Namibia was the 7th country on our 4 month trip travelling across Africa and, so far, we had had the best time of our lives.
As we were coming close to the end of our overland trip, we decided to have a meal out with the tour group rather than cook food out of the truck for a change. It was after a day of skydiving so everyone’s adrenaline was pumping and we were all in high spirits as we headed off to a little Italian restaurant.
One thing I knew I wanted to do before I even got to Australia was visiting the set of my favourite TV soap, Home and Away. (And I don’t care what you Aussies say, Home and Away is great and so much better than the crappy soaps we get over here so shush 😛 )
After an exhausting 2 and a half weeks travelling around the busy, noisy and dusty cities of North India, arriving at Marari Villas was like stepping into a whole different world. A small resort in the quiet beach village of Mararikulam in Kerala, Marari Villas was exactly the bit of luxury and relaxation we needed to end our trip with.
While I plan all our trips and Alex just goes along with whatever I say (who says there’s no such thing as the perfect man?!), I had told Alex absolutely nothing about this place. I knew how good it was and I wanted to see his face when he realised this.
One of my favourite parts of planning a trip is choosing the accommodation. It might only be somewhere to lay your head but in countries with a big culture shock or noisy streets, your room provides you with your own little bubble of privacy and calm and, for me at least, it’s somewhere I can retreat to and relax at the end of a long and tiring day of exploring, so the accommodation is an important part of travel for me.
I like to think I know what to pack when I go on trips. I do hours of research and make hundreds of lists, and travel experience also helps in knowing what to take. I’m proud to say I’ve never once forgotten anything and found myself desperately in need of it when away. (Okay so there was the time when I forgot my bra and had to turn back around when half way to the airport but that was totally Alex’s fault. And yes it was a much needed piece of underwear!)
But India is in a league of its own when it comes to what you need to take with you.
I don’t believe in the whole New Year’s resolutions thing or in making the next year better than the last. I believe in making the most of every day, not every year. But I would be lying if I said that 2013 wasn’t a fantastic year.
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” Tony Robbins
I’m the type of person who likes to live life to the fullest and make the most of every day. If I could, I’d travel the world, see every corner of the earth and do everything out there there is to do, but sometimes, with a mortgage, bills to pay and a full time job that can be a bit difficult. I was getting fed up of having the same routine – wake up, work, home, eat, sleep, with the occasional night out or trip to the cinema and I wanted to do something more exciting around the normality of a routine life.
Mama Ayla's Adventures 