As a child, I dreamed of visiting all the rainforests in the world. I have always had a huge amount of love and respect for the tree's, our true elders. I imagined what it would be like to stand amongst the trees, to close my eyes and just bathe in the sounds and the smell. I wanted to hear all of the sounds of the forest, the insects, the birds, the animals, the trees themselves.
I fantasised about getting lost and having to make myself a shelter, whilst befriending the wild animals. I was adamant that I could make a life for myself in the jungle. Living off the abundance of fruits, that grew there. So when the opportunity arose for me to travel, I chose to go to Mexico, where I got to visit the jungle for the very first time.
That experience blew me away. It was quite an emotional moment for me, having my dream, finally become a reality. That was over 20 years ago and ever since then, my love for travelling has grown. I have lived nomadically , for quite a few years. Finally stopping, when I found a place that I was ready to call home.
But still, the road calls to me and the forest. I can get restless at times, I am very much a free spirit, so any feelings of being restricted, does not sit well with me.
I have been to a few other rainforests since Mexico, but I would love to explore some more. So if I could get a round the world ticket, I would first explore some more rainforests.
The Congo
Seeing as I am now living in Spain, my first stop on my world trip , would be the Congo Rainforest, in Central Africa. It is the second largest rainforest in the world and is home to Gorilla's and chimpanzees . I would so love to see them in their natural environment. This is one of the forests I dreamt of as a child.
Papua New Guinea
Up next, would be The Papua rainforest in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the most diverse rainforests in the world, but also one of the most logged. I would love to travel there and find out what can be done to try and help preserve this amazing rainforest, whilst exploring the amazing mangroves that grow there. Surely the tourist industry provides enough revenue, so that the trees can be left in peace.
Alaska
From there, I would make my way to Alaska. It is a round the world trip after all. Alaska is often referred to, as the last great wilderness and I do love the wild. After spending some time in the rainforest, I think the climate in Alaska would be perfect. I envisage camping out at night and walking up in time to see bears, drinking from the river. Then I would go trekking further into the wild with a guide, as I would not like to get lost out there.
I imagine that once I visit Alaska, I might not want to leave. One could live quite free out there I imagine, once you have established a homestead and are self sufficient.
But my final destination might be enough to allow me to complete my round the world trip.
The Caribbean
The Caribbean, I have visited the Caribbean Sea when I was in Mexico and I fell in love with the beaches there. I also lived in an area in London, that had a huge Afro Caribbean community and I loved living there. For that reason also, I would love to visit the Caribbean,
I would visit each Island by boat, taking the opportunity to learn how to Sail as well. I have been on a few sail boats and I loved it. I would be in my element. I am a huge fan of Dub and Reggae, so I would for sure, spend some time exploring the music scene over there.
There are so many Islands, that I think I would need a few months to explore them all. To visit the beaches and the jungle. To enjoy the delicious foods as well. Especially the fruits and the herbs.
This is my response to the latest Ladies Of Hive Community Contest, which asked .......
If you were given a round trip airline ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you choose to go, and specifically, why?
I took this to mean a round the world trip, rather than just one destination, because choosing one place is just too hard. I already, had to leave out some places, that I would love to visit.
All images are mine, except the one for Alaska, the rest are from my travels.
