One true luxury in life is just LIVING!! Yes, we all crave experiences that are exciting, rare and thrilling! You must take time to live life on the edge!
From racing in a stunning Formula One car with speeds up to 200mph to grueling, up-before-dawn, Kung Fu training from warrior-monks at the Shaolin Temple to running a marathon in France–where you refuel at stations serving foie gras and glasses of the finest wine, of course–we are pleased to present the CEO of private members’ club Privy.net Stephen Liu’s list of the top 15 things he needs to do before he pushes up those daises. And knowing the intrepid and determined nature of the Privy CEO, we’re sure he’ll do them all–twice.
1. Go water buffalo racing in Indonesia
BYOB- buffalo, we mean, for the tradition of water buffalo racing, known as Makepung, that has competitors spending weeks decorating their beasts before going head-to-head with other farmers. Balancing on small, wooden chariots while wading through wet rice fields, racers have to control both their own nerves, and not one but two charging buffalos. Cheers are just as loud for the crashers as the winners.
2. Perform an Everest skydive in Nepal
You could spend months preparing for, and eventually climbing, the world’s highest mountain … or you could fly above it on a plane and skydive past it. Dubbed the “world’s most elite skydiving adventure” the free fall allows you to jump from 29,500 feet, higher than the Everest summit. A side perk– you’ll get to laugh at those struggling to make their way up and down on foot.
3. Get into a wild water fight at the Chiang Mai Songkran Festival
What better way to celebrate the new year then with a wild water fight? Officially known as Chiang Mai Songkran, the water festival started as a tradition to symbolize purification. Fast forward a couple of centuries, and it’s now a grown-up pool party on land. To up the ante, Thais add ice to their water or travel in teams that wear masks and carry large water cannons. Stock up on those Super Soakers.
4. Rave all night in Ibiza
There are few places in the world that epitomize sea, sex and sun (or is that sin?) better than the stunning island of Ibiza. The official birthplace of the “rave”, Ibiza has the beautiful people, the beautiful beaches and plenty of fun to go around year-round. With all the partying and indulging, you definitely won’t need a sleeping pill on the plane ride back home.
5. Run with the bulls in Pamplona
The biggest Running of the Bulls event occurs during the San Fermin Festival where thousands of revelers take to the streets to try to outrun a herd of angry and possibly blood-thirsty bulls on narrow streets. With a crowd of testosterone-charged locals and some (probably) alcohol-fuelled backpackers, the result can be carnage. Do take extra care though — 15 people have died since 1924.
6. Revel at the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro
Join in the biggest self-billed “biggest party on the planet” at Rio’s famous orgy of feasting and dancing, which takes place annually at the beginning of Lent, and lasts for four days. As the world’s best known festival, you can expect non-stop partying in a city that really does take it to a different level. Don’t be afraid to grab a mask and join in.
7. Climb to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro
Sure, you’ve climbed mountains. But 19,340-foot Kili, the tallest peak in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro is unlike any of them. For starters, it’s 4,930 feet higher than Mt. Rainier. To see it in all its glory, go now: Its melting ice will linger only seven to 10 years more. The climb is a little like like childbirth, once it’s done, you forget the oxygen deprivation, bleeding blisters, and nausea. And yes, the climb down is cake.
8. Race a Formula One Car
It’s your chance to drive an ex-Grand Prix Formula. One car around a real race circuit. With a top speed of 200mph and 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any motor racing fan. The school warms you up with laps in a Formula One single seater before you get to experience 10 mind-blowing laps in the awesome 1996 Italian Forte Corsa or 1994 Arrows. Yes, you can still live the dream.
9. Learn Kung Fu at the Shaolin Temple
Every year budding Bruce Lees can apply to attend classes at the Shaolin Temple, amid the beautiful mountains in China’s Henan province. Trainees at the 1500-year-old monastery, the birthplace of kung fu, embark on a steep learning curve led by genuine, ‘warrior-monk’ tutors. For inspiration, watch the coaches prepare, in which they snap iron bars with their heads and break glass by throwing a pin at it.
10. Dive and swim with manta rays in the Great Barrier Reef
It’s like a sub-aqua Great Wall of China: 2,600km of coral hugging Australia’s east coast, from Bundaberg in the south to beyond Cape York. Simply, the biggest reef in the world. Due to its scale, it has options for all: novice divers can learn in safe, sheltered waters – yet still see plenty of the reef’s 1,500 fish species during lessons.
11. Run a marathon while drinking wine in Bordeaux
Six hours, 26 miles, 23 glasses of wine. Not the normal race strategy, but this is not a normal race. Runners in the Bordeaux Marathon or, Le Marathon du Médoc, pass 59 of the region’s properties. Indicated on the event’s map with red goblets are 18 wine stops also offering local delicacies—cheese, oysters, steak, even sausage. Without a doubt, it’s the most Bacchanalian event in the sporting calendar.
12. Smoke a stogie in Cuba
Cuba is the country that historically produces the best tobacco in the world, and there’s nothing quite as satisfying as having the world’s best stogie in the country that produced it. Aficionados like to hit up Pinar del Río Province and Villa Clara Province, but of course, the real destination is Havana, dubbed “cigar city.” Smoke one–or two, and sip some Havana Club rum, and enjoy the tropical weather and architecture of the old world that surrounds you.
13. Slam beers at Oktoberfest in Munich
Munich’s two-week Oktoberfest, running from late September to the first weekend in October, are where your most fanciful German stereotypes are brought to life. The event is awash with moustached old men slurping down litre-sized servings of beer as waitresses, dressed in Dirndls, serve platters of pork knuckles and bratwurst. There’s little activity at the Oktoberfest save excess drinking, eating, cavorting. What else do you need in life?
14. Hit the links at St. Andrews
Scotland, the home of golf, has world-renowned courses all over the country, but most golfers start where the game was born on the Old Course at St. Andrews. The historic course is set in the heart of a university city, steps from castle ruins and countless pubs. The other regional can’t-miss highlight is Muirfield, a popular British Open venue, home to the oldest golf club on earth. Finish this dream trip on the greatest coastal course in the world, Turnberry’s Ailsa.
15. Take a “motocy” ride in Bangkok
The “motocy” — as locals call it — that speedy, scrappy tradition of Bangkok transport that inspires love, hate and sheer terror. This is no ordinary cab ride. Tourists and locals alike often enjoy the thrill of snaking through crowded streets at high speed, inches away from buses on either side. It’s a combination of transportation and extreme sports.
This post originally appeared in Privy Magazine.