3 countries in 6 weeks was madness when you equate that to a total of 8 flights and 62 hours up in the air. I'm going to condense all that in.......a single blog post.
Onboard the Aqua Luna. Probably the most relaxing thing we did in Hong Kong. They have these day beds on the upper deck where you could kick back and chill out with a glass of complimentary tipple. The light breeze and gentle rocking of the boat as it sailed from Tsim Sha Tsui pier to Central was enough to put my jet lagged self to sleep.
The real Hong Kong.
The make believe Hong Kong........I mean Disneyland. The girls (Lil L and her cousin) LOVED it while their mothers looked like death warmed over. 36˚C heat and high humidity are a killer combination. Not to mention lots of strategic maneuvers to deter a few fierce mainland Chinese tourists from jumping the queue MULTIPLE times and pushing our kids away from us. Scary.
I can't help but heap mega compliments on the amazing Crystal Lotus restaurant at Disneyland Hotel. The service, setting and beautiful chandelier...... I had to make a reservation and pre-order these special character dim sum. Not cheap but definitely worth the splurge. The character dim sum weren't only beautiful to look at, they were absolutely scrumptious. Just don't get the jellies...... They were kind of meh....
The staff really went out of their way to ensure that certain ingredients weren't added into my food. This is a lifesaver for those of us with severe food allergies or intolerances.
Next up.............New Zealand
It'd been 5 years since I've been back home to New Zealand. There were lots of catch-ups with family members and old friends, some of whom I haven't seen in 20 years.
I decided to take my parents and Lil L on a road trip, traversing through the Mackenzie Country on the alpine route to Queenstown. The journey took an extra 2 hours (a total of 8 hours) because we HAD to stop here and there to gawk at the stupendous landscape with snow capped mountains in the background. My parents and Lil L had just discover photography so all three disappeared in a flash the minute I stopped the car. Okay, okay.....so did I.
A quick flight from Christchurch to Auckland and then onwards to Hong Kong with an overnight stay before yet another flight to Jakarta AND a shuttle to Bandung. Yes, I'm feeling exhausted just reading this too.
A makeshift cafe utilizing recycled metal containers as stools. European style cafes are only just beginning to become increasingly trendy in Indonesia even though the country is ranked 4th in the world for coffee production. Surprisingly, the figure doesn't translate to actually having a coffee drinking culture like we do here in the west but that's starting to change now.
Traditional kue (Indonesian spelling) or kuih, as they're called in Malaysia. I made my poor cousin drive me back to Sari Sari twice because I couldn't get enough of their delectable snacks.
Dusun Bambu directly translates to bamboo village. The architecture and interior have an undeniably bamboo theme which made the place so unique. It has a resort feel where you can hire a bamboo hut or a suspended bamboo pod (no, I'm not kidding!) for a meal and a snooze fest.
The floating market in Bandung was a little gimmicky. There weren't many operating food sampans when we were there. Food hygiene wasn't high on their list either. Having had a 24 hour fever and an upset tummy from suspected food poisoning, I wasn't particularly keen to risk another episode of pain.
6 weeks of traveling came and went in a blur. Before I knew it, we were back in the U.K. As you can tell, I'd completely forgotten about outfit photos while I was away.
Wearing a 5 (or was it 6?) year old Karen Walker dress, panama hat, K.Jacques St Tropez sandals and CLUSE watch (available in the U.K here).
This Isabel Marant parka has been featured so often on this blog that you're all probably sick of it. I managed to nab this Isabel Marant dress on eBay from a reader. Lucky coincidence, I should add! Did you notice my blinged out Miu Miu sunglasses? A bling or two doesn't cut it so I might as well go all out.
Isabel Marant jacket, T by Alexander Wang t-shirt and R13 crossover waxed jeans.
My "can't be arsed to dress up" outfit which consists of The Kooples hoodie, The Kooples sweatpants, Golden Goose sneakers, Miu Miu sunglasses and ASOS t-shirt (amazing tee for only £6!!)
