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Paddington Bear

@abearcalledpaddington

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🌏 8 years full time travel
📍Kenya 🇰🇪

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A good walk always clears the head
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Today I tackled part of the Cotswold Way, a 102-mile National Trail from Chipping Campden to Bath along the escarpment
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Rolling hills, wide open views and beautifully cared-for landscapes, many looked after by the National Trust, made each step feel like a reward. I even stumbled upon a Neolithic burial mound, which felt like quite the discovery for a curious little bear
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Fresh air, tired paws and a very happy bear.
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #cotswoldway #cotswolds #walkingtrail taken in The Cotswolds, England by @abearcalledpaddington

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6 months ago

One should never skip an opportunity to visit Paddington when in London. It simply wouldn’t be polite
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I stopped by to say hello and made sure everything was in order, hat straight, suitcase ready and of course, a jar of marmalade
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And who could resist a quick stop at the Paddington Store? So many friends to say hello to, I nearly forgot to leave
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #london #paddingtonstation #travelbear taken in London Paddington station by @abearcalledpaddington

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7 months ago

Bienvenue à Paris 🇫🇷
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Today I finally met the Eiffel Tower, rising high above the city like a giant iron lattice of adventure. I climbed the stairs step by step like a very determined little bear, and when I reached the top the whole of Paris opened up beneath me, rooftops, the Seine winding through the city and monuments in every direction
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It felt like a very special moment standing up there, a small bear in a very big city. After all that climbing I treated myself to the lift back down, which felt like the sensible Parisian way to finish such an adventure
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #paris #eiffeltower #bienvenueaparis taken in Eiffel Tower, Paris by @abearcalledpaddington

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7 months ago

Afternoon tea, Mombasa style! ☕🐻
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The teapot looks familiar, but there’s a little surprise inside! Here on the Kenyan coast, I’ve swapped my usual cuppa for Swahili coffee, a wonderfully aromatic brew spiced with cardamom
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I must say, I rather approve of this local twist on afternoon tea. Although I did have to check twice that nobody had mixed up the tea and coffee pots! Now, where are those marmalade sandwiches?
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #mombasa #kenyatravel #travelbear taken in Mombasa Kenya by @abearcalledpaddington

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5 days ago

Mombasa is quite an adventure for a small bear! 🇰🇪🐻
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�I decided it was time to leave the hotel pool behind and explore this wonderfully busy coastal city. First stop, the famous Mombasa Tusks! Rather impressive, although I was relieved to discover there wasn't an elephant attached to them
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�Next, I wandered through the narrow streets of Old Town, past colourful buildings, beautiful old doors, mosques and bustling spice markets. Mombasa has a fascinating mix of African, Arab, Indian and European influences, and around every corner there seemed to be something new to investigate. Including a rather inconvenient rain shower!�
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All that exploring made me terribly hungry, so I stopped for a plate of biryani. With its rich spices and Indian and Swahili influences, Mombasa certainly knows how to feed a hungry bear. I made a very thorough inspection of my lunch
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�Of course, no visit would be complete without seeing the mighty Fort Jesus. And when my little legs had finally had enough, I hopped into a tuk-tuk for a rather lively ride through the city. I held on to my hat, my suitcase and, on one particularly bumpy corner, my dignity! 🛺
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�#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #mombasa #kenya #travelbear taken in Mombasa Kenya by @abearcalledpaddington

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10 days ago

**New country unlocked!** 🇰🇪🐻
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I’ve arrived in Mombasa, Kenya! And after all that travelling, there was really only one sensible thing to do first: inspect the hotel pool. Thoroughly.
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It also seemed like the perfect opportunity to debut one of my snazzy new outfits from Kigali. I’m not saying I planned my entire Kenya itinerary around my new beach wardrobe... but the timing is rather convenient. 😌
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Pool inspected, outfit approved. I suppose I should probably go and see some of Mombasa now!
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #mombasakenya #kenya #travelbear taken in Mombasa Kenya by @abearcalledpaddington

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14 days ago

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19 days ago

Today I became an art critic. 🎨🐻
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�Kigali has a brilliant contemporary art scene, so I swapped coffee shops for galleries and set off on my very own art walk around Kacyiru.
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�I visited @niyoartscenter, @inkingiarts_space, @mads_kigali, @np_arts_kigali and @ishyuka_arts, wandering from one creative space to the next and discovering everything from colourful paintings and street art to some wonderfully unusual pieces
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�The best part was meeting some of the artists along the way. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and I spent a very cultural morning chatting, looking at art and occasionally standing thoughtfully in front of a painting so everyone knew I was taking my new role as art critic seriously
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Several galleries and quite a few kilometres later, this little critic was hot, tired and ready to retire for lunch. Culture is exhausting work, you know
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #kigali #rwanda #travelbear taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @abearcalledpaddington

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22 days ago

New city, new country! 🇷🇼
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A short drive from Lake Bunyonyi and I’ve crossed the border into Rwanda. Welcome to Kigali! I spent 2 weeks here while my assistants caught up on something they keep calling “work”. I, meanwhile, had a rather less demanding schedule
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I’ve managed a few walks around my neighbourhood and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. It’s a difficult place to visit, but an incredibly important one, and somewhere I would highly recommend making time for if you’re in Kigali
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Apart from that, life here has been deliberately slow. Good coffee, a few nice restaurants, neighbourhood wanders and plenty of sitting around looking handsome while my assistants stare at their laptops. Someone has to maintain the work-life balance around here ☕🐻
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #kigalicity #rwandatravel #travelbear taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @abearcalledpaddington

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25 days ago

Uganda, you were quite the adventure 🇺🇬🐻
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From trekking deep into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to meet mountain gorillas, to spending an hour with a chimpanzee family in Kibale, Uganda gave me some of my biggest travel moments yet. I met silverbacks, baby gorillas, chimps and enough baby animals on safari to make a small bear consider moving permanently into the bush
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But Uganda wasn’t only about the wildlife. I travelled through impossibly green mountains, past tea plantations clinging to the hillsides, watched some spectacular sunsets and met people along the way who shared a little piece of their lives with me. I even learned how coffee goes from bean to cup, which I considered extremely important research ☕
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There were bumpy roads, long drives, muddy jungle trails, safaris and seven-hour treks. Then, at the end of it all, there was peaceful Lake Bunyonyi, where I could finally sit still, watch the birds and take it all in
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Gorillas and chimps may have brought me to Uganda, but there was so much more waiting for me once I arrived. The people, the landscapes, the wildlife, the green mountains, the tiny moments and the enormous ones
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My suitcase is a little dustier, my assistants are considerably more tired, and this little bear is leaving with an awful lot of stories to tell. Uganda, what a journey you’ve been 🌿
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #ugandatravel #visituganda #travelbear taken in Uganda, Africa by @abearcalledpaddington

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a month ago

Time to slow things down 🐻🌿
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After an epic adventure around Uganda, I’ve made it to Lake Bunyonyi in the southwest of the country, not far from the Rwandan border. Surrounded by steep green hills and dotted with little islands, it’s wonderfully calm and peaceful, with plenty of birds to keep a small bear entertained
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Although Saturday morning was anything but quiet! It’s market day, and the little dock suddenly fills with people arriving by boat from around the lake, carrying baskets, produce and all sorts of things to sell. There was an awful lot for a curious bear to inspect
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The rest of the time, life here moves at a much gentler pace. A bit of birdwatching, a little boat trip, plenty of sitting by the water and absolutely no seven-hour jungle treks. My assistants seemed particularly pleased about that last part
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Lake Bunyonyi feels like just the right place to relax, unwind and gather myself after everything I’ve experienced in Uganda. Although I’m not entirely sure what I’m gathering myself for yet... perhaps another cup of coffee will help ☕
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #lakebunyonyi #uganda #travelbear taken in Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda by @abearcalledpaddington

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a month ago

I'm going a little ape 🦍
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Deep inside Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, I had the extraordinary privilege of spending time with a large gorilla family, including three enormous silverbacks, four blackbacks and two babies. And yes, I got to meet one of the little ones. I’m not saying we became best friends, but I think there was definitely a moment
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Getting there was quite the adventure. It turned into a seven-hour trek through dense jungle, climbing up and down steep mountain gorges and scrambling through vegetation that certainly lived up to the name Impenetrable. Luckily, I have assistants for this sort of thing and was carried through some of the more strenuous sections. A bear must conserve his energy for the important business of gorilla watching
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Watching the family together made every muddy step worthwhile. The adults were remarkably relaxed about our presence, while the youngsters were much more interested in climbing, playing and generally causing trouble. Of which I greatly approved
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A special mention has to go to my porter, Kate, who was absolutely brilliant. She made sure my assistants got safely through the forest, helped them over the trickier sections and provided plenty of moral support when those hills seemed to go on forever.
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Hiring a local porter is something I can highly recommend. Not only is the extra pair of hands invaluable on a trek like this, it also provides employment and supports the communities around Bwindi. And, rather importantly, it means I don’t have to carry my own bag!
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Seven hours, countless hills and one very special gorilla family. I'm still waiting for my invitation to join the troop 🦍🌿
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #bwindi #mountaingorillas #uganda taken in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda by @abearcalledpaddington

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a month ago