2019 - And what a (record-breaking) year it has been! (II)

Happy lady in Uganda

Traveling is all about the knowledge we gain and the precious memories we create. And from this point of view 2019 - a  truly record-breaking year, as I was calling it in my previous article - was nothing short of amazing! Not only did we finally get to check some of the most sought-after countries for culture and nature aficionados like ourselves off the bucket list, but we were also blessed with quite a few out-of-this-world experiences, breathtaking views (including some fantastic window views from both airplane windows and hotel rooms!) and plenty of sunshine even when we least expected it (oh well, with one notable exception which actually improved our travel experience this one time - I am obviously talking about China's Great Wall, check out the first part of this review for pictures). But most of all, 2019 was (again) a year of marvelous encounters with some of our favorite living creatures, among them Ethiopia's endemic Gelada baboons, Borneo's endemic Proboscis monkeys, Uganda's fearsome mountain gorillas and playful chimps and sometimes... even people (lol). If I were to summarize 2019 by way of a joke related to the Chinese year/zodiac craze, I would say it was - for us - the year of the monkey rather than the year of the pig! :)))

On a more serious note, I have always considered that (at least for us) trips tend to happen at the right time and for a specific reason and some of last's year's trips have definitely left their mark on the two of us and triggered decisions that we have already turned into reality and are very proud of. Also, the best things that happened to us are better left unsaid... as always ;).

Check out a quick recap of the past year below...

Top 10 destinații de aventură după 13 ani, 90 de țări și 7 continente

De când mă știu am visat la cele mai năstrușnice experiențe în cele mai îndepărtate colțuri ale planetei. Greu de crezut dat fiind tendințele (ori mai degrabă metehnele) actuale, dar în tot acest timp obiectivul meu principal nu era nicidecum realizarea fotografiei perfecte în fața cine știe cărei atracții instagramabile (mă îndoiesc sincer că exista Instagram pe atunci, iar dacă totuși exista, am fost cu siguranță ultima persoană care a aflat de el), nici demersul frivol de a mă trage în poză la respectiva atracție în scopul meschin al etalării celei mai noi rochițe cu model de... draperie, cu atât mai puțin acela de a realiza un preaminunat selfie la atracția cu pricina după ce voi fi petrecut o oră și mai bine într-o coadă interminabilă alături de alți aventurieri cel puțin la fel de îndrăgostiți de ei înșiși de călătorii ca și mine, al căror unic laitmotiv în viață constă, ai zice, în dictonul "picture or it didn't happen" (pe vremea aceea nici măcar o cameră foto cumsecade nu aveam, așa încât multe dintre fotografiile mele din primii ani de călătorie sunt neclare ori ratate de-a binelea). Trebuie să remarc totuși că nici n-aș fi avut mari șanse de a participa la toată nebunia asta de vreme ce majoritatea destinațiilor de pe lista mea erau relativ necunoscute și în orice caz la ani-lumină de popularitatea conferită, astăzi, unora dintre ele ca urmare a proliferării rețelelor de socializare și nesuferitelor clișee ale călătorilor. Dacă n-aș fi văzut cu ochii mei cât rău a făcut, în ceva mai mult de 10 ani, toata faima aceasta neavenită unor locuri pe vremuri ca și pustii și doar rareori vizitate, zău că n-aș fi crezut poate nici eu că așa ceva se poate întâmpla într-un ritm galopant. 

My top 10 adventure destinations after 13 years of travel, 90 countries and 7 continents

Not true, Bora Bora was by far my least favorite island in French Polynesia :))

For as long as I can remember I've dreamt about the most impossible adventures in some of earth's remotest locations. Unbelievably (by today's standards) the reason for this was not getting that perfect shot in front of God knows what "instagramable" attraction (there was no Instagram back then or, if there was, I was probably the last person to find out), nor doing the silliest, most unnatural looking poses in my shiny new curtain-like dress, not even taking a selfie in front of that attraction after spending an hour or so in a never-ending queue of equally "travel-loving" adventurers, for whom "picture or it didn't happen" is probably the only thinkable life motto (until recently I did not even have a proper camera, so most of my travel pictures from earlier years are blurry or unworthy of attention). I have to mention it would have been difficult to be a part of all this anyway, as most destinations on my "bucket list" were largely unheard of and by no means as popular as social media and travelers' cliches have made some of them today. It's hard to believe, but sadly oh so true how much harm 10 or more years gone by can bestow upon previously pristine and rarely (if ever) visited destinations and I would not have believed it myself had I not seen it happening with my own eyes.