Dreaming of the Amazon: Eleanor Gordon-Smith.Credit: Louise Kennerley
MY ONE DREAM DESTINATION IS STILL …
The Amazon, especially the Ecuadorian side. It's one of the last remaining places on the planet that truly does not care about you. It is uncomfortable, unforgiving, humbling, a vast and pulsing reminder of how small we are. Flying over in a ten-seater plane and looking down at vast stretches of jungle shoots awe through your heart - I like to feel awe. It's too easy to be awe-deprived in a world of screens and traffic.
WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER, I'M DREAMING OF VISITING …
Costa Rica. Best coffee, best birdwatching, bright blue water. Even though I've missed cities and parties and being jammed up against each other I'm most hungry for a slice of the natural world that I haven't seen before. It would be nice to see a toucan and remember that he has no idea what COVID-19 is.
MY DREAM TRAVEL BUBBLE DESTINATION IS …
Japan. I love being made to feel like I know nothing, and megacities in countries with ancient cultures where I don't speak the language are such a good reminder of the limits of our own experience. I like to be reminded that it's ridiculous to think we know very much about other people.
MY DREAM DOMESTIC DESTINATION IS …
Waterfalls in the Northern Territory. Whenever I'm away from Australia I miss salt water and red sand, and the NT is the best of that combination. It's so wild, so beautiful, and so unlike any other place on earth. I think the magic of travel is that it brings you face to face with the value of the irreplaceable – the NT is a jaw-dropping example.
MY DREAM DOMESTIC TRIP SO FAR HAS BEEN ...
Seven days every year on the North Coast of New South Wales with my parents and my dearest family friends, eating leftover fruitcake and napping in a mid-afternoon salt haze. Every year I emerge wondering why I ever go on Twitter or live further than a kilometre from the sand.
Host of the podcast about decision-making, Little Bad Thing, Eleanor Gordon-Smith is an Australian philosopher, journalist, and fellow of The Ethics Centre. See ethics.org.au
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