Bucket list let downs

After reading a recent article by The New Yorker’s Rebecca Mead, Kicking the Bucket List, it got us thinking about our own bucket list let downs and why steering clear of some of the guide books ‘Top 10s’ is probably a good idea.

To prove a point, here’s a round up of our Top 5 bucket list let downs:

1) Vatican, Rome: Now, it may just have been the intense 40 degree heat but touring the Vatican was not exactly how we pictured it.  In fact, the Sistine chapel experience wasn’t a whole lot different to trying to get on the tube in rush hour. Hoards of heavily sweating tourists, packed into one room, with guards SHUSHING you every 30 seconds is not quite the awe inspiring experience your guide books lead you to believe. After several elbow punches to the face and awkward sweaty encounters, we gave up trying to look at the ceiling and went and sat in a corner with a Japanese couple who were having a nap. The fact that we remember more about the napping Japanese couple than the chapel itself probably speaks for itself. This experience also taught us that we will never, ever again do a group audio tour.

2) Koh Samui, Thailand (aka the Tenerife of SE Asia): How half the population of the UK have found their way to a small island off Thailand, we do not know, but they have. The ‘paradise’ beaches of this island were filled with squabbling families, deflated lilos and beer bottles. If you squinted a bit, you really could have been in Tenerife (sorry for any Tenerife lovers out there). The only real memory of this trip was the constant playing of Michael Buble ‘Home’ in all bars and restaurants, which was quite ironic really.

3) Marrakesh, Morocco: This probably isn’t Marrakesh’s fault, but this entire trip was ruined by the worst salmonella poisoning (probably) in living history and several trips to the hospital. Chicken with flies on it. Yay!

4) Gondola ride, Venice: A must, right? Cruising down the canals of Venice, clutching the hand of your loved one. Umm, not so much. After being charged a small fortune just to get on the gondola and enduring the awkward silence of our gondolier who only spoke when he asked if he could have a Pringle (he actually ate half the pack), we were kind of glad to get off and enjoy Venice by foot…and alone.

5) Swimming with dolphins, Jamaica: This was already a controversial bucket list addition because let’s face it, dolphins are not on this planet to be endlessly half-mounted by humans and ‘ridden’ around a small circular pool.  However, we gave it a go in Jamaica….and we really wished we hadn’t. The only memory from this event was the disappointed/disgusted faces of two dolphins as they slowly dragged two overweight individuals the length of the pool. We got out shortly after that and tried to erase the memory, immediately.

So, not the best bucket list experiences.  Thinking about it, when we look back at most of our travels, a lot of our highlights really don’t come from bucket list destinations or experiences, in fact hardly any of them do.  For example, we’re sure that visiting a pitch-black, slightly creepy, public toilet in Sicily where Laura weed all the way down her leg in a panic to get out, probably isn’t in the Lonely Planet guide, but it’s  one of the most memorable and entertaining memories of our trip there!

Moral of this blog post? Try going bucketlist-less every now and again, you’re  not missing out on much!

 Category: Holidays, Travel      Tagged: , , , ,

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