Rome in Feb

Quick Summary

So after a baby-break, we had our next vacation. The baby changes a lot but with some planning and adjustments you can still "rome" around.  This trip was an 5 day city break in Rome. Some things that went into the planning.

• We added the extra day to the trip with the idea that we should keep it relaxed with a 7 month old. 
• Picked a place in center of all attractions which made it easier to walk
• Picked an apartment/suite as opposed to an hotel
• Avoided most evenings as the little one slept earlier

When 

End of February. This is not peak season but there is still busy. Weather was good during the day (around 18 deg C). This time does have some rain and so you may get a few days of that. Nights do get colder and it drops to 10 deg C

Itinerary

Day 1 (Thu) - Arrive late afternoon and walk to the Basicilica
Day 2 (Fri) - Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Pantheon & Piazza Navona
Day 3 (Sat) - Castel San Angelo & Vatican Museums
Day 4 (Sun) - Colosseum,  Roman Forums & Trevi Fountain
Day 5 (Mon) - St Peter's Basilica,  Piazza Venezia & Shopping
Day 6 (Tue) - Breakfast and flights home

Where we stayed

Charmsuite Roma Raffaello

We decided to stay in center of Rome and walk to most attractions. This helps with the baby as well and you can come back to the hotel mid-day for a quick break.  The rooms were nice and there is a small kitchen with fridge and microwave.  There are also restaurants right below. The only gotcha was the elevator which seemed to be flaky. It was only one floor and you could work around it.

Transportation

We decided not to rent a car and that worked out fine. Driving in central Rome does not look like fun. We walked to most places and used Taxi/Uber for longer distances.

Food

There are lots of places around the center.  If you are a vegetarian, the choices are limited but there is enough to get by. You can also order on foodora.it if you are in center of Rome. If you live in an apartment like we did, you also have the option to cook small meals.

Day 1

We landed in Rome around noon and took a taxi to our hotel. The airport is quite far from the center city and so be prepared for a 30-45 min ride and a 45 Euro bill. The route is interesting as you start with a conventional sprawling city and the scenery slowly but surely changes to lovely Roman architecture and roads of cobbled stones. We settled into our apartment and our surroundings. We did a few walks nearby and ended the day with some shopping for baby items and groceries.

Day 2

Day started as a rainy day and so we want to do something indoors. However, as the day progressed it was less rainy than predicted.  We did a quick tour of Museo di Roma in Trastevere which we would not recommend as it was not worth the time and money.  Next up, we visited the Pantheon which is a must see. There are quite a few restaurants in front of the Pantheon and so we ended up having lunch there. In more busier seasons, it is probably hard to get a table but in Feb, it was fine.  We then walked to Piazza Navona, had some coffee and retired to our apartments.  Dinner was a takeaway from a Kebab house nearby.

Day 3

Day 3 was the busiest and started with a trip to Castel San Angelo which is the Mausoleum of Hadrian. It is quite a nice structure with lots of old construction still preserved.  There are lots of stairs here and so it advised to not bring a baby stroller. We used a baby carrier and it worked out fine. The roof top is a must see and it gives some spectacular views of the city. We the went to the Vatican Museums which we pre-booked on the Internet. This is highly advised as the lines can be very long. Pre-booking saves about 2 hours on most days. We took the baby stroller with us but generally these places are crowded and so avoid them if you can.  We started from the Sistine Chapel which in hindsight was not a great place to start as you end up walking all over the museum.  If you follow the normal route, you go through galleries and end up in the chapel.  This museum is quite large and has lots of different collections. Depending on your appetite for such stuff, you can spend lot of time here.  We ended the day by having an awesome dinner and wine at the local restaurant.

Day 4

Day 4 was spent mostly in the colosseum and the Roman Forum. Both are spectacular in their own rights. The colosseum is not stroller friendly but there isn't much to walk.  There are few stairs if you want to go to level 2.  The Roman Forum has lots of areas to walk and roam. You can easily spend half a day here and bring a lunch picnic or something.  On hotter days, this can be tiring and so come prepared with hydration. There are some vending machines inside but no cafe. Evening was then spent walking to Trevi fountain which is a lovely and newer architecture. The place around Trevi is quite crowded and be prepared for that.  There is no shortage of gellato or coffee shops around it and do give them a visit.

Day 5

We had planned on visiting the St Peter's Basilica in the hope that it would be less crowded but there was a really long line. We decided to skip it and take it easy. We roamed around several of the streets and visited several of the shops.  Coffee, gelato & Pizza were all part of the day :-)

General Tips

• Language is not a big problem as most places do speak some English. 
• In Feb/March, be prepared for rain.
• Some streets look isolated and residential but don't be fooled by it. Often one turn and you have suddenly landed in a street with cafes and restaurants
• Be careful on the side streets as traffic is rare but can be a mix of taxis and fast two wheelers 
• Baby Tips
• Most places are stroller friendly but few tips. Vatican museums allow it but it can be crowded, and, best to avoid it. St Peter's Basicila does not allow strollers and so you will need to leave it outside. The roads are cobbled stones and so will be bumpy but this actually puts the baby to sleep easily
• Some restaurants had a high chair but not all did

Tenerife winter sun in 4 days

Quick Summary

The main aim from this holiday was a relaxing, sun filled break. Because we are having a baby, we had to limit ourselves to the pregnancy friendly activities. This trip was perfect for that and because it was a bit off season it was also value for money.

When 

March 2nd week. This is a off season by any standards and so you get decent deals. Weather was great during the day (around 20 deg C). There were some clouds but clear blue skies greeted us everyday. Once the sun went down, it got colder (around 10-15 deg C).

Itinerary

Day 1 - Travel in and sit at the Beach
Day 2 - Dolphins and whales
Day 3 - Mount Teide and Las Americas
Day 4 - Goodbye to sun and trip back

Where we stayed

H10 Costa Adejo

After a bit of research, we stayed at Costa Adejo. The general feedback was that places like Las Americas are more party friendly and Costa Adejo seemed like a good place for some quiet fun. In hindsight, we should have stayed in Las Americas or Fanabe. Costa Adejo is great place to be but so are other areas like Las Americas.  The benefit of staying in a place like Las Americas, is that you much more places you could walk too.  Costa Adejo is nice and secluded and you have nice beach walks. But if you need to travel somewhere you need a bus or car.
Good:

• Great breakfast which was included
• Nice cosy rooms
• Staff were good but we did not have any issues
• Free shuttle to Las Americas

Bad:

• A bit away from most places. Note, it is not completely isolated. There are about 2-3 restaurants nearby and grocery stores as well.

Transportation

We decided not to rent a car and that worked out fine. Not having to drive in a foreign land is less stressful. However, if you are looking to cover more territory and want to do it cheaper and quicker, a car is a better choice. Driving seems fairly easy as the roads were well built and with good signs everywhere.

Food

The food in Tenerife seems to cater to the tourists. There are lots of Italian and American food places. If you are a vegetarian, the choices are limited but there is enough to get by. Being close to the coast also means there is lots of sea food.

Day 1

Travel into Tenerife.  Taxi from Airport (did not prebook, took one from the taxi stand) is around 25 Euros. Sit at the beach.

Day 2

We took the Royal Delfin tour  and it was a great experience as we got to see Dolphins and Whales in the wild just 30 min into the open sea. There are loads of whales and dolphins which call this part of the ocean home so it seems you are guaranteed to see some for sure. Also, they boat had a glass bottom viewing area to view the whales and dolphins under water. The tour operator was quite good and they also provided drinks and lunch as part of the trip. This was well worth the cost of trip.  If you have the choice, take the 2 hour tour. The 3 hour one which we took has a half hour for an ocean swim and in March that is not that ideal because it is not that hot.

Rest of Day 2 was another relaxing stroll and dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 3

The highlight was Mount Teide. It is 3718 meters high and is the highest mountain in Spain.  It is also the world's third largest ocean-island volcano and is still active!  On a clear day, the views are breathtaking. We took a tour bus and then the cable car to the top. If you are into hiking, then you must get a permit and try to go to the top of the volcano. That is the only way to get there. The drive from Costa Adejo is around 90 minutes. Having a car speeds things up as the tour bus will make stops at every hotel picking up guests.  The roads are good but a bit winding. In order to get to the top, you need to book tickets for the cable car. The advice is to book these tickets on the day as we heard reports of lack of refunds etc. If you have option to pick a day, check the wind speeds, as they don't run this on windy days. The views from top are quite amazing and worth the trip.  Make sure you pack a jacket or some warm clothing as it gets really cold on the top.

Other tips

• Language is not a big problem as most places do speak some English. 
• Carry sun block
• Some warm clothes for the trip to Mount Teide
• There are lots of activities for Kids and adults like Snorkeling, Scuba diving, gliding, Parasailing, jetsking etc.

Nepal in 10 days

Quick Summary

We left Nepal with some wonderful memories and a great experience. If you are thinking about a Nepal trip, do it !!!

When 

1^st week of April

Itinerary

Day 1 : Arrive at Kathmandu and met with trek agent to finalize next steps

Day 2 : Pokhara

Day 3-6 : Trek in the Annapurna Forest Conservation Area – Poon Hill Trek

Day 7 : Rafting on Seti River & Camping overnight
Day 8 : Chitwan National Park (Elephant breeding center, safari and Tharu village)

Day 9 : Travel back to Kathmandu & Boudhanath

Day 10 : Bhaktapu, Kathmandu Durbar Square

Day 11 : Pashupatinath Temple, Garden of Dreams & Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Thamel

Day 12 : Fly back

Where we stayed

Day 1 : Hotel Ganesh Himal
Day 2 :  Hotel Crystal Palace
Day 3 : Lodging in Ulleri
Day 4 : Lodging in Gorepani
Day 5: Hotel Gurung Cottage
Day 6 : Hotel Crystal Palace
Day 7 : Camping outside
Day 8:  Hotel Parkland
Day 9 : Avataar hotel
Day 10 : Avataar hotel
Day 11: Avataar hotel
Day 12: Checkout

Transportation

• Taxis are cheap. We spent most of our time walking or in taxis. Driving in places like Kathmandu is not advisable. 
• Public transport seemed to be non-existent, except between cities. 
• The roads are not best maintained and so even a 100Km drive can take a while and be tiring as well. 
• Once on the trails, you have your legs and not much else. Pack light or get a porter for your stuff.
• When not in the city, bottled water can be expensive. If you are nervous about drinking local water, keep water purification tabs handy
• Some places you can rent a pony to carry your luggage. 
• In cities like Pokhara you can rent a bike.

Food & Shelter

• Dal-Bhaath-Tarkari is a staple dish and you will get it everywhere.
• Most cities and trails cater to western tourists and so they do have meat options. Being a vegetarian we did not try any of them.
• Breakfast has standard eggs, toast and cereal.
• Cities have good hotels but once you are out of them it is a hit-miss. Toilets are not the cleanest either. 
• There is no heating in the rooms so you need to have warm clothes as the nights can get really cold in the highlands. The sleeping bag we packed was a great help to help us sleep through the night. 
• Hot water is a luxury and not all rooms have this provided by default. Some that state that it is included, didn’t seem to work.

Other tips

• Language is not a big problem as most places do speak some English. If you are from India, Hindi helps.
• Start hikes early in the morning as the sky is lot more clearer and we were able to enjoy the view of the mountains and the valley much better. It gets cloudier around 3.00 to 4.00 PM and you can get afternoon showers as well. 
• There is lot of bargaining in the shops and also with the Taxis. There seems to be some unwritten rule of negotiating 40% down from the quoted price.
• Although a bit pushy, the shopkeepers and taxi drivers are quite friendly and helpful.
• When going to places with entry, check if they are open as some places seem to be shut mid week (like the palace museum)
• You can get clothes stitched to order within a day at local tailors
• If possible,  book activities like white water rafting directly through the provider who specializes in them rather than the agent who does trekking. 
• If you love customer embroidered t-shirts, you can get it done for 500-600 NPR. Ladies, most of these stores don't stock ladies t-shirts. If you don't care for unisex t-shirts like me,  I would recommend take a couple of better fitting t-shirts so you can get your pattern embroidered on them instead.

The Full Version

Prep

Our main reason to visit Nepal was to trek. The longest trekking we have done is probably 5-6 miles at the most on flat terrain. So we decided to choose an beginners/intermediate trek, relatively speaking, since this is Nepal. Poon Hill, a 4 to 5 day trek seemed to be the only one that fit the bill. We chose MountainMart as our travel agent after some research on TripAdvisor. We read that one could go to Kathmandu and find a guide as well, but we wanted to be sure we had something booked ready to leave, so decided to book one before we landed. The initial itinerary was for a 5 day Poon Hill trek but since the last day was all about Pokhara sightseeing, we decided to skip that, shorten the trek to 4 days and add a rafting trip to our itinerary. Our 6 day itinerary with guide, porter, hotels, transport, an overnight stay at Pokhara etc. came to about 485 US dollars per person.

Day 1 - Kathmandu

We arrived around mid-day and after converting our $ to NRS, we took a pre-paid cab to our Hotel in Thamel (the central touristy area in Kathmandu).  Kathmandu reminded us of a typical small Indian town.  As a town, it is quite dusty and you see most locals wear masks (I don’t blame them). We stayed at Hotel Ganesh Himal which was a nice little hotel. After freshening up we called the agent to catch up on final formalities on the trek. After filling the forms and paying for the trek, we walked around Thamel and had an early dinner. The Chinese food in Nepal is slightly different from what you get in the west – it is spicier. Very like the ones we used to get in India – so it was a nostalgic feeling to dig into to what we call “Indian Chinese”! with a cold Gorkha beer. We retired early that day for our early morning flight to Pokhara.

Day 2 - Pokhara

After a early breakfast, we checked out and headed to the domestic airport. Word of advice, the domestic airport can be chaotic as a number of flights leave in the morning and there are loads of people try to get these early flights. The counters are also bit chaotic and so do give yourself some time. We boarded a twin prop via Yeti Air and headed on to Pokhara via some snowcapped mountains which were beautiful. Pokhara is a tiny airport – you get out, watch your bags get collected in a cart and is handed over to you in the “baggage claim” all within 50 feet of where the plane lands. The weather was a nice and comfortable 20-25 degrees C. We hailed a cab (cost us about 300 NRS) to Hotel Crystal Palace. This was an excellent hotel from a practical viewpoint, ideally located near shops and restaurants.

After lunch we headed to Davis falls and the caves across. The falls were slightly anticlimactic as we could barely see the falls. Not something we would recommend.  But the caves next to the falls are worth a visit if you have few hours to spare. You can also make it interesting by walking to the falls which is about few Kms from central Pokhara. There is also a Hindu temple inside the caves.

There seemed to be a lot of activities in Pokhara like gliding, boating, mountain flights so something for everyone really. This day was more a relaxed one as our trek would start the next day.  So we spent the evening wandering around the lakeside and a quiet dinner. We also met our guide and porter in the evening who explained the next steps for the trek ahead.

It turned out there was a national strike of sorts the following 2 days so the transportation the following day to Nayapul where were supposed to start our trek would be an issue. So we were told we will figure our transport the following day and make any adjustments as we go. So we retired without a clear idea how we will start the following day.

Day 3: Nayapul – Ulleri trek

We woke up early and headed for breakfast where we met our guide. After some calls, he managed to arrange a transport to Nayapul where were to start the trek. We reached there around 10 and began our gentle walk through the small village walking up the gentle path until we left the hussle-bussle of the village and it was just us, the road and few other trekkers. 

We had an early lunch at a tea house near a river in Birethanti – we ate local bread and dal with some lemon juice. We also stocked up on water and fruits and headed towards Hille which is the highest point where vehicles are allowed. After this point, the trail is narrow only allowing foot traffic or mules. The assent got steeper at this point through a couple of villages and we needed some time adjust to the change. After a quick pit stop for tea, we continued on the final leg which was the most strenuous of the day. We were warned that the assent would be tough as it involved about 2000-3000 steps – a solid 1.5 to 2 hours' uphill trek – all steps. We finally reached Ulleri at around 4 pm to the first glimpse of Annapurna South through the clouds.

We checked in to the tea house (basically a small hotel – Ulleri is only made of these hotels that cater for trekkers).  Dinner was Dal Bhat , some Ginger Tea and fresh cut fruits – courtesy our porter.   We started the day from an elevation of around 1000m to around 2100m at Ulleri. Our pedometer red about 19000 steps, a total distance of around 10 km and an equivalent of 224 floors in a day. Safe to say it was a good night's sleep which started by going to bed at 8.00 PM :-)

Day 4 : Ulleri – Gorepani trek

We woke up at 6.00 AM and had breakfast of eggs, potatoes and toast with some coffee. We packed up right after and headed out around on our second leg.  After an initial assent to Banthanti we walked through forest walking slowly up to Ghorepani. The day was short, we reached our hotel around 2PM. We took some time to walk around speak to some local sellers and buy stuff. Dinner was early and we retired very early in preparation for the early morning walkup Poon Hill.

This was a short day – we walked about 7km, roughly 4 hours at a leisurely pace. Gorepani's altitude was around 2800m.

Day 5: Poon Hill – Deurali – Tadapani – Gandhruk

This was by far the longest day and the longest we have walked – EVER. We started at 4:30 AM, bundled up in warm clothes and started the asset to Poon Hill with about 400-500 other trekkers. The hike up was not easy to say the least. It was a steep 300-400m assent via the “Steps to Nowhere”. which seemed to tease us, pretending to end, before starting again.  The early start and the rush to get there before sunrise made the climb worse. After stopping and climbing for about 1 hour we finally reached the summit.

No pain No gain - The view at top was worth it. It started with the sun still below the horizon. The first light hitting Daulagiri and Annapurna South and crowning the summit in a golden glow is a sight to behold.  There are lots of picture-perfect moments here and you can also enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea from a food shack at the top.

We spent close to an hour at top and then headed downhill to breakfast. After breakfast, we packed and headed towards Tadapani via Deurali. The uphill climb to Deurali was marginally gentler than PoonHill but tiring never-the-less. Deurali is supposedly at the same elevation as Poon Hill and view from here were amazing. It is safe to say, this was better than Poon Hill, although, Poon Hill seems to be more popular.

After a short pitstop to take in the views, we continued on towards Tadapani.  The walk started off as up hill and then continued on a steep downhill through forest and valley. While it was a great walk with streams everywhere, the weather perfect and tree, we underestimated how painful downhill can be. Initially out itinerary was to stop at Tadapani, however our guide mentioned the lodges at Gandhruk were much better and recommended we stay there rather than Tadapani.

We stopped at Tadapani for tea and continued on through a gently descending forest path to Gandruk. After another 3 – 3.5 hours we finally reached Gandhruk. Overall it was the longest day – 17.5 kms excluding the hike up and back from Poon Hill, a total of around 9-10 hours of walking, woke up at 4:30 AM and reached Gandhruk at around 4:30 PM.

A cold beer at the end of this day was the motivation to keep us going through the last stretch. The lodge, Hotel Gurung Cottage was set in a lovely location and we indulged in some beer in the outdoor courtyard and chatting with our guide and porter.

Day 6: Gandhruk

We woke earlier than expected and surprised to find our legs weren’t as painful as we thought they would be. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast & organic French press coffee in the garden watching the sun shine over Annapurna South. At around 8 we packed up and continued a very leisurely descent towards Pokhara through some villages. We reached the point where cars and not our legs were available for transportation and took a jeep back to Pokhara arriving at around 12:30. If you want you can also walk your way into either Nayapul or Pokhara but that might require another day / 2 of walking

We bid goodbye to our porter who headed  back to KTM and joined our guide for some lunch. We walked around lakeside in Pokhara and spent some time near the lake watching the people pass by and generally relaxed. We ended the evening at Café Amsterdam with some Mojitos and Chips Chilly!

Day 7: Seti River Rafting from Damouli

We woke up early for an early breakfast and headed by tourist bus to Damouli where we changed and geared up to start our rafting. The river was shallow since it was pre-monsoon and the rapids weren’t quite what they can be post monsoon. But the gentle rafting through the quite waters was very soothing. The water was very pleasant and clear and we took a few dips in the water. After about 4-5 hours of rafting, where we hit 4 or 5 level 2-3 rapids we arrived at our campsite on the river bank. It was just us and 2 other small groups. While out guides set up the tent, we enjoyed some quiet time by the river. The site has a small shop that had some biscuits and beer (cooled in the river). Dinner was cooked by the camp and quite enjoyable. Sleeping by the clear sky at night by the campfire was a fabulous experience – with very little light pollution, we could gaze at the stars for a long time.

Day 8 –  Chitwan

The next day we woke up at first light. After a breakfast of eggs and potatoes that out guides put together, we headed for the river again- this time just a 2 hour rafting trip to the end point where Seti meets the wider, faster and browner Trisuli river. Trisuli would have been a better choice as it seemed to have better rapids, but Seti was cleared and considerably warmer.

We headed to our waiting transport to Chitwan National Park from here – a good 2 hours away. We were booked at Hotel Parkland and arrived in time for lunch. After a buffet lunch, we headed for the Elephant Safari which was included in our hotel package. The way to the safari drove us via a Tharu village which was completely different to the ones we had seen on the highlands. Mud huts with stray and more tropical, this place was much humid and full of rice and banana fields. The elephant safari was an unpleasant experience – the elephants aren’t treated well. While you do see some birds, deer and many times rhinos, the ordeal the elephant goes through isn’t worth it. I’d rather take a jeep tour into the forest for a day. As we left it started raining. We enjoyed some strong chai and headed back to the resort. Since we had some time, we headed to the elephant breeding center (the hotel organized the transport) to gaze at the baby elephants. Unfortunately it has started to pour down and we couldn’t spend enough time there. But the breeding center is well worth the visit.

Prior to dinner, the hotel organized a Tharu cultural program after which we headed to the bar and then dinner.

Day 9 – Kathmandu

We left Chitwan around 10 AM for Kathmandu. The drive back was a good 5-6 hours due to traffic near Kathmandu and it was about 4 pm that we reached Avataar hotel in Thamel.

After arrival we decided to take a taxi to Boudhanath in the evening. Evening wasn’t the  best time to head there. While it is a big stupa, it was not as impressive as we expected. Perhaps it would have had a different feel during the day.

We headed back to Thamel for dinner at the local touristy places and retired back.

Day 10 – Bhaktapur

We decided to take a taxi to Bhaktapur this day. Bhaktapur was a spectacular experience – filled with old and beautiful temples and buildings. It’s a colourful experience, great architecture, beautiful stalls and very vibrant. You could easily spend the whole day there walking around. We were there on the Nepali New Year during which Bhaktapur is host to a large fair. As the day progressed, the place started getting very crowded in preparation for the evening festivities. We decided to skip it and headed back to the hotel.

In the evening, walked around Kathmandu’s busy Darbar Square and around the historic district and did some souvenir shopping. We headed to dinner in Thamel and spent the final hours celebrating New Year with the locals at a pub. After ringing the Nepali New Year, we retired for the day.

Day 11 – Pashupatinath

We decided to take the day easy. We visited Pashupatinath Temple which is an old Hindu temple and very important for Hindus. You also need to be a Hindu to enter it.  It wasn't that crowded on the day we went but some days can be very busy. There are several other Hindu temples or Buddhist monasteries  in and around Kathmandu and so there is no shortage of religious and cultural places to visit.


We spent the rest of the day wandering around standard touristy attractions like Garden of Dreams & Narayanhiti Palace Museum. The Palace Museum is only open Thursday to Monday and also closed from November to January. The rest of the day was spent souvenir shopping and wandering around Thamel. If you are into custom t-shirts, you can get one made in 4 hours with many of the local tailors.

Day 12 – Flight back

The last day was typical travel stuff.  One advise is to print all your boarding passes in Nepal. We had a issue where they did not print the boarding pass for the India-UK leg and we struggled to get that in Delhi airport which delayed us significantly.  Nevertheless we left Nepal with some wonderful memories and a great experience.

Iceland Winter in 4 days

Quick Summary

When did we go
Late Feb

Day 0 - Fly London to Reykjavik (Travel only)
Day 1 - Spend the day in Akranes (Whale Fjord)
Day 2 - Golden Circle Tour (Thingvellir, Laugarvatn, Geysir, Gullfoss)
Day 3 - Reykjavik and surroundings (Hallgrímskirkja,  Sun Voyager, Quad and Cave, Lava caves)
Day 4 - Blue Lagoon and return (Grotto lighthouse, Nautholsvik Geothermal Beach, Blue Lagoon )

Where we stayed
Akranes - Hotel Glymur
Reykjavik  - Hotel Fron

Transportation
You need a car to be able to explore well. Inside Reykjavik there is public transport but to explore the country side you need a car. In winter you are better of limiting your own driving, especially if it is snowing. 

Food
Iceland caters to tourists and to there is no problem with food. Vegetarians can struggle a bit because there is lots of sea food. Although, most restaurants have some veggie options and in Reykjavik there are some veggie-only restaurants as well.

Day 0

We flew Icelandair which was one of the better airlines we have flown. What struck us immediately was that they seemed to have a good sense of humour which was something we observed about Iceland generally.

We landed in Keflavik airport and headed to our rental only to find a no travel / driving advisory for the following day. We got bumped up to a 4x4 due to unavailability of a normal economy car and to be honest we were to glad to get it as we would discover, driving in Iceland is a fun experience if you are not used to driving in cold weather. Generally most of the important roads are clear but smaller roads can be covered with ice this time of the year.

We planned to stay at Hotel Glymur for the 1^st half of our trip, a remote hotel overlooking a Fjord called Whale Fjord. It was about 90 min drive from Keflavik. The GPS decided to take us around the fjord which took longer, but we discovered there is a tunnel under the sea which cuts this to about 75 min (there is a toll charge of 5000 IKR). The drive was interesting – we started in clear skies with the sun shining in Keflavik, leading to a slight snow and then some more with very low visibility as we headed closer to the Fjord. But the Fjord and hotel was definitely worth the drive. Set in a beautiful location, the view it is to die for.

The hotel itself was cosy with a mezzanine bed room, a restaurant, bar and a small sitting room. It overlooks a church on the banks of the Fjord. Our first impression of Iceland was that houses / farms are few and far between and everything is really spread out. Even a convenience store is probably about 10 km drive on a average and farther as you go further inland. We decided to make dinner out of the sandwiches we picked at a gas station and enjoyed some fine single malt which we bought from London. Alcohol is generally expensive in Iceland.

Day 1

Day 1 was a complete write-off given the no travel advisory and trust me, it was well advised. We ventured out for a short walk across the road to the banks and it was WINDY! Any bravado to drive a short distance was all gone in that windy, snowy weather. We stayed indoors and enjoyed quiet day. The loss of the day meant we had to move a few tours around and completely lost our 1 day of driving around that we had planned for. 

We hear that weather in Iceland can change quickly, so it is worth factoring a day extra to cater for any disruptions like this.

Day 2

On Day 2, we checked out early and started a superjeep tour with Wild West Tours from Mosfellsbær (a suburb of Reykjavik). Wild West tour (which we had booked beforehand) turned out to be a small family run tour company. We had a father-daughter team acting as guide on this private tour and they did a fantastic job. In summer you could do this tour yourself but during snow and winter it is best to get a guided tour.

We started off in bright weather up a mountain road to Thingvellir (Þingvellir in Icelandic) as our guides regaled us with information about the various sites and about Iceland in general. Thingvellir is a national park and the site of the 1^st parliament in Iceland. The beauty of this place is beyond words. Set in a valley below which is the Lake Þingvallavatn and a few inlets. The Lake is quite unique in that it is home to a number of types of trout and salmon, its bottom is below sea level. It is rising every year apparently and a lot of land that was exposed about 50 years ago is now under water. In Feb, this place was full of snow with the river still flowing. The water is so pristine, you can see the bottom.

After about an hour at Thinvallir, we headed up another mountain road towards Laugarvatn.  By this time, it has started snowing quite heavily making the road look quite erie – everything white except the road. We passed a few summer houses and horse farms where the horses seemed to not mind the snow. Laugarvatn was spectacular – alas it was snowing too heavily to risk taking out the camera – one that we regret. It’s a sight from documentaries – a steaming geothermal lake with bubbling hot water in a few places while it was snowing heavily. It was the epitome of tranquility. (I suspect it won’t be for long as it is now the site for a new Spa called Fontana.)

Our next stop was Geysir – the first documented geyser and the source of the word “geyser” apparently. While Geysir (the main geyser) is no longer active, Strokkur is very much so. We managed to see it erupt about 3 time within a span of 5 minutes which was spectacular. It was exciting to see the water disturb in preparation of the eruption and the bubble come up leading into a explosion about 8-10 feet in the sky and all settling down as if nothing ever happened. Quite spectacular – and definitely worth watching. A note that this is quite popular and will be teeming with tourists (like us!).

After lunch we headed up the glacier up some very treacherous roads – with constant adjustments to tyre pressure to provide traction. When we reached the top (which was the foot of the glacier) the weather cleared up with the sun shining and everything settling down.  In bad weather – all you see is white except for the tiny yellow bars marking the road side – its definitely not a trip you would want to do on your own in a small car. At the top there were about 4-5 other super jeeps and pretty much all of them got stuck in the snow at least once and the other jeeps had to tow them out to safety! A company does snow mobile tours up there, which seemed like a lot of fun and worth doing if you have more time.

We then headed to the Gullfoss falls which start from the glacier as a stream and into the fall in amazing force. It’s a beautiful view on its own – but paled in comparison to the others. We made way via another mountain road back toward Mosfellsbaer to be met with a snow storm which started out of nowhere and with visibility so low we could hardly see the car before us. Sure glad we were not doing the driving that day!

After an eventful day, bid goodbye to our guides and headed to Reykjavik and checked in to our hotel – Hotel Fron. This was a nice little place in city center near all the restaurants and bars and shops.

Day 3

After a quick breakfast, we walked around the harbor, which has a great view and them headed to the Hallgrímskirkja Church tower.  This is a wonderful church and the view from top is quite good. We wandered a bit around the city and visited the Sun Voyager.

We then headed to our Quad and Cave tour, which we booked with a company called Eskimos. Given how sparsely populated some of these areas were, we were able to drive the Quads on smaller city roads and head a small lake outside Reykjavik called Hafravatn Lake which was completely frozen. After some adrenaline pumping drive over snow and ice, we reached the summit of a mountain / hill nearby to drink in the view of the entire city of Reykjavik! No kidding…the view is spectacular and so is the cold and the wind! But totally worth the trip and the Quads made is fun. On the return , we stopped to pet some Icelandic horses.

The caves are in separate place and we originally thought that the Quad would take there. Nevertheless after returning the quads, our guides drove about 40 min outside the city to the Lava caves which was one of the best parts of our trip here. The caves were carved by flowing lava about a 1000-2000 years ago leaving a system of tunnels and caverns with lava stalactites and stalagmites. The entrance to this cave was completely snowed under and someone had cleared the snow enough to create an opening small enough to crawl down. The makeshift entrance was just enough to fit 1 person, crawling in – not a place for anyone with claustrophobia. Once in, this was a dark cavern with icicles everywhere and wet & icy floor. The lava rocks, the icy mounds and icicles look spectacular in that setting. There is a lot of crawling involved to get to the end which has one remaining large lava stalactite. It appears these have become popular souvenirs and over the years and people have taken these back. You can also see remains of a skeleton at the end of the cavern – the guides speculated it was a sheep or a large animal but the source isn’t clear.

We had dinner at a Raw restaurant called Glo and retired early with the aim to catch some northern lights in the wee hours of the morning when the sky was expected to be clear. Unfortunately, we failed to realize that the parking lot where we parked our car was closed at night. A car is definitely handy for northern lights hunting. Instead we walked near the harbor in the wee hours of the morning (we felt safe walking around at this time). The weather wasn't too harsh for the walk looking like tourist while the bar owls roamed around in light t shirts and jeans.  We found a good dark spot to sit and watch the skies.While Northern Lights eluded us – we hope to capture this fabulous spectacle some other time!

Day 4

We checked out and wandered around the Grotto lighthouse where we had originally planned to go Northern Lights hunting. It has a nice view of the coast especially under clear skies.

Next stop was Nautholsvik Geothermal Beach which is about a 20 minute ride from Reykjavik centre. Then we headed towards the airport, stopping at the Blue Lagoon. We skipped the spa as we were not that keen but that is a popular activity with tourists.  We did walk near it and it was a pleasant walk around volcanic black rocks. Then we headed to the airport and flew back to London.

Final Thoughts


Wish we hadn’t lost the day due to bad weather as we could not do some of the other stuff we had planned. If we had time, we were planning on exploring the country by driving around. So if you are planning a winter trip be prepared for unplanned interruptions. Other things we could have done were dog sledding, a longer snow hike and some clubbing in Reykjavik. Iceland in summer is also very popular with tourists and it is likely to present a whole new country and landscape.  It seems to be one of those countries where you enjoy a trip both in winter and summer.

Overall – this was a spectacular trip and Iceland is one freak of a country !!

Barcelona City Trip

Quick Summary

We spent close to 3 full days in Barcelona in late April and early May. Weather was great although, the nights were slightly colder.  Here's the quick summary.

Day 1
 Casa Milà ( Metro: Diagonal)
 Casa Batlló ( Metro: Passeig de Gràcia)

 Sagrada Familia (Metro: Sagrada Familia)
 Passeig de Gràcia, Olympic Stadium  (Metro: Espanya + Bus 150)

Day 2
 Montserrat, Gothic Quarter Old City
 Plaça Catalunya
 Magic Fountain

Day 3
 Guell Park
 Museum Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
 Plaça Catalunya

*check opening days for the above. Some are closed on Monday and some on Sunday and so plan accordingly.

Where we stayed : Hotel Gran Ronda


Day 1

We arrived early at 9.30 AM in Barcelona and took a taxi to Hotel Gran Ronda. The hotel allowed us to drop luggage before check in.  We headed to Passeig de Gràcia and strolled around the place. This area has some nice buildings including Casa Milà.

Casa Batlló  was our next stop but it had really long queues and so we skipped it. Note, you can book tickets online and if you are going in the morning, it is better to do that. We eventually went in the evening and there was hardly any queue. So evenings might be a good time to go.

We had a quick lunch and then went to Sagrada Familia for which we had booked tickets before. This is an excellent building but the outside has scaffolding and this messes the view. Nevertheless it is an a great building to visit. The inside view is also great and some good photo opportunities.

We then took the Metro to Espanya and wandered around the square. It has a nice hustle and bustle and large streets. We had a coffee there and headed out to the Olympic stadium. The stadium is huge and nice place to wander and have a view of the city. You can walk from Espanya or you can take the bus.

We then headed back to Casa Batlló  as we had skipped it during the morning. This is a very good place to visit and the architecture is amazing. This is must see in Barcelona.

We wandered around the town for the remainder of the day and ended with a meal in one of the many restaurants near Passeig de Gràcia.


Day 2

For day 2, we decided to do go outside the city and to Montserrat which means serrated mountain in Catalan. Contrary to some reviews you don't need to pre-book this. You can go to Espanya station and buy a ticket. 

You have to decide if you want the cable car or the Funicular when you buy the tickets because it also dictates which station to get off.  If you took the cable car, you need to get down at Aeri de Montserrat and if you gone for the Funicular the station is the one after called Monistrol. The cable car ride gives good views but it is standing only and on a crowded day there can be long lines. The Funicular is more comfortable option as you can sit but you don't get the views. We took the cable car and the view was good is definitely recommended.

Montserrat has a nice Benedictine Monastery and religious ceremonies are still held here. There is also a Museum , a cafe and a restaurant. The other thing we did here was take another cable car up the mountain and then hike down. You can probably hike both ways but that would take more time, especially going up.  This has better views and let's face it is a good workout :)

Montserrat is a good day trip and for more information, read this review from trip advisor or check out more nature trails.

Once we got back, we went to the Gothic Quarter Old City or Barri Gotic which has some nice city walks.  As we hadn't done enough walking, we then went to Plaça Catalunya and wandered around there as well. These places are all nearby and if you don't want to walk you can take the Metro.

After dinner, we went back to Espanya for the Magic fountain.  The fountain has fixed timings and do you need to check that. But more more than the fountain this area looks great under lights.  On a good summer day, this would a great place to cool off and relax.

Day 3

Day 3 was tempered a bit. We woke up late, tired from all the walking. We started with Guell Park which is a nice picturesque place. If you want to go to the Museum, you have to book ahead as it is only at fixed slots.  We chose not to go there and so we just wandered around the place.

We then had lunch and went to Museum Nacional d’Art de Catalunya which is by Espanya and then ended the afternoon by wandering around there and doing some shopping. We could have done more on this day but we decided to take it easy.

Barcelona Tips

Language
Knowing Spanish or Catalan helps but you can get by with English and a translator app on the phone.

Transportation
If you hotel near a Metro station, your life will become easier. Metro is cheap, operates at most hours and can take you anywhere.  Our suggestion is to buy the T10 Metro ticket card which gives you 10 trips and can be used by more than one person.  So you can keep getting a new one as you need. There is also the Barcelona Card but it is not that useful in our opinion.

Taxis are also available for places like Airport and we only used them for Airport trips. Buses have good coverage as well and the T10 card works on them.

Also download the BCN metro app for Android or Iphone. You can also download an offline PDF map;


Food
Restaurants stay open late here and there are plenty of cafes and tapas bars. If you are vegetarian like we are, then you need to scout a bit. But there are several places that cater for it and you always that some tapas.  One of the awesome places we went was Teresa Carles which is a vegetarian only restaurant. Overall, it catered well for vegetarians and there were several options.

Another place to visit, especially in the morning was Barcelona Reykjavik which has awesome bread.

Hong Kong in one day

I had to visit Hong Kong for business but managed to sneak out a day to do some travel. A day is probably too less for most big cities, especially one like Hong Kong but that's what I had. Hong Kong is a nice cosmopolitan city some what like London or New York.  Lots of people, taxis, public transport , restaurants etc. I had one full day for this and the objective was to cover enough but not overload it as well. Other objective I had was to use public transport as much as possible. I like to see how people travel, live and work and public transport gives you a taste of that.


The quick & Dirty
Morning 
The Peak, Central
Mid-Levels Escalator
Man mo Temple
* All MTR : Central

Afternoon
Chungking Mansions (MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui)
Jade Market (MTR: Yau Mei Tai)
Ladies market (MTR: Monchok)

Evening
Chi Lin Nunnery & Nan Lian Garden (MTR: Diamond Hill)
Night market (MTR: Jordan)
Central (MTR: Central)

To cover of a few things first :-

• The day I had was a Friday and in March which is a bit cold compared to other months. Other days like weekends or hot summer days may vary in terms of what you should visit.
• I am no expert in Hong Kong but I did research this before I ventured.
• For transportation, get the Octopus card. This is used everywhere and you can even pay for food in some places. Getting around in Hong Kong is fairly easy and there are several options. The metro (MTR) covers it fairly well and then there are buses and ferries as well. You can also take the Taxi if you want to avoid this. Taxis are a bit expensive but not as expensive as UK or US.
• A map or a smart phone will be handy like with any travel :-) Most places have decent road signs and so as long you know the general direction or the closest MTR you can get around.
• A language translate app, either google one or there are few others like Easy Taxi. This will help in communicating with people who are not that well versed in English or your native tongue. English is generally spoken in places like larger restaurants , hotels, tourist places etc. But in some smaller restaurants and with taxi drivers sometimes you might struggle. Use technology, we have it now :-)
• For food and if you are a vegetarian there is a bit of fight getting veg food. Overall you can survive but will require some searching. Also the restaurants are generally averse to cooking by your preference. So be prepared for that.  There are several American food chains like Subway, McDonalds and Pizza joints. If you just eat to live then those are quicker and easier. If you are not a strict vegetarian then there are tons of options around. 

The morning

Since I only had a one day, it was an early start. I left the hotel, which was by Quarry Bay/North Point in eastern district of Hong Kong island around 7.00 AM and took the MTR to Hong Kong Central which is the heart of the town. The first place to visit was The Peak.  It is the highest point in Hong Kong and offers a good view of the whole city. It also has funicular railway called Peak Tram that takes you up there.

Now with the peak there are different opinions on when to go there. It is a tourist heavy spot and if you want to use the Peak Tram, there is a lot of queuing for it. If you want to use the tram then go earlier. However, earlier also means there is a higher chance of fog/mist which would impede some of the view. From what the locals told me, Hong Kong is perennially covered with this mist and there are very few days you get fully clear skies. Summer months might be better and going later in the afternoon is also a good idea. But you have to be lucky. Another time to there would be the night to see all the lights.  If you ask me,  it is probably worth going there twice ; morning and night.

In my case, I decided to go in the morning and it was foggy but the view was still ok (see pictured below). I decided against the tram as it not something I was keen on. I took the 15 number bus from outside the Central MTR. There are clearly marked signs for this.  There is also an open top bus that takes you there but I just went with the regular bus.  Note, a taxi ride to the top of the peak is about 50 HKD and bus is about 10 HKD.

Once you are at the top, enjoy the view and walk around a bit. Even with the fog it has a good view of Hong Kong and it's sky scrapers. There is a coffee shop at the top with a good view as well and so I spent some time with a cup of java.  The peak also has a mall with some American/European stores and so if shopping is your thing then you can do that as well. Overall , I only spent about 60 minutes at the peak and left it around 9.00 AM. I had thought about coming there again in the afternoon if the weather cleared to get some more pictures but eventually did not do that.

I took the bus back to Central. I spent the next part of the morning walking around Hong Kong Central and the various buildings and stores near central. If you walk your way to Queens road, you can take a trip on the worlds largest outdoor escalator know as the Central Mid-Levels Escalators. The escalator is very interesting and it will take you up the hills of Central. On the way you have exit points for different streets and one of them is Hollywood road which take you onwards to Cat street. Cat street has some "antique" stores but most are just cheap Chinese replicas. There are several food markets as well and there are clothing joints by Pedder street. So this is a good place to wander a bit. Another place to vist here is the Man Mo Temple which is a nice quiet temple to visit and is the largest one in Hong Kong.

I had lunch in Central at the Bombay Dreams which is a nice Indian retaruant at the 4th level and so you have to look for the entrance. There are several other cafes and food joints there as well.


The afternoon
I then walked from Central to the piers.  The plan was to take a ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon peninsula.  The Star ferry is a quick 15 minute trip and you can use your Octopus card here as well. They are also Star Harbour tours that give you a longer tour of the harbour. I decided against that in the interest of time. If you have more time, definitely worth it, especially on a sunny warm day or at night.

Once you get to Tsim Sha Tsui, I walked to the Chungking Mansions. There is nothing spectacular about this but it is an interesting place. It is brimming with immigrant shops and houses close to 4000 people.  The diversity in this place is amazing is an great example of globalization in action.

Next stop was Jade market which is near the Yau Mei Tai MTR which has hawkers selling all kinds of Jade stuff. This is a good wander for about 15-30 minutes.

The next stop was Monchok MTR and Chopsticks/Ladies market where you get all kinds of replica goods. From Jimmy Choo bags to Polo stuff to t-shirts of foot ball clubs and electronics.  The quality of some of these items are quite good and at those prices it is a risk worth taking. You can bargain down to 50% of the quoted price and so be prepared to haggle. I did not haggle as much because the cost of these items was already low and I have wasted more money at a crappy coffee or slice of cake in American/European places. Speaking to some of office friends in Hong Kong, some of these places have almost accurate replicates of Rolex watches and iphones.  But you have to real savvy and know the right places to go. In my purchases I avoid really expensive items like phones but did by few memorabilias and bags. The market is long , really long and you can spent lot of time especially if you looking for clothes etc.

I was getting a bit tired of walking by now and took on the offer or a 55 HKD foot massage from one of the ladies holding these banners. She escorted me down some lanes and up the stairs of an old looking building. I was beginning to question my choice here and it was looking a touch shady. But it turned of fine and it was a good massage place. They did convince me to take a shoulder and hand massage for an additional 50 HKD :-)

The evening 

Massaged and vitalized , I jumped back on the MTR to Diamond Hill. About 5 minutes from the MTR are two places, the Chi Lin Nunnery &  Nan Lian Garden. Probably the best sites I visited that day !!
The others were good in their own right but in terms of beauty and serenity these two won me over.  They are also free to public (sometimes best things are for free). The nunnery is awesome place , peaceful and serene and the fact that it is surrounded by tall skyscrapers makes it that much more spectacular.  There is some flowing water and I would assume this would be a even better place in summer heat.  The Nan Lian Garden is equally pleasant and you can walk around the nicely sculptured gardens and fountains. For both try to be there before 6.00 PM as some places like the Rockery close before that.  The Nan Lian Garden also has a wonderful Chi Lin restaurant whose windows are hidden behind a waterfall from the roof top. And the restaurant is Vegetarian :-) I had not originally planned on having a meal there but it was inviting and so I decided on the dinner there. The dinner times are from 7.00 PM to 10.00 PM and so I had to wait for about 20 minutes but the garden is great place to wander and wait.  Summer times might be even better with more activities but that also means summer times might be more crowded which might take off some of the allure. When I visited there only about 10-20 people in the whole of the garden.

After dinner and around 8.00 PM, I hopped back on the MTR to Jordan which is a few stops away for the Temple Street Night Market. This was rated highly in the some of the reviews I read and it was a vibrant place to visit especially with all the lights after dark. However , it was a similar market to the one I visited in the afternoon in Monchok. Lots of the same stuff here but under lights. I did not hang around here for a long time as I had done enough shopping for the day.

I headed back to Central and it was around 9.30 PM now and so went to Amazonia. There are lots of pubs and this area is an expat favourite.  I had a few drinks here and there was live music and sports on TV.  There are also some night clubs here but I decided to call it a day around 11.00 in order to catch an early morning flight back home.


Other stuff

Things I had considered but did not do/go :-

• Stanley Market, which is a big market by the coast. You can take a MTR to Chai Wan and then a taxi or take a taxi directly from Central (it might be the same in the price range).
• The Big(Tian Tan) Buddha which is a popular attraction for tourists but requires 3-4 hours and was ruled out as I had only one day
• There are several day trails and hikes around Hong Kong. Hong Kong is quite hilly and so you can get some nice views in these trails.  There is also the coast and beaches around here and so that is a good place as well.