“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable” | Joseph Addison
Here are some smiles I’ve picked up along my travels, from people from all walks of life; some who don’t always have much to smile about, but they smile all the same.
There isn’t a single place in the world I’ve been to that I haven’t loved in one way or another, and every time I leave a place I almost always tell myself that I’ll make it back there one day. But with so many incredible places to see in the world, I usually try go somewhere new, as I love to explore other countries, learn about different cultures and try new things. I get caught up in new places and ticking things off my bucket list but, while the places that I’ve already visited and loved so dearly turn into a distant memory, they are never forgotten.
I know I talk about animals a lot but there is a reason for that…animals are simply great. There is no doubt about it that every single animal is fascinating in its own way and even though I spend a lot of my spare time with them when I volunteer at London Zoo and with my own pets at home, there is still some sort of magnetic pull wherever I am in the world that has me heading straight for the nearest fluffy nosed creature around.
So when I heard that Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, the UK’s first cat cafe, opened up in London earlier this year there was no doubt that I had to go.
India is full of such diverse landscapes from huge bustling crowed cities, snowy mountains, the dusty orange deserts, rolling green hills and white sandy beaches. Every new place we explored seemed like it was in a whole other world to the place we’d just come from and I loved everywhere for each different sight it offered.
The Thar Desert was one of the highlights of our time travelling around this incredible country. Just outside the desert city of Jaisalmer, our home for the night was a gorgeous (if freezing) luxury tent.
We’re already half way through 2014 and, even though it’s whizzing by so fast it’ll be Christmas again soon, I can’t really complain as I’ve had a fantastic year so far. 2014 started out in one of the most memorable ways – seeing in the New Year with celebrations on the beach in Kerala during our travels around the crazy but beautiful India. More travels in Belgium, Edinburgh and South America followed, as well as lots of fun adventures in London. I’ve been thrilled to have won a couple of awards including Low Cost Holiday’s Best Female Blogger Award 2014 and a Liebster Award.
I was expecting a dusty little wooden hut full of biting insects for our stay in the Amazon, but when we arrived we found a lovely bungalow hidden in the depths of the rainforest, just a few steps from the Amazon River.
While we were wandering around Lima, we came across Kennedy Park, a pretty green area nestled in the district of Miraflores. This is now my favourite park in the world – not because of the abundance of green grass for people to relax on in the sunshine and not even because of the people that gather to dance to the Peruvian music – but because of the cats. The park is home to an array of cats who roam around, finding shelter amongst the flowers, climbing the trees to hide from lively children, and trying to pinch some food from people having picnics.
The last few weeks have been pretty crazy and I haven’t had much time to sleep let alone keep you all updated on my adventures!
Since Belgium, which was only last month but seems like a lot longer ago now, I’ve been pretty much non-stop. And what with jetting off to South America this weekend (woohooooooooo!!!), it would be impossible for me to tell you about it all before I go. You are such an inconvenience South America 😉 So, I’ve managed to condense my latest adventures into this one post to give you an idea of what I’ve been getting up to lately.
Sitting still doesn’t come naturally to me. After a day of relaxing on a beach, my feet start twitching, and I’m ready to get up and start exploring.
All the travelling to reach new destinations can sometimes take it’s toll. I don’t even want to think about the ludicrous amount of hours I’ve spent waiting at airports or train stations; the number of times I’ve rushed in a panic to catch a flight; the amount of delays that have frustrated me, and the hours of sleep I’ve lost to jet leg; the irritation of bartering over prices for a local taxi, tuk tuk or bus; the air miles I could have earned if only I had been clever enough to sign up in the first place; and all the plane food I’ve consumed (and yes, I’m one of those rare few people who actually enjoys plane food. It’s food…what’s not to like?!).
I love Spring, when the weather gets warmer, the smell of fresh rain and cut grass drifts through the air and colourful flowers are in abundance. Everyone seems that little bit happier and, in London, you may even get the odd smile from a passerby.
The cherry blossoms that dot the trees are my favourite, bright pink or white, giving a normally dull looking street a burst of colour. On my trip to Edinburgh this weekend, the view from outside the guest house we stayed at was beautiful. Not only could did we have a brilliant view of the Castle right at the end of the street, but the road was also lined with pink cherry blossoms, making it look like a pretty picture from a Scottish fairytale.
Mama Ayla's Adventures 