10 Incredible Things To Do Before You Die

Here's the list and the closest thing I've done to each. (Of course, I didn't tell mom about most of these until after the fact.) Some I've come much closer to than others:

1. Go Skydiving - I jumped off the tallest building in the southern hemisphere -- TWICE! (That's a photo of me above.)
2. Dock with the International Space Station - I attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama in 1995. For several months afterwards, I was a volunteer SCUBA diver at the Space and Rocket Center, doing public demonstrations for what it is like being weightlessness in space.
3. Edge of Space Supersonic Jet Ride - Does riding Mission: SPACE at EPCOT without getting sick count?
4. Take A Ride on a Russian Mig-Figther Jet - I've taken two private pilot's lessons and actually flown the plane for a bit. I also did several spins in a Cessna with my flight instructor friend. Unfortunately, nothing supersonic.
   
5. Dive to the Titanic On-Board a Submarine - The closest I've come in riding the submarine tour on Catalina Island.
6. Climb the Great Pyramid of Egypt - I once saw a great Egyptian exhibit at a museum in Berlin. I also ate at a restaurant inside the Mexican pyramid at Disney. No climbing, just eating.
   
7. Visit the Great Wall of China - I've been to Japan, India, and South Korea. I haven't made it to China yet, but I'm zeroing in on it. I also once saw the Berlin Wall -- another famous barrier previously owned by communists.
8. Covert Ops - One of my friends astutely noted that shortly after I left for Japan on one of my trips in 2001, China released the Navy Pilots they were holding. I'm afraid I can't say any more than this...
9. Diving With Sharks - I saw nurse sharks while SCUBA diving at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. (I also found Nemo while I was there.)
10. Take an African Safari - In 2002, I rode on a bus through Etosha National Park in Namibia. During this visit, our bus got charged by an angry elephant.

One incredible experience I've had that was not on the list was kayaking with whales in Antarctica. Even among all 10 items on the list above, the exhilaration of this experience would be a tough one to beat.

Some other fun adventures I've had include:

• White-water rafting over a 20-foot waterfall in New Zealand.
• Cliff jumping in Namibia, near the Angola border.
• Swimming in the Amazon River with Indian kids in Brazil. We stayed for a week on a river boat at the bank of an Indian village.
  
• Hiking deep in the jungles of Panama.
• Riding on the back of an ox cart in India.
  
• Body boarding down sand dunes in New Zealand.
• Climbing the Harbour Bridge in Sydney.
• Cave exploring in Waitomo, including abseiling straight down into a 300-foot cavern.
  

Of course, I've had more than my share of misadventures too.

As I've written before, it is possible to have some incredible experiences on the cheap. The main point is not to follow someone else's list, but to go out and make some fun of your own.

And speaking of fun, if I ever have the chance, this is a journey I would love to take.

(HT Presurfer)