Mama’s British Birthday Bash – Stratford-upon-Avon

Instead of a Shakespearean quote, I will start with Sahana’s notes instead because they are funny!

back ache reaches terminal velocity. lug all of our worldly possessions to waverly station for leg 1 of the trip – the stairs were easier on the way down
figure out the trains & grab a bagel for sahana & coffee for mom before a 4 hr train ride to birmingham
HAVE TO CHANGE STATIONS IN ONLY 30 MINS and had to CLIMB MORE STAIRS (w/a bad back!)
almost an hour on the train to stratford upon avon – shakespeare silhouettes everywhere
arrive in stratford and have to climb stairs up and down 2x
arrive at ashgrove early but our room is ready & we dump stuff and RUN to anne hathaway’s cottage
prettiest path you ever did see with hedges and flowers.
cottage is cute too.
hungry now, walk back downtown and look for food – more Thaii (giggling squid)
post meal – we decide to wander (everything closed at 5 pm! weird weird)
walk past: shakespeare’s school, his home’s site, burial site, baptism site, Avon river, Trinity Church + graveyard, then bathroom need strikes
bathroom need satisfied
continue to walk to birthplace and then – very early – head back
sleep early in (mostly) comfort. sahana has whole bed – mom on the floor.

Friends, when Sahana writes backache reaches terminal velocity, they are not kidding. I woke up that morning with excruciating pain in my back. I have never experienced such back pain ever before. Standing up straight was somewhat ok, but moving in any way or even sitting was painful. And we had to catch the train to reach our destination – Stratford-upon-Avon. Here I will mention one of our regrets in the trip. We had initially planned to spend a night at Manchester. Then we canceled that plan and tagged a day on to our stay at Oxford. We should have stayed an extra day in Stratford. You will know why if you read on.

We took our luggage to the Waverly Station. Fortunately, walking was not too painful and I didn’t have to haul the luggage too much, I could drag it. But the train ride, for me, was uncomfortable. I kept standing up and stretching my back as much as I was able. Once we reached Birmingham, we had to run to another station! IN 30 MINUTES! WITH BACK PAIN! UP AND DOWN STAIRS! WITH OUR LUGGAGE! But we made the connecting train and I survived to write this blog.

We got off at the pretty station of Stratford-upon-Avon and saw steel silhouettes of the bard everywhere.

Our check in time at our AirBnb was at 4 pm but we had arrived early. We decided we would ask if we could leave our luggage with them but the sweet co-owner of the place welcomed us in and showed us our very cute room. We dropped our luggage and walked towards Anne Hathaway’s cottage. The walk to the cottage was one of the prettiest walks that we have taken. We strolled through English gardens complete with hedgerows, blooming flowers, pretty houses. The cottage was also very picturesque. I kept thinking of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet where O’ Farrell makes Anne Hathaway the protagonist. Sahana and I walked around the beautiful garden around the cottage and took some photos of the flowers and us.

When we got back to the town center, we were hungry. All the other sites that we wanted to see were closed at that point anyway, so we ate some Thai food at Giggling Squid (much to our disappointment, we discovered that it is a chain).

And then we wandered. We leisurely walked past Shakespeare’s school, the site of his home, his burial site, Trinity church, Avon river and then…………..bathroom need strikes. Listen, these are very practical aspects of travel and should be taken seriously. We walked back looking for Starbucks only to discover that Starbucks also closed at 5 pm. Why?

Anyway, we went back to Giggling Squid and asked them to use their bathroom. They were kind and allowed us. After bathroom need was met we walked by a cute plaza, took photos with a statue of Shakespeare. I ate a Kwality Walls ice cream and headed back to our room very early. We cleaned up and went to bed. Except Sahana slept on the bed, I slept on the floor. The soft beds of England were the death of me.

By the way, I forgot to mention our total step count in Edinburgh in my earlier blog. It was 54, 184. We walked 21.76 miles there.

Stratford-upon-Avon tracked only 17101 steps, 6.85 miles. Dismal.

I went to bed concerned about my back and if it will limit me in any way. Before falling asleep I remember thinking, I am going to see everything I came to see. Achy back can’t stop me. Where are those pain meds and heat pads?

Mama’s Birthday Bash – Edinburgh (on my birthday!)

“Half a capital and half a country town, the whole city leads a double existence; it has long trances of the one and flashes of the other; like the king of the Black Isles, it is half alive and half a monumental marble.” – Robert Louise Stevenson

Edinburgh News informs us that “Despite being set in London, Stevenson’s famous tale of Jekyll and Hyde is thought to be heavily inspired by Edinburgh because of this ‘double existence.”

We did not have to wake up at the crack of dawn on my birthday because our first activity – historic tour of the Royal Mile by Mercat tours was not till 10 am. I woke up to lovely birthday wish from Sahana, got dressed for the day and left our apartment for a full Scottish breakfast at Edinburgh Larder. We had heard the restaurant was popular and often, there were lines to get in. Fortunately, we had arrived early enough and found 2 seats right away. We shared a full Scottish breakfast between the two of us, complete with haggis (savory pudding made with sheep’s heart, liver, lungs, oatmeal), blood sausage, toast, eggs, mushrooms etc. Neither haggis nor blood sausage tasted good but at least we can claim we had Scottish breakfast. It was a gastronomic experience. After breakfast we had time to kill before our tour (and also needed a bathroom) so we bought a coffee at Starbucks and waited.

The walking tour was truly informative and also entertaining. Our guide, Veni, was witty and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the history of Scotland, and especially, the Royal Mile which extends between the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the bottom to the Edinburgh Castle at the top. Don’t let the name fool you. Scottish Mile is longer than a regular mile. We were told the Royal Mile in reality is 1.13 mile which is supposedly old Scots mile, different from English mile.

Our tour ended at the Edinburgh Castle. Veni took us inside the castle, told us about the history of Scotland and the castle’s significance in its history and left us to our own devices. The weather was funky that day. There was constant interplay of rain and sunshine. The wind, however, was constant. Sahana wrote in their note that it was ‘windy af’ and I will include that to make you understand how windy the day was. We got wet and then the sun came out to dry us up till the rains came back to wet us again. Anyway, we took our time enjoying the views of Edinburgh from the ramparts of the castle. We stayed to watch the 1 pm gun shot that is quite a spectacle at the castle. We went in to the csstle’s cafe for some nourishment and found a table with a fabulous view.

From the castle, we meandered down looking for the Writer’s Museum which has exhibits of the three famous literary figures from Scotland – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louise Stevenson. We looked at books, manuscripts, portraits and personal items of the three stalwarts of literature who hailed from Scotland.

Towards the end of our tour of the museum we both were getting very hungry. Instead of a birthday dinner, we decided to go for a sumptuous meal that worked as both lunch and dinner at an Indian restaurant called Dishoom where we got authentic Kolkata style chicken roll. I was elated! Although I had my doubts as we entered the restaurant as all the staff appeared to be white but the food was so good that I forgot all my doubts. It was indeed a delightful birthday meal. Sahana assured me that the people making the food must be desi.

After a good meal our spirits were high. We had to check out the Burns monument since we were supposed to catch our Hairy Coo tour bus next day from there for our day trip. We walked over to the Burns Monument and then to Old Calton Cemetery where we saw David Hume mausoleum.

We continued our walk to the new Calton cemetery. Since we were halfway there, we decided to see the Palace of Holyroodhouse where the Royal family still stays when they visit Scotland. On a whim, we decided to buy tickets (yet another treat from Sahana for my birthday) for the palace and explore the royal palace where English monarchs have stayed for generations since 12th century. The impressive front of the palace was bathed by sunlight when we visited and the limestone structure looked like it was glowing. We took an audio tour of the building and was amazed and awed by the history that we were witnessing.

When we came out of the palace, we looked up in the distance, we saw the famed volcanic peak, Arthur’s Seat. Not only was it majestic, it was also mind boggling that the stone and flint tools found there reveal human activity as far back as 5000 BC. When we had our fill of seeing and photographing Arthur’s Seat, we slowly made our way up the Royal Mile to go back to our apartment to rest for an hour before another Mercat walking tour. This time it was going to be an adult only ghost tour of the Royal Mile – Dead, Doomed, and Buried. This was another birthday gift from Sahana. I have asked for Ghost tours from my family as birthday gifts for the last two years. I am not sure what says that about me….

That rest was vital since both of us were so tired from walking all day. We saluted the Edinburgh castle visible from our balcony and plopped on the bed for an hour. With restored spirits and tired legs, we headed out to meet Shannon from Mercat Tours to hear about all the spooky tales of the historic Royal Mile. Decked in a black cape and adorned with fascinating orange and black eye make up, Shannon was an excellent guide who took us all the way down the Royal Mile regaling us with tales of murder and mayhem and ghost sighting (some in our group felt a presence. Alas, we didn’t). Then we went down the vaults of South Bridge and things started getting creepy with ghostly lights and confined passages. But this is what I love about ghost tours. Scarier the better.

We were really exhausted after the tour ended. We found ourselves again at the bottom of the Royal Mile and had to trudge uphill to get to our apartment. I believe we went up and down the Royal Mile at least 3 times that day. But we had to stop by yet another cemetery – Greyfriars Kirk and Greyfriars cemetery, since it was on our way.

I must say the light was fading and the cemetery started looking really empty and spooky,, especially after listening to incidents of paranormal activity from Shannon, so we slowly strolled out of it and continued on our way back. Sahana got hungry and Sainsbury, a popular supermarket chain all over UK, saved the day. As a final birthday gift, Sahana bought me my favorite – Cadbury Fruit and Nut chocolate.

With food and chocolate in hand, we climbed the Royal Mile again, came back to the apartment and ended our day and my very fulfilling birthday.

I think people should celebrate their birthdays exactly the way they want to – party, quiet time, spending quality time with loved ones, eating food of their choice. This year, I spent my birthday exactly the way I wanted to. I saw, I learned, I laughed, I experienced, I ate. And I shared all of that with one of my most loved ones.

Mama’s British Birthday Bash – Edinburgh

Into no other city does the sight of the country enter so far; if you do not meet a butterfly, you shall certainly catch a glimpse of far-away trees upon your walk; and the place is full of theatre tricks in the way of scenery. You peep under an arch, you descend stairs that look as if they would land you in a cellar, you turn to the back-window of a grimy tenement in a lane:—and behold! you are face-to-face with distant and bright prospects. You turn a corner, and there is the sun going down into the Highland hills. You look down an alley, and see ships tacking for the Baltic.

Robert Louis Stevenson

We packed up relatively early and checked out of Tavistock hotel in London to go to Charing Cross Railway Station to catch our train to Edinburgh. We arrived at the station early because we wanted to see the famous platform 9 ¾ from where Harry Potter boarded the train to Hogwarts. Boy, was that a disappointment! Disney has commercialized it to the extent that they are charging 20 pounds for pictures. And people were lining up to shell out the money. Not us. We went and got bad coffee instead and boarded our train. The train ride was everything that we had envisioned. Lush English countryside, cottages, ugly apartment buildings as we neared big cities, people and dogs walking along meadows, plump sheep, and healthy looking cows – we saw all these as the train thundered along. We read some, dozed a little, and looked out the window, taking in the scenery. The vista changed as the train neared Edinburgh. From lush green flat land to rocky hilly areas and the ocean in the distance. We had sunny weather in London but the sky turned grey as the train brought us to Edinburgh.

We finally arrived, dragged our luggage out of the train station and were confronted with steep steps to go up to our AirBnb. We looked up in dismay, took a deep breath, and picked up our suitcases.

My months of work at gym paid off. I was able to conquer the steps and arrived close to the magnificent St. Giles Cathedral.

Since our rental wouldn’t be ready for another hour, we found a pub to get a drink and some food while we waited. Sahana ordered a Loch Lomond stout while I ate a bland chicken pie and people watched. When it was time, we found or rental, dropped our luggage, arranged our stuff and cleaned up. The best part of our rental was the breathtaking view of the Edinburgh Castle from our balcony, spread out in all its Gothic splendor atop a high cliff. Every time we caught a glimpse of that imposing structure, we stopped in our tracks.

After an hour or so in the apartment, we headed out to explore Edinburgh. Sahana had booked a History Walk of Royal Mile walking tour and a ghost tour of the Old Town for the next day so we decided to explore the part of Edinburgh which were off the beaten track. Thanks to an influencer in TikTok, Sahana found out about an area called Dean Village which, on our phones, looked simply beautiful. When we navigated our way there, the village we realized that the pictures did not do the village justice. Dean Village is a green oasis amidst the city of Edinburgh. It was originally called The Water of Leith village, a bustling milling village found in the 12th century. We came across some stone plaques with bread and pies depicted on them. As we looked down on to the residential buildings in the village, it looked like a town from a fairy tale; pretty, neat, picturesque, and sleepy. Situated next to the Water of Leith, the quiet walkways along the gently flowing river could easily make one forget that this tranquil space is actually within the heart of a bustling city. We walked the pathways, protected by dark green foliage above us, listening to the sweet rustle of the running water next to us and boisterous bird song around us.

From Dean Village we walked to Stockbridge, admiring its dark Georgian architecture and quaint cobble stoned streets flanked on both sides by cute, mostly independently owned shops. We strolled towards pretty Circus Lane and took pictures of the fronts of daintily painted houses decorated with flowering bushes. The sun was hitting it just right for us to admire the prettiness of the whole neighborhood.

At this point, both of us were getting tired and hungry. We stopped at Rosa’s Cafe for some delicious Thai food before slowly making our way back to our apartment. Sahana tested my navigation skills to take us back to our rental. I failed. I was so busy looking at the sights around me that I did not pay attention to the road that led us back to our temporary abode. Fortunately Sahana knew exactly where we were headed.

Before wrapping up this blog I want to mention one (of the many) joy of traveling with Sahana. One of the commonality we had was our mutual love for food and our lack of discernment in a good way. This is important, especially for me, because my husband is a vegan who doesn’t eat most vegetables. We are great travel partners except when it comes to food. We are limited to the number of restaurants that we can go to when Sean and I travel. With Sahana, it was such a delight to ask “Do you want _____ food?” “Yes, let’s go.”

During the span of two weeks, we shared and experienced some wonderful memories and sights. We also ate some amazing food. And it would be remiss of me if I don’t include them in my blogs.

June 3rd was my birthday. Sahana had planned some special activities for that day, so we read for a few minutes and went to sleep to be up and ready for birthday adventure.

Mama’s British Birthday Bash – London

“London opens to you like a novel itself… It is divided into chapters, the chapters into scenes, the scenes into sentences; it opens to you like a series of rooms, doors and passages. Mayfair to Piccadilly to Soho to the Strand.”– Anna Quindlen

“How about we go to England for your birthday?” Sahana asked me some months back. And I said, “Yes! Let’s go!”

It all started long time ago when Sahana was 2 or 3 years old. Every day after they came back home from preschool, we snuggled together and read three books. I am not sure who decided on that number but that is what we did. A life long love for stories and books sprung in their heart which culminated in a degree in English literature, a flair for reading, writing, and appreciating literature. I have always loved literature too. This year I decided to give myself the gift of a literary tour with my daughter to celebrate my birthday. And what a trip it turned out to be!

Sahana finished their work at 4:30 pm on a Friday and we started our journey at 5:00. Both of us were bursting with excitement and couldn’t wait for the plane to take off. The plane, however, stood at the tarmac for close to 3 hours due to bad weather. Sahana and I looked at each other and laughed nervously. We both hoped that this delay was not a precursor to what was to come in our travels. Since we had booked a direct flight and since nothing was in our control anymore, we both decided to take the delay in our strides and watch a movie while we waited for the plane to move. It did finally take off and we landed safely on the other side of the pond seven tiresome hours later.

Sahana had bought an eSIM from Vodaphone which refused to work when they tried to activate it at Heathrow airport. Fortunately, they were able to trouble shoot and it did finally work so we could navigate our way from Heathrow to our hotel Tavistock in the Bloomsbury neighborhood. Here is a public service announcement, readers. Do not activate your eSIM till you arrive in the country where you want it to work. Once the eSIM started working, Sahana expertly navigated us to the right platform from where we took a train heading towards Cockfosters. Cockfosters? Really? We both looked at each other and laughed. We found our hotel and were thrilled to discover that Virginia Woolf and Leonard Woolf lived at the premise of our hotel from 1924 till 1939. Our literary tour started with a bang.

We checked in, dropped our bags, splashed some water on our faces and ran out to explore the British Museum. It was already late afternoon and the museum closed within a few hours. It was just a few blocks from the hotel but the line to enter the museum was long. Would we make it in time? We joined the queue anyway. We made it.

What can I write about the British museum and what it houses? It was fascinating, mind boggling, anger provoking (for someone who belongs to a former colony of England and whose treasures were forcefully taken and now are exhibited in this foreign museum)……I am honestly running out of words to express how we felt as we stood in front of exhibits that have survived thousands of years. Our first stop was the Rosetta Stone. We stood there in silence for a while, unable to fathom the reality that we were truly in front of the object that unlocked the mystery of an ancient civilization and through which we could glean so much information about the ancient Egyptians.

We made our way to the Indian exhibits, Roman, Grecian, and of course, Egyptian.

As the guards started telling the visitors that it was time to close, we made our way out of the museum – speechless, sated, and also dazed.

And then started our endless walks. We walked all the way to Soho, ate delicious fish and chips, steak and ale pie, and sticky toffee pudding. Walked back to the hotel and crashed.

The next morning we left early and took the tube to a station close to the Tower of London. But we needed food to fortify us so we could spend hours touring the Tower. It was very early on a Sunday morning, and none of the restaurants or cafes were open so we had to make do with a very ordinary breakfast at a hotel and then walked the entire length of the Tower bridge. The Tower of London was not open yet.

We toured the Tower of London for over 4 hours. We spent the first hour listening to the fascinating albeit horrifying and gory history of the Tower told by a witty Yeoman Warder.

The Yeoman Warders have guarded the Tower since its construction and they guard the Tower still. After spending so many hours at the Tower, both of us were depleted of energy and needed sustenance pronto, which came in the form of delicious crepes sold right in front of the Tower. With crepes in hand we started walking towards the City of London or Londinium. Londinium or Roman London is believed to be the capital of Roman Britain during Roman rule. We sat in front of the Guildhall for a while to rest our legs and then went in the Guildhall where we saw the ruins of a Roman amphitheater which existed beneath the Guildhall. The number of centuries buried beneath the city is fascinating. We took our time exploring the area till our jetlagged bodies needed some spurt of energy to continue going. And strong coffee from a nearby Pret a Manger provided just that.

After a coffee break and a water break, we continued to walk till we found ourselves in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral. While we took in the beauty of the magnificent church, both Sahana and I paid close attention to the Bengali spoken by a family walking near us. We both looked at each other with joy. We heard Bangla! That would become quite commonplace during the entirety of our travel as many people from our part of the world travel to England to tour (or live) and we would hear Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and other Indian languages a lot. From St. Paul’s we walked to Leadenhall market (which failed to impress us), the Monument to the Great Fire of London. Then we slowly meandered across the (unimpressive) London Bridge and found a great Chinese restaurant for some very satisfying noodles.

The final act of the day was watching a performance of Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. We walked through Borough Market as we made our way to Globe Theater. Unfortunately, the market was closed. We would have loved to explore this open air market. It seemed fun.

The performance at Globe Theater and the Globe Theater itself were everything that we had hoped for. The theater and the way it is set up did give us an idea how audience enjoyed theater at the time of Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet is one of my least favorite among Shakespeare’s plays, but the performance gave me goosebumps. The environment, the iconic theater, the bard’s words, and the expertise of the actors – everything was superb. Sahana and I left the theater starry eyed and completely mesmerized. As we walked to a train station through the quiet Borough market, we animatedly discussed the play and the theater till we saw a fox stealing food from a rubbish bin right in front of us. A fox! In the middle of the city of London!

We came back to our hotel completely exhausted, completely satisfied, and so very happy that we were on this journey together. Mother and daughter discovering a new country where many of their idols in literature lived, experienced, felt, wrote.

We were leaving for Edinburgh next morning. I will write about our Edinburgh experience in the next blog. I will end this blog with our step count because we had fun looking at our steps and the number of miles we walked.

Average steps in London: 69,894

Miles: 27.94

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 6

I have written this blog many times in my head but didn’t have the inclination to actually type the words onto the blog site. I have gone to Rosa Blanca (in my mind) off San Cristobal island to escape from all that is happening around me. I have gone there to sit quietly and listen to the sounds of silence as the quiet waters of the bay tickled my feet and our guide Miguel softly talked to me about his experience with Indians and the teachings of Bhagavad Gita.

Lets start at the beginning. We left San Cristobal in the morning on a boat to snorkel in Pink Blanca which is characterized by scattered small beaches and a main large beach located in the center of the bay teeming with marine life like white tip sharks, rays, and sea turtles. The day was picture perfect. The sun was golden, the water was aquamarine and the temperature seemed ideal. While everyone got in the water to snorkel, I sat on the shore with my feet touching the water. Miguel, our guide for the day, was a soft speaking man who did not seem too interested in watching the snorkeling tourists. He wanted to talk to me. He started by asking where I was coming from. When he heard I was originally from India, he opened up and talked about the Hindu philosophy, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. I was surprised by the depth of his knowledge – this Ecuadorian man who spent many years in USA was quoting Bhagavad Gita? He revealed that he worked closely with some Indian scientists who came to the Galapagos for their research and Miguel was their guide for an extended period of time. Miguel and I talked about the need for silence in a world where everyone is talking, the need for stillness when everyone is on the go. He took the job of a guide in the National parks in the Galapagos because here he found his escape. Yes, he takes the tourists to the sights where most of them want to snorkel and then move on to the next attraction. But Miguel sometimes finds someone like me who just wants to sit and and savor the beauty of all that is around us. I told him I find myself close to my parents when I am amidst nature. I like to think their indestructible energy is now part of everything that is beautiful. Miguel seemed convinced that they are indeed part of the great unknown. Life doesn’t end. As we were talking, our voices quiet in reverence to the quiet around us, broken occasionally by the elated shout of a tourist who saw an exotic marine life, I saw a white tip shark glide close to me. Miguel said since I did not go to see the shark, it came to see me. While conversing with Miguel, I shrieked once when a red crab scrambled over my unsuspecting hand. Other than one shout, I sat their with my new found friend watching sea turtles swim close by, sharks, colorful fish.

Once the tourists finished their snorkeling, we went to the most beautiful beach that I have ever seen in my life. Rosa Blanca’s sand was powdery and white. I have never experienced this feeling of touching such fine sand. I don’t have many pictures of this beach as Ryan’s camera malfunctioned and he wasn’t able to transfer the million photos that I took.

The sea was very rough so the captain of the boat decided to skip one of the beaches and go straight to Kicker Rock so my family and others in the boat could snorkel. When we arrived at the Kicker Rock, the sun’s rays hit the rock in such a way that the Rock seemed resplendent. Although the sea was scary, brave souls jumped into the churning sea to see marine life. I tried to keep my eyes on Sean and Ryan but soon they swam (or pulled, I don’t know) far away from the boat. Miguel said that this group was very competitive and I agreed. They wanted the full adventure and adrenaline. I was content to see the beauty of the sunlight that made the Kicker Rock glow. I sat on the boat rocking gently, feeling incredibly blessed to be present at the moment, witnessing the splendor of nature. There were some blue-footed boobies flying around, we saw some colorful fish swim by and a couple of graceful sea turtles. Sean and Ryan came back overjoyed. Ryan had seemed a little hesitant jumping into a rough sea but he felt good that he overcame his fear and was rewarded by witnessing several fish, shark, rays, gorgeous schools of fish. He even swam with a turtle. According to Miguel, the Kicker Rock looks like a giant sleeping lion, but honestly, I couldn’t see the shape of a lion. I kept thinking of Indiana Jones movies – Harrison Ford bravely going into those rocks to solve a mystery and discover treasure.

After Kicker Rock, we had some cool watermelon and cookies on the boat as we headed back to San Cristobal. When we docked and landed, I shook Miguel’s hand and he took mine in both his hands and said, “It was a pleasure, Madam.” It was.

When my anxiety soars and I feel like I may lose control, I force my mind to go to the island. I focus on the crash of the waves, the bird sounds, my feet in the cool water, the white tip shark slowly gliding by, the mesmerizing grace of the sea turtle, the playful sea lions and the pristine beach of Rosa Blanca. Those memories ground me. I finally wrote them down.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 4

One thing about the Galapagos was that we never had bad weather. I would open my eyes, look out of the window of the hotel and be dazzled by clear blue sky, a few errant fluffy clouds, and golden sunshine.

On the fourth day, our morning was free as we were going to meet our guide for Los Tuneles snorkeling tour at 11:20 am at our lobby. The tour agency who had arranged our trip suggested we take the morning to go visit flamingos in Flamingo Lagoon which was no more than 10 minutes walk from our hotel. So we did and were rewarded with a body of water filled with these pink, long legged, graceful birds either looking for food or just being – still, stoic. Just standing there looking at the flamingos and the stillness evoked a sense of calm. There was no one around us, not a sound. It was just the three of us and a lagoon full of birds.

We met our guide for the day, Carlos. at the dock who took us on a boat and explained to us about dry landing and wet landing before we started our journey to the lava tunnels under water where we were going to be snorkeling to see the various species of marine life of the Galapagos. Before we went to the dock, we were taken to a store to get wet suits and snorkeling gear. I am not a swimmer and very uncomfortable in water but I was determined to try snorkeling so I took my gear as well. Again, after an hour or so we arrived at the tunnels, the captain cut the engine and Carlos asked us to suit up and jump in.

I jumped in after Sean and immediately suffered a panic attack. It was in the middle of the ocean. I am claustrophobic. I had never snorkeled in my life and when the snorkel clamped my nose my brain panicked. I climbed back on the boat while the others went away from it to see the various forms of life under water. A universe that exists with all its splendor but we don’t get to see it unless we go on such snorkeling or scuba diving trips. The group was gone for more than 45 minutes and when they came back their excitement was palpable. They swam with sea turtles, dance with sea lions, and ducked way down to see white tip sharks at the sandy bottom. Even stoic Ryan kept saying “That was something else.”

While I was waiting for them on the boat, I saw a few sea turtles lazily swim by me. The most fun to witness was how a sea lion was playing with two snorkelers right next to our boat. Two young men were bobbing up and down near us, looking out for the sea lion. The sea lion popped up near them, turned its head to see where they were and slid under water again to encircle them. It was so clear that he was playing with the two humans. When the group was gone I sat by myself on the boat, lamenting my lack of confidence in water but I looked around me and gave thanks. I was sitting on a gently rocking boat in crystal clear, aquamarine water, under a brilliant blue sky. Everything was quiet, still. I could hear my thoughts and the occasional birdsong. Sea turtles floated by gently, gracefully. Colorful fish came close to the surface, perhaps to show me their beauty as a consolation prize. I felt lucky.

When the group came back, we had lunch on the boat. The lunches on the boats were very basic, somewhat plain so that folks with sea sickness had no trouble when the boats sailed. The fare was again plain rice, salad, boiled potatoes, and sautéed tuna steak with fresh lime. But before lunch, the boat took us to another spot for snorkeling only 15 minutes away from the first spot.

After lunch we went to see the lava rock formation on land. We all embarked from the speed boat and made our way on the sharp lava rocks. The Italian family who were with us on the boat said the lava tunnels resembled the bridges in Venice. We looked at the tunnels again and agreed. We looked down at the clear water to see more sea turtles gently gliding away, colorful fish, of course. The cutest, however, was a baby blue-footed boobie whose feet had not turned blue (it had not eaten enough fresh fish containing the pigment carotenoids) but it was just a matter of time. The baby sat there very close to us and our guide kept reminding us not to get too close to it. The baby exhibited no fear for the humans, which made me very happy. The parents sat a little distance away, perhaps to take a break from constantly feeding their very hungry baby. We also saw two Great Blue Heron siblings in a next, their necks extended, awaiting the return of their parents. They looked at us as we passed by them with relative calm. That is the ambiance I remember in the islands – in the people, nature, animals. Even when the sea lions fought with each other for a better spot on the docks to sleep, their fights lasted for a minute or two before they fell into deep sleep again.

I am an anxious person with constantly tight shoulders. On the islands, amidst this stillness, I felt my shoulders relax.

After the walk on the lava arcs, and the unforgettable experience, we were dropped off at our hotel. We strolled along the streets of beautiful Isabela island after dinner, taking in the daily lives of the islanders. We came across a small stadium, brightly lit up and packed with people, cheering on a two teams of senior volley ballers. We learnt that soccer and volley ball were the two major sports in Ecuador along with cycling. Volleyball definitely attracted the islanders as men, women, and children came together to cheer on the teams. We took the long way back to the hotel, looking at the twinkling lights of the restaurants that were away from the main thoroughfare and some tourists like us who were sitting at the tables looking at photos of their days on the phone.

On the fifth day we went kayaking.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 3

26 year old, medical school drop out, young Charles Darwin landed on San Cristobal Island on September 16, 1835 and stayed in the Galapagos for two months visiting Isabela, Floreana, Santiago and of course, San Cristobal. He was an observer of nature on the British ship HMS Beagle and it was in Galapagos, by observing the variety of birds, animals, and vegetation, Darwin formulated his theory of evolution.

On the 3rd day of our trip, we met Caesar (who introduced us to the giant tortoises) at the lobby of our hotel and walked with him to Charles Darwin Research Center. The walk from our hotel took about 20 minutes. Our reward, once we arrived, was not only observing and hearing about the fantastic initiatives that scientists are taking to preserve the tortoise population but also the viewing of several baby tortoises whose lives are safe now from predators. The shells of the babies were marked with different colors to delineate which island they came from.

And we saw saddleback tortoises. The islands were named ‘Insulae de los de Galapagos’ or ‘Islands of the Tortoises’ due to the unique, saddle-shaped shells of the giant tortoises found there. And we saw them!

We also saw a mockingbird which are endemic to the islands.

After our visit to the research center, Caesar asked us if we wanted to eat good lunch at an inexpensive place. He took us to a restaurant where we ate lentil soup, rice and beans, and fresh tuna steaks along with fresh juice for $6.00. We invited Caesar to join us and learned about his life, his concerns about the government of Ecuador and his dismay at not enough being done for the people of the islands.

At 2:10 pm, a very nice lady, Ida, met us at the lobby of our hotel to bring us to the dock to board a speedboat to transfer to Isabela Island. The boat ride took about 2 hours. We had to sit inside, it was hot, and the sea was choppy. I was afraid I might get nauseous but I focused my eyes on the horizon and somehow escaped unscathed from the uncomfortable ride. At Isabela island, we paid $10.00 in entrance fee, dodged sleeping sea lions and walked till the end of the pier to find our ride. Our driver was waiting for us. We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel to spend the evening by ourselves.

After settling into our hotel, Sean, Ryan, and I walked towards the beach. We were awestruck by how beautiful the water looked once the setting sun’s rays hit the gentle waves. We found a restaurant by the beach and sat on the tables set by the sand for our dinner. I still remember the feeling of awe at the splendor of our first sunset at Isabela islands. I think that is my favorite island in the Galapagos.

After dinner, we walked around the beach and the big Christmas tree in the town center. And we petted every dog that crossed our paths. Isabela island, I found, to the least touristy and commercial than all the others we visited and it still evokes a warm, cozy feeling as I remember it.

The following day was going to be full of snorkeling adventures so we went back to the hotel to get some well deserved rest.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 2

On the second day on Santa Cruz island, we met our guide, Meriam Leon in front of the Tortuga Bay on Charles Darwin street and got on a tour bus for about a 40 minute ride back to the Itabaca Channel to board the Espanola Yacht for our day long Seymour tour. We sailed for about 45 minutes to North Seymour and boarded a dinghy that took us to an arid island inhabited only by frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, seals, sea lions, land iguanas, lizards, swallow tail gulls….

The walk, according to our guide, would take no more than 20 minutes but she wanted us to take it all in and not hurry. She did say that we should not be on the island for more than an hour so that other groups can have their opportunity to visit. We ended up staying for a little longer, and went back with images of male frigate birds displaying their vibrant red-throat pouches to attract the ladies, baby frigates peeking out behind their mamas showing us their fuzzy heads, a single blue-footed boobie, colorful lizards darting along the trail and iguanas moving like dinosaurs turning to look at us with stretched lips that almost looked like grins. I have never witnessed such a scene- birds and reptiles relatively unafraid of human presence. We were respectful. We were visitors on their land. We kept our voices down, we did not divulge from the marked trail and we kept respectful distance from the birds and animals.

As we headed back to the dinghy, Sean told me to stop moving, Ryan started laughing and I got nervous. Sean started taking photos of me while saying “Don’t move! Don’t move!”

“What is it? Do I have a bug on my head? Is it a tarantula? Oh my god, what is it?”

The others in the group also stopped in front of me and started wowing. Finally, I saw the photos and realized that I was the chosen one. A lovely grasshopper perched on my head. I actually held still till it flew away on its own accord.

I want to mention the delightful lunch that the staff at the yacht prepared for us. Once we returned to the yacht, we were offered lunch which constituted of white rice, boiled potatoes with queso on top, a simple salad of cabbage and tomatoes with fresh lime, and delectable tuna steak sautéed on a pan. For dessert there were slices of sweet watermelon. This simple fare was immensely satisfying and although we ate many good meals during our 10 day stay in Ecuador, I still fondly remember this lunch.

After lunch, we headed toward a beach for snorkeling. The water was crystal clear but I heard they couldn’t see much as people kicked up the sediment with their flippers as they swam. I did not snorkel since I don’t know how to swim and I am uncomfortable in water. While the group snorkeled, I went for a walk by myself till I came to a quiet inlet. There I saw a solitary flamingo deeply focused in getting his food. I stood there awhile, surrounded by sand, water, greenery and a solitary flamingo. That particular moment is ingrained in my head – a moment of communing between me and a bird that I will never see again. The flamingo was not even aware of my presence and I felt humbled to have the chance to stand there watching him.

The island of birds and reptiles, the crystal clear, aquamarine water, the flamingo in that quiet inlet, a heron sitting completely still; a stillness that very few of us can imbibe within us…. all these have stayed with me. I worry that memory may fade away with time so I am documenting it here. Maybe, in a few years, if I read this blog, I will relive the moment again.

On the 3rd day, we went to see the Charles Darwin Center and learned about the conservation work that many scientists are doing. We also saw saddleback tortoises and the baby tortoises that the staff of Charles Darwin Center are raising to release in the wild when they are five or six years old. But that blog is for tomorrow.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 1

We left enchanting Quito on the morning of December 27th and arrived at Baltra airport a little after 1:15 pm. We were, fortunately, not left stranded here as a man from the tour company, Rebecca Adventures, greeted us at the airport and accompanied us for a 10 minute bus ride to the Itabaca Channel. From there we took a short ferry that took us to the Santa Cruz island and it was at the channel that we encountered our first brown pelican, boldly fishing right next to the boat we were on.

Once we crossed the channel, a pick up truck drove us to meet our guide for the day, Caesar. Almost 70 year old, Caesar was friendly, pleasant, energetic, well-informed and clearly extremely proud of his birthplace. As he drove us to see one of the several lava tunnels that dot the island of Santa Cruz he identified for us the flora, fauna, and different species of animals, reptiles, birds that are either native or endemic to Galapagos. Once we arrived at the tunnels, we got to see a couple of regulars – two barn owls who come to a cozy room to rest. The tunnels were short and well lit. An area was so narrow that we had to get on all fours and even crawl a bit to get to the other side.

After the tunnels, Caesar drove us to a ranch for a delectable lunch and then to meet with the much awaited giant tortoises.

I had read about these ancient creatures and seen pictures of them but seeing them in real time was an experience I am not going to forget. Many of them were over 100 years old. They were staid, steady, gentle. I felt humbled in their presence. Time seemed to slow down as we watched them eat the vegetation. They deliberately, slowly tore the grass, chewed them and went back to tear more. There was a slow rhythm to their movements that seemed almost hypnotic. I felt I could stand there and watch them do the same activity for hours. And as they ate, sometimes they exhaled with a gentle hmmmmmm….sound. That, to me, seemed almost meditative. Caesar is in love with these creatures and his love for them is evident in the knowledge and respect that he has for them. He introduced them as his friends. He has known some of them for over 40 years and has even named them as Caesar 1, Caesar 2, Caesar 3…till Caesar 8. And all these Caesars seemed to recognize the human Caesar’s voice. They heard his voice and raised their heads to pose for him. He introduced us to them and spoke to them as friends, asking how they were doing. Birds like Warbler Finches and Darwin’s Finches were flitting around, eating the seeds from the poop of tortoises, and the fleas and ticks on their bodies. Caesar explained to us the symbiotic relationship of all the birds, reptiles and animals in that natural habitat that keep the cycle of life intact. Endangering one species will tip the scale causing enormous damage to the whole system. We knew that theoretically, but seeing the cycle in action was a true revelation.

After spending a few hours with the tortoises, we were driven to our hotel in Puerto Ayora. Once we settled in, splashed water on our faces and cleaned up, we went out to the happening street Charles Darwin Street where all the restaurants, shops are. And there were sea lions fighting on the dock! The sea lions just claimed any bench or space on these islands and humans made space for them. We encountered the sea lions for the first time and we were super excited. During the course of our stay in the islands, these sightings became so common place that we almost took them for granted. The cutest were the little baby sea lions suckling or waddling behind their mamas.

Huge Christmas tree, lights, music – the merry ambiance made us forget that Christmas was over. In Puerto Ayora, the celebration continued.

We were expected to meet our guide at 7:45 am at Tortuga Bay to board a bus and then a boat to go to North Seymour for a day trip so we found a place to eat dinner and walked back to our hotel to get some sleep. I dreamt of tortoises.

Old Town, Quito

We finally cleared immigration and reached the gates of the Quito airport after 1:00 am. Booking.com had provided us with a complimentary taxi ride to our hotel in the heart of Old Town so we weren’t too concerned about finding a taxi at that time of the night. Someone would wait for us with a sign, right? Wrong. There were a few names held up by several drivers, but none of them was ours. Sean had the number of our driver, he messaged him. The driver wrote back that booking.com told him the wrong date so he was at the airport the previous night. He was very sorry and didn’t know what to tell us. We were tired, cranky, and extremely frustrated. There were taxis outside so we got an airport taxi around 1:30 am and headed to the heart of the town about 27 kms away in the middle of the night in a completely unknown city. Our driver was a 34 year old man named Henry and he turned out to be the sweetest individual whom we hired to take us places for the entirety of our stay in Quito. One of the best experiences for me when I travel is to meet individuals whom I never would have met if I had not made the trip. Henry was one such soul that I am honored to meet; full of interesting questions, full of music, dance, and laughter. Henry brought us safely to our hotel, Hotel San Francisco De Quito in Old Town, Quito. While the rooms and facilities are basic and clean, the hotel is set in a 17th century restored house located in the town center which is designated by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage site. We found the courtyard and the decor to be beautiful.

We finally went to bed around 3 am, slept in and missed breakfast which was included in our hotel price. We went out to beautiful Plaza San Francisco, one of the iconic and historic plazas of Quito with the impressive San Francisco Church set against the majestic Pichincha Volcano.

We were starving at this point so we decided to eat breakfast and explore the church.

I am a lover of churches from an aesthetic point of view so I dragged Ryan and Sean to all the beautiful churches that dotted the narrow and historic, cobblestoned alleyways of Old Town, Quito. My favorite was the The Basilica Del Voto Nacional. According to https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/ecuador/quito/articles/the-most-beautiful-historic-churches-in-quito, this is the largest of all Quito’s churches, inspired by Bourges Cathedral of France. It was a steep (for me) hike to reach the basilica. While the boys marched ahead, I stopped several times to catch my breath and look at the shops on both sides of the street. But once I arrived at the basilica, the beauty and the majestic stature of the building made me stop in my tracks. The basilica is technically unfinished and according to several sites that I read, if the basilica is ever finished, the world will come to an end. So it is better for humanity if the basilica remains a work in progress. Here I conquered my fear of heights and climbed high up the spires and was rewarded with a spectacular view of Quito from the top.

We also stopped to admire the intricate gold leaf covering of La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús. The design was so ornate and visually striking.

After visiting the Santo Domingo Church and Church of San Augustine, we were ready for some chocolate experience. I was thrilled to try the chocolates. Even vegan Sean enjoyed his almond milk hot chocolate drink and Ryan ordered two different kinds of treats.

After a little rest in the afternoon, we went to Calle La Ronda for dinner. Again, according to theculturetrip.com, the origin of La Ronda dates back to the time of Incas before the Spaniards in 16th century. The curving and steep lane has a alluring ambiance with the floral balconies of the residential houses, the twinkling lights of the restaurants offering local and international cuisine and shops selling local artifacts. I was eyeing the beautiful ponchos but since we travel only with carry-ons, I had no space in my luggage to bring one home.

After a sumptuous dinner at a gorgeous restaurant where we were the only diners (we went early) we headed back to the hotel and to our beds as we were exhausted. Next morning, our friend Henry came earlier than we had asked him to, to pick us up and bring us to the airport. He messaged Sean saying that he had come early so we could have peace of mind. And he was in no rush, we should take our time. He said to Sean (he didn’t speak any English so I felt like I missed out on conversing with him) that he was thankful for giving him work.

We had our breakfast in beautiful Quito airport and boarded our Avianca flight to head to paradise, or in other words, the Galapagos Islands. Our first destination was Santa Cruz Island to meet the giant tortoises.