 🙁 Each day I check the newspapers, I see more countries getting added to this “dangerous” list. Anyway, all I can do is to plug away and hope that time will “heal” the problems these countries are facing. Luckily, there are many other countries which can satisfy my travel urges in the meantime 🙂

Note: In my “Country Counter” (below), I am not including countries I was taken to as a child (E.g.  Italy, Iran Etc.). Also, I have included India.

 

Country Count == 57

 

My Top-5 Countries and the reasons “WHY”

Note: The list is not in any particular order.

COUNTRY	“WHY”
Russia	A huge country with Tsar opulence (Palaces, Museums Etc.) and the majestic Siberia …
Norway	The Top-Dog as far as scenery goes … The Fjords are a must-see. The towns are so cute … Well, how about the Winter? 🙂
Uzbekistan	A new entrant, knocking off Oman. The main reasons: Cuisine (Uzbek Plov, which by the way is unique in each area, is just YUM!) Majestic Islamic Architectures from the old Silk Road. Registan, Bukhara Old Town, Khiva Itchan Kala Etc.
Greece	The islands … Hah! Santorini was oh-so-cute. We had a rocking week over there. Athens is almost the cradle of Civilization.
USA	Duh … 🙂 No Country (so far) has the sheer range of USA. Huge cities, Natural Wonders (Niagara Falls, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Everglades Etc.), Mountains (Rockies), Rivers (Mississippi/Missouri) Etc.

Honorable Mentions: Oman, Jordan, Czech Republic, Turkey, France, Peru, Brazil, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland.

 

My Top-5 Cities and the reasons “WHY”

Note: The list is not in any particular order.

CITY	“WHY”
San Francisco	A small city, but a city with a distinct “personality” … Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, the up-and-down Streets Etc. All adds to the charm of the city …
Prague	A new entrant, knocking off London 🙂 The Old Town Square, the Christmas Markets, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge Etc. Just a Winter Wonderland … (And I am sure, a Summer Wonderland as well)
St. Petersburg	Huge Churches, massive Museums and Palaces … You name it, St. Petersburg has it. One of the most ornate cities you will ever see. The Tsars sure knew how to live it up 😉
Istanbul	The pride of the Orient … Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar … Wow!
Paris	Ah … What a city! Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe … You can spend weeks exploring this mighty city.

Honourable mentions: Dubai, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Beijing, London, Edinburgh, Oslo, Athens.

 

Bucket-List Experiences:

• Trans-Mongolian/Trans-Siberian Rail Adventure
• 4-day Inca Trail Trek
• 1-week Cruise with Princess Sapphire
• 38 states of USA
• Road-trip through Balkans
• Greek Islands (Santorini)
• 5 (of 7) Wonders of the Modern World
• Bullet Train (Shinkasen) in Japan
• Unique hostels of Northern Europe
• Natural Wonders (Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Everglades, Rocky Mountains, Andes Mountains, Iguazu Falls, Gobi Desert, Lake Baikal, Amazon, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Caucasus Mountains Etc.)
• Amazon Rainforests
• Oman Desert Road Trip
• Route-1 Road-Trip in Iceland
• Silk Road Trip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adios!