Dreams can be huge, expansive and all-encompassing but too often as we grow older we change direction and other things get in the way. Some people refuse to accept this and insist that anything is possible if you are determined enough. For the intrepid traveller dreaming the impossible is a wonderful escape from a busy life.
Children love to explore and what better way to relive those years from your youth than to head off into the unknown? Perhaps follow in the footsteps of Ed Stafford, the first man to walk the length of the Amazon. Trek deep into the rainforest with an indigenous guide, learn how to live off the jungle and navigate the piranha-infested waters of arguably the world’s longest river.
Travel back in time as your guide leads you to one of the last uncontacted tribes near the Brazil – Venezuela border. Feel like the explorers of yesteryear such as Francisco de Orellana, who first explored the Amazon. Learn how to track and spot the stunning jaguar – the largest big cat in the Americas. With the help of your local expert you’ll understand what drove these intrepid men to head off into the unknown.
Another obsession for most children is chocolate and sweets in general. What kid doesn’t dream of a Hansel and Gretel-type house where everything you see is edible?
Imagine a perfect summer day in England; you open a bar of chocolate to discover your very own golden ticket. Following the instructions on it leads you down a quiet path to a small cottage in the woods. As you approach you see it’s made of gingerbread, with icing holding it together. Inside the walls are coated with lickable wallpaper – as designed by Willy Wonka himself.
M&Ms around the window frames? How about having the sweets that look like raspberries “growing” on the trees? What about a marshmallow as a rabbit’s tail? There are jelly babies, party rings,liquorice allsorts, Jammie Dodgers and every other sweet you can dream of. Even the most grown up of adults will instantly turn into Charlie Bucket and find themselves nibbling on a lollipop flower in the chocolate room. Well thanks to modern chefs like Heston Blumenthal the impossible is now quite possible and we’ll call on them to make one for you.
For the ultimate release why not actually become a child again? Don’t watch the news, ditch your watch and just live in the moment and play – all with the backdrop of breath-taking New Zealand landscapes. In an area under 270,000 square km, you can find volcanic bad lands, humid rainforests, pristine beaches, rolling green fields, and endless mountain peaks.
Take time to enjoy the simple things in life that you used to love. Fly a kite on the lip of the dormant Mount Tarawera volcano; build a sandcastle on the golden sands of the Bay of Islands and take a mud bath in a natural thermal hot pool. Or simply lay on the grass on the rolling valleys around Wanaka, watching the clouds and daydreaming.
The possibilities are endless if you allow your imagination to run wild. And by using a child’s approach the world can be your oyster. “Childhood memories” like these can truly last a lifetime.
Call one of the big kids here at Brown + Hudson for a chat about your childhood dreams.
