And so begins another adventure for the Smith clan. I love, love, love to travel! New people, smells, food, language. I feel completely out of my element and it is so fun😀

We arrived at our AirBnb in the dark but thankfully our driver, Diego knew where it was. We stopped at the most expensive Mini Supermarket in the area (lesson learned) to get a few things and spent majority of our time in there looking for familiar foods that we would find at home or in Mexico. Then we had the moment of trying to convert CR money to CDN dollars in our heads whilst answering questions from the girls. Sheesh, I have not wrapped my head around the money yet or if I am paying too much for things.

Our Airbnb is awesome! It’s all open air with a stunning ocean view. The bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen are off the patio and although there is no aircon, the breeze off the ocean keeps it pretty cool. We did have an ant infestation when we arrived, greeters maybe? I went on a killing spree with some toxic chemical while Nick filled the hole in the wall with candle wax. Clever hey?

Normally I research an area thoroughly before I travel there but not this time. I know very little about this country, I feel woefully unprepared and after packing my suitcase in less than 15 minutes I feel even more unprepared. Nick called me at work on Thursday at 2pm and said we had to catch the ferry ASAP as the weather was turning and they were expecting ferries to be cancelled. So at 3pm I left work and raced to take Gigi to ortho and then home to pack. We caught the 5:45pm ferry. For anyone who lives in my area, you know that is a quick turnaround. I basically got home, threw clothes in suitcase, took the garbage out, got the bed ready for the house sitter and left. The things I forgot is about a mile long. Whatever. I can buy the necessities, right? And the ferries were cancelled on Friday.

The area we are in is about a 3 hour drive from Liberia on the Guanacaste coast. It isn’t really that far but the roads are terrible; really, really dusty and bumpy. It is slow going. Everyone wears a bandana when they are driving and for good reason, it completely chokes you. Of course, everyone is driving a quad or dirt bike. Madeline is so wanting to rent dirt bikes and go for a “rip”. Nick and I walked the road early this morning- big mistake. We were dust covered by the time we got back.

Day 1 was very uneventful. We swam, got sunburnt, wandered around to get our bearings and read books. Delightful all in all. Tomorrow looks the same. I remember our friend Greg who lives in Mexico when asked what he does all day, answered, “fuck all, and that doesn’t start till noon.” That is my mantra for this trip.

I think we have covered this entire country now. The people are diverse, the landscape is stunning and I am amazed that there is so much green space on a tiny island with so many people. Culturally, I like how everyone gets on with things and really embraces notion of live and let live. They all work together to make things work. Like driving for instance; the roads are only big enough to let one car pass and people take turns, a few from one side and then a few from the other. No budding in, no flag person, just grown ups behaving like grown ups. Very refreshing. 

We were in Cornwall last week in an old cattle shed converted to a holiday home. Think low roofs, wonky stairs, stone walls and thick beams. It was built 400 years ago and we spent Canada Day there which is just 150 years old. Crazy. We went with Nicks cousin John and his family which was tons of fun but also exhausting. 

If you ever have the chance to visit Cornwall, you must go. It is awesome. All rolling hills, windswept cliffs, pokey villages and charming people. We stayed in Boscastle and travelled to Bude, Port Issac, Polzeath, and Padstow. It’s surfing territory but man that water is cold. I can’t name a favourite spot as they all had their merits but the little beach we found in Padstow was pretty fabulous. 

I went for a run in Cornwall and got lost. But I found an old church, ran through a field of sheep, had to knock on the door of someone’s cottage but finally made my way back. Whew. Oh, and I got chased by a dog.

Anyone recognize the house Gigi is standing in front of? It’s Doc Martin’s house! Nick and the girls thought it was pretty cool to walk around the village and recognize some of the scenes from the show.

On our way back to London from Cornwall we stopped for the night in Dorset in a place called the Isle of Portland. They had room in their hostel so that’s where we ended up. There is a bridge linking the isle to the mainland and a beach called schedule Beach that is a UNESCO site. The beach is a geological history of how England was formed since jurassic times. It’s right up there with the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon. It’s rocky, not sandy and it’s massive. Google it. 

Then it was back to London to hit the city. We spent 12 hours there yesterday exploring, it was hot, crowded, we lost our map and we were all very cranky by the time we got the tube home. But, it was also exhilarating and beautiful. In my next life I think I would like to live in London for a stint. 

Gigi bought a box set of 30 books that she couldn’t find in Canada and lugged them all around the city. She is so freakin’ excited about them and I think it may be the highlight of her trip. She also said she has to get used to being cramped and hot on the tube because when she moves to Japan it will be much the same. 

We are returning to London on Saturday for the Pride parade, get Gigi on the London Eye (massive line ups), have a picnic in the park and go to Buckingham Palace. Then I think my trip will be complete. Until next time. 

I haven’t had a minute to myself to write but we are currently sitting in a traffic jam on the M6 and I think we are going to be awhile. 

We left Manchester this morning. What a shithole. For real, I have never been in a city with more trash, homelessness and an awful smell everywhere. None of us felt safe. We walked around trying to find something redeeming about it with no luck. Except Gigi, she found happiness in a shop called Forgotten Planet filled with all things anime and manga. She was in her glory. Nick on the other hand had no kind words for The North. 

We spent 4 days in Scotland; two nights in Edinburgh and one night Drymen, a small village on Loch Lomond.  What a spectacular place, so green, just rolling hill after rolling hill of sheep. Super friendly people, the streets are clean and I wasn’t worried about getting robbed. 

But, Edinburgh was too much. It’s a destination in itself. Too much to see and we missed a lot of it. We did take in The Elephant House where the first Harry Potter was written and the graveyard where a lot of characters names come from. 

Edinburgh Castle is stunning but the crowds made me a bit crazy. We walked the Royal Mile to Hollywood House and I did tour which included  Mary Queen of Scots apartment. And we walked. And walked some more. Finally the kids said enough and we took them back to our flat. They hung out and napped and Nick and I went to the pub. That’s when Edinburgh won. So many pubs! Get tired of one? Go next door. Too many pints, whiskey (yuck) and Scottish hospitality landed me in bed the next morning with a massive headache. 

The front door of this castle has a regular old doorbell. Cute. 
The trip has been amazing so far, we have travelled a ton already and we still have a lot to see. The kids are having fun with only a few punch ups. Our rental car is great, it’s called a Kadjar, it’s kinda like a Hyundai Sante Fe and has all the bells and whistles. I drove to Scotland and am comfortable driving in the country but not so much in the city. Too busy and the streets are way too narrow. At first there was a strict no talking or playing music while I drove. Plus I keep reaching for the gear shift with my right hand and then remembering it’s on my left. See my concentration?!

I still need to tell you guys about York and the surrounding areas. I loved York. Walkable and beautiful and it has a great hostel. But right now my fingers hurt from typing on my phone. Chat later!

Gigi finally got her ride on a double decker bus. Couldn’t be happier and then wondered why we don’t have them at home, how they must be more economical and maybe I could email BC Transit and inquire. She has a point.

We spent two days covering Cambridge and a few small villages around Dunmow. Cambridge was great, the kids loved it, so full of history and beautiful colleges. Madeline especially loved it here and said maybe she’ll go to school there! Good grief, I’ll have to sell everything I own and still not make tuition.

We stopped for lunch at an old pub, Nick once again was in his glory and none of us can believe how much food he putting back. He is eating at the chip shop once a day at least, plus all the pork pies, bacon in the morning and then he eats with us as well. I am constantly on the hunt for a meal that includes vegetables which is oddly hard to find unless they are cooked to death. So far the salads in the cafes are iceberg lettuce and a little onion. It leaves much to be desired. But the strongbow cider is refreshing in the heat!

Nick and I went for an early morning ride through the countryside and England has a national cycle network which means you can bike or walk the length of the country without ever having to go on a road. It’s incredible, it cuts through farmers fields that are maintained by the farmer and there are pubs listed on the maps as well. So civilized. We found little 12th century churches and stopped to look at the headstones and try to make out some of the dates. I find it all so amazing, all the history, but for those that live here it is common and not exciting at all.

Creepy, bizarre, bat-like gargoyle!

This is Dick Turpins home in Thaxted, we just happened upon it. Nick said he was an 18th century highwayman and was eventually caught in York and hung there for robbery. They didn’t actually know he was the guy robbing everyone on the road, he confessed once he was convicted of an unrelated crime.

We were on our way to Wimple Manor but got way laid in Saffron Walden, a medieval town that is quite well preserved. We toured what was left of the original walled city and then had a picnic in the park and a nap under a tree. It was nice to slow down a little and have an easy day. Gigi insisted that we don’t walk all day everyday so I relented a little and it was nice to take a drive and see the countryside.

The marching starts again though as we are on our way to York and then Edinburgh.

So there are many similarities between England and Mexico that I have noticed in the last few days, for example, the grocery stores have the same look/feel. Nick and I went to Tesco’s to get all his favourite foods and to stock up for lunches on the road and when we went in it was really chaotic. There was stuff everywhere, the shelves were disheveled with empty boxes and the variety of processed foods was stunning. Oh, and the other thing I thought was cool was if you are doing self checkout, you get a hand held scanner and you scan through your items as you put them into your cart. They are verified at the end, pretty efficient plus you can manage how much you’re spending. Clever.

Went for a run around Great Dunmow to get a feel for the place and get my bearings. Sadly,  I got incredibly lost and ended up in many front gardens. The roads are all windy and higgledy piggedly and what appears to be a through road is in fact a driveway. Nevertheless, it was great to get out and stretch my legs after the long travel day. We are all still jet lagged and fall asleep about 6pm for naps but I think today will be a normal sleep cycle day for us. Anyway’s, I found a red telephone box on my run and was very excited until I opened the door and quickly realized that they are primarily used as a bathroom these days.

We are staying with Nick’s cousin John, his wife Liv, and their 2 kids, Charlie (6) and Emily (4). Everyone is very lovely and I had forgotten how busy a house with little people is. It’s also loud. Especially in the morning when I am trying to write and have coffee. And Emily likes to crawl into bed with us at all hours of the night. I don’t mind though, I’ll take cuddles anytime. Of course the children adore Nick as he is the “child whisperer” and they follow him around like the Pied Piper all evening. Their house is in this subdivision but it’s not like a subdivision as we would think of it in Canada. It’s a VERY skinny lane with brick houses, all jam packed into this community. It is very nice, quiet and I like how everyone knows each other. Its also a dead end road so you would have no business being down this end unless you live here or are a tourist out for a run and lost.

We drove to the coast to get some sea air and cool off as it is Africa hot here. Nick used to go to Southend as a kid and wanted to see it and show the kids. When we arrived, Nick didn’t recognize hardly anything but he did get some cockles to eat on the beach and the kids went to the amusement park. The park is similar to the one in Santa Cruz, its free to wander through, its right on the water and you can buy a wristband to go on the rides for the day. It’s a huge place with an awesome rollercoaster and the kids stayed there for a few hours while Nick and I wandered around.

Now Southend draws a crowd from East London where Nick grew up. This area is mostly working class and it’s a tougher part of London. So the crowds in Southend reflected that. It was a great place to people watch to say the least, and I certainly wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of any of them.  Even the seniors. The drive out to the coast was pretty easy and Nick remembered to stay on the left most of the time. I haven’t attempted to drive yet, it’s not so much the left hand driving but the speed everyone goes and the multi lane roundabouts that freak me out.

So the boardwalk in Southend goes for a mile or so and it reminded me of Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco, lots of tourist shops, fish shops, amusement arcades, and pubs. Many, many pubs; we stopped for a beer in one and when the guy came outside to clear the tables he had a cigarette hanging out of mouth and a scowl on his face. He was moaning constantly about the hot weather and was just generally foul. I found this to be the theme of service in Southend. Overall, Southend was interesting to see but not my cup of tea. It had a lot of parallels to Mexico also;  garbage everywhere, young moms pushing strollers, people walking down the street drinking, and a ton of traffic.

Then Nick took us for fish and chips at the chip shop. Good lord,  the amount of fish you get in an order is unbelievable, they were about a foot long and you get 3 pieces. Nick was in his glory, he ate and ate and ate and finished off the fish at midnight. The girls and I had a bit, ate some chips and instantly felt greasy. That’s the thing with fish and chips, they seem like a great idea at the time and soon thereafter you want to die.

Next we are off to Cambridge to explore a few museums and churches.

We made it to the ferry on time, most likely due to Gigi pacing since 6:15 am hurrying us along.  She is just like me and would prefer to “hurry up and wait” than run late and feel rushed.  Travel is so much easier with teenagers, sure they are occasionally surly and totally self obsessed, but they can pack a suitcase and are mostly self reliant! 

It’s going to be a long day.  We fly at 3:30 but had to leave the house at 7am to get to the airport on time. Nick said that Air Transat is rated the 6th best airline and we are flying into Gatwick which is rated the 2nd worst airport. Apparently it’s quite naff. Naff, if your wondering, is an English term for something bad or worn out. I’m like a native already and I haven’t even landed. 

Ok, back to the journey. I love travel, the journey and the destination. I think that’s why I like a road trip so much. But I love airports! People watching is probably my favourite pastime. I’m happy to get there early and just sit and watch the world go by.

I took a page out of my Aunty Patsy’s book and secured two rows of seats with an empty seat between us. I’m hoping that no one books the middle seat and we end up with more room.  For example, the row is seat A,B,C and I booked A and C. Fingers crossed it works! 

We land at 8:30 am England time and hopefully finding our rental car and driving across London doesn’t take too long. I am excited to drive on the opposite side of the road! Watch out Londoners! I’ll let you know how it all goes. Hopefully I don’t post a photo of a car crash😳