A Dream Vacation

Some days I just sit and daydream. This post is about one such dream. Though it is just a dream now, we wish to make it into a reality very soon.

Since the longest time, to be exact, since 2008, I have been wishing to go back to Dubai. This time, for a vacation.

While I worked there for the Dubai metro project, the days were hectic and during the weekends, we chose to rest rather than roam. Now we ( me, my husband and our seven-year-old son) wish to take in all the pleasures Dubai has to offer via a vacation. I have planned it all.

We will take the Emirates Airlines flight from here in Bangalore.  Bangalore to Dubai Flights are often filled with happy holiday makers and are hence fun. I have my cousin who lives there and so many other relatives and friends who are ready to host us during our vacation. We plan to go during the Christmas holidays. The climate in Dubai is the most pleasant around Christmas and it looks prettiest as well during the Christmas season.

The first thing that I want to do is visit Burj Khalifa. The dancing fountains, the aquarium at the Dubai Mall and lots of shopping are what I wish to do on Day one of the vacation. To reach there, we would take the metro so that we can experience the world class travel of whose construction we both (me and my husband) had been a part of. I would wish to see the Rashidiya Station Area especially once more. My section office used to be located near the Bin Sougat Mall. If possible, I would want to visit there as well. A full day dedicated to just taking in old memories and making new ones.

The next day I want to visit the Miracle garden and the butterfly garden, which my friends tell me gives a wondrous experience. I hope to take tons of pictures. I am sure my son will love watching the butterflies and would want to pose with butterflies the way his cousin Lianne did.

The next day we will visit the Dolphinarium where we will have fun with dolphins. The aquatic tricks performed by the dolphins are amazing to watch. We can even pose with the dolphins. They come to the poolside to pose with the visitors.

We would plan other random outings visiting friends and family. A visit to the flea markets to collect some good books roaming with my blogger and author friend Aathira is one among such dream outings. A dhow cruise, a visit to Jumeirah and a visit to The Atlantic at the Palm are also in the itinerary.

Dubai hosts the shopping festival during the year-end season and we would want to get a peek into the various stalls put up by the various participating countries.

A desert safari would also be fine though I am not very keen on it. I don’t want to go on a roller coaster ride on the dunes.

So now, I have made my itinerary, made the plans and sent my wishes to the universe as well. Hope, I get to visit my favorite place on earth during this December vacation.

Mysore Zoo: Fantastico

(My son watching elephants)

 On the last Sunday of 2015, we went on a fantastico trip. A trip to the Mysore Zoo with our seven-year-old son.

He had been demanding that we visit the Zoo where he had heard he could see all the animals that he had only seen in pictures or on the television. He also wanted to observe the birds towards which he had developed an interest.

Black Swan

After travelling for nearly four hours, we reached the Mysore Zoo and even I could feel the excitement, of seeing animals up close that too in their natural habitat, building inside me. The little child that hid inside the veil of a grown up was slowly peeking out. As it was very hot and sunny, we equipped ourselves with hats. I purchased a cowboy hat and my son exclaimed I looked like a cow girl! Fantastico!

Sambar Deer

As it was the Christmas vacation, there were plenty of people waiting to get inside. Long queues of school kids in uniforms were being guided around by harried teachers. Invariably my mind wandered to those days when I had gone on school trips and alongside arrived memories of the pranks, the crushes, the laughter and the punishments!

We were asked to dispose whatever plastic item that we carried at a counter as plastic was banned inside the zoo. The packet of biscuits I had inside my bag was transferred into a paper bag supplied by them. I was impressed. They truly cared for the animals.

Rhinocerus

The Mysore zoo is one of the most popular and was well maintained Zoos in India. It is spread over 157 acres and hosts over 168 different species of animals. It was created in 1892 by the then King Chameraja Wodeyar as the Palace Zoo.

There are battery operated cars inside the Zoo that will take you around if walking is not your forte. We preferred walking. My son who is the laziest when it comes to walking proved us wrong. He surprised us with his enthusiasm by hopping around in search of animals reading aloud their names, habitats, food habits and sometimes even the individual names. 

White Swans

We walked around and rested in between on the benches. The cool, green canopy of trees was a pleasant experience after being huddled inside the car for hours. Unlike other zoos where the stench of animal dung and urine makes you want to puke, the Mysore Zoo was different and gave the experience of being inside a forest. The added benefit was that we could watch the animals at close range.

Giraffe

Our favorites were the swans, the deer, the rhinos, the giraffes and the colorful birds. Fun moment was when my son asked for the Rasam deer after he saw the Sambar deer. My son screamed when he saw the ‘Exit’ board and wanted to go back once again. But, our stomachs were rumbling and our legs refused to walk any further. With promises to return, we made him agree to walk out of the Zoo. All in all, we came out of the Zoo smiling.

The good Kerala restaurant outside the Zoo saw to our food needs and we were more than happy tasting some homely food away from home.

Everyday my son wakes up asking when we are going to Mysore Zoo again. And we say, very soon!

P.S: all photos used are mine.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.