Every 7 months someone in my family asks me, “I want to go somewhere, where should I go?”
OK, well…I don’t know where you should go but, let me tell you where I want to go maybe it’ll give you some inspiration.
Europe – Lithuania
I’m a big fan of Eastern Europe and the Baltics and I want to party with the Lithuanians.
I’ve heard the capital Vilnius has a strong punk/rave scene, and as a lover of dance electronic that’s music to my ears. Also, I saw that 50 Cent stopped there on his recent tour and suddenly it jumped several spots higher on my mental list. I do not know why that was the final push, but it was. Basically, rave + Curtis Jackson.
(I’ve already been to Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Albania and I WILL visit every country that ends with -ia but Lithuania is top of list)
Europe – Greece
Mykonos, Santorini and Athens are pretty well known. So no, – not there. I’ve been to Corfu, Greece for a day trip, while I was staying in Albania, and that was cool. But, my dream is to spend three months in Greece, 3 different cities / island hopping around.
I definitely want to stay the first month in Thessaloniki – a major metropolitan on the beach (unlike Athens the capital) and then do some research on these islands which are high on my radar
– Kalamata, Corinth, Nafplio, Zakinos.
I’m just going to swim in the Mediterranean, and read books about Greek mythology, the Byzantine, the Illyrians, Rome, the Ottomans, everything that we learned in elementary school that I’ve since forgotten.
Central Asia – The “Stans”
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. I lovingly lump them together as “the Stans.”
I have wanted to go for years. Silk Road, mountains, and low tourism.
I went to school with a lot of Central Asians when studying in Beijing…and they’re always so coo. I can’t say why, I can just say it’s true.
This region was at the heart of the Silk Road for centuries, layers of history, trade, and desert cities like Samarkand and Bukhara. Picture turquoise-tiled mosques, ancient caravanserais (historic roadside inns), nomadic traditions (hello, that’s me), mountains (love) and they eat horse.
Yes, they eat horse. I also tried horse at a Kazak restaurant in Beijing, and it was delicious.
**Also, some people write Qazaqstan?
South East Asia – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
I once read an article that claimed Phnom Penh was the most romantic city in the world, and that has has been permanently lodged in my brain since. Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar sit right next to each other and still feel relatively under-traveled compared to their neighbors – Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Myanmar carries a lot of complexity. Some people call it Myanmar, some say Burma, and even that depends on politics and who you ask. Laos has so many beautiful sites that people don’t talk about a lot. Plain of Jars (Phonsavan): “A mysterious UNESCO site with ancient stone jars”
I just want to come here, slow travel, learn more about buddhism, visit temples, meditate, trek through forests!
Caribbean – Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago’s mix of cultures is PULLING ME IN.
African, Indian, Chinese and European influences all layered together; which shows in their people’s faces, their food, language. After the abolition of slavery, Trinidad received indentured laborers from India, which deeply shaped the culture, food, religion, and language. Later, smaller waves of Chinese immigrants arrived, many becoming merchants and shop owners, adding yet another layer to the country’s identity.
Soul food, Indian food, and Chinese food all mixed up? “My dream date.” They’re also famous for their Carnival that happens in either February or March.
South America – Guyana
Very similar to Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana has a good mix of people going on. Large Indian and African population mixed with the indigenous Arawak and Carib tribes.
I had never heard of Guyana until I went to University and met a black girl speaking Spanish talking about “I’m from Guyana.” that was my first time learning at 20 years old, there’s a lot of black people in this world that speak Spanish, and also that Indian people live in South America? Ever since then, I’ve wanted to go. I just have never found a good flight price and you know that’s how I base a lot of my decisions.
Africa – Liberia
They’re basically my cousins? Liberia is one of only two African countries that was never formally colonized by a European power, the other being Ethiopia. But that statement comes with a massive asterisk ****
Liberia was founded by formerly enslaved Black Americans through an American colonization project, and those settlers became the ruling class. They recreated many of the same power structures they had escaped, often treating Indigenous Liberians in deeply unequal ways.
It is a country shaped by American influence, and has almost never known peace. It is not a developed tourist destination, which honestly makes it even more interesting to me. Many Black Americans do not know this history, and I really want to go and learn more.