Lavender & Twill : travel

Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Monday, April 29, 2019

༺ Pearl of Asia ༻

We were so lucky this April to spend four days in Phom Penh, Cambodia. We had six days away in total ~ one travel day on either side of the trip, which worked out to be quite a good amount of time for a short tour of the city.

I’m really glad we got to visit Cambodia ~ they have called Phnom Penh the “Pearl of Asia” and I can understand why.

There are so many fantastic historical sights to see ~ and I thoroughly enjoyed the chance I had to spend the afternoon out in the city exploring. {I did that by myself while the children went with the Mister to a waterpark ~ much more fun for them than sightseeing!}

I can’t express enough how beautiful I found the historical, heavily French-inspired architecture throughout Phnom Penh. I love how the French influence has mixed with the local history and culture to create a singularly spectacular city. I really enjoyed visiting the National Museum of Cambodia, and the Royal Palace. The Silver Pagoda was spectacular, and there was a plethora of inspiring colour palettes and patterns that I just soaked up… And took a gazillion photos of!

I think the nicest thing about solo adventuring is the ability to go completely at your own pace and see all the things you really want to see. I’m perfectly horrible as a traveling companion because I want to see EVERY SINGLE LITTLE thing and take photos of IT ALL. I’ve been told on many occasion to hurry up, but that doesn’t work on me anymore as I now know if I don’t get the photo when I see it, I won’t have another chance and then I’ll regret it later! I’m such a visual person, I simply must capture the pictures I find ~ it’s kind of like treasure hunting to me and I love it.

Although I really do enjoy exploring by myself for a day or an afternoon, one thing I have to say is that it’s certainly not great for getting photos of yourself in all the exotic locations! Haha… I’m going to have to invest in a tiny travel tripod for my phone I think…

Alas, it also means that I didn’t get to take the outfit pictures in the city like I was planning. I did manage to get some photos at the housing complex where we were staying so I was glad about that. Not exactly a jaw-dropping location, but it was peaceful, and even the simpler example of a Cambodia building was pretty to me.

The day of these photos was the first one of our trip, and we had gone out earlier on a boat tour of the Tonlé Sap River. Honestly ~ I was sooo impressed that my makeup {and my curls} managed to last all day in the humidity and heat!

Thailand has been so dry, I forgot how humid tropical weather can get, but boy, oh boy ~ Cambodia was a very moist reminder.

I had a very easy time packing for this short jaunt and after I looked at everything in my suitcase, I realised why ~ I’d packed four pink outfits to wear for all four days!

And you know what?

I wasn’t the slightest bit unhappy about that. It made accessorizing easy, my makeup could be a similar peachy-pink look every day, I could wear one pair of shoes {instead of bringing the three or so odd pairs I usually do.. Haha!} and that one pair would match my purse!

Now that might sound a little crazy, but I really do like making sure my looks are complete from head to toe. I miss dressing in true vintage style which really is about co-ordinating each and every part of your ensemble ~ from the undergarments to accessories.

In the spirit of vintage fashion, I try to style each part of my look along the same rules that dictated a chic and elegant ensemble in the 1940s and 1950s ~ and essentially make sure that my co-ordination is on point!

And actually, I had some locals enquiring about my look ~ they thought I was a stylist because my whole outfit was matching so perfectly. It was sort of true, but not really in the way they were thinking… I’m a stylist for myself! Haha!

Creating a capsule travel wardrobe based around my favourite colour certainly made the whole process of packing very simple, and it also meant that each outfit made me feel really happy to wear it. It’s not really something I’d thought of before ~ most people suggest building a capsule wardrobe/suitcase around a “basic” colour such as black, white, blue or tan.

But I think that if you have enough of your favourite colour in your wardrobe, all of the right accessories are probably already there. It’s also going to be a colour, and the clothing, that you feel comfortable in which will create the perfect mood for a day exploring.

Now I just need to find enough purple dresses to create a capsule wardrobe in lilac!

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻
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Thursday, January 25, 2018

༺ To St. Andrew’s Square ༻

I know it’s taking me half a century to post these days, but hey! That’s life sometimes!

I’ve been “gifted” with all the colds and flues I missed out on this winter, {thanks Canberra crud…} so between that and trying to spend all the time with friends and family that I can, I have just been away from it all, even Instagram!! *le gasp!* (ô □ ô)

We took these pictures back in November when the Mister and I spent some time in Sydney. He was there for work and I was there for fun… Hehe! His work paid for a gorgeous hotel room right in the city, and we really enjoyed the time away. I loved the night time outlook over the city lights!

It’s kind of funny because I never really thought of myself as much of a city person, but over the last few years I’ve really come to appreciate all the things you get to enjoy in a busy, bustling city. There is certainly something unique to being in the middle of all that hustle, something that is vibrant and fun.

Sure, when it comes to day to day life, I am all for a great suburb with access to a lot of nature {and horses and bush and reserves and parks} and all that good stuff, but I really, really do enjoy a holiday in a big city. It’s a very refreshing change of pace.

And the buildings! Oh, the architecture… *swoon* Finding interesting buildings and places to see, it’s one of my favourite things to do. When I spot an interesting architectural design, or a beautiful piece of wall art, or décor ~ I get a thrill prickling down my spine just like I’ve uncovered a vintage treasure in a thrift shop.

It’s totally as awesome as putting together a fully realized outfit ~ just like this one!

I really adore how the lavender and tan paired together in this ensemble. The whole look is created with the perfect pieces for my style, and I am so into every. single. thing. in this outfit. The soft colour palette is my absolute favourite, it creates such a nice summery look ~ especially when combined with the bold violet purple and cardamom yellow of the pansies in my hair.

I’ve kind of made it my one of my goals to add more shades of purple to my wardrobe. I love violet, lavender and lilac, and I really wish I had more purple to wear! I’ll be keeping an eye out as much as I can, but I think I’ve made a good start with the addition of this Pinup Girl sundress.

Only, whyyyyy doesn’t it have pockets??

Seriously!

I’m am never more disappointed in a dress than when it doesn’t have pockets. Yeah, it bites if it doesn’t fit right, and it’s annoying if it creeps down while you wear it, or refuses to fasten properly, but the saddest thing is a complete lack of pockets if you ask me.

Especially when that’s the simplest problem to fix.

I mean, I purchased this dress second hand, but I know the price range that it was originally in, and boy oh boy, I would have been bummed if I had paid full price only to find that it had no pockets! I think that my Review cocktail dress that I posted about a long time ago has set a high standard, haha!

Is it just me though? Are pockets something you look for in your dresses and skirts? What is the one thing you need to have in your clothing to make it super wearable?

Basically I rate anything in my wardrobe with decent pockets as the best thing ever. If the clothing doesn’t have good, deep pockets, or any pockets at all, I am far less likely to pull it out and wear it. Pockets win all the time. That is all.

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻
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Friday, January 12, 2018

༺ A Year Flies By ༻

It’s been a while since I’ve done an end of year review, over 365 days in fact! Although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I love the rite of sitting down and remembering all the things that happened in the last twelve months. Especially as I don’t always get a chance to record those thoughts or events in my actual journal.

As always, if you wish post these questions for yourself, please do! This was a great way to look back over the year. Here’s how 2017 went down at Lavender & Twill! ♡

1. What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?

Moved overseas! What else? Rode in a tuktuk, learned a smattering of Thai {literally only four phrases, but it’s still a new language}, learned to ride a motorbike/scooter by myself, flew with with three little children, went overseas with carry on luggage only… Well, that didn’t last long, but I did it!

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions?

I didn’t make any as I had no idea what 2017 would bring. But if a decision to pack and move the family to South East Asia counts, then I guess I did.

3. What countries did you visit?

Yay! I get to answer this one! Thailand and Malaysia, and technically Australia too as we are only here for a visit over Christmas.

4. How many different places did you travel to in 2017?

Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand
Penang Island, Malaysia
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Although I’m not really counting the layover stops as we never left the airport, but Singapore and Kula Lumpa as well.

5. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?

This probably is a redundant answer, but good health. I am still struggling to get on top of my Hypothyroidism, so fitness and wellness in my body is so foreign to me right now. I am really desperate to regain strength.

6. What date from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April 24th. Our departure date from Sydney to Thailand.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Packing up and moving our family overseas. We had deliberately picked a short time frame to get it happening. We started planning our move at the beginning of December 2016, but nothing was confirmed until mid-way through February. We set the end of April as our leaving date, booked some flights for the 24th, and that was that. We then had roughly two and a half months to pack up the house and prepare for an overseas move.

Some people thought I was crazy for trying to do it in such short amount of time considering we’d never even been overseas as a family ~ let alone moved there. The Mister hadn’t even been out of Australia before this trip!

But I knew I could get it done, and I did. I had help, of course I needed it! But in the end I got it done and I am proud of that.

8. What was your biggest failure?

I’m not sure ~ there where lots of little things I failed at during the year. But I can’t think of anything that was a stand out, out and out failure. Unless it was failing to keep my blog going. Haha, I was so slack this year.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Yes. Hypothyroid sickness dogged me all year, and kept me very, very ill for long periods of the year. I also had to get a crown on my front tooth, which hurt a lot. And I suffered from an inner ear infection in both ears.

10. What was the best thing you bought?

Nothing that I can think of particularly… Oh! I know! Trunkis for the kidlets. These are little wheeled suitcases that the children could pull themselves, or sit on and be towed. The Trunkis were, without a single ounce of doubt, absolute life savers when traveling through the airports with three small children.

11. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Seeing new places, learning about new cultures. Exploring! Adventure!

12. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Happier
ii. thinner or fatter? Bloated…
iii. richer or poorer? Both!!

13. What do you wish you'd done more of?

I wish I got to do more exploring. I didn’t do enough as I got too tired.

14. What do you wish you'd done less of?

I’m not sure; spending time in bed? Of course, I wish I had been well enough not to be stuck in bed. But it’s not something I had control over.

15. What was your favourite tv show?

Trollhunters on Netflix.

16. What was your favourite film of this year?

Thor: Ragnarok. I loved it!! It was hilarious!!

17. Where were you when 2017 began?

In bed.

18. Where were you when 2017 ended?

In bed. I’m old.

19. Who were you with when 2017 started?

My family.

20. Who were you with when 2017 ended?

My family and extended family. We’ve been staying with my Mom and Dad during our visit to Australia, and it’s been super lovely.

21. What was the best book you read?

“Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!” By Rachel Macy Stafford

I read this book in one hit on the plane from Singapore to Sydney at 1:00am in the morning when I couldn’t sleep. It was good and a lot of it resonated with me, particularly the parts about the unconscious choices we can be making without realising what they will cost us.

I have resolved to make a greater effort to engage and really pay attention to my family, to make the deliberate choice and effort to spend time with them.

22. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Eleventyseven’s newest album; “Rad Science” as it had my all-time favourite, most relatable song of my life currently ~ “Holding On”.

23. What did you want and get?

A trip overseas. A new lens for my camera.

24. What did you want and not get?

To be healthy.

25. What did you do on your birthday?

I spent the day with my family. Wore a whirligig brooch and birthday candle brooch and had nachos for dinner.

26. What kept you sane?

Swimming. Surprisingly!

I wouldn’t call myself a water baby by any stretch of the imagination, but that changed when I was overseas. I think it was because my usual comforts weren’t really available. I couldn’t ride, I didn’t have my crafting supplies, so I couldn’t sew or create. I didn’t have my friends or family to hang out with. So I would jump in the pool every night before bed and float my cares away.

We didn’t have a private pool in Malaysia and Chiang Mai, so when we moved I really missed that nightly routine. But the pool is still really good place for me to go and relax for a bit and I’ve been relying on that. I have discovered this only works with outdoor pools though! I hate indoor pools and never swim in them.

27. Whom did you miss?

All my family and friends. And Copper. Oh boy, was I so homesick for my horse while overseas. At least I could talk to everyone on Skype and messenger, but I missed my ponyboy soooo much, it hurt.

28. Who were the best new people you met?

I met a bunch of new people, and met a friend in Malaysia I’m still in touch with, as well as my awesome coffee lady in Thailand.

29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017:

Patience. Things NEVER work out like you plan. But you’ve got to plan them and try them anyway. And maybe if you’re lucky, with patience, time, and hard work, things will end up closer to what you were imagining. But it will not happen straight away. You’ve got to work at it, and wait for it.

30. What are your plans for 2018?

To keep plugging away at things. We are heading back to Thailand in a month or so. We will keep pursuing business plans, and figuring out what the best life for our family looks like.

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻
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Friday, June 9, 2017

༺ The Adventure Begins ༻

We made it.

It’s been a bit of a wild ride to get here, and it certainly has taken us a few weeks to settle in, but I am very happy to say that we have finally begun our epic new adventure as a nomadic family in Thailand!

Of course, I hardly know where to begin ~ there has been so much happening and so many stories to tell…

I’ll try to keep it concise as I’m sure this post will get too long as it is!

{P.S. ~ I am sorry if you follow me on Instagram and have seen a lot of these photos already. I tend to take most, if not all, of my pictures on my phone and then share them so others can see too! But because they are the only photos I’m taking really at the moment, a lot of them are really raw, and the ones that aren’t where already shared. But I am using them here too. :P }

- This was taken before we descended in luggage madness… There was no smiling trying to haul our ten bags and three little children forever away to the opposite side of the airport let me tell you!

- We tried a “Carry On Only” luggage experiment, but the determined very quickly {in about ten minutes flat!} that that would really only work for adults/kids that are big and old enough to take responsibility for their own bags. We shall be rejigging our luggage set up before we move again, that’s for sure!! And we will probably be going with two large suitcases to check in, and the rest is sort of up in air until we start repacking. We swapped the children’s backpacks out for Trunkis [small wheeled suitcases that the children can pull themselves or sit on and be pulled by an adult } at the airport { !! I finished repacking right as we got called to board!! (○ _ ○) } and found they worked much better. So we will keep the Trunkis, as they were very handy for carting around tired children through giant airports in the wee hours of the morning!

- Landing in Krabi, and wowwww…… The humidity sweeps over you like a stifling, wet hot blanket of sauna steam…. You instantly sweat out of every pore in your body, and in one minute, your clothing is sopping.

It’s one of those things you have to experience to really understand how it is ~ I mean, I had read about it, heard about it, and knew it was a thing, but I really didn’t get it until I stepped out of that air conditioned airport!

- By the roadside on Koh Lanta Island; these little Gas “Stations” are everywhere! Often in front of shops, restaurants and even in front of family homes! The locals use these to help boost their incomes.

- In a ‘taxi’ for our first adventure on Koh Lanta Island, Isabelle and Mama. A taxi in Koh Lanta is most often a ute {or pick up truck for my American friends} with seats along both sides of the tray and a short pipe frame covered with plastic for the roof, and clear plastic “windows” that can be pulled down if it is raining. It’s nicer to have the open sides for most of the time as there is no AC in the back and you need the cooler air to keep you from melting. And I must say, this is where being a tall Westerner, or “Farang” is a bit of a pain as there isn’t quite enough room to sit up straight and I get a bit of a backache at times! Or bump my head on the roof…

- Street views in Royal Old Town, on the East side of Koh Lanta. This was once a major shipping port of Thailand, established by the Chinese over a hundred years ago. There is a lot of different cultural influences on Koh Lanta thanks to all the trading!

- Different styles of Thai architecture: a beach-side Sala or small sitting hut, a woven palm leaf and bamboo huts, that are sometimes multiple stories, a simple hut that acts like a private sitting area for eating at one of our favourite restaurants.

- Always colourful – everything in Thailand is vivid, bright and so colourful! ❤

- The food is fresh and delicious, with lovely flavours – but be warned – they sure can pack a punch! That last dish on the end looks all innocent but I call it my “That time I accidentally ate a whole chilli and almost died” experience!

- So many things to see and explore ~ beaches, jungle, roads, huts, piers, and alleys, oh my! I have loved every minute of all the new discoveries…

- Spectacular sunsets that are different every time, but always breathtaking.

- Still playing around with vintage style, just working on the best ways to adapt it to extreme heat and humidity… In love with the light here, and the Birds of Paradise flowers, and even better, the awesome Thai patio furniture!

- Common sights around Thailand, homes made out of concrete, rows and rows of scooters, and shoes off before you enter a nice, clean, tiled establishment.

- Oh, but that sea is soooo beautiful! What a colour!

- First family ride in a Tuk-Tuk… Fun and definitely a little crazy too!

It’s a new chapter and the beginning of some really exciting stuff that I am looking forwards to {Working on my businesses!! And some fun stories! Haha!}, so I hope you will continue to join me as Lavender & Twill goes traveling throughout the tropics of South East Asia! (❛▿❛✿)

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ If you don’t follow my Instagram, @lavenderandtwill, you might like to as I have a lot more of the day to day adventures we are having there, and more snaps that don’t make it into my feed on Instastories.

༺ ♡ ༻
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Monday, April 29, 2019

༺ Pearl of Asia ༻

Thursday, January 25, 2018

༺ To St. Andrew’s Square ༻

Friday, January 12, 2018

༺ A Year Flies By ༻

Friday, June 9, 2017

༺ The Adventure Begins ༻

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