Aberdeen, Shetland and Inverness

Shetland is an island archipelago between UK and Faroe island in Norway. There is a cluster of 100 islands only 16 of which are populated.ย  So it was a long journey from mainland UK. Day 1: London - Abardeen This was long day started at morning in Hemel Hempstead. We had to travel all the way Kings Cross and then take the train Abardeen. It`s one of the longest train journey in UK ( longest one is ย Aberdeen to Penzance) of more than 7 hour . We reached Abardeen in late afternoon…

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Portugal : Porto & Douro Valley

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡นย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡นย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น Porto was the last stop in my itinerary. Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal. ย This place was the origin of port wine. It is also famous for its iconic bridges. In fact it is the only city in Europe which has 6 bridges. I stayed in Porto for 2 days. Weather was not at its best but there were intermittent clear sky. There are few unique charm to this city, Lello Bookshop with its amazing neo-gothic interiors (Harry Potter shooting happened here, it was Hogwarts library) . Then there…

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Portugal : Lagos & Albufeira Region

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡นย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡นย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น I landed in Faro airport at 12 PM. Faro is the capital of famous Algarve region of Portugal. I booked my transfer to Vilamoura from Airport.ย Vilamoura ย is one of the finest resort towns in Porugal. However due to wet weather my boat tour was cancelled . I spend the day walking around town.ย Vilamoura is famous for its beach , resorts and million dollar yachts parked at the marina . Vilamoura Marina   My next destination was Lagos. The town is famous for its old town, cliffs and Atlantic beaches. Still sea…

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ISLAS BALLESTAS: The poor man’s Galapagos

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ชย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ชย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช I left Lima at 3 AM bus to reachย Paracas. I already had reservation with an agency but they did not turn up. Luckily there was another ย company who were conducting boat trip for a group. So I spoke to them and they happily agreed. The boat trip from Paracas to Islas Ballestas is 24 kilometers and it took us about 30 minutes to get there. On our way we saw Paracas Candelabra, a geoglyph that sits on a hill overlooking the water.ย The Paracas Candelabra is 180 meters tall and it can…

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Amazon : Along the Madre de Dios River

ย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ชย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ชย ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช Manu wasย established as national park in 1973. With 800+ bird species, 5000 plant varieties, 1000 vertebrate species ,ย 13 types of primates; covering an area of 17000 Sq Km; it is probably the most bio-diverse place in our planet. An arduous bus journey fromย ย Cusco took us to theย reserve area and then we entered ย the mysterious cloud forest. Humidity and altitude in the cloud forest makes it an ideal place for a variety of flora and fauna. I spottedย one pair of Cock on Rocks , Peruvian national bird. Slowly we descended and reached…

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Ireland : Skellig Michael boat trip

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ชย ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ชย ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช Day 3 Valentia island - Skellig Michael -ย Waterville We woke up fresh and energetic after a good rest the next day. The breakfast served in this hotel was not that good and quantity as also less. it consisted of just an egg and a slice of bacon with a slice of toast and juice. We had a long day ahead of us and had expected to have a good breakfast before starting off our trip to Skellig Michael as we knew we wouldn't get any food up there till we come…

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