New Adventures, First stop Northern Thailand

Now we are heading around South East Asia we decided to give the backpacking lifestyle a go so we’re mainly planning to stay in hostels with the occasional hotel/homestay. Who Knows?

Flying into Chiang Mai we decided to head straight to The Elephant Nature park. Naturally there are hundreds of different Elephant sanctuary’s to visit in Asia but please make sure you chose carefully. – choosing an elephant park solely to ride them and wash them is not a good enough reason to go, this is not what elephants do in the wild so please don’t make them do this for your entertainment. The Elephant Nature park was also a dog and cat rescue centre run by volunteers. One afternoon we took several of the dogs out for walks which the volunteers highly appreciated as they are always looking for more volunteers to stay with them. 

The Hefflumps!

Back to the main reason we visited this Park however, these incredible animals are so breath-taking! They’ve all been rescued from horrid situations whether that be from logging farms, tourist attraction rides or landmine injuries. They are looked after and cared for by their Mahouts so well here and you can see how happy they are. It’s my understanding that compared to other sanctuary’s you don’t have as much interaction with the elephants here (how it should be eh?) but we had plenty enough time to walk with them, be with them and feed them. It’s an experience I will never forget.

After our Elephant experience we headed back to the City centre of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a beautiful city, almost village like with its small roads and street markets. It’s very easy to get lost here especially at night walking through the endless street markets where you can barter your way through souvenirs.


We took a short bus ride out of the city via a beautiful waterfall (naturally there are many of these to visit in Asia) to The Doi Ithanon National Park which holds the highest peak in Thailand and homes the King and Queens Pagodas. We made it there on a beautifully clear and sunny day and the scenes were utterly spectacular. Definitely one to make the trip for. On the way back into the city we stopped at a small village called Sobhad where the Karen people live. The village was made up of only 130 people and tourists can stop by to see how they produce their local coffee and colourful scarfs made by hand. The ladies in Sobhad will always wear white clothing until they are no longer single and then that’s is when the bright colours are worn. 

Never ending road to Pai..

Today ended our trip to Chiang Mai and we took a winding bus journey for 3 or so hours north to Pai. If you get travel sick please ensure you take your travel sickness pills for this ride there are over 762 hairpin bends on his road, beautiful scenery but not one for an icky tummy.

Pai is one of those places in Thailand that you plan to visit for a few days but end up staying for months. There something about it that draws everyone in. Being on a tight schedule we stayed 4 nights and manged to squeeze most of the big sights in.


When in Pai I recommend you hire a moped, it’s by far the easiest and cheapest way to get around (100baht a day to hire). Make sure you take it steady as some of the sandy/dusty roads are very windy and the amount of people we saw with road rash was absurd! Drive Safely!


On our first day we head to the Pai Land split which was opened as a tourist attraction by a farmer in 2008 after an earthquake split his land and was no longer able to grow crops safely. It is free to look around and the owners offer free snacks and drinks only asking for a small donation. They were happy to have you there and were truly welcoming. Just up the road from here was the Pam Bok waterfall, you take a short walk up to the pool of the falls and if you’re brave take a dip. We did – but I assure you it was not warm! It’s not one of the most beautiful waterfalls we’ve seen but it makes a nice stop over and only cost 40baht (£1).


Moving further up the same road, albeit now a little more sketchy with some very tight bends, we found our way to Pam Bok village where the bamboo bridge has been made. Here there is a lovely café which serves great food and drink before you take a stroll along the bamboo bridge. Be sure to wear respectable clothing when coming here as there is a temple at the end of the bridge which you should not enter without your knees or shoulders covered. These 3 sights you could spend all day looking around and relaxing and they’re all on one road and very easy to find.

Sun setting on Pai

Pai canyon is quite the spectacle. We headed here at sunset – along with the rest of Pai. Although its busy here at sunset you can still find a peaceful place to sit yourself ready to watch the sun go down over the mountains. Before walking up from the car park there are little shops you can buy drinks and snacks to take up with you. I would suggest you wear sensible footwear as there are a lot of ups and downs and craggy areas to walk to get to other areas of the canyon.

Other places in Pai you need to make a pit stop at are the many hot springs – we chose to go to Tha Pai Springs about 20 minute ride out of the centre of Pai and we went at around 8am (opening time) and we were the only people there. It was lovely to be on our own with no other tourists around to just relax here. There are plenty of other springs to choose from also. The White Buddha looks over the city and is a great place to visit and get your step count up. Walking to the top up hundreds of steps is so rewarding when you see the views of Pai at the summit. Another view point we went to was Noodle Hill, a dirt track ride away into the middle of nowhere lies a small café and a mesmerising view. We stayed here and had lunch – again no one else around so keep this place a secret! Shhhh!

The last place we headed to in Northern Thailand was Chiang Rai about a 7 hour bus ride from Pai. – The drivers take plenty of rest breaks and we even stopped at the stunning White Temple on the way. More of a pit stop for us on our way to Laos this city seems to be a very arty city with many museums, temples and galleries. We headed to the blue temple in the evening which was beautifully lit up and Wat Huay Pla Kang (a giant Buddha and pagoda). Both were free to look around and equally spectacular. One thing I would say about Chiang rai is, unless you book with a tour group to the sites, getting to and from is rather difficult as there was never any tuk tuks or taxis there to take you elsewhere. We ended up having to ask locals to book a cab for us and hope that someone turned up. Get a cab, ask them to wait for you is my suggestion.

Crossing the boarder to Laos from Chiang Rai.

We took the local bus to Chiang Khong (the Thai/loas boarder) which took roughly 3 hours, where we were dropped off at a tuk tuk stand. We paid 50baht each for him to take us and our rucksacks to the Thai boarder where we were stamped out of the country. All very simple. We then had to pay 25baht (5 extra than normal on weekends and after 4pm) to get a bus over the Mekong River to the Laos boarder. We paid 2100 baht (35 US Dollars) for our Laos Visa, filled out the paper work, including a passport photo of yourself (make sure you bring one with you on your travels) and then another 40baht for working over-time on the weekends. Finally we made it to Laos!

Flying through the trees.

HouayXai was a first stopping point in Laos, a small town with not a lot going on except for the reason we were there. The Gibbon experience. We spent 3 days and two nights hiking through the forests, zip lining across beautiful scenic routes and sleeping in treehouses, we even had some sightings of the gibbons which is, by the sounds of it not too common. This truly was the most amazing experience and I would recommend this to anyone coming to Laos. If youre looking for a dinner spot here I would recommend the Terrace, run by a Frenchman who moved to Laos, brings you a French/Laos fusion and its brilliant, also very cheap!


Our next adventure was a 2 day slow boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. It really was incredibly slow and at times a little squished but the views were amazing and truly worthwhile. On this journey you stop over for a night in a small town called Pak Beng, again not much here but they accommodate the slow boat passengers with Whiskey and a bed to sleep in. What more could you want?


Finally after our two day boat ride we arrived in Luang Prabang, our final destination in Laos. A bustling city with a French undertone due to their history, with tourists all over using this city as a good stop over before their next adventure. There is plenty to do here including the standard night markets to pick up your souvenirs, plenty of temples and museums. We chose to take about an hours drive to the Kuansi Waterfalls. I have never seen anything like it. The water so blue and clear with cascading water flowing into several pools for swimmers! You have to stop here when you come to Laos. Be Brave, take a dip, its only cold for a few seconds.

Morning Alms

One extremely powerful tradition I attended her in Luang Prabang was Morning Alms. The monks from surrounding temples walk through the streets receiving food offerings from the locals. I took part in this and it truly was quite magical. We didn’t go to the tourist section of the road for this, we ‘set up camp’ at Wat May and the monks arrived to us around 5:30am. If you don’t with do participate you can observe from the other side of the road. Please be respectful, cover shoulders, be quiet and no flash on your cameras. This is an ancient tradition and so important to the Monks.

Last on our tour of Luang Prabang was Poussi Hill, renowned for its breath-taking views of Laos. The views were indeed breath-taking, however slightly over shadowed by the about of people pushing and shoving to get their perfect sunset shot. If you go here I can only advise not to go at sunset!

This concludes the first part of our guide to Asia, keep reading, keep connecting and travel safe!

Big Blue xx

Tips and Advice for India.

Must Haves on our Menu!

Kachori  – A roti filled with onions and veg, lentils, or a sweet one (the onion was our favourite) and then deep fried. We had our first taste of this and is special to Jaipur.

Water chestnuts seem to be sold in most market places. I’d never had these before and they are so delicious! We also had the experience of heading out on a boat in Bijaipur and saw them being harvested. If you see them black in the markets, don’t panic, they have been boiled. Still tasty but not as nice as the fresh ones.

In Udaipur we tried some extra special Samosas in a small restaurant suggested to us. Their specialty is samosas in a bowl with yogurt and chutneys. Super tasty and like nothing you’ve tasted at home.

Betha Sweets are made from condensed milk and boiled to make a solid almost coconut textured sweet treat. We had Betha with pistachio but naturally there are hundreds of flavours to choose from.

Kulfi is a milky ice cream and comes in various flavours, we sampled Kulfi in Mumbai at a street food market and not ashamed to say that we had several servings!

Whilst in a Goa you must try their local spirit (only in Goa) called Fenny. Its made from the fruit of a cashew nut. Be warned it has a kick. – We’ve been told there is also a coconut one but we didn’t get round to trying this.

When in Goa all I can say is, you are by the sea. Eat the fish, its Delish!

It is customary in India to eat with your right hand (possibly using you left had for a spoon to scoop up onto breads). We didn’t quite get the hang of tearing bread with one hand but we did get used to scooping sauces and dishes up with all the amazing assortments of bread on offer. Embrace eating with your hands, after a few days it feel quite normal!

Points to remember!

In most of our hotels there was a million light switches half of which we couldn’t for the life of us work out what they did. I swear I must have been turning on and off some poor old locals kitchen lights down the road.

Being tall and blonde and a woman in India was quite a challenge, more so in some of the rural areas as westerners are not a common sighting. In the villages just a smile and a happy wave was all people really wanted, However in the cities I found people much more aggressive to wanting photos with me or their family members. So just be prepared. It took a lot within my soul to remain patient and calmly say ‘no thank you’ towards the end of my trip.

ATM points all over where we travelled in India were reluctant to give us money. We travel with a monzo card which allows you to take money out with no bank charges abroad – I would highly recommend getting one of these, you can download the app and they will send you a card through the post within a few days. However some card machines here still did not allow us to take money out. Most places now are starting to use contactless and card machines more but just be aware if you need cash take a few transactions out at one time ( you can only take out 10,000Rupees(just over £100) out at one time)as you never know when you will be able to get to a cash point that works for you again.

Always carry toilet paper with you! There are a few ‘neat and clean’ toilets about when you’re on the road but they are few and far between and are unlikely to have toilet paper in them. Always be prepared eh!?

Embrace the difference and enjoy your trip!

Our Overnight train to Mumbai was 12 hours long and I surprisingly had a pretty decent nights sleep despite the loud train honks, people coming and going and a teenie bunk to sleep in. Hopping on board our train at 11:30pm had us arrive in Mumbai around midday the next day.

After an exhausting night arriving in Mumbai I didn’t have a very open mind and all I saw was an over-crowded city, millions of people and more car horns! However the next day once I’d had a good night sleep and some more time to explore my mind was changed. Despite there being over 24million people in this small city after being there for a few days it was quite picturesque. With the hustle and bustle of the city centre to the calming coastal promenade it was almost 2 different cities.

There was a definite change of culture here in Mumbai with multiple schools and universities meant the western culture has certainly been adopted for many locals. Clothing has changed and more and more people out and about eating and drinking in the city. This didn’t change the photo requests and stares I received throughout our stay however.

We only did a couple of tourist stops whilst in Mumbai as we didn’t have to long before we headed to our next destination. The main site was the biggest open air laundry called Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat.

I’ve never seen anything like it, troughs of water filled with either cold water or hot water heated by a big water tank set in the middle of the site. And then everywhere you looked, clothing being hung in clinical colour coordinated lines. It truly was a site!

The last stop on our visit to Mumbai was the India gate which was built for George V arrival. Yes a gate was literally built for his trip! The gate is set next the Taj hotel, a wonderfully ornate hotel built back in 1903 mainly for the English. Back when it was built an English architect designed it for Indian builders to complete. When he came back to view the grand hotel, only to find that it had in fact been built backwards with the front entrance at the rear and the back door in the front, What a shock that must have been. In 2008 this beautiful hotel was severely effected by the terrorist attacks and the building and was almost completely restored, you couldn’t tell however as it now looks back to its full glory.

From Mumbai we took a short flight to Goa. Be warned it seems not many internal flights leave on time so if you have a connecting flight ensure you leave enough time!

A few hours later we arrived in the almost tropical region of Goa! 

Goa is most definitely the tourist destination of India for both internationals and locals. It seems the best and cheapest way to get around is by hiring a mo-ped. We hired a moped for 350rupees per day. Be warned you may get pulled over by the police and asked to pay a fine for whatever they decide you’ve done wrong at that time – apparently this happens all the time for Indians and westerners alike however as a westerner you’re likely to get charged more. Just a lovely sign of the corruption here in India. We paid our small fine and went on our way.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants to chose from in Goa, on the beach or  inland. Generally nothing has been too expensive here and alcohol seems to be very cheap. This is very much the reason for so many Indian tourists as they come here for the nightclubs and casinos.

Try to get yourself a boat trip through a tour company. We headed out on a boat towards a couple of islands for some snorkelling and lunch on a lovely secluded beach. The snorkelling wasnt great, we saw a few fish but the water was very sandy/dusty so not all that clear. But the water was warm and refreshing after being on a boat for around an hour so no complaints here.

The beaches in Goa are lovely and didn’t seem too busy but I think we arrived just before peak season which was nice. Be warned, walking into the sea can be somewhat of a challenge as its very rocky in some areas.

Our time here in India has been amazing, the vast differences in culture between regions and especially to the western ways. The colours, the food, the landscape is truly remarkable.

If you haven’t travelled to India make sure to put it on your travel list. It’s a definite must! Give us a call here at big blue and we can help you to plan a trip of a lifetime to this colour world.

Sending colourful vibes to all. Big Blue Travel x

Jaipur - The Pink City.

Our first look into Jaipur was through one of the 7 magnificent city gates into the old town. Jaipur is known as the pink city and you can see why, all of the big buildings and structures made with the red sand stone and painted with the excess to give a pink hue across the city.

Sticking with the colour theme we head to the Amber Fort, a huge fort built for the King and his family, including his 12 wives and their families. The fort has the most beautiful and intricate rooms I have ever seen, my favourite being the mirror room. It is exactly what it says on the tin, the walls fully decorated with mirrors different shapes and sizes in the same state today as when it was built all those many years ago.

Getting to the fort nowadays you can either walk or get a jeep, the roads are cobbled and much smaller leading to the fort so buses can only get you so far. They are also still offering your journey to the fort on elephants. The environmentalists are trying desperately hard to ensure animal abuse is to be cut down and are working to get all the elephants as close to their natural environment as possible so a plea from us, do not take the elephants to the fort, they were not born to do this and should be treated with respect, they are not taxis for tourist.

Jaipur is famous for its precious stones and semi-precious stones, if you’ve set out for something special, Jaipur is the place to ensure you get the best of the best.

From Jaipur onto Bijaipur a smaller town about 4 hours from Jaipur we stayed in an old 17^th century castle, very ‘marigold hotel-esque’ in its look. An old castle now turned into a hotel for tour groups. Bijaipur is much more out in the country and takes us away from all the smog, so so beautiful, with the locals so happy to see you. A simple wave and a hello is all the children are wanting! The local people spend most of their days either at school or on the farms and then selling the crops they grow on their local stalls. Spending most of their time out in the field on their tractors means that they want them to feel like home, you can see this by the amount of decoration they put on their machinery, I’ve never taken so many pictures of tractors!

The Venice of India.

Udaipur is home to several beautiful lakes and is named the Venice of India, and you can see why, the beautifully intricate bridges that climb over the lakes and rooftop restaurants and bars on the lake. It truly is picturesque. I highly recommend heading to a rooftop restaurant for sunset! Quite a picture.

If you were to use the lunar calendar we would currently be in the year 2075. Every full moon in Udaipur home-made natural candles are released onto the lakes and wishes are sent out into the open. Naturally this has now become very touristy but its still lovely to go down and see the lights floating off into the distance.

Looking to follow the tourist route? Head to the city Palace, tourists from all over the world visit here to see where the beautiful palace where the 74^th generation of royals still live today. They have opened a large part of the palace to the public and closed off part for themselves to live. At one end of the palace is also a now very high end hotel. The views of the lakes for the top of the palace is spectacular. You can ‘rent a guide’ or rent a head set for your way round the palace, I would always suggest a local guide for more of a personal feel.

Holy Cow!

Some more culture and history for you. All over the buildings and temples in India are many types of animals but in particular the Elephant, The Horse and the Camel. Elephant for Luck, Horse for Strength and Camel for Love. Although not many paintings of them, India is not short of Cows, although I knew cows were sacred in India I wasn’t sure why. Cows in India only produce 4/5litres of milk twice a day, whereas in the UK they produce almost double. Milk, curd, cheese and butter are part of the staple diet in India therefore very precious to the locals. You’ll notice as you walk around lots of ‘land mines’, (cow dung) the locals dry them and use them for insulation in the homes as it keeps in the warmth for winter and keeps it nice and cool in the summer months. Cow dung also keeps the mosquitoes away! When a cow dies naturally the leather is taken and sold for shoes and bags and the meat left for the animals. Cows in India are very smart, they’ll sit in the middle of the roads as its much cooler for them but also knowing that they wont get hit by oncoming traffic as a hefty fine is given if you were to hit one and if you were to hit and cow and it died you’d spend a few nights behind bars!

Next we endure a 16 hour overnight train…. I’ll let you know how we get on in my next post.

Stay safe, speak soon!

From Delhi to Agra…

We hopped on board a pre booked train to Agra, all very civilised really, reserved seating, bottle of water, newspaper and even breakfast served to you. This I’m sure will changed on our next train journey we have planned. Be warned, the toilets are still not overly delightful.

A 3 hour train journey landed us in Agra, I have been dreaming of this place for years. The city itself seemed quite small and very touristy, unsurprisingly. The build up of familiar coffee houses and fast food chains makes Agra a very surreal place to be in. Only staying 1 night here meant that we (like most others) were only here to see one thing. One of the 7 wonders of the world.

Before we made our way to the main event we toured round Agra Fort also known as the Red Fort. Built by, and the home of the man who built the Taj Mahal for his wife. The beautiful red walls of this fort really are astonishing and the size is overwhelming and the intricate details of the wall carvings keep you intrigued for hours. As a visitor you only get to see 25% of the fort as the rest is used by the military nowadays.

What a Wonder

On to the main event, the Taj Mahal. As the locals are trying to keep pollution away from this magnificent structure you are taken to the gates by electric buses (abit like golf buggies) where you get your tickets and scramble amongst the other tourists awaiting this amazing building. As you walk through the gates and under the archway of the out building to the postcard image of the Taj Mahal it truly is a spectacular sight. You could wonder round the ground for hours and I would still be amazed by the whole thing. Naturally there are hundreds of people everywhere trying to get that perfect profile picture image but please don’t let that put you off going, it truly lives up to the name and is a complete  Wonder! Add it to your bucket list now!

From afar the Taj Mahal is huge but as you move closer and closer to the building it truly is overwhelming how enormous this building really is. Some might say a little over the top for a mausoleum - The Taj Mahal was built for one of the emperor’s wives (his favourite) when she passed away. She asked for only 3 things when she died, To bury her somewhere spectacular, to never marry again and to look after their children. He did all of these 3 things, he built the Taj Mahal, (his other wives were not so lucky, these ladies have a small grave each outside the Taj Mahal which no one visits), he never married again and he did indeed look after their children. His youngest son however didn’t return the favour, He killed is brothers and imprisoned his Father just so that he could become emperor.

I would highly recommend a tour guide for both of these sites, Our guide was so informative about the history of India and the buildings in it and we would have been slightly bewildered without him. 

Cooperative Business

Intrepid travel link up with local businesses called a cooperative business, they help keep family businesses running and keep people employed throughout the country. We were taken to the knotted carpet business today and saw how these exquisite pieces of home décor are made from scratch. The detail and hard work that goes into them is unbelievable. A 1cm line of hand knotted carpet will take a while day to complete! Well worth the money of you get a chance to visit.

We shared an evening meal with Kalyani in her home this evening. (Picture on the right, Kaylani wears the red dress, her Mother, Brother and Husband all work within the family business now). 5 years ago she decided to open her home up to tourist to offer cooking demonstrations of local food. Off the recommendation of her guests she then turned her home into a guest house and B&B. She was so welcoming and I would encourage anyone visiting the area to book (through Big Blue) yourself a demonstration of your own. The food was amazing!

Moving from Agra to Jaipur we took a private mini bus, the journey is quite long, around 5 ½ hours. We came across a slight delay when one of our tyres burst (practically ripped in half), which when you see some of the roads you can imagine happens quite regularly. But having a spare tyre meant that we weren’t hanging around on the road side too long before we were back on our way.

Good Karma

India has many religions and they all live peacefully amongst one another, however 70% of people are Hindu. In the Hindu religion there are millions of Gods, but they don’t necessarily go to the temples to pray to them. Most people take their children to the temples to give positive energy but its not part of their daily routine. They live by the understanding that everything that is useful to you is God. For example our bus driver would pray every morning to his bus and leave incense because the bus gives him a job, the bus helps him provide for his family, therefore the most important thing to him. I absolutely love this sentiment and definitely feel more people should be more gracious to the things around them that get them through daily life.

Do good things and good will come to you…. Speak soon.

Big Blue in the Big Smog


First Stop Delhi..

When you first land in Delhi after a long flight from home all you want to do is get to your hotel. However do make sure you are getting a pre booked cab or specific taxi service to ensure you are not getting over charged, in a state of jetlag and plane haze we just jumped in a cab which definitely wasn’t your standard cab fare.

I had heard the smog in India was bad, but having been to other similar countries I was aware of what it can be like, but the smog in Delhi is like nothing I have ever seen. Most locals and tourists alike wear facemasks and most travel operators advise is to stay inside. 


Beep Beep!


If you have experienced rush hour in a busy city before forget it all as Delhi roads are something else. The road lines might as well be non-existant and the horns on their vehicles are very well used, however I haven’t seen any accidents as everyone seems to be very relaxed and uses their horn as a helpful tool rather than out of anger. A true experience being on these roads. 


Aside from the pollution in the air, on days where the smog lifts and the sun bursts through, India’s capital has some beautiful places to visit. We stayed in two different hotels in Delhi, one very high end a little more out of the city which was beautiful, but as people who like to explore we found this quite difficult so were thankful to move more into the city for our last few days at a middle tier hotel. Spending a only week in the city we did a whistle stop around a few of the main sites including, Inida gate, Mahatma Gandhi’s grave (Raj Ghat) , The red fort, Jama Majid, and various markets.


Some temples in India seem to be closed on Mondays which was such a shame as two of the bigger forts looked stunning from the outside and can only imagine their interior to mirror the external glory. We did however manage to go to Jama Majid a 17^th century mosque, extremely busy but stunning! Most temples that you enter you must remove your shoes and socks out of respect and shoulders and knees to be covered. All women are given a shawl to wear in Jama Majid which will cost you a small sum of 300rupee. 

Raj Ghat was a beautiful park where the grounds have been exquisitely tended to, it is free to enter the park and free to leave your shoes outside the entrance to Gandhi’s grave. (if you wish there is an area you can pay to leave you shoes if you are a bit more wary – I didn’t do this and other tourists seemed okay leaving their shoes with the locals too). Leading to the grave are many spiritual quotes of Gandhi’s giving you an insight to the kind of man he was to the Indian community. The Black marble platform marks the spot of Mahatma Gandhis cremation where a flame burns at all times. It truly is beautiful, even if you don’t know the history, and a must see on your list.

We visited a Sikh temple in the city, of which there are many, again shoes and socks off and dipping your feet in water on entry is a must but once you arrive you are free to worship however you chose. There are musicians playing throughout the day and songs being sang, the floral decorations were like nothing I have every seen! We had lunch in the Sikh temple and all three main meals of the day are cooked buy volunteers for anyone who wishes to eat, no questions asked, it doesn’t matter what religion you are you have the right to come in, sit and enjoy a hot meal together.



Delhi Belly


Naturally I cant not talk about the food whilst I’m here, if you’re a curry ‘expert’ at home then think again when you come to India. The mix of sweet and spicy is amazing. India has a VERY sweet tooth, in every meal you have the mixture of Dahl, curry’s and breads and sugar thrown in their somewhere, are a staple. Although there is some spice in the curry’s tasted so far it’s nothing that’s blown your face off. (great news from me as I’m not a spicy food lover) Who knows that may change as we continue on…
As long as you are sensible, no drinking tap water, see what is being cooked, eat what the locals eat, you are sure to do well. Naturally your body isn’t used to such different food but generally no issues with illness if you are sensible… finger crossed…


First impressions of Delhi if I’m honest weren’t fantastic due to the smog and the dirt but the people have made up for that no end. Smiling faces in a hectic city is very unusual to a Brit and they are most welcome. Possibly the smile towards me are more curious, being very tall and blonde, but nonetheless the friendly faces are wonderful.

Many more adventures to come, so sit tight for more on this colourful world…

Heading to the land of the Green…


Flying from Heathrow there is a morning or evening flight available to fly you to cork on a daily basis with various airlines with car hire rentals at the arrivals gate waiting for you. We found this was the best way to get around on such a tight schedule however you can absolutely use public transport efficiently if you have more time on your hands. Plus the best tour guides and planners are the local taxi drivers, on our way into the city we practically had our weekend planned for us which was wonderful by a very spritely driver.


So first on our whistle stop tour we headed to Blackrock castle and observatory. This beautiful castle is tiny but with such an extensive history which is clearly explained to you through the local guides of which you can pay a few euros to join, included on the tour is a walk round the castle (it really is tiny) and time in the ‘installed’ observatory. The indoor observatory shows you projected images of the nights sky throughout the month that you visit, pointing out all the major stars, constellations and planets. This is a great place to visit with children as there are many interactive activities for them to try out before the tour. There is a small café and shop which you can also enjoy whilst there. We didn’t spend all that much time here because the weather wasn’t that great but I image in the summer months this small castle attracts a lot of visitors.

Having a Blarney good time!


From tiny to tremendous we make our way to Blarney Castle and gardens, This beautifully preserved castle is truly beautiful and the gardens light the way to the main event with small herb gardens, magical witches kitchens, waterfalls, rivers and sculptures throughout the way, you really could get lost for days here.

Naturally the main reason tourists come to Blarney Castle is to kiss the Blarney Stone, which according to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab, which explains an awful lot in Ireland don’t you think? Of course you can’t come all this way and not kiss the stone even if you have to queue for hours within peak season. (there are signs up the pathways leading to the castle like a theme park of your queue time, Thankfully for us we were there in low season and a damp day so no wait at all to find my voice again!)


Cobh, ‘’Cove’’.


We moved onto Cobh where we are swiftly corrected on the pronunciation (Cove not Cob), originally known as Queenstown after a visit from Queen Victoria in 1849. Cobh is a typical seaside town and so beautiful. I had no idea that this was the last port point of the Titanic before it came to a tragic end, so naturally there is a lot of tourism based around this huge part of history. The stories of passengers are told in the small guided museum tour where the remanence of the pier they used to wave their goodbyes, for some that would be their last, and board the boat to take them to the grand Titanic. It truly is a chilling experience that I recommend you all to visit should you get the chance.


Refresh below deck at the Titanic Bar and enjoy the fresh local seafood produce looking out towards Spike island where the Titanic itself was been moored for passengers to board.

We didn’t get a chance to head to Spike island unfortunately as there was only one boat to and from each day in the off season but when we head back I will definitely make the effort to head over as I’ve only heard good things of the prison tours of which only closed in 2004.

Before you head back into Cork city you must head into St Colmans Cathedral, It was time for Mass when we went in but you are still free to look around as long as you are respectful to the ongoing services. It truly is a spectacle.

A quick tipple? Don’t mind if I do…


One final stop (yes this is all in one day!) head to the Jameson brewery for a whiskey tasting. You can join one of their many tours ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours (obviously ranging in prices), or just head straight to the bar and try their many variations of flights, all of which are delicious and surprisingly not as expensive as I thought they might be.

 
I can hands down say you will not struggle to find somewhere in cork city to eat and drink during the day or in evenings, however if you want a local recommendation I would head straight to The Thomand Pub, A local family run business with owner Rae Kennedy always on hand to chat with for hours, offering the best pub grub, copious amounts if priceless sports memorabilia filling the walls that will keep you busy for hours and TVs on every wall showing all your top quality sports from Rugby to Hurling. If this isn’t enough for you they have live music every single night of the week all of outstanding quality that makes you stay a lot longer that you know you should! 


Head back to one of the many hotels in Cork. Dependant on what you’re looking for there are 5 star spa hotels to your standard night stop hotels, all of which we can book for you with no hassle at all.


Knowing we have the afternoon flight to catch we have Kinsale in our sights but not before we stop at Charles Fort. The star shaped fort looks out into Kinsale harbour and even on a mizzley September day we had such wonderful views out to sea and over into Kinsale. The fort has so many ins and outs, small store rooms, ramparts and a small information centre giving you the full history of the fort in its hay day. Guided tours are offered here if you would like more information on your way round but it was nice to just take things at your own speed and amble around the fort for a few hours. 

We finish off our tour of Cork in the town of Kinsale a colourful harbour town that reminds me of streets of Copenhagen with the luminously painted terraced town houses. Copious amounts of seafood restaurants and tourist shops are the main highlights of Kinsale but still a lovely stop over before heading back to the airport.


Be warned – don’t get the Cork airport too early, it is tiny and there’s only so much duty free shopping and coffee sipping you can do before flying back home.

As always however long or short of a break you are looking for, we here at Big Blue can help organise your trip however you desire. Just give us a call or pop by our office to come and chat with us.

Until next time sending lucky travels your way…

Winter dreaming...

It’s getting to that time of year where the nights are drawing in and it starts to feel very wintery. For us dreamers out there that’s the time we plan our dream holidays in our dreams. Well, we here at big blue can help to make those dreams reality.

Are you the winter dreamer who dreams of the glistening beaches and sunshine or the white magnificent ski slopes? Luckily we have both types of people on board here at Big Blue Travel.
  
Thinking of a short flight to Europe or over the pond to the States, whether you are looking for a catered chalet with afternoon tea as your après ski and full 3 course meals all prepared and served for you, or a hotel on the slopes so you can après ski in the local waterhole we can find the right place for you! 

Get in contact with Steph today for her in depth knowledge of varying different skiing, hiking, adventure winter trips, she will guide you and provide you with the most exhilarating trip to the snow!

This time of year we have to head slightly further afield for the sunshine but for Big blue travel that is even more exciting. 

Finding the perfect place for you is what we love to do and dream to make the ideal trip that everyone will be in awe of, Jo is the perfect lady to sort you out the most wonderful city breaks and most relaxing trip of a lifetime.

Keep in contact or just pop by to our office to have a chat with us about planning your dream.

We have big plans for travel adventures coming up to share more knowledge and ideas with you to make your dreams reality.


Until next time,Keep dreaming...

Our Grand Opening

We have been up and running for a fair few months now so we thought having a grand opening would be a great opportunity to show off our brand new office and to finally meet a few people face to face.

So we popped the champagne and welcomed you into our new home of inspiration for your exciting travel plans.

Whilst meeting a few new faces we also managed to also catch up with a few customers who have booked their exciting trips with us, including this handsome young man Reggie-Balloo and his parents who have booked an exciting trip across Europe together.

We love to meet new people with new and exciting ideas of their travel dreams so we can help their dreams come true with our experience and knowledge of the world!

On Thursday we had the honour of our local MP Jeremy Quinn coming along to celebrate with us and proudly cut the ribbon for our beautiful office. Thank you so much for your support and we hope to see you down the office again soon booking your own holiday.

If you ever fancy popping by to get some inspiration, book a trip or even just have a chat you are more than welcome. We love and cant wait to meet more of our customers face to face.

Until next time....Keep dreaming, get inspired and adventure on..