Around The World In 14 Songs

We all love to travel... 

Some more than others...

For a variety of reasons...

  

However much you may have travelled, you still Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Randy Bachman).

Hans Christian Anderson said, "To travel is to live." And I'm going to take you on a journey in this post to places Around The World (Nat King Cole). You may have seen (heard) some but nevertheless - sit back, plug in your headphones or stereo and enjoy the music.

Where do we begin? The past few years the hottest sports destination has been Rio - that's where the last FIFA World Cup was held and more recently the Olympics. That's where the world was headed - To Brazil (Vengaboys).

Loads of beaches there including the famed Copacabana - we will go someplace else with Barry Manilow. Talking about beaches, we'll take a cruise to the most beautiful islands in the Atlantic Ocean that populate the Caribbean Sea. Thanks to the cricket team of West Indies - we know of Barbados and Jamaica. Also remember singing this popular Caribbean song as as a young kid of eight or nine - and that's still part of my party repertoire of songs - Jamaican Farewell. 

Apparently there is a Jamaican connection in the family with one of my mums cousin based in Canada being married to a Jamaican. I visited them during my visit to Canada, and I must add this, the food was fantastic.

That trip to North America included time spent in New Jersey with my sister-in-laws family. We flew in and out from the JFK airport in New York. Also explored Manhattan, boated around the Statue of Liberty, besides visiting The White House in Washington DC and Virginia. This song about the Big Apple means a lot to me since it got me to the finals in the Cadence (Western solo) category at the Malhar (St. Xavier's College Mumbai cultural festival) one year - New York New York (Frank Sinatra). 

I made my own videos of Manhattan, the Bronx Zoo and lots of the other places we visited. What a wonderful place, you just blend in. Never felt like an Englishman in New York (Sting). That's because I'm not English. And Indians will be at home anywhere in the world.

Let's flip it the other way around. An American in London (Barry Manilow). I've been there as well on a business trip to participate in an Exhibition and Conference. Being a trip with colleagues, we did quite a bit of sight seeing. 

Just across the English Channel, is the City of Love - gay Par-ee (Paris as we all call it). The City of Love is truly a city loved by all. And that's the love that Ella Fitzgerald and various others have sung about. But I love the Frank Sinatra version of I Love Paris.

The other European place I've visited was Amsterdam (Sin City) in the Netherlands. (You'd better know the difference between a coffee shop and a cafe). I didn't however get to the port city of Rotterdam (The Beautiful South).

Moving to the central part of Europe in Hungary is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe - also possible one of the biggest cities in the European Union -  the capital city Budapest (George Ezra).

In the Southern Hemisphere below Europe is the continent of Africa. I used to have a cousin in South Africa, and got to meet quite a few South African locals on projects that I managed during my tenure in Dubai. Among the most attractive tourism attractions in Africa is the wildlife safari. A beautiful continent, it embodies the heart and soul of nature. There are lots and lots of songs on Africa - but I like this one aptly titled Africa (Toto).

Of late I've noticed that the hottest honeymoon destination is the country of New Zealand. With most of my family based in Auckland, I've paid one visit there - but unfotunately did not get time to explore the tourist attractions out there - the lakes and the hills. New Zealand is south-east of the country of Australia (also the name of the continent encompassing both the countries and the host of nearby islands). In common parlance, we just call it Down Under (Men At Work).

Flying back from New Zealand or Australia usually requires a stop-over at Far East Asia. While I've transited through Malaysia and Bangkok, my wife and I spent our honeymoon in Singapore. Besides visiting all the attractions including the Night Zoo and Sentosa islands, we enjoyed walking On A Little Street In Singapore (Manhattan Transfer).

While I find most of my friends and colleagues taking international holidays, India is full of tourist destinations. Kerala (referred to as God's Own Country) ranks among the most popular destinations, possibly giving competition to Goa Aamchem (Jazz Goa).

On World Tourism Day today, we've taken a music tour across many tourist destinations. Yes, we've Been Around The World (Lisa Stansfield). She's looking for her baby.

Tourism supposedly employs the second highest number of people in the world. That possibly includes people working at the airlines, airports and hotels in the world besides all the tourist destinations including theme-parks and various other places for people to visit and enjoy. 

I've got a lot of friends in the industry - including one that I just discovered has started up a travel consultancy providing excellent deals to popular as well as exotic destinations in India and around the world. As you make travel plans with the Indian festive season of Diwali less than a month away or the year-end holidays coming up, do check out Go Destino Travels and check out what best they can offer you. 

This post has probably been the longest on this blog, but we've covered quite a distance. Do go ahead and follow this blog and get the latest updates right in your e-mail. If you're a music lover - that something you must surely do...