Brazillllll… lllaaa llaa laaaa…

South America is the only continent that I have not visited yet. So, we decided to visit the largest country in South America – Brazil, a beautiful country packed with a wide variety of landscapes and experiences. My dream vacation would have been the Amazon rainforest… however, when we saw how expensive the tickets and stay were, we had to forgo that part of the journey. I did not lose hope though and instead we went to the world’s largest wetland – Pantanal, more about that later...

Our itinerary was set, and we were off to explore the 6th inhabitant continent and my last as well. Antarctica is the 7th continent left but I don’t think that I can ever make it there, story for another time. We took the early morning flight from Nairobi at 5am with a stopover at Addis Abba and our flight landed at 8pm in Rio de Janeiro, which gave us enough time to recoup and be fresh for the next morning. I was mighty excited since I was going to finally see my 4th Wonder of the World. On our way from the airport to the hotel, I got a glimpse of Christ the Redeemer perched up on a hill with beautiful lights surrounding it. Seeing it, I was smiling ear to ear and couldn’t wait till the next morning to see it up close and personal. In the morning, we realized that our hotel was very close to the beach, with the ocean peeking at us. After breakfast our open-air jeep was there to pick us up so we could begin our quest to see this beautiful city.

Rio de Janeiro is indeed one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world. The city is surrounded by the tropical green granite-based mountains and the deep blue sea, so it has the best of both worlds- beautiful beaches, coves, ridges, hills and is partly covered by tropical forests. Our scenic drive was along Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon beach to visit Santa Teresa. This traditional district has winding, narrow streets, colorful buildings with a view of lush landscape that makes it an inspiring trip for a lot of artists and tourists. On the way we saw beautiful graffiti on the walls. This picture is taken from the moving jeep, the graffiti is so beautifully done that it looks like we are probably somewhere indoors. 

Our first stop was the Selaron Steps, which is the world’s most beautiful staircase that has been decorated with more than 2000 colorful mosaic tiles. This diverse staircase features 60 different countries and is one of Rio de Janeiro’s most vibrant and striking landmarks. After clicking few pictures, we moved to the most awaited part of the trip.

Our next stop was the reason for my visit to Brazil – Christ the Redeemer – my 4^th wonder of the world and also the 4^th largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world in addition the largest art deco style sculpture on the planet. So how could I ever miss this! As we were driving up Corcovado hill, we saw the favelas (slums of Rio) but as we ascended more through the curvy hill, my heart dropped rather quickly for I could see the cloud bank had blessed us and I knew I would not get the view I wanted. Anyway, thanks to our travel agent, who had booked the tickets and time slot in advance, we didn’t have to wait in the long queue. But when we finally reached the top, to my disappointment, the statue was covered with fog, which is expected most of the time.  As you can see, we took whatever partial pictures we could and called it a day as we had to get up early morning to catch a flight to Iguazu. Look out for my next post about Day 2 in Brazil!

The last leg of the road trip - Edinburgh

Fort Augustus - Stirling - Glasgow - Edinburgh

I would be lying if I said all days of this trip were awesome and equally enjoyable. Some days were more interesting than the others. However, one thing was clear to me that by the end of the trip - Scotland feels magical and I had started to romanticize it a lot more than I expected! It had been an incredible trip and we had finally reached the last leg of our journey. I will miss the heather-covered moors that lead down to sea cliffs and the rugged beaches of the UK.

Today was going to be one of those fantastic gem of a day. Me reuniting with my sister and spending the last 3 days in Scotland, before I bid farewell to this beautiful country; coming back for sure to have another adventure and explore it a little more. Our drive started with a beautiful rainbow greeting us a gorgeous morning. Driving through the tiny roads right between mountains, passing by the enormous lakes, we finally made our way to Stirling castle. The castle is one of the largest iconic landmarks of Scotland, an architectural masterpiece perched upon a hill, defended by steep cliffs that surround it on 3 sides. It indeed is an impressive castle that is wrapped around by a magnificent history. While wandering through the castle we came across an interesting room where we were greeted by costumed court officials, maid of honor and bodyguards. You could dress up in period costume, click pictures and play with medieval instruments. All the 3 kids, you know what I mean, had a blast playing dress up and clicking pictures.

After the tour, we drove to my sister’s apartment and had a hearty meal. Having spent some joyful time together, we called it a night and went back to our B&B. Next morning, we went to Glasgow to have a feel of the town, just hung around and enjoyed a relaxing day.

Then, for the first time in 7 years, I was going to leave the kids for the night, with my sister. How did I plan to spend the evening? Definitely not the way it turned out. I had seen these lovely photo frames, which I wanted to use at Aananya’s 5^th birthday party since I was getting a live photo-booth for her birthday. I wanted to put the pictures clicked during the party in these photo frames and gift to the guests. I managed to get only a handful. So, after we left the kids with my sister, Aakaash and I went from one town to the next to find those particular photo frames. After hitting 2 nearby towns without any luck, I finally found it in the third town… and there went our first ever evening without kids in 7 years.

The next day we were to meet at Edinburgh Castle. Rinku got the kids directly to the castle, after the kids saw her university in Stirling and enjoyed the coach ride to Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle is Scotland’s most visited historical castle and the lavish architecture that beckons you to make it a must see in your list. The view of Edinburgh from the castle top is breathtaking. The kids enjoyed taking pictures with the Scottish guard, who was happy to oblige us and posed for our pics. We went on a tour of the castle where there were performers dressed in medieval costumes enacting a part of history. Queen Mary’s chamber was fascinating to see and from there we walked towards the Scottish National War Memorial.

Later we walked along the Royal Mile and found a cute comfy restaurant to replenish the calories we had burnt. It suddenly dawned upon us that this was the last day of this beautiful trip. I bid farewell to my sister with a heavy heart. UK has a wild beauty that can’t be tamed, and I enjoyed exploring every bit of it. This indeed had been an incredible trip. Au Revoir.

Isle of Skye to Fort Augustus

To plan a road trip can be a mammoth task but it sure is an ideal way to see the countryside. During our entire road trip this drive was my personal favorite; gorgeous weather, peaceful long road, not a soul visible for miles and not a care in the world. Like all the worldly worries and stress were stripped away from us. From time to time there were herds of sheep and flock of birds that you could see and hear, and we felt like we were one with the nature. The natural beauty of Isle of Skye, the largest island of Scotland, is truly unique. The dramatic change in the landscape is spectacular and diverse. Driving through the mountain range surrounded by the clouds is surreal and intriguing. The fog that seems to hang over the beautiful land of unpredictable weather with the magical mist covering the greenery makes you feel like you are in a dreamy enchanted forest that will make you believe in magic.

We drove past so many waterfalls, but I remember one waterfall that we stopped at and hiked up to greet was the Brides veil waterfall. The hike can be slightly unsteady with loose rocks on some parts of the trail, but it makes you appreciate the landscape even more. This beautiful waterfall weaved its way down the rocky landscape creating crystal clear water in its wake like a bride’s beautiful veil. We stopped here for a while to admire the view and took some photos.

Driving through tiny hills, passing so many cottages, waterfalls and little lochs, our next stop was the Kilt Rock and Mealt Waterfall at Isle of Skye. This jaw dropping panoramic scenery across the mountain out to the rugged sea was beautiful. From the top of the cliff when you look straight down to the sea my heart did give a flutter. Scotland is known for kilts and the rock formation from the viewpoint on the coast of Isle of Skye looks ridiculously like a pleated kilt hence the name. Although the weather was windy and cold, we did make the most out of the magnificent view. Despite the cold and rain, the natural beauty around was making me fall in love with Scotland. Whether you are beneath the clouds or under the bright sunshine, Scotland does find a way to captivate your heart.

Sometimes just to see a gorgeous view we would shrug off the wind, run to the viewpoint, capture the scenery and run back to our car. We finally reached Fort Augustus where we saw this beautiful Caledonian Canal and we stopped to explore it. I think this was one of the best things I found about this road trip - the liberty to stop anywhere, anytime, without a schedule to follow, impromptu plans and places to see. Luckily the weather was in our favor and it stopped raining and we could enjoy the beautiful canal walk.

From there we headed to hunt something for which so many people had dedicated their entire lives and we were going to have a small taste of their dedication. I could feel it rising in my chest- that feeling you get when you embark upon a new adventure. I know it sounds childish but when you are in Lochness the aura is such that it makes you a believer for a while at least. We were going to go on a hunt for the world famous lochness monster Nesse. It was the last evening cruise for the day and with hope we took on the journey to see the famous monster of the world. The orange background of sky was set for us, the only thing left to make it a successful cruise was for Nesse to show up. The boat radars were trying to track any activity under the water, any indication that she was there somewhere close to us lurking below the deep, dark and stunningly beautiful water shying away from human contact. We weren’t lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her and the moon had made its appearance in the horizon and we knew it was time for us to drive towards Inverness where we had made our hotel booking.

  During all our travels across the world, we have never been so impromptu about anything. Our booking is always well in advance. However, this place called Fort Augustine, a quaint town had enticed us enough that we wanted to stay the night here rather than driving to our destination in Inverness. We quickly googled to see if there were any bed and breakfast available and fortunately, found one available near to us. We cancelled our previous booking and decided to spend the night in Fort Augustine.

Where there’s a will there’s a way…..

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Fort William when we all got ready on time and were at the station ready to board the 10am Jacobite Express. I know my sister really wanted to go on this train and we finally did make it this time; being way ahead of the schedule so that we didn’t miss this last opportunity to get on the train together! This train journey is described as one of the most spectacular journeys in the world. This 84-mile round trip takes you through impressive routes starting from the highest mountain in Britani- Ben Nevis, passes by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain and the shortest river in Britain – Loch Morar and finally rests next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe – Loch Nevis.

So, if you want to go see some of the most beautiful natural landscapes that Scotland has to offer, this train is a must for you. I think all of us got excited on the train when we approached the 21 arched Glenfinnan viaduct which has become even more popular because of the famous train scene of Harry Potter. The train stopped at Mallaig for an hour and a half where we were able to enjoy walking around the busy fishing port and we grabbed a quick lunch at the stopover. Later we got back on the train and were on our way back to Fort William witnessing the spectacular scenery unravel before us.

It was now time for my sister and I to say our goodbyes to our small road trip together and meet again back in Stirling in a few days before I headed back home to Nairobi. The four of us went ahead with our journey to the Isle of Skye. On our way we were supposed to see the Eilean Donan Castle but since we’d taken the train in the morning, we’d missed our chance to go inside the castle as it was closed. Even then we were delighted to see the beautiful castle from outside, which is one of the most photographed views of Scotland. The castle might look familiar to you as it was featured in one of the James Bond movies. This magnificent castle is strategically located on its own little island overlooking the Isle of Skye, surrounded by water and a small bridge connecting it to the mainland. 

I think one of the most dramatic landscapes that I have driven through is Isle of Skye. The drive through the mountains, waterfalls, sea cliffs can’t be explained in words. For hours together we kept driving like we were the only ones left in this beautiful raw, untouched, unpolluted world of fairies and greenery. Our resting point for the day was a small cottage located in the middle of the highland with no neighbors for miles and miles away. They had a horse ranch where these gorgeous horses with their foals were grazing. The kids enjoyed watching the foals playing around jumping, kicking, getting tired, then suckling and fooling around with each other. It was a treat to see such serene environment where you can see greenery till your eyes meet the sky. Aakaash enjoyed petting the horses and played with the watch dogs there. Finally, we called it a night to be well-rested and ready to explore the final remaining leg of the journey.

From England to Scotland

So, we left Blackpool well in time to begin our 5 hour drive to reach Fort William to catch the 4 pm special train – which train – The Jacobite Express. What’s so special about it? Well if you were a 90's kid you would probably know what I am talking about. It’s the same train that was used in the Harry Potter movies. This was an exciting day, especially for my sister who had been a big fan of Harry Potter. Her excitement could not be contained since not only was she going to see the train but to travel in “Hogwart’s Express” and be a part of the Harry Potter’s world was like a childhood dream come true. Many people travel to two specific view-points just to see the train. However, we were not just going to see but were going to travel in that same train. For Rinku to be in the exact same coach where the famous trio - Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley - traveled to the world of magic was exhilarating. I always complain to my sister that she is not excited about anything and is always very calm and composed but to see the light spark up in her eyes and the excitement in her smile was amazing.

Although sometimes fate has some other plans. We were doing well with time but just an hour away from Fort William we came across a very bad traffic jam; as minutes continued to tick, it came down to just 30 mins before we could reach the train station. I think that was the day we did break the speed limit and managed to reach the station sharp at 4 pm. The whole family ran on the platform only to say goodbye to the behind of a beautiful steam engine. We had missed the last train for the day and the next day we were to leave for Isle of Skye and Rinku was to leave for Stirling to have her dissertation meeting with her professor.

Having missed the train, we still had some time before sundown, so we decided to go to the Old Inverlochy Castle. The castle is a ruin but that’s because it has remained unaltered since it was built in 1280 and has witnessed many battles in its time. The castle is beautifully defended by a river on one side and other three sides were protected by moats which are long gone now. Aakaash and the kids enjoyed climbing the ruins while my sister and I enjoyed walking around the riverside. There was a cute little wooden bridge across the river where the kids enjoyed running around on.

From there we headed to the Fort William town centre where a Scottish band welcomed us with their world-famous bagpipes. We then had a meal of traditional fish and chips, just walked around the town and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We called it a night and were ready for our next leg of long drive.

From Wales back to England

We left Aberyswyth early in the morning and today was going to be a full day of driving. It was gorgeous to drive through the Snowdonia National Park. No picture can do justice to the beauty that the eyes saw. The seascapes of breath-taking beaches, inlets, mountains, water bodies and sprinkle of castles were spellbinding. We stopped at Llandudno and drove around the cliffs of Grand Orme. Unfortunately, we could not go in the Tram because it was very windy. This is the only cable hauled tramway in Britain that has been in use since 1902. A little disappointed we left Llandudno nevertheless the beauty entraps you again and takes you in an awestricken world of its own.

After getting mesmerized by the beauty of Wales we reached our destination in the evening – Blackpool. I only wish that I had come to Blackpool during autumn. During the fall the whole town is lit up with gigantic electrical lights in shapes of different animals, plants, and different shapes. This attracts loads of tourists every year to Blackpool. After a full day of driving we were excited to get the opportunity to walk along the beach. We headed straight to the Pier where there is Coral Island which is an indoor family attraction. Although it closed, we had a wonderful time on the pier. If you visit Blackpool in off season, it’s more like a ghost town, still we enjoyed the scenic view and went on the Ferris wheel from where we could see the whole town alongside the golden horizon set by the sun diving into the sea. We walked around at the sea beach and discovered so many jelly fishes stranded on the sea shore waiting for the waves to come back and claim them; seagulls were flying high and low bidding farewell to the setting sun. With that we wished the town good night and headed back to the hotel to start a new day.

Cardiff-Swansea -Pembrokeshire – Borth – All in a day’s drive

In the morning we wrapped all our excitement and started a new leg of our road trip. As a country Wales can come across to be a peculiar destination for it doesn’t have the glory or the touristic attraction of England’s Stonehenge or Scotland’s lochness monster among the famous few. Nonetheless if you are a lover of nature and beauty, it should be on your bucket list. I think Wales takes on a back burner on touristic destinations because it doesn’t have per se any prominent or world famous attractions. I think the best decision we made was to drive through all the countries. This way we had the flexibility to stop wherever and whenever we wanted, and I am glad that we didn’t go through any travel agent or tours.

So enroute we stopped at Castle Quarters but for a very short while and then started our drive alongside the Wales coast line. It was amazing to see a relaxed way of life as compared to the hustle and bustle in cities. A bright sunny day where people were riding their bikes, relaxing in the garden with their families, children running around and playing with no care in the world, the ships parked at the docks, the whole scenery was beautiful.

Our next stop was Oystermouth Castle which sits magnificently on the hills in Mumbles with the spectacular backdrop of Swansea Bay. We didn’t realize that the castle is closed on weekends but that didn’t stop us from clicking a million pictures. Swansea is the second largest city in Wales and from there we headed to the Mumbles Pier which has a beautiful view point of Mumbles and Swansea bay making it a place to explore and photograph.

Later we drove to Three Cliffs Bay which as the name suggests has 3 limestone cliffs that are jetting out into the bay. It was so gorgeous with an enormous shoreline of sand dunes made by the large streams that flows in the middle of the bay. From the hillock we had a paranomic view of the bay and we saw that the low tides had given a man an opportunity to play fetch with his dog. All this had really tempted us to hike down to the bay but due to time constraint we had to make do with clicking pictures from the cliff and kids had a frolicking time rolling around on the grass.

We were on the road again driving through the narrow lanes crossing small towns, breathing the fresh air and seeing the lush greenery everywhere. We stopped at Rhossili bay which has been awarded as one of the top 10 beaches of the world. It was perfect weather to be out on the hillock with greenery all around; surrounded by sheep grazing the grass, the sea birds visiting from time to time with the beautiful view of the entire bay. No one could have asked for more. Wales actually can also be called land of sheep, you will find them everywhere as well as in food menu  and in different preparations.

Today was a day for just seeing divine coastlines and Prembrokshire Coast was perfect for this. A lot of people do days of camping and walking tours also because I think it is the only uninterrupted walkway of 180 miles in Wales. After all the sightseeing we drove through the meadows and over the mountains down the hillocks through narrow roads to Borth which is the only UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Wales. After driving through the rolling hills and crossing castles we finally reached our guest house. 

The view was gorgeous with colorful row houses which makes the street very unique and beautiful, making the location even more intriguing. The setting sun at the coastline which was visible right down the street made the whole atmosphere very magical. The guest house we were staying in was one of the best, it was painted yellow and we had a huge vibrant room to ourselves with bunk beds for the kids. It looked like it had been a kid’s room before the owners turned it into bed and breakfast accommodation. There was a pirate chest filled with toys and the kids excitement could not be contained. It was indeed a very adorable room. We left our luggage and went out to eat. I think we ended up having Nepalese food which was delicious. We had covered a lot in a day and were ready to retire, trying to soak in all the events and beauty that we were wrapped in. I think the highlight of Wales is simply exploring the countryside, driving through the small country roads, admiring the scenery, moving through without any agenda, driving by the small towns along the way, stopping where you like and living life like there is no tomorrow.