Oh, the things I will see

Toro Verde Adventure Park Zipline

I am absolutely terrified of heights but this looks like an experience not to be missed.

Woooooooooooooooooooo!

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Ilha do Fogo

I know, I know. I seem to like island volcanoes.

Still, this one has a point of difference: there’s a village in the caldera! And they make amazing wine there, apparently.

Must visit.

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kateoplis:

Discovery Walk, overlooking the Sunwapta Valley along the Columbian Icefields in Alberta, Canada by Sturgess Architects

It won’t be finished until late 2011 (the image is a render) but I know I have to see that.

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Ikos, Cyprus

I love little villages on mountainsides. I like the quiet tranquility this image purveys. It seems far enough removed from the hustle and bustle, and yet still close to civilisation.

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(via mirandajane)

Carnivale di Venezia.
Starting about two months before Easter, something about this event is just irresistible.
The masks were intended to hide the wearer’s identity and social status, allowing people from all social levels and castes to mix freely and act outside normal convention.

A party where everyone is anonymous and equal.

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Machu Picchu, Peru.
It was only a matter of time until I included this popular Incan site. I don’t know what it is that draws me here but I feel like it’s a starting point leading to something more in exploring that ancient culture.

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Ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre
Maybe it’s just from watching too much 30 Rock but I want to go to there. And ice skating would be lovely.

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Oía, Greece.
I confess I’ve never been much of a fan of Greece. It looks hot, dry and too sunny. I’ve heard people rave about how they’re going on a cruise among the Greek islands (though I did have one friend who was on that cruise ship that sank a few years ago; she still loved it).
While looking around online for beautiful places, I came across this photograph of the seaside town of Oía on an island in the Aegean Sea. The combination of windmills, sunset, stark white walls and the light coming from private courtyards which are seemingly overflowing with mirth has made me think again.

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Lake Baikal.
Right in the middle of Russia, it’s the largest freshwater lake in the world, and it even has its own species of freshwater seal (the only exclusively freshwater seal in the world). Apparently the endemic fish, the omul, is exquisite.

I brushed against the southern edge of the lake when I took the Trans-Siberian Railway back in 2006, and I’ve been curious ever since. Looks like it gets pretty cold, though.

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Galapagos Islands.
Made famous by Charles Darwin’s visit on the Beagle, the volcanic islands are famous for their vast range of endemic wildlife. But it’s darned expensive to get there and many of the options are booked well in advance. Might have to just live in Ecuador for a couple of months waiting for a berth to free up.

Unlike Pitcairn or Atlasov, there are things to see on the Galapagos Islands: giant tortoises, giant marine iguanas, whale sharks, frigate birds, and so on. It can’t be anything but fascinating.

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