As I was exploring the StumbleUpon social media site, I came across a page “Amazing places to visit around the globe.” When I see sites like these, I am left speechless (not an easy thing to do) because of my ignorance of these beautiful places. This is the link to this page: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4gdIKR/www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/article/detail/2044/amazing-places-to-experience-around-the-globe-part-3/ .
I would put the pictures in here myself, but I am afraid some photographer would get pissed off and sue me for posting them without his or her permission, so you will have to click the link and discover this page on your own. When you do go to this site, you will be mesmerized by the beauty that exists in regions of the world many of us might not associate with vacation paradises. If I had the money, I would see all of these places.
Well, that is a lie. I will go see the places in Scotland, Ireland, Greece and France. But I am not going to the breathtaking waterfalls in Lebanon or Jordan because quite frankly, I can’t keep track of the political climate, and I worry if these countries are countries that will toss me in prison as a prelude to stoning me if I wear the wrong swimsuit. I am not a big “Let’s cause an international incident” person. I like to travel and blend in with the local folk; I don’t like to stick out and arouse police, military and/or religious zealot suspicion. Besides, I don’t think my family possesses the patience to launch an international media campaign to secure my freedom nor would they bother to work through the state department for diplomatic negotiations.
I say this because if my family has to stay on hold with anyone for more than five minutes, they hang up and vow never to answer their calls again. And with caller ID, they keep to that policy, and I cannot imagine anyone’s federal government not making someone stay on hold while they go through the necessary red tape. I’m smart enough to know that by the time I extricated myself from some Middle Eastern prison, my husband would be on wife number two, and my daughter would be calling her “MOM”.
So, with this in mind, I will move onto the next place I will not visit: Shark Island in Australia. I truly want to see Australia, but I think that if you venture to a place called Shark Island, you deserve everything you get. I will admit that the island itself looks charming. From the aerial photo, I can spot what seems to be a small red hut. I don’t know what that building is exactly, but it resembles neither a hotel nor restaurant, both of which are necessities for any travel excursion in which I participate. Secondly, there seems to be only one narrow, short road on the entire island that leads to the water where I guess a ferry transports people to and from the mainland. And that is the island.
I Googled Shark Island and the write up said dangerous reefs of sharp, jagged rocks, which surround the island, are visible during low tide. It also explained how the waves rise out of nowhere and slam down on people in the surf which also raises a red flag with me. This doesn’t sound like a place to frolic without care in the water. The one positive and somewhat ironic twist: sharks are not a problem here. I guess the name of the island is just a teaser.
While this might not be my place to want to venture, the island does attract surfers a great deal. I guess it’s the danger of the waves and reef – who knows? Now that I think about it, with daily ferry service, I might go just to see what the island is about. If I am not staying overnight, I can rough it for a few hours to enjoy the beautiful scenery or to watch from a safe vantage point surfers getting smashed into the sand and rock.
I signed on to this photographer’s site so I can get future photos of amazing places to visit. Who knows? Maybe there are some places that don’t require me to hang onto the edge of cliffs or take part in revolutions to enjoy a country’s natural beauty. If we could just learn to get along and put our politics and religions aside, we could all go to these places, spend our hard-earned vacation dollars and turn these scenic gems into cheap tourist traps — just as nature intended. And maybe—just maybe—there will one day be a Jersey Shore season filmed on Shark Island or better yet in the middle of Lebanon. Yes, even I would tune in for that season.
Believe it or not, I have been to Sri Lanka, The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. I didn’t see any great natural wonders in any of those places, but I did see a camel market.
What was I doing there, you ask? Singing with an opera troupe. (Aren’t you sorry you asked?)
I also got to go to Egypt, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore with that same troupe. Yes, I got to see the Great Pyramid — at night, with a great sound and light show.