Tackling the Globe

One of my annual goals is to visit at least ONE new place every year. Last year wasn't so great for travelling, but I did visit Tucson, Arizona for the very first time. I'd wanted to go to Arizona for many years and never did manage to go there even when I lived in the same country.

Here is a lady who did much better, clocking about 100,000 miles last year. I actually discovered Kristin's blog - Camels and Chocolates - about this time last year, subscribed to her feeds and never once read her posts. So today I decided that I'm subscribed to too many blogs that I don't read and started going through them (when I should be working on a proposal BTW). I clicked on her feed with every intention of unsubscribing. To say that reading a year worth of posts about exciting-looking locales transported me from my small office and this dreary day to more interesting places is an understatement.

Adding to my To Do is to MAKE SURE that I visit at least TWO new places this year (baby steps afterall). That and to visit Camels and Chocolates regularly.

On Vacation

I'm enjoying a vacation at the moment. I decided to visit a friend in Los Angeles. I have been here once some years ago, but wanted to check it out again.

The flight here was so long. Yes, I knew that in theory, but experiencing it was another thing entirely. From Lagos to London was okay. That's a fairly short flight (6 hours) and it was night-time, so I slept.

From London to LA was 10 hours. The in-flight entertainment was not working for the first two hours or so. It took me a while to realise when it started working, because the crew member who was working on it (Tim) had made several announcements about it already, re: how he was working on it, what he was planning on doing next, etc. At a point he said in an anguished voice, "I am sure that you are so tired of hearing my voice by now. I will just keep working on it and when it starts to work, you should see it on your screens."

Ten hours in a plane is no mean feat and I kind of under-estimated just how long that journey is. Plus, how disorientating. After traveling for about 24 hours (including time from my house to the airport in Lagos, wait and flight times and finally to my friend's house in LA), it was only about 3PM on Sunday (in Pacific time). I called home and it was Monday already. I have been pretty tired - more than I thought I would be after all I am no traveling novice. It's 4:34AM (Tuesday) here and I am wide-awake. I can see that if I don't force myself to sleep and wake-up at regular times, I could be recovering all week from the flight and time difference (then of course, about the same time I fly back to my familiar time-zone and will have to re-adjust).

Where Do You Want to Go This Year?

I want to do a lot of travelling this year. A lot more than I did last year. Having a full-time job can kind of get in the way of this though, unless your job is travelling (pilot, flight attendant, erm .. bus driver, etc) or your job requires that you work from a variety of destinations (two of my friends come to mind: U has racked up thousands of air miles, travelling to Asia, Australia, Europe and all over the US. He gets to stay in really nice hotels too; K's consulting job takes him across Africa. I'm sure he could start writing travel guides by now).

One place I've always wanted to visit is Zanzibar. I can't remember when my fascination with this country started (I have a feeling it's something I read by William Dalrymple). Well, however it started, Zanzibar still conjures up images of a mysterious, rather sleepy island that time forgot. My ears prick up whenever I catch a mention of Zanzibar (this admittedly is not very often). I can't wait to visit and see for real what it's like.

Somewhere else I want to visit is northern Nigeria. Now, I have no real excuses for not yet satisfying this curiousity. I mean, it's not like I have to travel far to get there or go through the headache of getting a visa. I guess it's just a lack of planning and effort on my part. This year I promise to use my public holidays and time off in a more useful way. I guess that's a resolution.

Christmas in Vegas

The NY Times has this article on Christmas in Las Vegas. There's a photo of the winter display in the Bellagio's conservatory, which my friends and I missed out on seeing when we visited. The little I could see looked incredible; a winter wonderland featuring life-sized polar bears all made out of carnations.

I am realising just how more enjoyable it is for me to read travel stories of places I have already visited.