Travel & Vacation: Road Trip Entertainment
I am so thankful that our girls travel really well. Since they were little babies we have been doing road trips and they have been real troopers every time. The longest road trip we took with them was 40 hours (round trip). They have a blast hanging out together reading books, doing work books, playing games, talking, listening to audiobooks, and when we go on a long trip (5 hours or more) they get to watch a couple movies. Here are some of the ways we stay entertained on road trips:
Karlie lounging and talking on the phone as we were driving through Charleston. They usually keep themselves busy reading, doing workbooks, playing games or resting.
I hear giggling coming from the backseat….when I look back this is what I see….Brina practicing her flexibility. Hey at least they are happy on road trips! Goofy girl!
Karlie smiling as she works on a workbook in the car!
Brina multi-tasking….snacking and reading a book at the same time while in the back seat of the car. Thankfully she doesn’t get carsick as often anymore!
On this trip we stuck the basket of books, workbooks, games, etc….in between the girls. This was great because it provided accessible entertainment for both girls at the same time and kept them a little separated so they weren’t poking or messing with each other. They didn’t get to watch a movie on this road trip because it was only 3 hours long, but they still had a lot of fun!
Travel & Vacation: Life Around the Kabini River, India
Sign near the Kabini River. Guess it probably won’t be a great idea to swim in the river….not a fan of swimming with crocodiles! Hmmm…let me think about it….No, thank you I would rather not swim with the crocodile! 🙂
I absolutely LOVED going to India. It was an amazing experience. The people were awesome and I learned a lot about myself during the trip. I have many things to be grateful for in my life yet so often I complain. I don’t have to pump drinking water or live in a tarp yet how often I grumble with the inconveniences of my life. I really do need to have a more thankful and giving heart because there a many people in this world that are content with far less. May I never forget this trip or the many things India revealed to me.
Filling her water jugs up to take back to her home. Watching her pump the water makes me appreciate the running water we have in our home. Sometimes I don’t realize how “convenient” life really is in the United States. I don’t ever remember pumping and carrying my drinking water.
Road full of goats!
Family in a small village near the Kabini River! The little boy is so cute.
Colorful houses near Kabini River
Look out stand in the tree. They use these look out to spot dangerous predators.
People will set up tents near the fields that are ready to be harvested. When the field is done they move to the next location and set up their tents. Makes me feel so very blessed to have a nice home. Even though its not perfect I don’t have to set up tarp tents near a jungle with lions and leopards in it. I have so much to be grateful for in my life.
Traveling through India was an eye opening experience for me. I enjoyed meeting a lot of wonderful people. Jake and I spent time exploring the area with Jake’s cousin Matt and his family. Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time with their family. We had a blast and hope we will be able to go back again some day.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Orange County Kabini, India
Matt & Jake in an intense game of ping pong
The kids taking an evening swim in the kids pool before heading back to the hut to crash.
In the evening there is a tribal dance put on by people from the local village. It was fascinating to watch them. I was having a hard time getting a picture that wasn’t blurry. Between the darkness, fire, and constant movement this was the best one I could get of the men who came to demonstrate their traditional tribal dance.
Massive tree at the resort! If you look closely you can see Jake and Matt standing in front of it.
Squeezing in a Little Fun
Sometimes we need to get out for a little bit and have fun! Our family loves our time at home and on road trips but every once in awhile it is nice going out for a special treat. On this particular day the girls were being troopers while we were on a short road trip so we decided to stop for a few minutes for a quit treat at McDonald’s.
While Jake ordered the girls and I headed to the play area. The girls burned off some extra energy for a few minutes. They were all smiles when we returned to the van. Thankfully the girls travel well and were content spending only a few moments playing. Even though the difference between going through the drive through and walking into the restaurant probably only was a few minutes (if that) it was worth it to allow our girls some time to run around.
Travel & Vacation: Quick Stop in Doha, Qatar
Looking at Qatar from the airplane, BEAUTIFUL!!!
Our longest flights to and from India were on Qatar Airways. The flights were between 13 to 17 hours (one included an extra delay where we were stuck on the plane). It was a great airline to fly. I only wish we had more time in Doha, Qatar so we could explore the area more. The people we met on the flights and in Qatar were really neat too. The service was great, food delicious, and all our luggage arrived exactly when and where it was suppose to (which is kind of important). After traveling with them I would definitely recommend them especially if you are traveling overseas with long flights.
Another picture of Qatar as we gained more altitude. These are all man made patches of land. Qatar is one of wealthiest country in the world.
When you have to spend 17 hours on a flight it is nice they have good food! 🙂 Breakfast anyone?
Rain delay in the Qatar! Guess they don’t get a lot of rain in the desert area so it causes some issues with the planes. We ended up being on the plane almost two additional hours with this delay.
Qatar Airways
I tried not using any flash on the plane so I wouldn’t disturb people around us who were sleeping, but had to take a picture of the ice cream. On the way out we got Ben & Jerry’s and the way back London Diary ice cream and cookies for snacks. The girls were ready to go to India as soon as the heard we had meals and ICE CREAM on the plane, ha! 🙂
Another delicious meal on the airplane. If I remember correctly we had 3 meals and several snacks on both our Qatar flights. The stewardess would give you a menu and you picked out which options you wanted. If you fell asleep you could just put a sticker on the top of the seat telling the steward what you wanted for your next meal.
The food was great (as you can see from the pictures) and the seats were really comfortable. The seats were bigger and even reclined a lot more making it easier to rest. After flying Qatar from Doha, Qatar to Washington, DC we transferred to US Airways (that’s when we realized how big, comfortable, and reclining abilities of the seats on Qatar were). The US Airway plane felt tiny and more cramped. We were thankful for safe flights and were ready to get home to our chickies. Only a couple more hours of driving and we would be there! 🙂
Travel & Vacation: Leela Palace – Bangalore, India
The Leela Palace in Bangalore, India
Matt and Jen took us to the Leela Palace on the last day we were in Bangalore. You know how sometimes you save the best for last…..well this was it. The Leela Palace was AMAZING! They had every kind of food you could think of to eat from Indian Curry, to Roast, Pasta Bar, Salad Bar, Cheese Bar, Breads, rows of Desserts and so much more. Some of the best food I have eaten, it was delicious and the palace was beautiful. If you are in Bangalore I highly recommend that you check the Leela Palace out!
They had row after row of desserts. It was difficult picking the ones you wanted to try because all of them looked AMAZING!
Yes, that huge beautiful artistic piece in the middle is made up of………..chocolate!
They had a separate supervised play area for the kids. The kids could play, watch a movie, eat, read, run around, play a game or many other awesome activities.
Gorgeous Birds of Paradise flower in their garden.
Even the bugs in India cannot resist a pretty flower!
The Leela Palace such a beautiful place to visit in Bangalore, India
Jake & I in front of the gold elephant on the garden gate at the Leela Palace
One of the large entryways.
It almost looked too pretty to eat…….but I did it anyway and it tasted awesome!
Jake and I were thrilled that we had the opportunity to come visit his cousin Matt and his family while we were in India. It was wonderful meeting many awesome people and eating their tasty food. A lot of great memories were made on the trip. Hopefully, some day in the future we will have the chance to bring the girls with us. I know they would love the adventure!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Heading Back to Bangalore
Look at all that scaffolding around the local water tower….
One of the best parts about driving through a chunk of India is we got to see a lot! Even though it has been several months since our last trip I still think about it often. Driving through India really made me appreciate all the many blessings I have in my life, including, food, shelter, and so much more. I really have more than I really need and somehow that is ok (and even expected) in our culture, yet it bothers me. I hope that I never take all the amazing blessings for granted and learn to share what I do have with others.
Look out shelter high up in the tree. It is used mostly to keep an eye out for wild animals and alert the people in the small villages of danger. As you may remember from an earlier post there are tigers and leopards that roam the jungle near them, see our boat safari and jeep safari.
Loaded down jeep….people hanging off of it and items stacked up high on it.
Large irrigation and water canal coming from the Kabini River and going to the local villages.
Kids playing on their bicycle
Brightly colored house in a nearby village. Many of the homes we seen were painted very bright and bold colors.
Colt walking on the street with all the cars, Mama horse was right in front of this little guy.
On the back of the truck we were following…”PLEASE SOUND HORN PLEASE” One thing about India is you hear a lot of horn honking!
A group of people waiting near the gas station for the public bus to arrive.
Mom and four kids waiting by the side of the road.
Jake relaxing on our ride back to Bangalore.
Now that’s a load full of goods.
People literally find spots on the sidewalk, benches or random places on the side of the road to sleep.
Recently, I read an article in the Bloomberg magazine about a group of people in India taking the food that was given to the poor and reselling it so they could pocket the money. This happened over several years and was several billion dollars worth of food. They had warehouses full of food that literally went moldy and was eaten by animals even though only a couple miles down the street people were starving. This article probably would have never had the impact if I had not gone to India. Several days after reading that article I was still thinking about it. We are very blessed to be living in the United States and have a home, food, and so much more.
Man sleeping on a cement slab outside a vacant building.
Standing room only in this auto rickshaw!
Multitasking…..talking on the phone while riding his bike.
Construction site in India, the wooden poles help hold up the levels of the building.
I was amazed at the amount of liter on the side of the road.
Tarp tents set up on the side of the road.
Family riding together on their motorcycle. It was common to see families on their motorcycles riding through town with a bunch of goods from the market on their laps.
Our trip to India was amazing, shocking, and life changing all wrapped up into one package. I hope I never forget some of the things that made such an impact on me during my time in India. May I appreciate the blessings in my life more and learn to be more generous with those around me.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Beautiful Orange County Kabini, India
Brilliant bright orange -red flowers found near our hut at the Orange County Kabini Resort
Orange County Kabini captivated my attention with the all the beauty around us. Even though there were a number of families staying on the resort it always seemed peaceful and relaxing. Whether you were walking along the cobblestone paths lined with beautiful flowers, going for a swim, or mesmerized by the colorful sunsets there was plenty to see.
At Kabini there was a kid pool and an adult pool! The adult pool was right next to a huge tree and it looked out over the Kabini River.
View from the other side of the pool. It was a peaceful place to swim.
Funky tree stump by the Kabini River.
Massive ant hill! Now that is one you don’t want to step into, although it was fascinating to see!
Want to relax in a hammock under a huge tree? You can relax in the hammock as you watch the kids swimming in the pool.
Pretty lavender colored flower at Kabini. Not sure what it is called but it reminds me of a small thistle.
Swimming in the pool and watching the boats cruise by on the Kabini River.
Sunset at Kabini
Calm, peaceful and beautiful sunset
Enjoying the last few minutes of the sunset at Kabini
Orange County Kabini was a beautiful place. There were plenty of fun activities as well as ways to relax. It was great having a chance to soak in all the amazing things at Kabini from a relaxing swim to a brilliant colored flower to an amazing sunset. What a wonderful place to visit on our trip to India.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
FREE Military stay at Bed & Breakfasts in North America on November 11, 2012
Inns and Bed & Breakfast’s throughout North America will open their doors to active and retired military and vets plus one guest on Sunday, November 11, 2012. As a way to say thank you for your service 217 (and counting) Inns and Bed & Breakfast’s are offering a free room to those who’ve served in the military.
The rooms are offered on a space available basis, and there are far more deserving vets than B&B space allows. Offers are updated daily and may be sorted by state (or province), so check back often and scroll down for participating inns and Bed &Breakfast’s.
Click here to learn more about how to find a participating inn or B&B and more details about the requirements to participate.
Click here to learn about Canadian B&Bs for Vets offers from BBCanada. Look what’s in store.
Travel & Vacation: Elephant Ride (Orange County Kabini, India)
Jake & I on our first elephant ride
Elephants are amazing creatures! If you would have told me at the beginning of 2012 that I would be traveling to India and taking a ride on an elephant I am not sure I would have believed you. Boy, how a few busy months can change and new adventures happen right before our very own eyes.
It was an awesome opportunity to travel to India earlier this year. Jake and I not only got to see elephants up close our both of our Boat Safari and Jeep Safari, we got to touch one, take a ride on an elephant, and give an elephant a bath! How COOL IS THAT?!!!
The kids and Matt going for a ride on the elephant.
Taking the elephant to the water for her bath. Bathing an elephant is a new experience for all of us.
Whose ready to help give the elephant a bath?
How often do you see a sitting elephant?
The workers are getting the elephant to sit then lay down in the water so we can help give her a bath.
Splashing water on the elephant to rinse her off. She seemed to really enjoy the bath. I bet it felt great to have the cool water splashed on her after giving everyone a ride.
This was the best part of the bath! The workers asked to see if anyone wanted to get up on the elephant one last time at the end of her bath. Of course the kids volunteered! Right after they got onto the elephant she reached her trunk down into the water and flung it up over her head spraying them with water. The first time it took all of us by surprise, but before long everyone was wanting a turn. This picture of Erica and Michael getting sprayed by the elephant
Rachel & David getting sprayed by the elephant
It was so neat being able to touch, ride, and interact with an elephant up close. The elephant was big, gentle, and well behaved. I wonder what it would be like to have a “pet” elephant (I know the girls would love it)! Thanks Matt and Jen for showing us amazing place and sharing this experience with us. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to take the girls for a ride on an elephant someday.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
