Ok folk, for his one I want you to get in the zone.
You’ve got plenty of time so no excuses.
This is gonna be a costume drama, so you will need to get suitably dressed.
You will need suitably warm clothing, a swimming costume and some Ermin. No Ermin, I’ll settle for Pearls (though to be fair I’m not very keen on this particular visit).
Jaki has been up and down into the attic for the last few days making sure she has the right attire though that might have been a mistake as she now tells me; “She will have to replace her whole summer wardrobe as it either doesn’t fit ( she didn’t say if it is too big or too small) and is so Last Week.”
It would be interesting to know how many of you have been to these places in reality?
So, our first virtual visit is:
The Grand Canyon where you can take a virtual hike to 18 different locations though this one has a touch of the Rodeo about it, I tried steering my way along one of the Canyon passes and spent more time hanging in the air than I should have. But once you get the navigation tools, there are some amazing views.
Jaki and I went to the Grand Canyon way back in the 1980’s.
We were staying with her Godmother in Mission Viejo, California which we used as our base.
We drove through the Joshua Tree national park and stayed at Lake Havasu which is a fantastic spot. We stumbled on this place by accident when it started to get dark and we had no accommodation booked. We saw a sign saying “LONDON BRIDGE” and remembered the story about a yank who thought he was buying Tower Bridge and shipped it back to the states where he built an entire community around it.
When we got there the world Jet Ski championships were taking place. Bear in mind we had never seen a jet ski before we thought this was incredible. Some guys in the room next to us were competing and let us have a ride on their machines. You had to lie down in the water and throttle up, as the thing gained speed you were required to get on board and stand up. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do especially in the early stages when the thrust pipe was right by you Nadger!
We stayed there a few days, then an over night in Williams, a one horse town where we slept in a hut made of cinder blocks before driving (about 100miles) up to the gorge for the sun rise.
I have to say it was one of the few time that some thing literally took my breath away, the view was so spectacular.
Unfortunately we drove up in shorts and T shirts and it was snowing when we got there but hey, you cant have everything.
Now, some thing completely different.
How about Machu Picchu. Stick your head inside an Alpaca handbag, sniff and you could almost be there. If you don’t have an Alpaca bag, try a wet dog or a cat litter tray, it will work just as well. Eleven different visits from the top of Peru. come on that has to be good. (The bloke in the Blue T shirt is really me).
Right, time to strip off.
Hold on, wait till you’ve finished reading !
Get the trunks on, inflate those arm band, put your feet in a bowl of salt water and be prepared to swim with the sharks.
You can chose a Tiger head encounter or for those of you into DIY, a Hammerhead experience. If thats too scary, (do away with the bowl of water?) why not swim with Dolphins.
Now, did I ever tell you about the time my dads hat fell into the shark tank at Wet and Wild Florida? I did, oh, pity.
NB: Try watching with a virtual reality headset, if you have one handy.
Ok, I know this is You tube and you could have found this for yourselves, but you didn’t did you.
You tube has a host of virtual tours. I like this one , a virtual tour to the heart of a Volcano but I’m sure if you do a bit of surfing you can find plenty of these for yourselves.
OK, let’s try some thing different.
Imagine you’re taking an American Auntie on a trip to London, what is on her list of must see’s?
Tower of London, Abbey Road, The London eye, Afternoon Tea at Harrods, yep all good so far, Maybe a Museum or two and then it hits the skids
“I want to see the Queen”. She demands.
So you are forced to trudge around Buck house for several hours, time you will never ever get back.
Well, let’s do it the easy way.
Sit her down in the Hotel room with a stiff G & T and let her have a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace including the White Room where Queenie makes her Christmas speech. You can also do Windsor Castle (the Queen Mum used to like it there) and for those with a bit of Scottish blood there is Holyrood House.
This isn’t the most exciting experience. its basically a few rooms with a 360º feature but what did you expect, Phillip in his underwear?
Personally, if it’s a Royal Experience you’re after, this is my preferred option.
The Lion King. (See what I did there).
This one looks interesting though I haven’t as yet checked it out but you may give it a try. Fjords, Volcanos and Caverns.
I’m aware this may have become a bit energetic and some of you are needing to calm down.
Why not relax in a beautiful Garden. Birds singing, smell of cut grass. Jaki snoring on the sun bed.
Well you had to come back to reality at some point.
Stay Safe.
Bill and Jaki go Travelling 