Page 11 of Mcewans Travel Blog Posts


Asia » India » Kerala » Munnar August 8th 2018

So the rain hasn’t stopped, or paused, or lightened since yesterday. This means that the paths through the estate are now streams and you cannot walk anywhere without getting very wet. I described the rain yesterday as torrential, it was, today I discovered that it can rain much harder than that. I’m not even sure I can think of an adjective to describe it.... Last night we discovered our first little travel fail. We meant to wash our clothes at the hotel before we move on to Alleppey. Turns out they only pick up clothes before 5pm and return them the next evening, I.e. we had missed the boat. we, therefore, spent this morning washing our clothes in the bath using the rather nice hand made scented bar soap provided by the hotel (we have yet ... read more
Nilgiri Tahr - Eravikulam National park
Eravikulam National Park
Munnar

Asia » India » Kerala » Munnar August 7th 2018

Monsoon is back. After being very lucky with the weather the past couple of days the rain returned yesterday evening and hasn’t stopped since. Now we were warned about monsoon but I rather naively thought that meant short sharp showers in the relative warmth. Instead we have had continuous torrential rain with brief interludes of light rain. And it’s cold! Aware of the poor forecast for the morning we decided to have a late breakfast. Our usually stunning views consisted of a white out as we were quite literally sitting in the clouds. We decided a visit to the tea museum was a perfect wet weather activity. We meandered out of our hotel into the tiny hamlet at the top of the drive. There were lots of smart taxis for residents of the expensive local hotels ... read more
BlackBerry Hills - morning view
first tuktuk!
tea museum

Asia » India » Kerala » Munnar August 6th 2018

Today we woke up far too early due to the noise of a very violent monsoon shower. This relatively small amount of rain was enough to put me off getting up early for the 7am yoga class provided by the hotel every morning on the terrace. We quickly went back to sleep to wake to beautiful sunshine and a more reasonable hour. I maintain I’ll do a class before we leave, Stephen is convinced I won’t. Breakfast was the first challenge of the day - having been put off spices by an insanely hot cauliflower the night before I was pleased to be able to enjoy eggs on toast and banana fritters. This was accompanied by delicious black tea. Again, having discovered the milk version the day before is undrinkable. We were picked up by our ... read more
Muttupetty dam
Top Station
Muttupetty dam

Asia » India » Kerala » Munnar August 5th 2018

Despite a slightly rushed trip to the airport due to the usual m25 traffic jam we successfully caught our plane and have safely arrived at our first destination. The plane trip was largely unremarkable except for a small incident with our fab new water bottles (these things are supposed to filter out all bacteria and viruses making any water drinkable). Forgetting about pressure changes in the plane Elizabeth merrily opened her straw to get a fountain of water all down her top, trousers and seat. Not only was the rest of the flight rather damp but it looked very much like she had wet herself when attempting to get to the toilets! On landing at Kochin airport (in the pouring rain) our taxi driver was waiting for us and after getting out some cash (more complicated ... read more
BlackBerry Hills Resort
Cheeyappara waterfall
Cheeyappara waterfall

Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Ayrshire » Ayr June 29th 2018

Whilst up in Scotland visiting the in laws before we start our travels abroad we had a day trip to Culzean castle. This beautiful esatate is owned by the national trust for Scotland (English national trust membership works here too). The house has been renovated to a very high standard with the original features restored. We were fortunate to arrive in time for a free guided tour. The castle is beside the sea and we spent hours walking around the extensive grounds, looking at the walled garden and pottering along the sea front. Expensive if you’re not a national trust member but well worth the visit.... read more
Culzean Castle
Seaside stroll
Stephen

Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Argyll » Ballachulish June 27th 2018

Whilst staying with the in laws in Scotland Stephen surprised me by booking us in for 2 nights at the rather lovely Ballachulish Hotel in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. We drove up from just outside Hamilton, past the beautiful Loch Lomond before stopping for a picnic lunch in the village of Tyndrum. Despite being on a very busy road it was only a short walk to the base of Ben Lui, no people to see and the most beautiful views for our lunch. Stephen of course insisted lunch would taste better on the far side of the river and somewhat less agile than him I had to paddle across to the other side whilst he nimbly jumped from rock to rock. Driving through Glen Coe was stunning. We briefly stopped at a (rather ... read more
The Lounge at The Ballachulish Hotel
View from The Ballachulish Hotel
Start of the Beinn A'Bheithir walk




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