A year ago I set an ambitious agenda of travel and and experiences for 2019. I was half joking and not at all expecting to get through that rich wish list. I was very fortunate to tick off 9 out of 10. The only one I missed was seeing a Paul McCartney concert. Watch this space in 2020. I may catch up with Sir Paul yet. And while McCartney didn’t come to me, I went to McCartney. His home town at least.
I am very grateful to have had the good health, wherewithal and the encouragement of my family and friends to chase my dreams. I’ve also been able to score some writing commissions so I can share my stories with others. I still pinch myself whenever that happens!
Here’s my look back over 2019.
The high
It was a tough choice but I can’t go past the experience of watching the sun rise and set in the same day over the Matterhorn. The stay in the 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat that made this possible was simply spectacular.
Gornergrat just pipped Chamonix and Aguille du Midi for the most spectacular experience of the year. The Chamonix vs Zermatt battle became a feature article in The CEO magazine, giving me a writing highlight too.
The low
As the year came to a close, I got a reminder that, while very safe, air travel can still have its scary moments. A one hour flight from Wellington to Dunedin turned into nearly six hours when a severe thunderstorm hit Dunedin. After circling in hope the weather would clear, we eventually diverted to Christchurch to wait it out. A long-way-round approach and an aborted landing later we eventually landed to the sounds of cheering passengers.
The silver lining to the storm clouds was some pretty cool views over the Banks Peninsula approaching Christchurch and a pretty sunset near Dunedin. At least I had something nice to look at while I rode the airborne rollercoaster.
The pleasantly surprising
When people pull stunts like duct-taping a banana to the wall and calling it art, it usually pisses me off. So when I headed Hobart’s Museum of a old and New Art – MONA in December I expected to be really pissed off. But I was pleasantly surprised. I could even appreciate the technical skill behind the machine that poos. Yep a poo machine.
The stunning location carved into a cliff is worth the visit itself. But when you throw in a massive private collection of old and new art ranging from Egyptian mummies to an extraordinary collection of Sidney Nolan paintings, you’re on a winner.
I liked that the museum doesn’t take itself too seriously. The hand-held guide offers simple summaries of artworks suitable for most of us. There’s also more detailed ‘art wank’ (their term not mine) to please the, well, wankers that is accessed by pushing the penis button on the app. Love it!
The surprisingly disappointing
I was expecting big things from Japan’s big-noted powder snow when I headed to Shiga Kogen in February. I like snow. I cross country ski, I snowshoe and I’ll even hike in it. But I don’t ski or snowboard. I quickly discovered that if you don’t ski or snowboard there’s not a lot to do in Shiga Kogen. With accommodation one small step from a youth hostel but with the price of a four star hotel and limited food choices, I found the resort overrated, overpriced and underwhelming.
Shiga Kogen did bring the famed snow monkeys into reach, which was one of the top things I really wanted to do this year. But visiting the monkeys would have been cheaper and easier from Nagano city, where I at least would have had more to do than watch snowboarders yo-yo up and down the mountain.
The stand
I went to Uluru in June still unsure whether or not I would not climb it. I knew it would be my one chance with the climb ban coming into effect from October. During a guided base walk I learned not only about the sacredness of Uluru to Indigenous Australians but also about the environmental damage caused by climbers. Invasive weeds have been spread and water holes polluted with human waste. Yeah people pee and and poo on Uluru. From a distance I could see the long line of people making their way up the rock. The path they have worn appeared to me like a long white scar down the side of the monolith. That’s when I knew I didn’t want to climb. The people climbing were breaking no laws and exercised their rights to climb. I exercised mine not to. I’m happy with that decision.
The fan girl
Since McCartney wouldn’t come to me in 2019, I went to McCartney, to his home town at least. In Liverpool in November I Beatled myself silly on a bender of Beatles-themed museums, tours, accommodation and even cocktails. My favourite was a tour of the childhood homes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, both now National Trust museums. Being in the very rooms where the young John and Paul penned some of their earliest hits was quite the fan girl thrill.
The fan girl bonus
I found myself the only passenger on a shuttle bus toLiverpool’s new Strawberry Field attraction. Would you like to take the scenic route love?” Asked the driver. He gave me a little private tour of of some off-piste Beatles sites including the sites of Penny Lane including the street sign Paul McCartney signed during his appearance on carpool karaoke with James Corden.
The decadence
Arriving at London’s Goring Hotel in November dressed like a hobo I was afraid they wouldn’t let me in. But let me in they did – probably because I had paid in advance. My stay here was the ultimate luxury. After all the Middletons based themselves here when Kate married Prince William. High tea with an old and dear friend followed by cocktails in the wood-panelled bar made a priceless memory.
I hope 2020 will give me the opportunity to create more memories like these.