Trip to Kenya

The Spring Break was back and like every year, we were visiting a new country. Last year during this time we explored Georgia and this year we decided to pay a visit to a country in Africa- Kenya.

22.3.19
Our flight from Dubai to Nairobi, the capital of the nation was around 5 hours long which I mostly spent relishing the amenities and movie variety provided by Emirates. The travel time was spent in a jiffy and we landed at Jomo Kenyatta Airport at around 8 pm. The airport was rather a modest one, yet well managed by the staff. We were welcomed by our family friends' driver at the airport who steered us to their home. By the time we reached our destination, it was quite late and therefore we dozed-off for the night as the real adventure was yet to commence.

23.3.19
After having breakfast at their house, we departed for one of the several Hindu Temples in Nairobi, Sri Kalyan Venkateswara Temple. This shrine had a South Indian architecture.

At the temple

From the place of worship, we went to Zen Garden. They had multiple restaurants and we picked "Bamboo", which specializes in Pan-Asian cuisine.

After having some sumptuous Chinese food, we went to Westgate Mall from where I bought a book and sat at a café for snacks. That night we went to have supper at an Indian place,  'Curry Flavors'. Not only did they have good food but also live music performed especially for the diners.


24.3.19
We spent time at home in the morning, playing with my friend. For the meal, we went to 'Hob House', an Arabic restaurant. The pièce de résistance was that they had a lot of greenery in their outdoor space and we had food within the green ambiance.

Hob House

My food 

After food, we drove to the Village Market, which is a unique shopping mall as it is partially enclosed and partially open. For about an hour we did bowling. The mall had some unique African sculptures and they also had refreshing live music.

Bowling

At the village market

We slept early as we had to drive to Masaai Mara the next day. In the night, I was dreaming about the upcoming adventures awaiting me at the Mara.

25.3.19
We woke up early as we had a 5-hour long drive to Massai Mara. After breakfast, we hopped on to a special Toyota Landcruiser that would take us to the national park and back and also the safaris.

On our way, we stopped at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint, from where we had an amazing picturesque view. The Valley is 6000 km long and stretches from Lebanon to Mozambique.

Rift Valley

After a long journey, we finally arrived at our hotel which was inside Masaai Mara- 'Keekorok Lodge'.

After strolling around in our resort, we went for our first safari. Evidently, the first thing we witnessed was a field on fire. Our aim was to at least spot The Big Five animals. The big five are said to be the animals that are the most difficult to spot. They include the African Elephant, Black Rhinoceros, African Lion, Cape Buffalo, and African Leopard.

forest on fire

We were very fortunate to spot a leopard really close to our vehicle within the first 15 minutes of the journey. It was spine-tingling to witness a leopard very close to me, having seen it only in a zoo in the past.

Leopard

The next major animal we saw was the lion. It was a group of lions sitting in a dried-up river that also acted as the border between Kenya and Tanzania. We could also look at tourist safari vehicles on the other side of the river, these people were in Tanzania.

Lions

Next, we looked up to the towering giraffes that were sauntering around.

Giraffe 

We also ticked off buffalos from our big-five list.

Wild buffalo

2 hours of safari passed in a tizzy and we got back to our hotel. Our resort was next to a hippopotamus pond and they also had a bridge that could take us closer to it.

Hippos

The Bridge

After dinner we went back to our rooms which were like cottages, ending the day after having seen 3/5 big-five animals. The hotel staff had adviced us to not exit our rooms at night as hippos come around frequently.


26.3.19
We woke up before sunrise today and without having breakfast we went for our early morning safari. I was still dozy but nevertheless managed to stay awake and witnessed the first light in the morning.

Sunrise

The first unique animal, we saw today was the ostrich.

Ostrich

Hyenas

in the safari vehicle

We saw another big-five animal, the African elephants, which were walking in a group.

What we witnessed next was a very rare occurrence. 5 cheetahs were standing together. The craziest part was when they started chasing a wild pig, they were not successful in hunting it but it was a distinctive experience to witness a cheetah chase.

The Cheetahs

Another 2 hours of our trip concluded and we went back to the resort for breakfast. After resting for a while, we planned to visit a Masaai Village, where tribal people lived. On our way to the village, we finally saw zebras as well.

To my surprise, the entrance to the village was not complimentary. The villagers welcomed us with a traditional dance where one person came out at a time and jumped and the others were singing.

With the local people

One of the tribal people was guiding us through and he spoke fluent English. He also took us inside his house which was really compact. Staying inside made me feel claustrophobic.

The guy who was guiding us

In the house

They also demonstrated us the way they light a fire by rubbing a stick against the wood and we also bought this kit.

lighting fire

They also had a bazaar in their village where they were selling handcrafted goods that were traditional to Kenya.

The Market

After spending some time in the village, we returned back to our rooms and then went for another safari in the evening. The first animals we saw were a herd of elephants.

Elephants

The next cool animals we saw were a pride of lions sitting in a group but this time they were really close to us.

lions

We saw a lot of creatures in the 2 hours but were unsuccessful in spotting a rhinoceros and had to conclude our last safari with one big-five not seen.

clicking a pic

27.3.19
We had our breakfast at the hotel and left-back for Nairobi. When we were about to leave the Masai Mara gates, a Russian who happens to be a zoologist requested for a ride to Nairobi as her car broke down. Her name was Elena Chelysheva and at Masaai Mara she was working at a Cheetah Conservation program and is the founder of Mara-Meru cheetah project. During the ride, she described the various interesting things she had done and worked at in the past.

Elena Chelysheva

We reached back to our friends' house in Nairobi and rested for the day.


28.3.19
Today we were going to the equator and the same car and driver were going to take us. It was a 3-hour drive and when we landed, the first thing we saw was a huge sign-board saying 'EQUATOR".

Equator

At the equator, a man displayed an experiment. He took a bowl with a hole at its bottom and kept another mug underneath to collect the water. He let water drip from the hole in 3 different locations- Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere and at the Equator. We noticed that the spiral formed by the water while dripping was opposite in each hemisphere and at the equator, no spiral was formed.

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere 

At the equator

He also handed over a certificate at the end to certify the fact that we had been to the equator. We had our lunch at a nearby restaurant- 'Spice Garden' which was almost at the largest latitude.

After having food we drove back to Nairobi. It was our last night in Africa and we had fun with our friends.

29.3.19
Today we had our flight back to Dubai in the afternoon and we just stayed at their home in the morning, having breakfast and some relaxed time before travel. Finally, my week-long African trip was over but I had done amazing things I hadn't done before- witnessed a cheetah chase, visited the equator, spotted 4/5 big five and added another continent/country to my list.

Trip to Switzerland

16.7.18
We had arrived at Gare de Lyon (Paris train station from where we were taking our train to  Zurich Main Station). When the train arrived, we took our seats in the first-class compartment which had relaxing seats as the trip was going to be pretty long. The train had very good facilities. We spent some time resting in the comfortable seats. Later, I spent time binge-reading books, I was carrying along with me for the trip. We also bought some snacks from the canteen. The canteen had a long queue yet the snacks were fresh enough to wait for.

In the train

The journey was 5 hours long and finally, we arrived in Zurich!! We had lunch at Burger King at the station. We were staying in Hilton-Zurich Airport and it was a 10-minute drive from the station. Everyone was really tired after the long journey. My father and I went to a nearby mart and bought some necessary items. It started getting late evening and we dozed off as the main adventure was yet to come.


17.7.18
Today we were visiting one of the most visited mountains in Switzerland, Mt. Titlis. It was going to be a long journey from Zurich. We caught one of the earliest train going to Lucerne that morning, on arriving we had to halt for half an hour. We spent this time traversing the beautiful Lucerne Lake.

Lucerne

Our next train was direct to Engelberg. From there we took a bus to the gondola station to reach Titlis. The gondola ride gave an astounding view of the mountains as we pierced through the horizon into wonderland. It was really cold on the top and we had to put on our jackets and gloves. The first thing we noticed was the film poster of "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge", a very famous Hindi movie.

In the gondola

Everyone was walking on the snow with extra precautions to avoid slipping. Firstly, we climbed to a slightly high point in the mountain and returned down, slipping on the snow.

Our first major attraction was the 'Titlis Ice Flyer'. It traveled 3000 meters high in the sky to give a glamorous view of the icebergs and glaciers.

Titlis Ice Flyer

The chairlift took us to the 'Titlis Glacier Park' where there were various snow activities taking place. Apparently, skiing was not allowed that due to some difficulties but we enjoyed going downhill the snow sitting on a specially designed sled.

After spending quite some time in the glacier park we took the chairlift back to the main park. Our next attraction was the 'Titlis Cliff Walk'. It is a hanging bridge connecting two glaciers. It is located at a height of 3020 meters and is 150 steps long.

The Bridge

After ending the cliff walk, we went to the 'Titlis Glacier Cave'. It was made inside a real glacier and thus was really cold. It was around 150 meters long.

The Cave

After visiting all the attractions we went to the indoor building. We also had a photo taken in traditional Swiss attire. As we were really tired and hungry, we decided to have our lunch right there. They were serving a variety of international food, including Indian. I had some Chinese food.

As evening approached, we hurried down Mt. Titlis to catch a train from Engelberg as there was only one train every two hours. If we missed the next train which was in 15 minutes, our plans to spend the evening in Lucerne would get spoilt. As soon as we completed the gondola ride, we missed the bus going to the station. Now, the situation got tight. We had 10 minutes and our only option was to walk/run to catch the train. To make it worse, it started to rain as well. My father was using Google Maps to make us reach the station but we got misled and ended up walking a kilometer extra instead of simply going through the narrow lanes. When we were just 100 meters away from the station and saw the train on its track, I started to run as we were already 5 minutes late. Thankfully, the ticket-collecters were just boarding the train when I arrived. They stopped the train for a while until my family got in. That was some adventure.


The train took us directly to Lucerne. The experience was rejuvenating as we strolled through the lanes of the beautiful city to discover it. During sunset, we went for a boat ride on the Lucerne Lake. The sunset view from the boat was terrific.

Lucerne

Sunset

After the boat ride, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant- "Mirch Masala". After dinner, we headed back to our hotel in Zurich after a long journey.


18.7.18
Today we were visiting the Northern Parts of Switzerland to see the mighty Rhine Falls. After breakfast, we took a train directly to Schaffhausen. As we were very close to the German border we had planned to spend some time in Germany afterward, an old lady on the train guided us on where we should visit in Germany. From the station, we had to walk for approximately 15 minutes along the Rhine river to reach the main waterfall. The area around the waterfall was impressive with a lot of tourists taking photographs.

Walking along Rhine River

The Falls

After a long queue for tickets, we finally hopped on a boat that took us on a half an hour ride around the Rhine River. We reached really close to the waterfalls and some water sprinkled over us.

From the boat

After the boat ride, we went on a bus ride around the city and the driver dropped us off somewhere near the train station. We got on a train that took us directly to a city closest to Germany. On foot, we crossed the Swiss-German border.

Swiss German Border

The city we had arrived in was Konstanz (suggested by the lady on the train). With the help of Google Maps, we managed to reach LAGO Mall after going through several streets.

Konstanz

As proof of the fact that we had arrived in Germany, we bought some mementos and other stuff. After the mall, we were walking along the Rhine River where a lot of ships and boats were arriving and departing. After shopping for a while we returned back to Zurich.


19.7.18
Today we were going to Jungfrau, a mountain at the height of 4158 meters, and also one of the tallest mountains in Switzerland. There is no direct train to Jungfrau and therefore we had to switch multiple trains. We had normal Swiss trains until Lauterbrunnen, from where the trains became more compact and old fashioned. The train system to reach such a great height was really old yet efficient. (The trains are all new)



The uphill journey gave a fantabulous view of the green and white mountains. The view ended when we entered a tunnel to reach the topmost spot for tourists on the mountain. Upon our arrival, we entered an indoor place which was mostly crowded with people relaxing in the warmth after returning from the cold. We all got into our winter gear and prepared ourselves for the snow.

Jungfrau

The first place we went to was the Sphinx Observatory, from where we viewed the picturesque mountains, even at a great distance.

P.S- This is not fake

The next place we visited was a huge area full of people playing in the snow. The first attraction that caught our eye was the zip-line and yet again my entire family and I attempted the zip-line which started off from a great height and ended with us landing on the snow.

They even had a total ice cave which had several ice sculptures. There was public all around almost slipping on the ice.

Ice Cave

After spending some time in the snow and having our lunch, we moved on our journey to Spiez. At Spiez, again with the help of Google Maps, we traced an Indian restaurant, "Delhi Darbar".  After dinner, we went back to Zurich.

20.7.18
We had spent the past couple of nights in Zurich, yet had not seen anything there but the railway station. Today, we were spending the entire day touring Zurich.

Our first destination was FIFA World Football Museum, which is the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to FIFA. The first wall we saw after entrance gave a brief explanation about football and FIFA. There was a lineup of perhaps all the International Football Teams' jerseys.

UAE JERSEY

The first-ever FIFA winner trophy, "The Jules Rimet Trophy" was also present in one of the galleries.

Jules Rimet Trophy

The original FIFA World Cup Trophy is only placed in the museum and for every FIFA Worldcup, they create a duplicate of it.

FIFA Trophy

They had signed jerseys of almost all famous footballers who ever played in FIFA.

Timeline of balls and shoes

Neymar signed jersey

Not only did they have items on display but also fun football games for everyone to play.

One of the various game

After the museum, we took a tram to Framünster Church. (Taking photos inside wasn't permitted)

Street View

The next stop was a small toy museum. It was compact but had thousands of small and big toys. They even had the world's first Barbie doll. Toys were belonging to 1800s as well.

Toy Museum

Our next destination was the Swiss National Museum (also known as Landesmuseum).

Landesmuseum

The museum was entirely about Switzerland. The museum covered almost every aspect of the entire Swiss history. There were displays about topics ranging from Swiss Bank to Albert Einstein.

After spending around 1.5 hours at the museum, my father met up with an old friend of his, who lives in Switzerland and came to the museum to meet us. Then, we walked to a shop, that sells Cuckoo Clocks, to buy one.


As sunset approached, we did a boat ride in the Zurich Lake as well. It was really windy!!

Zurich Lake

21.7.18
It was our final day in Switzerland and we were heading back to Dubai. This Paris-Swiss trip had been one of the most memorable trips of my life. I had added 3 new countries to my list, witnessed fireworks at Eiffel Tower, did Zip-Lining at Jungfrau, saw the Mona Lisa, and a lot of amazing other things.