bangkok.city.excitement

Good afternoon.... because this is so exciting and awesome I thought it deserved a post immediately. 

I woke up this morning to a bbm on my phone from my mom (yes, she is in her room down the passage, but hey!) saying: "are you awake, I have a proposition for you". So I crawl out of bed and mosy on down the passage to her room and I ask "what proposition are you talking about?" Mom replies: "do you want to come with me to Bangkok on Monday?" Kerryn: "YES!! Of course I do, but, who's paying?" mom: "Me, I need the help and you have the time." Kerryn: "Yay! Thats amazing. I'm in!"

So my mom phones the travel agent, and now I am off to Bangkok on Monday with my mom on her buying trip for her shop! How amazing is that, one day you're just chilling, and the next day you off to Bangkok! 

My mom goes to Bangkok twice a year and imports clothing for her little (hobbie) shop she has at home. So I will be her helping elf and shopping up a storm for 5 days! Yipee yay....

Here are some of my photos from when I was there in January. 

Anokhi.India.

While in Jaipur, India, I came across a stunning shop called Anokhi. It stocks clothing and home furnishings all made in 100% cottons with authentic block prints. Blocking printing is a handmade method of printing on fabrics; each colour is placed on the fabric individually by hand using a wooden block. It is amazing how beautifully these prints turn out. I ended up buying some clothes from Anokhi and I can't wait to show them off here in SA. Here are some photos of the store.

Amer.Palace.and.Fort.Jaipur.

While in Jaipur, besides all the business we were doing, we did fit in one sightseeing episode. We visited the beautiful Amer Palace and Fort. Royalty lived there for many centuries and now it is really just a tourist attraction. Here are a few photos of the Palace.

The.colours.of.India.

I have just got back from an incredibly interesting week in India. India is extremely different from any other country I have ever visited, it has its own unique beauty and the people are incredibly humble and hospitable. As everyone says; India is poverty-stricken and they are right in saying that, but in order to see the beauty of India you need to look beyond the poverty and open your eyes to the other things that make India, India.

There was not one moment when I felt threatened or unsafe, there is an energy in the air that one would battle to describe where each person looks after the person next to them, whether they are friends or not. It is truly amazing.  

While driving though the streets, you will be shocked at the crazy traffic and the road systems – everyone does as they please on any side of the road and in any old fashion. It is chaos, but I can say that it is an orderly chaos because as everyone weaves through each other, there are very few bumps and crashes, there is a lot of hooting and no road rage – everyone is calm while doing their daily activities.  

India I incredibly colourful; the roads are a mix of ladies dressed in sari’s made of all the colours from the rainbow, men in their white attire, cows and goats in their brown coats, bicycles and tuk-tuk’s in all sorts of hues, and so at any point in time you look around you will be surrounded by colour. 

India.business.trip.one.

I am off to India on Sunday for my first real business trip to buy my first real range of fabrics.... and lots of it! I am so excited, I have all the support in the world because my dad, my mom and my sister are joining me! Yes, it has turned into a little bit of a family holiday but for me it is strictly business! 

We have been doing all the preparation, stocking up on all sorts of medicines because I know that it is really easy to catch a bug or sickness in India so one needs to be prepared!

We are landing in Mumbai and spending 2 nights there, and then we are off to Jaipur for 4 nights. I don't really know what to expect and it is probably going to be a bit of a culture-shock but I'm going to look past all of that and find the beauty in visiting and experiencing another country.    

I can't wait to see the colours of India; bright and saturated. I can't wait to experience some of the culture. I can't wait to see what beautiful fabrics and products I can find. I can't wait to taste the spices in their foods. I can't wait to take photos. I can't wait for India. 

wine.tasting.in.Franschhoek.

While in Cape Town we went for a lovely day of wine tasting into the Franschhoek mountains. Firstly we stopped off at Thelema where we tasted their delicious wines, and my parents left with a case of the Merlot.

After that we headed to the beautiful Tokara Delicatessen where we had a cappuccino, bought some delicious food, admired the Deli and amazing surroundings.

And then followed onto Tokara for some lovely wine tasting. By now all 4 of us had had a little bit of wine and we feeling on top of the world. But once again my parents bought some of their delicious Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.

After that we met some good family friends for lunch at an adorable little restaurant in Franschhoek called the Bon Bon Café. What a lovely day in the Cape wine lands.

Prince.Albert.in.the.Karoo

En route to Cape Town, my mom and I were advised to stay overnight at a little Karoo town called Prince Albert. It is 45km off the N1 so it is a bit out of the way but we thought we’d do it! At 6:30pm we arrived in the little one-road-town (Church Street) after driving for 13 ½ hours, exhausted and ready for a glass of wine and then bed. We found a cute little B&B called Mai’s where we checked in and headed for the local Steakhouse. We were fast asleep by 9pm.

The next morning we woke up, had breakfast and started walking down the ONLY road in Prince Albert visiting all the little shops. The architecture is stunning, Church Street is lined with beautiful old Victorian houses with high ceilings and wooden floors – I just fell in love with those houses. One of my favourite shops was the ‘Prince Albert Country Store’ filled with antiques, furniture oozing with character, French linens, old bits and pieces and a delicious cappuccino!

We then got back in the car and headed for Cape Town, another 400km and then the long journey ends. Here are some photos of Prince Albert, our B&B and my favourite shop….

cape.town.happiness.

I am having the most amazing time in Cape Town with my family. It is the first time all 5 of us have been together in almost a year! We are staying at one of my dad's houses in Camps Bay, with the most amazing view of Lions Head and Camps Bay beach, here is a preview......

We had Claire's Hens Party on Saturday night which was very festive. We had dinner at the Dias Tavern in town and then headed onto the night clubs! The theme was "1999" raver and therefore everyone was very colourful and sparkling, here are some pics......

For the rest of the week I'll be chilling with my family and doing lovely fun Cape Towns things, and then on Friday I am heading to Tulbagh where the wedding is with the 'bride to be'. The we have a day of pampering and champagne on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. I can't wait for the wedding, it is going to be beautiful and lots of fun. Yay. I will keep you all posted as the week goes by.....