Travel within a travel

Sometimes you don’t have to travel that far to feel like you’re surrounded by another country or culture … Little Germany in Brazil, a Thai themed water park in Tenerife or back to the 50s? It’s all possible.

How about Thames Town in China? In this town the architecture is based on classic British market town styles, including cobbled streets, Victorian terraces and cornershops – “Cor blimey, guv’nor!” (apologies for my terrible accent). However, Thames Town is not a theme park and people people actually live there! Although most people bought as an investment/second home so it’s a bit of a ghost town…maybe they should get a Jack the Ripper and market it as a haunted adventure Victorian town! Then I’d pack my bags in an instant.

Who can say no to a water park on a hot day? In America it’s not unusual to see a water park in a mall, like in the West Edmonton Mall. But what really gets our wanderlust hearts razing are world/country themed parks and that brings us to the Canary Islands where you will find a water park which is Siamese themed, they are self proclaimed the most spectacular water attraction in Europe. It’s looks like a place to see and experience and they had me at water park so if I ever head to the Spanish islands I know I’ll be getting my tickets to Siam water park in Tenerife. It might also be interesting to know that Siam Park is the very first green water park in the world.

Then there is Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo, Japan, where they recreated the Netherlands by displaying real size copies of old Dutch buildings, who can say no to tiny windmills right? Should I add this to my Japan Wanderlist?

Sometimes temporary rulers leave their marks on cities, like the Turkish did in Sarajevo. As you wander around and enter the old town Bascarsija it’s like walking into a street from 1001 Arabian Nights. If you would show me the header photo I would say that’s London’s St. Pancras Station…but it’s actually Mumbai’s historic train hub – Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, which you might recognise this from the dancing and finale scene in Slumdog Millionaire.

In other parts of the world, immigrants bring some of their traditions with them – such as in the town of Pomerode in Brazil where you’ll find the “most typically German of all German towns of southern Brazil.” A great home away from home for ze Germans where they can celebrate Oktoberfest just like in Munich. Before the British took over New York it was called New Amsterdam and changed a lot, but they kept some of the names: Brooklyn comes from Breukelen and Harlem comes from the city of Haarlem.

Traveling back in time … why not go to a Renaissance fair or even a Middle Ages-themed restaurant. You can even visit fictional places like Marty McFly’s Hill Valley. This summer, LA will see an imersive cinema production of Back To The Future to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film. I attended last year’s production in London and I WAS in 1950 for an evening – complete with no mobile phones, vintage dresses as far as the eye could see and some kick ass milkshakes.