Juan- you simply must get to Yosemite. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. And go for a while- explore Tuolumne too and hike around a lot. Also the Bristlecone Pines are amazing. That area is where I did my doctoral research and it was truly a blessing that NSF supported me living in such an amazing environment for six months.
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Thank you, ranchers and NSF!
As for me, my list could go on indefinitely. I sometimes wish I could come back to do more after I go- seems like too much to fit into one lifetime, given that I spend an inordinate amount of my time sleeping and working.
I'd love to be on all seven continents (two down, five to go). My mentor and his wife finally got to Antarctica a couple years ago, their last continent. That same year they hit 100 countries.
Trek the Himalayas.
See Patagonia.
Go to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice.
Climb Kilimanjaro and see large game herds in the wild.
Ride horses in Mongolia.
Pet a big cat- lion, tiger, whatever- just something.
Stay a while in a convent or monastery in silence.
Not sure if I'll get to (he's already pretty old), but I'd love to meet the Dalai Llama, or at least hear him speak. Though, I guess according to that tradition, it wouldn't matter which Dalai Llama I meet.
Ride Andalusians in one of the Portugese classical riding schools.
Though I don't know if it will ever settle down enough to be reasonably safe, I'd really love to go to Jerusalem and walk where Christ walked.
Japan- especially the Shinto and Buddhist sites.
Visit Mayan ruins.
Hike in a rainforest.
Learn to do the Latin dances, like Salsa and Tango.
Learn Akido.
Try out longbow archery.
Learn to play the cello. I actually have a cello now, I just haven't had the time to learn how to play it.
Finally finish this dissertation and start publishing books.
Make an impact- I'd love to help with conservation and development in the Third World. I hope that I can leave this earth just a little better than I found it.
Become a tenure-track professor so that I can impact students and teach compassion.
Adopt a child.
Not necessarily in that order...
Ultimately, I want to die knowing I have lived. Really, truly lived. I love the way Luna put it- to love wastefully.