March 28, 2019

The River Seine, Paris

A slow motion video clip of the Seine along 16th arrondissement, Paris taken in August 2017.

August 12, 2018

Shami in Paris

So I’m a bit late. (Don’t be upset that I began the entire piece and the paragraph with so please.) Yes! I’m totally late and I’m not even starting from the beginning of the story. Today marks one year since my first, and only thus far, visit to Paris. As part of our Euro Trip 2017, my friends and I planned a great schedule. We made our way to France from London. Then we had numerous places on our list. We’d visit Lille and Paris in France, then hop over to Italy and spend time in Salerno and the Amalfi Coast. From Italy we planned a bus ride to Austria where we’d explore Vienna (we ended up spending a day in Bratislava, Slovakia on advice of a fellow traveler we met at the Schönbrunn Palace). Then another bus ride to Czech Republic to enjoy Prague. From Prague we then flew to Belgium, then took a bus back to Lille where we finished off the vacation before heading home via a flight from London. (Yes I’ve realised that my writing tense changed but I think it adds to the excitement lol.)

So Paris!!!!!!!!!! First up! I was going to live out of the following “luggage” for the next twelve to thirteen days! The Lord was surely with me, both mentally and emotionally!

My friends and I!

One first class train ride later! And ta-da!

So my excitement starts building even more than before now! Because we’ve been meaning to do this trip ever since we joined the world of work. My friends did a Euro Trip sans Shami a couple of years ago. But the Lord kept me in His heart (as always). Then! We started planning in January 2017. We had a countdown app, celebrating as each passing day brought us closer and closer to this trip!

And we’re off!

Numerous metro stops and lots of carrying luggage up and down stairs still couldn’t steal our high! Mwwwaah!

Finally the Eiffel Tower was near-ish-er! Heheh!

We hurried along and finally began our tour of this renowned city!

The Eiffel Tower amidst an overcast sky.

Picked up my souvenir and got on my way! 😀

The reality of it brought me to giggles!

So rain did fall! And your Shami, Jo and Maurisa did get soaked! We were standing in line to climb the tower and we were left without a choice but to run across the street in search of shelter.

Paris ain’t complete without showers of blessings!

We seized the opportunity to get on board a L’Open Tours bus.

Coming down to the close of the day, I spotted Notre-Dame de Paris also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame which is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. I had no choice but to rush over there!

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These are some meals we had together in Paris. We had lunch at Pizza Pino Restaurant, Champs-Élysées and dinner at Le Départ Saint Michel. We also visited Paul.

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The day was surely a blessing. The best part was, of course, that I spent it with two of my best friends. We’ve been friends since form 1 in the year 2000. And seventeen (17) years later, we were having the trip of a lifetime together!

We did miss Shantal and Kay-Marie and Yessyka. But we do know that we have many more miles to travel and we’ll surely have trips with them too!

Stay tuned for my other post to complete my tour of Paris.

Glory to God for this opportunity!

August 2, 2016

Manzanilla Boardwalk

Adventure time! My friends and I decided to meet up to enjoy the evening together. My plan was for us to go to Manzanilla to view the Sunset. I recalled that a Boardwalk was constructed there some time recently and I had always had visiting that Boardwalk on my to-do list also. One crucial fact happened to slip my mind thought…

The Sunset was hidden behind the treeline

So Manzanilla is actually on the eastern coast of our island. Lol. But the Boardwalk was fantastic. The sound of the sea and the rushing breeze soothed my soul! It was indeed a worthwhile two hour long drive to this marvelous destination!

So we realised that we had only missed the one year anniversary of the commemoration of the Manzanilla Boardwalk by a couple days.

The view was magnificent and there were still bathers enjoying the waters.

My friends and I had a blast catching up. You never realise how much you have to catch up on until you actually meet up face to face. It was a welcomed barrage of good conversation and unbridled laughter! Adrian, Shantal, Johannah and I will surely remember this day for years to come ❤

Sunset was at 6:29pm and we got there around 6:25pm. En route we encoutered road detours due to road repairs in Sangre Grande and we also made some unplanned detours of our own trying to find the route. Eventually we placed all our trust in the navigation app Waze and this led us to Boodoo Highway. Boodoo Highway was actually a narrow road with unforgetable potholes! On the way back, rain poured like buckets of water being tossed per droplet. We then encountered intense traffic. At this point Adrian got out the car and got us drinks and snacks ❤

Finally we took a long shortcut through Cumuto. The good thing about this route is that it’s practically traffic free. There was no downside to it actually, I had actually driven this road a lot back in 2011 when I used to chauffeur my daddy to and from work. It was a cool moment in life when I got to be the go-to person for my dad. I bet it’s every child’s dream to be able to be there for their parents in a special way one day! ❤ ❤ ❤

Everyone got home safely and we vowed to add more road trips to our memory bank in the future. Thank you God for good friends and friendships that transcend space and time 😀

July 29, 2016

Sunset at Store Bay Beach, Tobago

It’s been a while since I had visited my sister island. The last time I’ve been to Tobago was in Easter of 2014. Back then, some coworkers and I planned a great Easter vacation. We rented a condo and toured the island. It was truly memorable and down right relaxing.

Let the walking begin ❤

Well as you’ve guessed, Tobago is for sheer relaxation. The sun is hot, it seems like rain never falls and it’s always bright! This time, I didn’t take the ferry so I did not take my car. So this trip was all about – exploring within reasonable walking distance. My friend Yessyka and I had no plans or rules except relaxation.

Yessyka & I

So it’s common for lots of people to be at Store Bay to witness the sunset. Personally, I’ve never partook in this ‘tradition’. So after a hearty dinner at La Cantina, Yessyka and I trotted over to Store Bay.

This was dinner!

A pizza and a milkshake for me.

I only managed to eat 2.5 slices of my La Cantina – tomato, mozarella, spice ground beef, pineapple – pizza. So I had breakfast and lunch ready for the next day!

Fellow Sunset Onlookers

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Another day well spent ❤

May 28, 2016

Introducing Garden Sham

So Gardening is my latest official hobby. I’ve had my fill of great hobbies and I intend on adopting more as my life progresses. I’ve enjoyed hiking and cycling. I still have to dive deeper into swimming.

So yes! Gardening. So on the 17th of February, 2016 I bought my first plants. I got myself a celery, a cinnamon basil, a culantro (chadon beni) and a curly-leaf parsley. Prior to that I maintained a counter-top spearmint plant. But finally I was ready to get the ball rolling. Following that, I have expanded my list of plants. I’ve had tasty lettuces and patchoi. I have a neem tree, tulsi and greek oregano. I’ve got a raised bed garden (a large plastic container) with tomatoes, melongene, thyme and pimento.

My uncle has also gotten head-over-heels involved with gardening too. My aunty has always grown a variety of flowers from Jacob’s coat (Croton), to Olive trees, Hibiscus amongst others. I also do my own composting to ensure we’ve also always got rich soil.

I buy potting mix from my nearby plant store and I mix it with my homemade compost as my planting material. I started off buying plant pots, then I moved to recycled bottles and containers. Lately we’ve started using construction buckets and drilling drainage holes. Most of my garden is a ‘container garden’. I transplant plants in the ground depending on how much space is needed for them to grow properly. I don’t have much ground space for planting so I’ve resorted to container gardening mostly out of necessity.

Beet Root

Irish Potato

Onion

Garlic

There are some of my Aunty’s plants.

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I am most proud of my broad leaf thyme! The rainy season has done it really well 🙂

Broad-leaf Thyme

Chilli Pepper

I’ve also tried my hand at a chilli plant.

So far I’ve been having lots of fun with my gardening. I’ve encountered diseases and pests and I’ve tried to tackle them all organically. It’s an interesting journey and I look forward to hopefully having a homestead of my own one day.

❤

Jeremiah 29:5

Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

February 8, 2016

Poás Volcano & Botos Lagoon – Costa Rica 2015

On the 18th of June 2015 I visited the Poás Volcano & Botos Lagoon with Island Hikers on a Hiking Tour of Costa Rica! This was my first overseas trip with the local (T&T) Hiking Group and I know I had finally found my lifelong hiking buddies!

According to Wikipedia, The Poás Volcano, is an active 2,708-metre (8,885 ft) stratovolcano in central Costa Rica. It has erupted 39 times since 1828There are two crater lakes near the summit. The northern lake is known as the Laguna Caliente (“hot lagoon”) and is located at a height of 2,300 m in a crater approximately 1.7 km wide and 290–300 m deep. It is one of the world’s most acidic lakes. Lake Botos, the southern lake, fills an inactive crater, which last erupted in 7500 BC. It is cold and clear, and is surrounded by a cloud forest located within the Poás Volcano National Park.

First we headed for the Lagoon

I had actually visited this national park way back when maybe in 2004 with my Form 4 Spanish class at St. Joseph’s Convent, St. Joseph.

At Botos Lagoon

Beautiful view of Botos Lagoon

I must apologise for posting this late. Now I’m eager to get all my pictures of Costa Rica 2015 posted before my one year anniversary of the tour arrives!

Terry & I

Abigail & I

I met awesome people on this trip. I had the privilege of bonding with kindred spirits you could say. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and we all had similar interests. This made for fun conversations and priceless memories ❤

You are here 🙂

Now we proceeded to Poás Volcano.

Hmm! This sure looks like the perfect spot for a nice shot

All smiles! I told you so 😛

Exploradora Shami 😀

Only my first Park visit for this Tour and I already felt satisfied with my decision to visit Costa Rica

We met a friendly squirrel

So on the path from the Lagoon to the Volcano we came across a friendly squirrel. He came out for treats and was really into posing for pictures.

Wikipedia says – Bang’s mountain squirrel is a nearly unknown species of tree squirrel, that only lives in Costa Rica and Panama.

More Shami shots lol

Now at the Volcano

It was a magnificent view. There were quite a bit of tourists up here. Our group got a really awesome group photo. This isn’t our full group maybe just around 70% of us.

I have more shots of the crater.

Nature has become a remedy of sorts for me. Sites like these remind me of the greatness of God, the Creator. An untainted plain, a place where man hasn’t gone overboard with his dominance. When we let nature reign, we can be privy to wondrous views such as these.

Greetings from the Summit!

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Until the next adventure ❤

Ya I’m a bit sour to leave also. Lol

Stay tuned for more of my adventures from Costa Rica 2015.

God bless 🙂

December 24, 2015

Visiting The Caroni Swamp

Sunday is really the Fun Day of the week. Following a restful, God-filled Sabbath, Sunday sets the pace for my upcoming week. Sunday prepares me to endure the monotony that the world tends to project as the ‘norm’.

My cousin Kay, my friend Shan and I all visited the Caroni Swamp on Sunday 25th October, 2015. Oh my, how time flies!

At the Caroni Swamp

We’re ready to head down river!

Wikipedia has the following to say about the Caroni Swamp:

The Caroni Swamp is the second largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located on the west coast of Trinidad, south of Port of Spain and northwest of Chaguanas, where the Caroni River meets the Gulf of Paria.

The Caroni Swamp is an estuarine system comprising 5,611 hectares of mangrove forest and herbaceous marsh, interrupted by numerous channels, and brackish and saline lagoons, and with extensive intertidal mudflats on the seaward side. The wetland provides a variety of habitats for flora and faunal species and as such, supports a rich biodiversity.

The Caroni Swamp is an important tourist attraction and provides an important habitat for the scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber), one of the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. It is also home to many other species of birds and houses The Caroni Bird Sanctuary, and is a protected wetland under the Ramsar Convention.

How could I forget the random kitten we saw hanging around. lol

So here we go! Let the journey begin!

Kay’s intent was to soak up as much nature as possible. She even brought a book to read.

We came across the following wildlife:

Blue Heron

Excuse the random tyre *sadface* pollution.

Crab

Mudskipper Fishies

Snakes in a Tree!

En route downriver

Can’t deny myself a sky shot

It almost looks like the clouds were trying to form a heart for me 😀

Ruined barrier

Apparently there were once barriers to separate the waterways.

Unfortunately, the bird watching towers were not maintained.

Fallen bird watching tower

Mangrove Seed

Then finally, I spotted my first Scarlet Ibis 😀

Can you see it?

Come on over! Come on over baby 😀

Now, into the lakes!

And onto the roosting island!

One of the many ‘islands’ where the birds roost

From here, we waited. The birds usual come in to roost after a long day out feeding and hanging with feathered friends.

Fellow waiters

And the birds begin their descent

Here they come 🙂

Egrets as they come in to roost

Scarlet Ibises

I tried to make this shot of the roosting birds lighter.

Birds settle in to roost

The sun went down quickly, and we had to head back to shore.

On the way back

I had to bask in the moment! Such a beautiful landscape.

As, the sun said its goodbyes, we entered back into the treeline. Luckily, we had no snake-falling-on-boat-passengers accidents. We merely suffered a crab-falling-on-already-totally-creeped-out-passenger accident. Lol.

O glorious sunset!

Another Sunday well spent on my beautiful home isle!

Until we meet again Caroni ❤

God bless and I hope you enjoy.

September 17, 2015

John 14:27-29 (Peace)

❤ this. Thank God for always being our fortress. Peace be unto us all.

THE RIVER WALK

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am.I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. (John 14:27-29)

Read: Jeremiah 1:1 – 2:30, Philippians 4:1-23, Psalm 75:1-10, Proverbs 24:17-20

Relate: I was in my spot. We had a conversion van and when a good strong storm was brewing, I liked to climb up to the top and just lay there watching. As the lightning crashed down around me, as the thunder shook the roof of that van I was laying on, and as…

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August 12, 2015

Oasis Pool at Radisson Grenada Beach Resort – Grenada 2015

So the word oasis automatically brings water to mind. But not just water, but refreshing, soul nourishing, I-Must-Have-You-To-Live type water. And at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, the Oasis Pool is just that. Paradise within paradise, because face it, Grenada is already a paradise.

So we headed over the Oasis Pool…

The sight that greeted us was surely the highlight of our stay at the Radisson Grenada.

Being from an island gives you an affinity to all bodies of water lol.

Marvellous isn’t it???? Waterfalls…. Bar… Bridges… And there’s still more to go 😛

Best part is that the water isn’t too high. The depth gets down to 4 or 5 feet at most. It’s all about relaxation and bliss 🙂

Do you see what I see?

I hope you see it!

So, back on the 10th of August in the year 2014 I came across a picture of an outdoor floating bed on Pinterest. I added it to my wishlist lol. I was overjoyed when I spotted this baby nestled under that beautiful tree. Ooh baby do you know what that’s worth? Ooh heaven is a place on earth! *dances*.

They do exist!

View from inside of the floating bed

My cousin & I wasted no time getting all carried away in the moment!

First we meditated!

Reading a book was always an activity we had lots of fun doing!

Then we got down to the real post-worthy poses lol 😛 Shaki was our designated photographer!

So now back to views of the pool!

Of course Radisson has yet another luxurious surprise up their sleeves 😀

There’re two jacuzzis at the Oasis Pool area. The second is accessible via a flight of stairs around the far side of this one.

We had two luxurious days to enjoy all that the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort had to offer.

Some finishing touches were still being added to the area, hence the caution tape. But the area was safe.

So! Feet up! Relaxation achieved! Grenada we love you ❤ Another vacation well-spent!

August 9, 2015

Radisson Grenada Beach Resort – Grenada 2015

So we had been in Grenada for just about five days already. We enjoyed our stay at the Gem Holiday Beach Resort (Morne Rouge, Grenada +1 473-444-4224) It’s right on the beach, Clean & spacious. Internet. Hot & Cold water. Appliances. The works! This is right next door to the Kalinago Beach Resort.

View at Gem Holiday Beach Resort

Our Aunty was staying over at the Radisson with her family. She suggested that we come spend a few nights over there.

So my Uncle marched right up to that Radisson Grenada Beach Resort and demanded that they let us stay!

And the rest is a story of bliss in paradise!

The first pool was really beautiful. But of course, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

The layout of the resort is really nice. Flora is one of the major highlights in life for me. Only my love of the sky can trump my love of flowers and trees.

Firstly, I loved off on the views of Grand Anse Beach.