Born to be a Tourist

Tweet

I actually made this comment to Maluse on one of her posts regarding Venice, and so I decided it has earned the merit to be my next post header. Born to be a tourist, for me, probably started at a very early age with my dad telling us tales of his travels during the war and all the wonderful sights he had seen curtsey of the SA Royal Air Force and his voluntary enlistment to serve the country of the King in WWII. Ironically my dads name was also George and maybe he thought it to be his patriotic duty to serve as an excommunicado Irishman when the "Sh!t hit the fan" in Europe. Anyway, he had his reasons and I don't think he ever regretted his choice to serve, as it set him on a course in life that established him as one of the most renound Gunsmiths to have graced our country and has left a legacy for us to adminre and respect. Back to the tales . . . In the year long BC (before computers) my dad would be our human 'google', and he would set upon telling us about the world's information he had aquired along his travels and inspire us, whenever possible to travel ourselves. As a child we got to expolre my own country, with only crossing borders to neighboring countries once or twice. All travel experiences were done in a caravan, we were six children so it made it affordable. Almost three holidays a year we were gifted and each journey took us to a new waterfal, a special landmark, cultural and historial sites as well as exploring nature to its fullest. When I travel my own country now, I behave like a tourist, I ask more questions, I want to be given the BEST information when on site so that when I go abroad or meet visitors, I can scetch a tourist scene of my own country to them. My dad said to us as children, "only venture across borders when you know your homeland from sea to sea" Good advice ~ and I take pride in traveling as an eager expat in my own country as much as I travel with exploring excitement across oceans and borders. So till this day, I NEED to have at least three adventures a year otherwise I feel totaly out of my comfort zone. Luckily my husband met me on one of these excursions and took heed that I was born to be a tourist, however he does not share my extreme enthusiasm. My favourite of all travels are "roadtrips" and if I could rent a vehicle in any foreign country and drive my way around, then that is what I would do.... for this South Africans have to aquire an International Drivers Licence (which we now have). Luckily in Europe public transport is so readily avaivlable and affordable that trains, trams, busses, metro's and even water taxis have sparked my new liking to other means of travel. Cruise ships are also a favourite, but even though I like the tranquil wide open ocean views, I love the docking and shore exchurions the most. For South Africans, its one of the most affordable ways to travel and see as much as one can is a small amount of time. (without the red tape) Next travel for us, is a trip up north to the borders of Mozambique to the last five lighthouses on the east coast that we have yet to explore. Then we will have done them all on the Southern Tip of Africa. This will be in May, as a sixtith birthday treat for my husband. We are lucky enough to have an Isuzu 4x4 that will allow us access to some remote landscape and points on our cost that not many people get to see. So I confess that I would rather be training or jetting off somewhere than sitting at home, that is only if it comes with no financial burden: BUT what passion do you have that you allow yourself to explore? Photo is my own, I am climbing toward a hidden lighthouse