Story of my life – A
life changing vacation
This was not the first time I was flying out of country for a
vacation. I have traveled for more than 10 countries in past 5 years. However ,
this vacation changed my life and the only reason being that I was traveling with my 1 year old daughter who was very
curious exploring the world outside.
Ishanvi had just then started to
walk and she loved empty space to practice her newly found skill. Croatia is
one such place which is very safe for kids to walk with minimal supervision.
Every morning, just after
finishing breakfast we would go out for exploration. She discovered this trend very
quickly and each time we asked her to wear her shoes , she would get all
enthusiastic about seeing something new.
Croatia is gifted with natural
beauty and has them in abundant. Every house that we spotted has had a
beautiful garden which consisted of variety of vegetation and trees. For
instance, it was easy for one to spot a pomegranate or an orange or even grape trellis.
These luxuriously grown trees act nothing but a home
for varieties of bees, butterfly as well as some exotic birds which are native
to that region. To add more to the fun, monkeys paid their visit from time to
time.
Ishanvi was particularly amazed seeing
the harmony between flora, fauna and nature and it made her extremely
delightful
At the age of 1 , kids usually desire to touch and feel things (that) they see
(around). Feeling different texture of leaves, shapes of fruits and colors of
the flowers, Ishanvi had a time of her life exploring and proclaiming herself
to be a mini-biologist.
Ishanvi is fearless and a super
active as a child. She greeted other travelers and brought smile on their faces
with gestures made from her hand and few funny facial expression. It was
another new country for us to explore, for her it was just an other day with
her parents to experience new things.
Croatia has clean and crystal
like beaches. The temperature in October is perfect for outdoor activities but
the water gets cold in the mornings and late evenings. We did the same drill of
getting out after our breakfast and landed in a beach in our beach wears. The pebbles in the beach did hurt ishanvi a bit
however she did not stop there. With a small jug in one hand and few pebbles in
another , she jumped into the water. She dazed at the different water sounds
when I was throwing pebbles into the water sitting next to her on the shore.
She tried to imitate me and found herself successful in bringing the same
sounds.
Ishanvi’s meal time is always a
lengthy one. She loves to watch her favorite rhymes and the same rhymes every
time she sits for her meal. “five little ducks swimming one day” is one of her
favorite songs and she usually makes the quack quack sounds indicating us to
put that rhyme again and yet again. Just after her afternoon small course of
meal , we stepped out to a national park encountering aquatic animals and
birds. It was a feast for our eyes to see the colorful fishes in the crystal-clear
water surrounded by the autumn leaves. We stopped to pick up some snacks and
put ishanvi in her pram next to a small lake. She being a curious kid struggled
to come out of the pram and suddenly heard a quack quack sounds repeatedly.
That small lake had many ducks following each other. Ishanvi immediately could
relate her favorite meal time rhyme with the real ducks and signaled me that
she spotted “five little ducks” .
We have seen a drastic change in
her comportment post this vacation. She loves being outdoor left carefree. It
was a memorable time with ishanvi for us in those 5 days. The cute little
tourist is a great travel companion and we are looking forward for many more in
future.
