London: Just My Cup of Tea

Number four on my list of places to go before I die is possibly the most cliché travel destination of all time. London is one of the most popular international travel destinations, and I'm pretty sure that every white teenage girl ever had London on her "Places to See" list. However, cliché though it is, London is home to some awesome accents, fascinating history, adorable parks and neighborhoods, interesting attractions, and guys wearing fluffy hats.

Fluffy hat guys in London.
Image Courtesy of: London Pictures

One super touristy thing I want to do while visiting London is ride the London Eye. The London Eye is a HUGE ferris wheel in London (you've probably seen it on TV before). The ride on the ferris wheel lasts thirty minutes, which is pretty long compared to most other ferris wheels, but you won't spend the ride burning up in the sun, sitting on a seat with chewed gum stuck under it, and staring at a parking lot, like you would on many ferris wheel rides. The capsules (people carriers) of the London Eye are enclosed in glass, air-conditioned, and very The Jetsons-esque. The ferris wheel is said to offer riders the best view of London, and I believe it after seeing this beautiful panoramic shot taken on the Eye:

View from a capsule on the London Eye.
Image Courtesy of: Collection Panorama Art

Another thing I want to do in London is visit Kew Gardens. Kew Gardens is basically the mother botanical garden of all botanical gardens. It is the biggest collection of living plants in the world and is home to over 30,000 different species of plants. Kew also has one of the world's oldest greenhouses, a four-story high treetop walkway, and a handful of gorgeous, historical structures scattered throughout the 326 acre lawn. I'm not usually much of an outdoors and naturey sort of person, so to speak, but what's not to love?

Part of the treetop walkway. In the background is the Temperate House.
That thing is massive and pretty much the Taj Mahal of greenhouses.
Image Courtesy of: The Telegraph

Kew Gardens Waterlily House.
Image Courtesy of: Wikipedia

I love public transportation. It's great, not just for the means of transportation, but also for entertainment. Some of the best people watching in the world is found on public transportation, and taking a city's public transit system, though often a long and inconvenient process, is one of the best ways to really get a sense of the culture and the people of a place. My friends, Sage and Audrey, can attest to this after our adventures on CalTrain and the New York Subway. London's main public rapid transit system, like the New York City Subway or the D.C. Metro, is called the London Underground (very creative, right?) or the Tube. The Tube is the oldest underground railway in the world and was pretty much the inspiration for all other major public transportation systems today. While in London, I would definitely want to experience a trip or two on the Tube.

A train approaches a London Underground station.
Image Courtesy of: 3 Days in London

One last thing I would love to do in London is visit Notting Hill, and not just because of its role in the Julia Roberts rom-com, but also because it has to be the single most adorable neighborhood in the history of all adorable neighborhoods. The streets are lined with markets and colorful nineteenth century townhouses, and gorgeous green parks are found spread throughout the neighborhood. To me, it looks a little bit San Francisco-y. I would move in to a Notting Hill townhouse right now, if it weren't for the fact that even the smallest cost upwards of two million pounds, which is roughly 3.2 million U.S. dollars!

Don't you just want to pinch its little cheeks?
Image Courtesy of: Travel Bites Deep

The city of London might be a pretty cliché travel destination, but it certainly has a lot to offer.  London seems like a beautiful, fascinating, and enjoyable city,  and I hope that I will be able to experience the city myself.

Costa Rica: ¡Vamos a la Playa!

I've never really gotten the whole appeal of beaches. I mean, I can go to the beach for an hour or so, but I'm usually not the type of person who is content just lying on a towel doing nothing all day. However, with weather here in Utah getting colder and colder and my pile of homework getting bigger and bigger, I can't think of any better place to soak up some sun and relax than a beach. And where can you find a beach with clearer water, whiter sand, and a more lax attitude than Costa Rica?

Like I mentioned earlier, you probably won't find me on a beach just sitting around and tanning, mainly because I'm usually not in the mood for skin cancer, but also because I just find it kind of boring. If I'm going to a beach, I want to do something exciting! If I ever get the chance to go to a Costa Rican beach, I really want to try parasailing, which is basically where you wear a parachute and get pulled by a motorboat. I also want to try scuba diving in Costa Rica, but the one time I ever tried scuba diving, I almost drowned. Twice. And that was in a ten foot deep pool, so I might have to skip this whole scuba diving thing.

This is parasailing. Looks fun, right?
Image Courtesy of: Go Visit Costa Rica

If I had to pick one beach in Costa Rica to go to I think I would choose Playa Zancudo, because it is one of the more quiet and less touristy beaches of Costa Rica, and it has plenty of recreational opportunities. Plus, it has these super cute cabins, called Cabinas Los Cocos, that are right on the beach and that I would love to stay in.

One of the Cabinas Los Cocos at Playa Zancudo.
Image Courtesy of: Anywhere Costa Rica

Another thing I want to do in Costa Rica is a little cliché, but something I have wanted to do for a very long time: I want to go on a zipline canopy tour! This is the thing they always show on reality TV where a celebrity goes flying through the rainforest, harnessed to a cable, flailing their legs and screaming. I have wanted to try this ever since I did the little zipline at the UOP when I was six or seven. The idea of soaring through the trees, going platform to platform, and practically embodying Tarzan just seems like the best thing ever to me!

HOW AWESOME DOES THAT LOOK?!?!?
Image Courtesy of: Wandering Trader

I also want to go to Costa Rica to practice Spanish. I have a goal of being fluent in four languages before I die, and so far I'm at about 1.25 (including English). I would love the opportunity to be able to converse with native Spanish speakers in real life situations, and since Costa Rica is a Spanish-speaking country, it would be a perfect place to do so. I am only in Spanish II this year, so I am not at all close to being fluent in the language, but I know how to say "windsurf," so I don't totally suck (it's "hacer windsurf," in case you were wondering).

Going to Costa Rica has been a dream vacation of mine for years. Costa Rica has gorgeous beaches, tons of exhilarating recreational activities, and opportunities to increase fluency in an influential and widely spoken language.

Mumbai: Gateway of India

Last night, my mom made some really great korma for dinner, and it got me thinking about how much I love Indian food and India in general, so I decided to make the focus of this week’s blog post an Indian city. I chose Mumbai specifically because it is much safer for women to travel to than any other really big Indian cities (*cough cough* Delhi).

Like I mentioned earlier, I love Indian food. I mean, I really love Indian food. I love Indian food so much that I cannot even begin to convey my love for it through the available font sizes. “Why do I love Indian food so much?” you ask. Well, for starters, it’s delicious. Nothing makes my taste buds happier than a hot plate of coconut curry with a side of naan. Secondly, because the majority of India is Hindu, and because many Hindus are vegetarian or do not eat beef products, a lot of Indian food is vegetarian. This makes life a lot easier for me, as a vegetarian.

If I ever go to Mumbai, I really want to get a taste of their mango kulfi (an Indian frozen dessert made with mango), vada pav (fried potato burger with garlic and chiles), and poha jalebi (a type of flattened rice). I don’t think I’d be unwilling to pay a food tour either, considering my deep love for Indian food.

Mango kulfi (mangoes are really popular in India)
Image courtesy of Cakes and More!

I really want to stay in the Taj Mahal Palace (which is actually a hotel) in Mumbai, if I ever go. The Taj Mahal Palace is gorgeous, and it has a awesome location, too. It’s right up on the shore of the Arabian Sea and right next to the Gateway to India. Plus, it reminds me a little of the hotel in The Grand Budapest Hotel. However, some of the rooms at the hotel are almost $1,700 a night, so I need to start saving!

Ooooh, look how pretty! The Taj Mahal Palace is the one
on the left, by the way.
Image Courtesy of: The Leading Hotels of the World

Finally, India, not necessarily Mumbai, but India in general has a really big problem with leprosy. About 54% of all leprosy cases are in India. Leprosy is basically a condition where a bacterial infection eats away at your skin and nerves. It’s treatable, but the problem is that most people with leprosy live in leper colonies, or leprosariums, where they are socially isolated and live in poor conditions. I have a friend who volunteered in a leper colony in India, teaching and helping treat people with leprosy. She loved it, and I think it is definitely something I would be interested in doing in the future, if I ever go to India.

Residents of a leper colony in Mahabubnagar, India. 
Image Courtesy of: Global Hope India