My Wishlist of Wonder: The Wild, Weird & Wonderful Places I Want to See – II

Creating a Wishlist of Wonder

I want to travel to every corner of the globe and see it with my own eyes. I want to wander into places and homes that will expand my world view and help me understand how others are sustaining the daily grind.

I love seeing how people live, love, eat, work and worship. So, as long as I’m mobile, curious and have a few nickels to my name, I’ll keep roaming. Here’s my ever growing Wishlist of Wonder.

Find the FIRST CHAPTER here. I fully expect this list to get longer, stranger and more ambitious with time.

Wonders I’m Chasing

• Rake, Norway — Visit this tiny village on the shores of the Nordfjord in Stryn and lose myself among the fjords.
• Portugal — Take a road trip through Portugal, with no real agenda other than following the roads, the coast, and whatever looks interesting.
• Positano, Italy — Wander through the picturesque cliffside town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast.
• Prince Haveli, Fatehpur Sikri, Rajasthan — Step into this beautiful little piece of Rajasthan’s history.
• Grenen, Denmark — Stand at the northern tip of Denmark, where the North Sea meets the Baltic Sea and waves from two different directions crash into each other on the sand. It looks almost magical.
• Riga, Latvia — Visit Riga, perched on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the River Daugava, and wander through its old-world streets.
• Shri Yantra Mandir, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh — See this architectural marvel, with its intricate sculptural work and mysterious circular enclosure.
• Moorea, French Polynesia — Do absolutely nothing for a few days. Just chill on Moorea Island and let paradise do the rest.
• Unterbäch, Switzerland — Escape to this little Swiss holiday resort tucked away in the mountains.
• San Ignacio, Belize — Go deep into the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, explore Xunantunich, and then canoe through Barton Creek Cave.
• Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia — Drive north from Broome into one of the Kimberley’s most remote corners, chasing turquoise waters, red pindan cliffs, pristine beaches, and Aboriginal cultural experiences.
• Singapore — Go up to the SkyPark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands and take in the city from above.
• Merzouga, Morocco — Spend a night in a desert camp in the Sahara, surrounded by nothing but golden dunes and an enormous sky.

Journeys I’ve Already Taken

Here’s a few things I’ve had the opportunity to do so far.

Rumi’s Muse:

The steep roads of old town Sultanahmet-Sirkeci in Istanbul, Turkey, might look like a strange place for spiritual surrender. But, that’s where you arrive at Ankara Caddesi (A street named Ankara) where Turkish people walking the streets are busy taking selfies behind dozens of store front windows that are beautifully decorated with Baklavas and Turkish delights dipping in honey.

As you walk along Ankara Caddesi, in central Istanbul, you’re facing the waters that will eventually merge into the Black Sea. While peeling your eyes away from this beautiful wall of blue, take a right into one of the side streets and ask anyone you see for “Dervishes?” And every one of the street vendors, pedestrians, shop owners will stop what they’re doing to point you at a small door somewhere behind you. Walk those few steps to enter what was a 550 year old Turkish hammam (bath) from the Ottoman times and you’re now inside the Hodja Pasha Culture Center of Istanbul.

Whirling Dervishes By @christieluke

The Heart Of St. Petersburg:

As my friend, A, and I wandered around downtown St. Petersburg with a diet coke and a hoagie in hand, she stopped to open a dirty looking glass door. She tilted her head motioning me to step in.

“What, inside here?” I asked, eyebrows raised and quickly glancing around for a name. Inside the place were no bright lights save for a few dimly lit pink ones. Two women lounged behind a counter on the far left, looking completely uninterested that we were there. 

Read about the “launder mat” HERE.

The Romantische Straße Of Deutschland:

The area surrounding the romantic road is called Bavaria. Along the foothills of the Bavarian Alps you enter into Austria via the Romantic road. It’s just spellbinding!

Find out picture HERE.

Gritty and Glamorous Chennai:

Some experiences in life make you question your blessings. Such was a trip for me to Chennai in September of 2025.

I was greeted with a hand-written invite, I ate Tamil food like it was my last time, and I crisscrossed the city with milions who looked like me – yet were not like me in the way I get to live my life.

The dichotomy of Chennai is special, it has a strange urban like and rural like feeling at the same time. Men are not afraid to rock lungies and women not shying away from looking deeply traditional.

Inside The Moth Atlanta:

At the Moth spoken word storytelling event yesterday, the stage was literally set. But, I was never meant to be there. Who pays $80 and drives to downtown Atlanta on a weeknight to listen to five ten-minute stories? I had told myself. But then came a last-minute nudge from my friend, my husband asking how I expected people to pay for my writing when I wasn’t willing to support the arts myself and that this was Georgia Public Broadcasting’s annual fundraiser. So I went.

And boy, were we in for a treat.

America’s Melting Pot:

On a work trip to Delaware, I was by myself for the whole week at a beautiful hotel room along the Christina River in downtown Wilmington.

I was missing home and decided to spend my evenings walking along the boardwalk. The boardwalk and the riverfront are gorgeous, with people strolling, lounging in patio seating, and restaurants lined up along the water. I walked past beautiful bird feeders and marketplace lights. A group of Christian missionaries stopped me and asked if I would like to know more about what Jesus has to say. I was looking forward to these type of rendezvous with the local people every evening. Because once again, how else can I make my children proud than by showing them how well I’ve assimilated into America’s melting pot, right?

Skyfaring In Luxor, Egypt:

The sun shows its light on the gorgeous landscape all around. On one side, we saw The Valley of the Kings where the tombs of pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Ramses lie carved into the hillside. The morning light brightens the unique ridges of the necropolis stretch across the barren desert backdrop slowly and steadily. On the other side we saw the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut with its unique architecture that’s carved into the rocky cliffs. One side of it was complete desert while the other side is a beautiful emerald green patches of farmland that’s bursting with fertility thanks to the ribbon of the Nile River its banking along.

Our pilot was a 40 year old who had completed over a 1000 rides and was gently allowing the balloon to rotate with the breeze.

To be Continued… 

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