Foot Instincts

Becoming a full-time travel baby

• March 18, 2018
• Mayra
• Our Travels

Hello,

You Lovely Peoples!

Thanks for showing up here for the third time now 😚😙 I know i am way too interesting a person to be ignored. So here you go. After a Fabulous First, everything changed overnight – The place, the weathwe, the people, the language, the food, our complete way of living and how 😁

My Mommy has her mind and foot in one place🤣 I think she was a born wanderer. I did overhear sometime back that she had left her home at the age of 15, and since then has been living in different cities, always with new people and of course varied circumstances. She doesn’t know how to settle down. Thank God, at least she has settled with Daddy and so I exist and you get to read this babylogue. Lol 😎

21st October 2017, Up in the Air

Well, today isn’t just another day boy! Guess what? I am inside a flight now. My 2nd international trip I think, but this time for time indefinite. Yes, we left Mumbai,  my birthplace 😌  I have too many memories of that cozy little house at Dadar, and all the good times I spent with Didu, Dadu, Ajji, and Ajoba. I miss them all already. Suddenly I am made to sleep with half my body on Mommy’s lap and the rest half on Daddy’s. I am wondering, are they even gonna land somewhere or just be here. You never know. They are little crazy. I saw them packing the whole house into one big truck and sending it to Ajji’s house and we are carrying just 3 small suitcases. I hope mommy has taken all my clothes and toys. I change a lot over the day, for obvious reason, guys. And of course, Mommy does carry a lot of my toys everywhere. She says it helps me settle down faster in a new place.

Last few days were particularly difficult for all of us. Mommy said goodbye to her colleagues at work and so did I. I met my teachers and my friend at school yesterday. It was emotional, but a memorable moment. We clicked a lot of photos. Mommy’s childhood friend- Umesh Uncle with his family had visited us too at the school, while they were on their way back to Pune. Such lovely relationship is friendship. No matter where you are, you make it a point to see each other whenever there is an iota of possibility, even if for few minutes. And is there  anything else more special than reminiscing about your childhood days and reliving through them all, seeing your children playing together.

I am going to miss them all a lot. Well, for now, let me sleep. Would be in a new continent,  when I wake up. Cheers to that!.

That’s Freya, my first friend for life. She was the only other child in the daycare. I used to love playing with her. I hope i make new friends as cute as her at our new place.

That’s Nohid and Swati teacher from my school. They took such good care of us. We never missed home. Miss you both so much.

Childhood friends – Umesh and Tanu posing along with their lovely children – Shara and Mayra. Thank you for visiting us on such a short notice.

Amidst all the goodbyes, I did bid farewell to my lovely hair as well. I obviously can’t miss writing about it. So here it is. Before and after losing few inches of my birth hair 🙂

I was happy to see others getting a haircut without realizing that I would be the next in line. It was rather difficult for the stylist, because I kept moving my head like a pendulum, paired with occasional cries and a lot of  screaming.

The new me. Feels fresh and light💞

28th October, Constance

Its been a week and I am in love with this place. It’s autumn here. The roads are as colorful as it can get. The quiet and peace here is addictive. I can almost hear my own breath and rarest of the sounds that I have ever heard like the birds chirping,  the leaves fluttering with the cool breeze, the fading sound of the cycles riding past me and the footsteps of the people walking on the road. Suddenly I feel I am putting my ears to good use, or it’s just the way it is. You can actually hear the nature around you. It’s beautiful. We are staying at Apartment Hotel. I like my room and all the people at the hotel. They are in awe of me. They say I have got beautiful eyelashes and big eyes. I am flattered. Mom keeps staring out of the window endlessly. She says, she feels a sense of belonging to this place. Already? In a week?  Well, I heard them planning a lot of trips in the coming few months because of the very fact that they aren’t sure of how our life is going to look like for days to come. So traveling is inevitable and best way to chase away the deep winters occasionally. Its gonna be fun guys. 😍😍

First Weekend at Constance. We are so happy to be all together in a foreign land. But feels like home, when you with your family.

1st November 2017, Paris 

I saw the Eifell tower last night. It was cold and breezy. All I could see was a beam of yellow light staggered over a huge structure. Mommy doesn’t look quite impressed. Otherwise, she goes crazy to see the yellow leaves falling off the trees back in Constance. She finds beauty in that. Paris is beautiful, and more beautiful are my pair of parents who think I am the reason for them to feel so empowered and follow their hearts. They always wanted to travel the length and breadth of the world and here we are, doing exactly what they have always wanted to do. I feel humbled.

I found a little friend here at the hotel. She is just one month elder to me. She has got slight golden colored hair. We are so different yet so similar. I love her clothes. I love mine too, though I would be seen wearing the same jacket for almost the entire winters. Thats also a new way of living that Mommy wants to adapt to. She calls it the Minimalist way – ” Less is Now”.

We plan to stay here  for the whole of next week instead of travelling elsewhere. That’s what Mommy’s idea of travel is all about – Travel slow.

My friend from Paris. Babies connect so effortlessly and are at so much ease in each other’s company.

Me with my Baba. Random click shot on one-plus 5 in portrait mode by Mommy. She bought the phone before my second trip to Goa. She absolutely loves her phone. You can see why right?

15th December 2017, Constance 

Mommy, says she has seen and touched the snow less than a few times in her entire life. Never at the places she had stayed though. It was only once when she went to Leh, that she actually saw what snow-laden mountains looked like and how difficult yet charming life was up above there.

For me, I have seen it snow every day last few days. I played in the whites all around me. I touched and felt the cold. I walked fiercely on it and fell several times with a wide smile on my face. I almost ate as it looked edible to me. 😋

Mommy always dreamt of and this looks like a fairy tale to her. What my dream would like as my reality is already so wonderful. I need to work harder on my dreams.,😆😀

Mommy just endlessly keeps clicking photos to post online. Hope you guys are liking them.  She clicks random stuff – cycle, trees, birds, houses, snow, and sometimes some human faces with their priceless emotions.

My first snow. I want to eat it all. Thank you, Daddy, for making this moment special for me.

22nd December 2017, Christmas Market, Constance 

I am very passionate about anything musical. It just makes me nod my head back and forth with joy. Listen to this, and you will agree. I was at the Constance Christmas Market last night. There were people eating and drinking all around. Everyone was wearing their best winter attire. What a wonderful atmosphere it was. But I felt sick due to cold, and we were back at the hotel within 1 hour. Mommy took this video which I can see always and share it with you as well.  

 31st December 2017, Welcome Inn, Napoli 

Oh man, last 9 days were so-so wonderful traveling through Florence, Rome and the Amalfi Coast and now this loud noise of fire-crackers is deafening. I need to catch some sleep. We are going back tomorrow morning. I had few public meltdowns on this trip. But nevermind, I took it to my stride and kept going. It’s a phase in baby’s life, mommy says. But how many such phases are there? Do you have any idea? It would be great if I am mentally prepared. I saw spectacular sunsets at Florence and the Amalfi coast. Felt like I could just settle in there forever. But I cant because there are miles to go before I sleep. I also met a little boy of my age from Korea at Pompeii. Dint register his name though. But he was cute, just like me. Mommy says all babies are cute. I disagree. Because many cry a lot. And they aren’t cute anymore when they cry.  

At Amalfi Coast with Mommy and Daddy. It was a lovely bus ride through along the peninsula. I want to go back there again

10th Jan 2018, Apartment Hotel, Constance

Mommy has been working a lot on her MacBook air off-late which daddy had gifted her couples of years back. As soon as I close my eyes, she starts typing. I can’t really ignore the natural sound of the keyboard. But I don’t complaint. I am so happy to see her this way. She is happy when she types. Her face lit up with joy and eyes shine bright. I try to sleep as long as possible and as deep as possible so that she can immerse herself in the process of writing. Daddy says, she never used his gift so well in the past. He looks happy too to see mommy following her heart. She says she wants to just share what she feels. I think that’s great. I do that too. I cry. I laugh. I giggle. It’s all my expression of my emotions. Writing is her expression of her emotions. 

Daddy has registered for 2 half Marathons which would be hosted in 2 different European Islands – Gran Canari a and Malta. I and Mommy are excited just like that because we get to see these places while daddy runs. Haha.

21st Jan 2018, Gran Canaria Half Marathon

It’s a beautiful morning here. I and Mommy parked the stroller under the trees, crossed the road and waited to see all the runners wearing various colorful outfits running on the street. I was so impressed to see their enthusiasm. All those happy faces were happy because they were running. They are all like Daddy. He is running as well. We waited for him, to come and surprise me and take me along for few steps. It was a thrilling experience for me. Mommy obviously couldn’t resist but click.

Me cheering for the runners and there came my Daddy. See the video below

We spent about an hour before we head back to the place where she had kept the stroller only to not find it there anymore. Such things do happen while you are on the go. I was happy because I no longer would be a stroller-bound baby. But mommy was worried. But there are few good men in this world who happen to be around, just when you need them. One such traveler, who had coincidentally missed his ferry came to our rescue. Some random guy had hidden our stroller behind the bushes, to come and pick it up later. Mommy was all smiles after that and she kept telling this story to whoever she met. Storyteller she is.

We were at the Maspalomas sand dune beach yesterday. It was so gorgeous. The breeze was so strong that I could barely open my eyes and see and kept walking aimlessly. We were there until the sunset. My two travel buddies are crazy about sunset. They just go and park themselves till the sun goes down and keep capturing all possible colors and hues that are painted on the sky. And I marvel at nature’s beauty and also at the innocence and the joy in their eyes just being there and savoring the moment. We hop to another island tomorrow. And that’s even more interesting than where we are at present. I held my breath for what I would be seeing next.

24th Jan 2018, Lanzarote

I saw the Atlantic Ocean, the Volcanic Mountains, the black soil and the snow white painted houses together. You can imagine what a sight it would be. We spent the afternoon savoring some delicious seafood and some homemade dessert. Post which to my surprise, they wanted to cycle. I have seen Daddy cycling back at Constance. But why cycle when you are on a holiday?

They made me sit at the back of one of the bicycles that they rented for few hours. I was so scared and just didn’t want to sit, but then I thought let me just give it a try. You never know, what if I like it. So, I sat behind Daddy and Mommy both in parts and we rode around the island of Lanzarote. They have separate cycling tracks here like we have in Constance, so it’s pretty safe for babies. Mommy stopped by a children’s play park by the beach, where I played along with many other big and small kids, while daddy took some time alone to drive to the airport. The airport here is along the Atlantic ocean. Have you seen anything like this before? Well for me, everything I see, obviously I haven’t seen before. So my eyes and my lips are always stretched to the ends in awe and delight. I hear these words from mommy, who says she is a travel blogger now. She travels and she writes about it. I like this job of hers. She stays at home with me all the time and works only when I sleep. Lol. I get to be with her always 🙂

I like adventurous rides. This one was my first one. The look on my face doesn’t really say I like it, however, i did have fun later.

8th Feb 2018, Bodanplatz, Constance

You know my love for music Right? It just drives me crazy. I am a musical baby. I love music of all types. I almost stood on my stroller listening to the loud yet melodious beats of the drums while they were playing the famous traditional Guggen Music at the city center tonight. It was freezing cold, but there were so many people, dressed in funny costumes, walking through the street. There were babies of my size who sat on some cart like thing, pulled by their parents and all of them dressed like some animal I think. I too want to do this, ah maybe next year. It’s amazing how their faces hide behind the masks and their bodies behind those heavy costumes. They don’t look normal. I like this craziness tonight. SOmethings totally different from what I have been seeing in Constance in last few months. Mommy is surely going to posts all pictures and videos online. She has itchy feet and itchy fingers too.. Always uploading and writing something. Well now as well. It’s time to sleep. Yawn!

Love what they are wearing

Guggen Music which is played during Fasnacht- Its a tradition at Constance to chase away winters. Not sure if it works though. Play the video below.

23rd Feb 2018, Radisson Blu, Malta

Do you know why does my daddy run? He says it makes him feel alive. Both of them do these things which make them happy of course apart from the greatest happiness that I bring in every moment in their lives. But what is it about running, writing, traveling and photography. These guys are seriously into something which they love.  So here we are in one of the smallest country islands in Europe, Malta. It’s been raining and they look little disappointed as we cant really explore the city on foot. So we rented a car. Daddy is driving, and I and mommy are thoroughly enjoying to sit back, relax and listen to some awesome music. We are here because Daddy runs a marathon on this Sunday. And till then we also see some beautiful beaches and the old city. You will read about it soon on the blog that mommy would write. She isn’t getting enough time you know to pen down her thoughts often or real-time when we travel. I hope once I grow up a little more, she would be able to do that.  More power to her. I love them.

26th Feb 2018, Belgrade

Its -7 degrees here. I don’t see the road, but only snow everywhere. We took a walk to this restaurant at the city center. I, of course, took a ride in the stroller. I can express well, but I can’t walk guys, on the snow as yet. I am only 16 months old now. This Restaurant had 3 sections with 3 sets of musicians playing different traditional music. This city is so lively. In spite of the cold, these restaurants are packed with so many beautiful people. I loved that lettuce salad and the beans here. Mommy and Daddy had a long conversation with Daddy’s office colleagues on Travel, India, Culture, Languages etc. I kept listening, with occasional cries. I do that when i get little bored. We are in this city, where Daddy says he won’t come otherwise, however, Mommy says that she sees something good in every place that she visits, for Daddy’s’ work and we go back to Constance pretty much as soon as he gets free.

So this brings me to an end of my happy first 16 months and this also bookmarks the day for penning down my experiences for the fourth babylogue soon. We travel to Austria during the Easter weekend and then to India, my native during the summers. Stay tuned to know more about the baby adventures.

It may be a long read for you, but there is so much more I want to write about, that has happened and that would happen in the coming days that space is always going to fall short for me. But I would make an honest attempt to make it as interesting for you.

See you all soon again when i am back with the fourth series. Till then have a great life. Keep traveling. Keep loving. Keep writing. Keep expressing. It’s a therapy-says Mommy.

Love to all of you,

Mayra

To travel is to inspire and to be inspired.

If you want to catch my story about life in my Mommy’s womb, click here.

If you want to know more about my first year of life growing up in India, click here.

If you are interested to know more about us, you can read here.

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Please leave a comment about what you feel about the above post. Would love to hear back from you.