A note about Wanderlust

Definition: A strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.

I think wanderlust is both a blessing an a curse.
It not only takes you to the most beautiful of places, but also away from your home and your family.
Thanks to modern technology the missing home and FOMO can be reduced substantially, but nothing will ever quite replace actually being there.

My innate wanderlust has landed me in some interesting places. I have never said no to travel, be it for work or pleasure. I long to see the world, be immersed in different cultures and experience different lifestyles.

Here are a few (unedited) snaps of the places I have travelled to.

Wine Tasting in Cape Town.

Selfie at a stop in The Kruger National Park.

The sun's reflection on the ocean, view from Table Mountain - Cape Town.

Southern Sun Maputo - Mozambique.

A Baby Hyena in the Kruger National Park.

Sunset at a dam in The Kruger National Park.

My Favourite Animal - A Giraffe at sunset in the Kruger National Park.

The Pinnacle - Mpumalanga.

God's Window - Mpumalanga.

Bourke's Luck Potholes - Mpumalanga.

Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucia.

Umhlanga - Kwa-Zulu Natal.

The spot where we got engaged! Wild Coast Sun - Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Kayaking in Cape Town.

Wild Coast Sun - Kwa-Zulu Natal.

The Marginale - Angola.

Swaziland.

Jumeirah Lake Towers - Dubai.

Scottburgh - Kwa-Zulu Natal..

We live in a beautiful country and I have been lucky enough to have seen quite a lot of it.
Having said that, I can happily tell your that I am excited for our impending adventure.

One week in Dubai - First impressions!

Ok so after typing the title to this post (which just popped into my head), I now have the song "One night in Bangkok" stuck in my head! One night in Bangkok makes the hard man humble la la la lala la la lala la la!

Aaaarrrgghhhhh... I hope you are sharing my pain right now!

Anyway, we left for Dubai from Johannesburg on Friday night and it was madness! I stood in the queue to go through to the terminals for approximately 50 minutes!
Note to self : when we immigrate we will NOT be doing so on a Friday night!

Instagramming because the queue is long and I'm booored as hell!!

We touched down in Dubai at 5am and were out of the airport by about 6:30, we settled in our hotel rooms in the Jumeirah Lake Towers by 7 - I was snug as a bug in a huge bed...exhausted! After a power nap, and a high tech soak in the tub we were on our way to the malls for breakfast and shopping!

High-tech taps - took me a while to figure out...Hot and cold? Nope! Haha turns out you bath according to temperature here!

 We shopped from 11am to 8pm! (Not really though, the malls are like these magical wonderlands that have alot more than just shops and restaurants in them. Our 9 hour "shopping spree" included skiing, watching musical fountains, watching children ice skating and gazing at an aquarium full of ocean critters - all in the Mall of Emirates and the Mall of Dubai!) We caught the metro back to our hotel and got lost between the JLT station and our hotel, it took us about 45 minutes to find our hotel in 40 degrees Celsius humidity, it was so funny!

Ski Dubai, the area where I had my first skiing lesson!

Pretty building outside the Mall of Dubai

Aquarium inside the Mall of Dubai

I can describe my first impression of Dubai in exactly 2 words! Fascinating and humid.

The buildings, architecture and infrastructure fascinate me. It is now 3 days later and I still sit in the taxi gazing out the window in awe. Each and every building is unique, different, beautiful. The only thing that I can think of comparing the diversity of it to is ... people!  Each and every one of us - unique, different, special in our own way - BEAUTIFUL.

This country is beautiful, not only the buildings but the people! The vastly colourful population! Just as fascinating as the buildings! I have done so much people watching in the past 3 days, everywhere we go is so different to anything I have ever experienced. Friendly, helpful people from every corner of the globe populate Dubai.

I can't wait to tell you all about our trip, as soon as I get a free hour, but for now, I think this will do!

My Top 10 Holiday Destinations

I have a bucket list of holiday destinations that just keeps growing.

Everytime I log onto Pinterest I find another place that "I HAVE TO GO TO!"

The latest place "I have to go to" is Paro Taktsang, Bhutan, I didn't even know this place existed until about a week and a half ago. It is so fascinating, it looks like something out of Mulan (the Disney movie).

So today I am going to share with you the top 10 destinations on my bucket list, these are my be all and end all and if I die having been to these places I will die a happy woman!

Anyway enough of the depressing talk about dying and on to the exciting times ahead!!
Note: Friends and family if you are wondering what to get me for an upcoming birthday, a plane ticket will suffice! *Wink*Wink*Nudge*Nudge*

1. Paris, France

Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to go to France. It is after all where my maiden family name comes from. Ah, a little fishing village in the very South-West of France, Meillon. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to go to Meillon one day, if not, recreating a Lady and the Tramp dinner by candlelight in Paris will do just fine! Merci!

2. New York City (On New Years Eve of course!)

To watch the ball drop at mid-night on New Years Eve, and then kiss my husband and cheers to the inevitably amazing year that lies ahead! A girl can dream right?

3. Venice & Rome, Italy

I think this is one of the most romantic cities in the world! What better way to celebrate an anniversary than to float along a canal in a gondola, make a wish at the Trevi Fountain and take a stroll through Villa D'este, Tivoli. Sì per favore!

4. Phuket, Thailand

Phi Phi Islands, Bangla Road, Full Moon Party, Riding elephants, wake up feeling like I just relived "The Hangover", Snorkeling, and just soaking up some vitamin D with the most beautiful backdrop...Sounds pretty freaking awesome to me!!

5. Santorini, Greece

There is just something about Santorini that is calling my name. I love the uniformity of the white buildings with the blue rooftops. It is breathtakingly beautiful. And it has black sand beaches...How interesting! And just to add in a bit of excitement, it has an active volcano!!

6. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Our surname (Vos) is dutch, Riaan's grandfather was from the Netherlands, so this is must for us. It is another destination that has a personal meaning to us. Also, I would love to ride a bicycle through the tulip fields, pay a visit to Anne Franks House, the Van Gogh Museum and make a stop past the red light district!{Insert big grin emoji here}

7. London, England

Doctor Who has shown us alot of London...but not enough! I want to go there, firstly to see all things HP, Platform 9 3/4 and all the rest!!! Also to see Buckingham Palace, where Lady Di lived (I did love her when I was a little girl, she was a real live princess!). There are so many places to go in London I really doubt that I need to list them here, the list is exhaustive.

8. Australia

One of my best friends - Caitlin - lives here. Oh, and then there's the great barrier reef and a naturally pink lake!! Enough said!

9. New Zealand

Hobbiton, I mean seriously! We have to go there!! Besides for that I would love to just explore the natural beauty that this country has to offer, go on hikes and explore it is amazingness!

10. Switzerland

To stroll through Lucern eating Swiss chocolate and visit the gargantuan castles. To snuggle up in front of a roaring fire at night while sipping on Swiss Hot chocolate, go skiing in the Swiss Alps, eat lots of Swiss chocolate, build a snowman and make snow angels! This sounds like the most perfect winter wonderland holiday if ever there was one!! Oh and did I mention the Swiss chocolate???
 

So that's that, my top 10 holiday destinations! What are your top 10 holiday destinations?

Note: All photos (except for the first one) were sourced from pinterest, I do not claim title to, or own any of the photos.