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10Aug 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#37 Lesson] Push the Limits of Your Guides

[#37 Lesson] Push the Limits of Your Guides

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #37 Go More Than 200 km/h on Land. Driving the Lamborghini was exhilarating! I pushed myself to go faster, and faster, each lap. Luckily, I had Trevor giving me pointers, but his job was twofold: He was there to teach me how to drive the track like a pro, but he was also there to make sure that I didn’t total their $300,000 car. I knew that they were used to seeing thousands of tourists come through each year, and that I was just another tourist. Spinning out and ending up off the track must be commonplace in their industry. I was confident in my driving abilities and knew I would be able to push it, but there was no way that…
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27Jul 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#37 Go More Than 200 km/h on Land

#37 Go More Than 200 km/h on Land

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 13th September 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This story follows on from my recent blog, #70 See the Hollywood Stars on the Sidewalk. I had a layover in LA but Las Vegas was my final destination, which is where I met up with my mum to whitewater raft the Grand Canyon. I arrived into Las Vegas late on Thursday and we didn’t have much planned for the next day. This was my mum’s first time in Las Vegas so after we had some breakfast, we set off on foot to explore the strip. Las Vegas is such a cool city because there are little pockets of other places around the world, such as New York and Paris. Brooklyn Bridge Statue of Liberty…
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13Jul 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#70 Lesson] Make the Most of Long Layovers

[#70 Lesson] Make the Most of Long Layovers

LESSON, TRAVEL
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #70 See the Hollywood Stars on the Sidewalk. Sometimes when people are booking their flights, they hate to see long layovers in their itinerary. Around 2-3 hours is ideal because it gives you a chance to stretch your legs and get some food, but beyond that is surplus to the requirements. I’ll admit that I hate a 4-6 hour layover but anything above 7 hours can be great. This gives you enough time to get from the airport to the city, see some sites and do some fun stuff, before heading back to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Two layovers come to mind for me. In 2016, I was flying back to Halifax for a wedding and had…
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29Jun 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#70 See the Hollywood Stars on the Sidewalk

#70 See the Hollywood Stars on the Sidewalk

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 12th September 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA. I actually managed to complete this one during a 10-hour layover that I had in LA, while I was flying to Las Vegas. The reason I was flying to Las Vegas, was to help my mum cross something off her bucket list: Whitewater Rafting the Grand Canyon. This story is worth a read, I suggest you check it out! I landed in LA around mid-day and wanted to make the most of it, so I sorted out my bags and grabbed an Uber to Hollywood Boulevard. This was not a quick process at all, the traffic in LA is crazy. It took us an hour to go 20 km. The number of stars on Hollywood…
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15Jun 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#32 Lesson] Language Barriers Make Travelling Interesting

[#32 Lesson] Language Barriers Make Travelling Interesting

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #32 Drink Sake in Japan. Our trip through Japan was one big culture shock. From the moment that I stepped off the plane, everything felt vastly different from any country that I had travelled to before. The food, the signs, the outfits, the lights; it all felt so strange. I am only fluent in English, but I know bits and pieces of a few other languages. This is usually enough for me to get by while travelling to new countries. During my 10-hour flight I made sure to practice a few key words and phrases to help me out. Speaking the language is not too bad if you are shown the phonetics of how to pronounce the words. The problem lies in…
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01Jun 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#32 Drink Sake in Japan

#32 Drink Sake in Japan

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 4th February 2019 in Tokyo Japan. This story picks up where my last blog #31 Eat Blowfish left off. On our way to the restaurant we found the popular alleyway with tiny bars, called Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho. We kept the location in mind for later. When we left the restaurant we had been on our feet for 12 hours, solid. Remembering the alleyway I suggested that we go check out one of the bars to relax and get some sake. Tiny bars with big taste The bars are very popular with tourist and locals and it’s hard to find one with open seats, especially when you have a group of four. We walked up and down the alley once before we found a…
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18May 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
2017 & 2018 Roundup

2017 & 2018 Roundup

GENERAL
I had a very interesting couple of years through 2017 and 2018. I completed a total of four items from my bucket list, with two of them being the most controversial yet. In case you have missed any of the stories or lessons from my bucket list adventures through 2017 and 2018, here is a roundup. #54 Run with the Bulls in Spain Completed on 8th July 2017 in Pamplona, Spain [#54 Lesson] Do Things for Your Own Reasons #27 Watch a Bullfight Completed on 8th July 2017 in Pamplona, Spain [#27 Lesson] You Don’t Know Until You Go #61 Watch the Tour de France Live Completed on 22nd July 2017 in Marseille, France [#61 Lesson] Marvel at Human Capabilities #72 Walk on a Glacier Completed on 2nd January 2018…
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04May 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#31 Lesson] Peer Pressure can be a Good Thing

[#31 Lesson] Peer Pressure can be a Good Thing

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #31 Eat Blowfish. When we first went into the restaurant, there was no way that Toby, Maria or Claire were going to try fugu. By the end of it, we had all tried it. We were cracking jokes, having fun and taking silly photos. All thanks to peer pressure. Peer pressure is commonly regarded as a bad thing, but it really depends on the outcome. Peer pressure towards a negative outcome, such as doing drugs, is a bad thing. However, peer pressure towards a positive outcome can be a good thing. Maria took a bit of convincing to eat the fugu but admitted that she was glad she tried it when she had the chance. This goes for all of us. We…
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20Apr 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#31 Eat Blowfish

#31 Eat Blowfish

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 4th February 2019 in Tokyo Japan. For the last two years my best mate, Jesse, has made a pilgrimage to Japan to go skiing for his birthday. He wanted me to come both times but unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it. Well, this time it was for his 30th birthday so he told me I was obligated to come. As soon as I booked my flights I knew that I would be able to cross a couple items off my list. Jesse, Emma, Toby and Maria had already flown to Japan a week before me so when I arrived we coordinated a meet up in Tokyo. I met Toby and Maria there, as well as Maria’s sister, Claire, who came over from…
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06Apr 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#72 Lesson] Try, Try and Try Again

[#72 Lesson] Try, Try and Try Again

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #72 Walk on a Glacier. I usually try to avoid diving too deep into the world of clichés, but this title was just too perfect. My first attempt was foiled by a lack of money. My second attempt was due to inclement weather. And even the third attempt was affected by the weather, but I managed to cross this one off the list. There are a few items on the list that I have had one crack at, and failed, but this is the only one that has taken me three attempts. It really is true what they say, the harder it is to achieve something, the more rewarding it becomes when you do achieve it. Perhaps I was just being stubborn…
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