If you want to see all the destinations we checked in 2018, be sure to read my latest article where you will find all the details.
Now let’s move on to the coolest experiences we had last year and don’t forget to tell me all about yours in the comments bellow! We are constantly searching for inspiration!
10. Picnic with Eiffel Tower View in Paris
Well, the Eiffel Tower is pretty much the first thing that comes into mind when you think about Paris so we thought we need to make our visit epic. Took a big scarf with us, the fluffiest croissants, a tasty cheese mix, raspberries, rosé wine and, of course, some cute flowers for my soul, because why noy? Found a great spot on the Seine pretty close to the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed a picnic with the most amazing view in town. Who wants to try it next time?
9. Going to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s concert in Copenhagen
I love seeing at least one good concert in a foreign country per year and I have always wanted to see both Beyoncé and Jay-Z on the same stage. That being said On the Run II Tour was the perfect reason to visit two new countries: Sweden and Denmark while also enjoying a memorable concert. The condition was picking a destination where we haven’t been before and the good news is that we fell in love with Copenhagen, its cute canals and Instagrammable houses! Let’s not forget the tastiest sushi ever!!
8. Lobster barbeque on a sandbank in Zanzibar after swimming with dolphins into the wild
Zanzibar surprised us with the coolest white sandy beaches, but things got even more exciting when Hagy, a local fisherman, took us on a sandbank in the middle of the Indian Ocean and grilled us some fresh and yummy lobsters. The water was insanely beautiful and clear and we literally didn’t want to leave that place. Sadly, since we are talking about a sandbank, the high tide came and our tiny island almost disappeared, forcing us to go back to our hotel. On the way back, we stopped at some amazing snorkeling points and found Nemo and its friend, Dory, multiple times!
PS: I almost forgot to tell you how we started our morning: Swimming with wild dolphins in the Indian Ocean!! Magical! Promise to tell you all about this soon!
7. Spent the day on a deserted island in the Maldives
Maldives is definitely an amazing and worth seeing country and I am so happy we were able to explore it in 2018. One of the coolest things we did there was having a deserted island all for ourselves. Just us two and a boat. Well, I am lying a bit because we shared the shore with 5-6 baby sharks and 2 stingrays. I must admit I was a bit nervous we would get a visit for the parents sharks, but apparently they were busy that day.
6. Hand feeding stingrays in the Maldives
Maldives fulfilled many of our dreams and definitely has a lot of cool things to do, but I am gonna remind you only the ones I loved the most. The next one on the list was hand feeding stingrays after sunset. I have to say that we’ve seen many types of rays in the Maldives, except for the most famous one (manta rays), on a daily basis. Well, in the resort, we had the chance to feed them under the close surveillance of a hotel employee which made sure we don’t scare them off or make them feel threaten. It was so cool to see wild stingrays gather by the beach around sunset like if they actually knew we are gonna have food prepared for them. After they took the fish from your hand, you could even pet them. Such a cute experience!
PS: I need to mention again, these stingrays are not kept in captivity. They actually gather on the shores willingly because they’ve learned fresh food is waiting for them every night.
5. Kissing Giraffes in Nairobi, Kenyas
Meeting the giraffes was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life, not only from 2018. The Giraffe Center just outside Nairobi protects the highly endangered Rothschild’s giraffe which lost their natural habitat in western Kenya. We started our visit with learning so many interesting things about giraffes, then we met and fed them! And if you are brave enough, you can even get a kiss in return!
PS: The giraffes here are not forced to come and greet you or eat from your hand. They are free to wander Nairobi National Park and come whenever they want to the center. They are just such foodies and they always want more food! Just like me! J
4. Staying in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives
Yes, I am still not finished with the Maldives. After exploring the country like locals, we wanted to tick off another bucketlist experience so we stayed in an overwater villa. We enjoyed it so much that we didn’t want to go to sleep at night so we stayed up late under the moon looking for sharks and rays and taking advantage of our outdoor Jacuzzi! Could we please go back soon? Pretty please!
PS: The blog post regarding our experience in an overwater villa will be soon ready!
3. Elephant Safari in Minneriya National Park in Sri Lanka
We have both seen elephants before, even together in Malaysia where we visited an orphanage and fed them and we even took bath in the river with the baby ones. But this time was different and so much better. Seeing wild elephants in their natural habitat felt so right. No more chains, no more mandatory baths or pictures. Elephants were free to choose if they want to stay close to the jeeps on the very strict itinerary or if they want to go exploring far away from visitors. So happy we had Lakpura Travels show us around Minneriya National Park and seeing the tiny tiny baby elephants! This is how wild animals should be seen, not in cages!
2. Skydiving over the Palm in Dubai
Another one of my dreams came true in November when I actually received my birthday gift: my second jump from the sky! From my first skydive, I knew I had to do it again and feel all that adrenaline rush one more time. And which could be the best place if not with the most amazing view of the Palm and the Dubai Marina and JBR skyscrapers? I still cannot express into words the emotions you have when you try skydiving, but I sure recommend everyone to do it once in a lifetime!
1. I said Yes to the love of my life!
The coolest and most emotional moment from 2018 and probably from my entire life till now was saying YES in the craziest way! I always dreamt about this magical moment, but my fiancé exceeded all expectations and surprised me in a way that took my breath away. Literarily! I will soon write a blog post to tell you more about the magical proposal, but just a hint: I saw the question from the sky while landing from the jump that I was talking at the previous point!! It felt like a romantic movie or a modern fairytale, but surely not like reality!
Picking only 10 amazing moments from 2018 was a very hard thing to do since we have lived incredible experiences and they all deserve to be on the list. I am curious to know in the comments below which were the most magical moments you lived in 2018?
Have an adventurous 2019, beautiful people!
Lots of love, Blonde around the World
