There was a time when on every first year of the day I would sit down and write 10 things that I would want to do if I had only one year to live. It was a yearly ritual that started when I was in school. I would write down about the things that I fancied doing in my diary and then keep it inside my cupboard. It might so happen that I accomplished a few of them, while a majority of them remained unfulfilled. Well, that was perhaps my Adventure Bucket list for the year, though I did not quite understand what a bucket list was! Till today, I have a wish list, but that is now mostly related to travel. In this article, I would like to share about a few of my bucket list adventures for 2020.

Well, adventure to me is not only about doing some daredevil activity. For me, it is venturing into some unknown territory, to do something that I have never tried before. The beginning of 2020 has been a mixed one. While the year started with our trip to Khajuraho and Orchha, two places that were in my last year’s wish list. At present with the Corona Virus scare, we both are consciously avoiding travel. It is not a good feeling to be always at guard while travelling. Also, the idea of being a carrier of the virus is quite a foreboding thought. But I am sure, this too shall pass and the world will start travelling and exploring again.

Till then, I keep on updating my adventure bucket list, mostly related to travel with a few others as well.

Chadar Frozen River Trek in Ladakh

Adventure Bucket List for 2020

As a school going girl, my list was mainly about buying stuff like games, chocolates and others or visiting exciting places like Disney Land. With time, my interests and choices changed. Today I desire more about experiences rather than possessions. I prefer travelling to new places as well as revisiting my favorite destinations. I do not know whether I will be able to achieve these within 2020 or not. To be honest, I do not want to hurry either. There is one thing that I learnt in all these years of travelling is to take things as they come and enjoy them. Both Agni and I have decided to do the same. This is our adventure bucket list for 2020. I am sure we will keep on adding to the list.

1. Backpack through Central Asia

Central Asia is a place that has intrigued me since long. We both are fascinated by the majestic architecture of Uzbekistan, the rugged landscape and vibrant culture of Kyrgyzstan and the natural beauty of Kazakhstan. This is a trip that has been at the back of our mind since long. We want to trace the trail of the old silk route. We just hope that we can fulfil this adventure bucket list. We want our Central Asia trip to be as memorable as the days we spent in our Myanmar backpacking trip.

The next in line is Mongolia, the kingdom of Genghis Khan. I was reading a book named Leadership Qualities of Genghis Khan. After reading the book, we both are absolutely enamored by Mongolia. Let us see where this year takes us.

2. Go for a Himalayan Trek

This is us on the way to Phalut

Going for a Himalayan Trek is something that we have promised ourselves at the beginning of the year. We both are fond of trekking but for the last couple of years, we have not gone for a Himalayan trek. We have done one-day treks like the Nongriat Trek, David Scott Trail, Kudremukh Trek in the Western Ghats, but not a full-fledged Himalayan trek. It has been quite some time that we have not stretched ourselves both physically and mentally. We are missing the mountains and the snows, the difficulty faced on the first day of the trek and the feeling of euphoria after the completion of the trek. We miss sleeping under the stars.

So a trek to the Himalayas is an absolute must this year.

3. Explore the grandeur of the Middle East

Hot Air Balloon Safari in Bagan, 2017

I want to float in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, stand in awe in front of the Burj Khalifa and go for a road trip across Oman.

This is another region of the world that we want to explore. There are a few countries that we want to visit in particular. Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Oman and UAE are a few destinations that are on my radar. I am particularly interested to see the tallest existing structure on earth, the Burj Khalifa. While Agni often laughs at this eccentric choice of mine (this is quite different from all my usual ones), I am totally in awe of the architecture of the building in Dubai and the other cities.

4. Watch the sunset near the Pyramid of Giza

Visiting Egypt had always been a dream of ours. You can call it the childhood fantasy, but it has remained with us till now. Infact, this is one of the wishes that I had written down in my old diary of the adventure bucket list. Thankfully it has stayed till now. We are also quite intrigued by all the mysteries that shroud the pyramids! The vastness of Sahara is also an added interest. We might club our trip to the Middle Eastern countries together. There are a few great budget airlines like FlyDubai that provides both domestic and international tickets from Dubai. It would be great to experience their hospitality.

5. Learn how to ride the bike (That’s only for me and not Agni!)

Yes, yes! This one is only for me. Agni is a good rider, but I cannot handle the bicycle, forget about bikes. So it is my wish to learn how to ride a bike and then go for a bike trip to Ladakh and then to Northeast India. Our bike trip in Meghalaya was simply great. But Agni had kept complaining that he was the only one to drive the bike. So this time, I want to learn how to ride it and also drive it!

6. Take part in local festivals of India

100 Drums Wangala Festival at Tura, Meghalaya

The cultural diversity of India needs no introduction. And so does our love for attending the local festivals in various parts of India. Our love for festivals and culture of India takes us to remote places and discover the diversity and the uniqueness of each festival. We also meet and connect with the local people and get to know more about the place and people.

While we have visited a number of festivals in Northeast India, We wish to visit Kerala this year for Theyyam, Nagaland for Hornbill Festival, Gajan and Charak Festival in West Bengal.

7. Visit all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

Vijaya Vittala Temple, Hampi

Just like cultural diversity, India is also known for its rich heritage. There are 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. While we have visited quite a number of them, we wish to visit all of them. This might not be possible in a year. But we want to continue visiting these places and spread awareness about the history and heritage of India.

8. Visit a place that we have never heard of

Rolls Royce Holi at Burrabazar, Kolkata, 2020

This is going to a great adventure. Imagine visiting a place that we have never heard before! And let me tell you, you will find that in many. The euphoria and excitement of visiting a new place and doing something that we never did are simply great.

As I am writing this post, I can give a wide smile and say that we have completed this adventure bucket list for this year. During Holi, we attended the Rolls Royce Holi celebration in Kolkata. After living in the city for so long, we did not know something like this happens in Kolkata. Discovering the hidden gems in our own city is different fun altogether. Look around, you will see about places that you have never heard of before.

9. Overcome our fear and do bungee jumping and scuba diving

Agni has a fear of heights. He does not even agree to get on the giant wheel with me. On the other hand, I am terrified of water. So we decided to face our fears and do all the crazy stuff, bungee jumping being one of them. We have previously done paragliding in Gangtok, but bungee jumping seems to be the ultimate adventure.

And to overcome my fear of water, we decide to go for scuba diving again! I had scuba diving experience in Andamans, but I remember holding the hand of my instructor tightly. I was so scared underwater. So this year, it is the time to face those fears and fulfil these adventure bucket lists for good.

10. Bring a positive change in at least one person’s life

This is something not related to travel or adventure. Nevertheless, it is on our bucket list. There are many people who have touched our lives, helped us and made us the person that we are today. Whether it was their continuous presence in our life or a single meeting on the road, these people had brought a positive change in our life and thoughts.

We had met an auto driver in Jorhat after our Majuli trip who took us to his home for his sister’s wedding. There was also a Kashmiri car driver who had helped us when we were stuck at a riot in Jammu. The school teacher who teaches Hindi in a small Khasi village in Meghalaya or the young lady who is proud to be a farmer in Mawlyngot, meeting each of them had been a learning experience. While we learnt so much from them, we decided to do something in return. Maybe our effort can bring a change in a few lives. This wish on the list is going to remain always! This is going to be the ultimate life adventure!

So that was our adventure bucket list for this year. Let us see how many we can achieve by the end of 2020. As I said before, we are not in a hurry. We would enjoy as life would give us opportunities to achieve them. And as we complete the list, we promise you to bring the stories and guides about the places we visited and the experiences we gathered. 

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