“When can I start traveling again?!?”I had never imagined a time when traveling would become a distant dream. For me, traveling to new destinations keeps me enthusiastic, adventurous and alive to new ideas.
But what to do now? I agree that my problem is trivial, given the serious livelihood repercussions of this pandemic. But I want to preserve my spark of wanderlust because it’s an important part of who I am. Also, I have a 3 year old to entertain on weekends, so my child enjoys these new experiences. And it’s better than being forced to give him screen-time because I am tired of entertaining him at home.
I have had to be a bit creative in coming up with my hometown bucket list of ‘mini adventures.’ Not all cities and towns are same, so I am sharing 5 broad tips to help you come up with your own. If your town doesn’t have some famous landmarks or ‘tourist attractions’, I hope my list is flexible enough to still give you some ideas.
1. Get up for sunrise – there’s something magical about walking through a city when it’s absolutely quiet in the mornings. Just changing the time at which you venture out will give you a completely new perspective of your city. You can also get together with like-minded friends and embark on an early morning cycling trail in the city. Five of my friends have become avid cyclists in the pandemic and they all say that they are thoroughly enjoying it.
View of the city at sunrise during my early morning stroll by the lake (Source: Personal photo)
2. Go for a small picnic– Grab a mat, make some sandwiches and take the kids to a nearby beach or park or lakeside for a simple outing. Take a ball or a frisbee or some board games (ludo, monopoly etc.) and have a fun time bonding with the little ones.
Simple picnic by the beach (Source: Personal photo)
3. Go on a nature trail-if there are hiking trails in the city or in the outskirts, make a fun weekend outing walking the trail. Take some quiet time to connect with nature.
Went on a short nature-trail one afternoon. Caught the rays of sunlight just as the sun was setting (Source: Personal photo)
4. Visit places of interest that you had previously overlooked–I never made the time to visit the museums in my city. I went to a Natural History Museum recently and it turned out to be an unexpected visual treat. It was a great learning opportunity for my child as well. If you are not keen on museums, visit a historical monument, or heritage sites or some unique local shopping area in your city that you had never visited. This is also the perfect time to explore new food joints and local eateries that you may have overlooked before. Ask your friends and neighbours for recommendations.
Spicy noodles which I had been hearing about but hadn’t tried. Finally, I did. Slurrp!(Source:Personal photo)
5. Explore neighbourhoods– Recently, I discovered a beautiful Buddhist temple in a neighbourhood that I hadn’t seen before. I told my son the story of Shakyamuni Buddha and the monks in the temple even treated us to a wonderful Buddhist vegetarian meal.
The main shrine of the temple (Source: Website of Palelai Buddhist Temple, Singapore).
I also found that there was a fire-station nearby and my truck-crazy son was thrilled to see fire-trucks and take a photo with an actual fireman.
At the neighbourhood fire-station (Source: Personal photo)
Sometimes, I take my camera with me during my morning walks and take pictures of the wild-flowers that bloom on the road-side.
A yellow hibiscus blooming defiantly through the cracks in the movement (Source: Personal photo)
The reason we travel is to explore new places and immerse ourselves in new experiences. Now that we can’t travel, this is a good time to pay attention to the unique gems that lay hidden closer to home. If the pandemic has taught me one thing, it is that nothing is to be to taken for granted. Maybe this is the time to become aware of the ordinary things around us that are perhaps not so ordinary.
Bon Voyage, my friend! Hope you will share your City Exploration blog on Momspresso too. I would love to visit the place that is home to you through your eyes.
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