Breakfast with the Big Cats

What a fab way to start off the weekend - Friends & family, all gathered under one roof. Kitchen swamped with every filipino dish you savour for and side tables stocked with sweet-tasting desserts. It was a dream-like sight; a feast for all. Sadly enough, the boyfriend and I couldn't fully enjoy this glorious delight as we had reservations at the 'Mariott Cheshunt' later that evening [Of course, we still had a plate or two - it couldn't be resisted!]

On arrival at the hotel, we checked ourselves into a deluxe suite for the night then popped down for a nice evening meal at their restaurant. We were catered with: a pan fried fillet salmon served together with saute potatoes, chorizo and cherry tomatoes (for myself) & pan fried chicken with gravy, garlic mushrooms and fries for Sean. They were very refined meals which we truly enjoyed and even had the pleasure of meeting the Chef himself. We finished up with refreshing desserts of; a lemon tart and selection of icecreams. Spent the rest of the evening full up and restrained in bed, watching Eurovision. Well done, Azerbaijan! Good try UK! Hehe.

The following morning, our adventure began. Destination: the Paradise Wildlife Park. Its an animal conservation and education led zoo providing great experiences for all. After settling in with some tea and biscuits, we were brought up to a 'Tree Top Restaurant' where we were kindly served with some breakfast. The coolest thing of all was we were surrounded with stunning views of the tiger enclosure; one bathing on a pod by our window. It surely was a captivating way to start the morning with.

We toured the park, visiting a variety of big cats like snow leopards, cheetahs, lions and other weird ones. Got a chance to watch a health check demonstration of the tigers which I found really intimidating; didn't realise they were so huge in size. There were other animals around to keep us entertained. The red panda however, was and still is my favourite. Out of kindness and probably to shut me up, my boyfriend bought me a stuffed toy version (t'awh) that I've named Mao Mao =) It was an enjoyable experience and its always fun when you learn new things; it makes a day worth it.

My Red Panda <3

To round of our day, we ate at Nandos, which strangely enough, we haven't had a meal from since the beginning of Lent. Erm... i know! So, that was pretty much munched within minutes.

Well, I hope you all had a lovely weekend as well. I don't often say this... but thank you for taking the time to read my blog. And a huge thank you to those following. Keep smiling & enjoy the rest of your week =) Toodles x

Dude, there's a monkey on your car!

Driving a good couple of hours to Wiltshire would seem such a waste if all we drove down for was to see the Stonehenge. For that matter, the night before, we researched other places in around that area that we could possibly go visit. We thought Windsor and also Bath but we wanted something a bit more exciting. Not that the other two options aren't, of course.

So, after Stonehenge, we jumped back on the A303 towards Warmister and an hour in, we arrived onto the extensive grounds of Longleat. I remember watching those nature programmes a long time ago referring to this place but I didn't think much into it as it was far. But guess it was time =)

As we drove into the enclosure, we were given a CD which was to accompany us during our drive through the Safari Park. Burst of excitement, we couldn't help but go to that first. Now, with the Longleat Safari, you are provided with the freedom to see wildlife animals with no barriers or boundaries and best of all, in the safety of your own car. Its at your own pace BUT you will be warned that Longleat are not liable for any damages etc. Charming... we weren't worried lol.

Our first stop was to see the wallabies, giraffes & zebras. I found this part really incredible; being able to go up close to these animals, close enough to see their intricate patterns. The giraffes really amazed me especially. Seconds turned into minutes just watching them. Unfortunately, I was dragged back into the car to move on.


Next stop was the East Africa Reserve, where we got to experience other wildlife animals such as the monkeys, deers, rhinos, ostriches, wolves, tigers, lions and many many more. I tried to take a couple of pictures along the way but I often found that difficult because I didn't want to miss out on anything, whilst trying to fiddle with lens or buttons hoping to capture a perfect shot.

Our favourite part of the Safari Park journey has got to be the monkeys. Now, we were a little weary bringing the car into this section, simply because we've heard the reviews; 'vehicles will get tampered with!' But we risked it and it was absolutely great! Monkeys jumped onto our car, even whilst we were moving along; finding bits to eat from between the wipers, stamping on the spoiler, biting the rain guards, breaking into fights on the car, nibbling the antenna - they were so entertaining. Thankfully enough, the car was fine, no serious damages - just muddy footprints everywhere (just when we had got it cleaned). Others, on the otherhand... well, they won't be seeing their antennas or windscreen wipers anymore as they'll be used as ornaments in the monkey habitat LOL.

There was also the Longleat House owned by Lord Bath; the estate was enormous. You couldn't miss this from a mile away. We personally chose not to visit inside as we were running short of time but I'm sure it would be rather interesting. Instead, we went and looked at more animals: common ones like rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, iguanas, ferrets... the list is endless. We were entertained by parrots, which even till now astonishes me how clever they are. I was pecked by a random turkey that was roaming around. We got to hold a snake, which was a first for me. Sean held a giant centipede (yeh, no thanks). The meerkats and chipmunks were really cool to see. We also spent a little time in the butterfly house. I'm such a butterfly fan, having them fly around me felt like a fairytale; they were so pretty. All these animals were obviously monitored by staff but they roam free in their environments; that's the great thing about this place.

It's sooooo awesome. A fun day out to spend with your family for sure. To those with little ones; you'll have a blast. I definitely recommend the visit. We had the greatest time, so thank you Longleat x

The website offers 10% online discount which is a bonus. Click on the link for more information Longleat

Prehistoric Marvel

It's half term at the moment (ahhh a week off from work; general recovery much awaited indeed). I didn't have very much planned for the week but I did intend to have one big adventure out somewhere. One place I have been longing to see is:

...STONEHENGE...

So, Thursday morning, we woke up super early, packed us some snacks, or let me rephrase that, 'junk', topped the car up full tank and set off on road "Road trip!" It wasn't the most pleasant of drives in the beginning; somewhat managed to get caught in traffic and to annoy us more, our Sat Nav decided to die on us. But we chose to ignore these inconveniences and made anything and everything fun =P Hours of driving and even longer on the never ending A303 in sight of trees and fields, ha and sheep too. But in the midst of all that, there is was before our eyes, Stonehenge.

I know this long-standing attraction just seems like a bunch of rocks plotted in the middle of nowhere but for a very long time now, I've always been curious of its existence. So that day, I got to experience that. Despite the restrictions, it was close enough for me; examining it from all sides and angles. The abundance of its time and chronology was so detailed for me to take in but having it within your vision, somehow empowers you with its history; opening the mysteries of ingenuity revolving around this very one monument.

Although we were there for a short time only, we had a great (educational) time there. If you are fond of history and anything touristic - it is definitely an impressive construction to visit in Britain... a 'living part of the landscape of Wiltshire' i say.

Part II of my adventure, soon to come. Stay tuned x