{Travel Tuesday} High Tea in London

Fancy a spot of Tea?

Fortnum & Mason. The Queen’s tea store of choice.

Also the venue of our High Tea to celebrate my birthday. (I booked it the day before my birthday to celebrate my grandmothers birthday so that she could be there in spirit)

Mom & I

Being a traveller on a budget, we eat the cheapest food we can find.

Eating delicate sandwiches and a multitude of desserts while sipping tea out of ridiculously over-priced tea cups was a bit surreal.

The decor is simple and tasteful. 

There is a menu with your choice of over 80 teas! The tea choices are wider than the food choices. I really wished I was a tea drinker at that moment.

Our waiter placed a 3 tiered stand of food in front of us and assured us that we were welcome to order more should we like. (it looked so little, I was looking forward to ordering more)

I ordered a pot of tea (I don’t drink tea… But when in London…) to accompany our glass of champagne and tower of eats; scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves, finger sandwiches – cucumber, salmon, chicken.
And Dessert – a whole variety!

Dessert

I was so stuffed by the time it came to dessert, but had to sample everything on offer. With just a bite from each I felt terribly wasteful, but I had to say I knew what they tasted like. 

As I was settling back in my chair to ease the pressure off my over-fed stomach, the waiter brought over a slice of cake topped with berries for my birthday. (noooo!) 

We politely thanked him and to not seem ungrateful I ate 2 mouthfuls of cake. I didn’t touch cake for a long while after that trip!

Happy Birthday

After the meal we walked around the immensely impressive shop.

Shopping paradise

Complete with every possible flavour of tea you can imagine as well as Preserves (I highly recommend the Lemon Curd) and biscuits and fudge and toffee- it is British heaven!

The decorative tins of goodies make for a lovely souvenir for the special people back home (be careful though…. The pretty metal tins of tea are £12.50 –  more expensive than the standard boxes of tea)

I do recommend you buy yourself a box of the Butter Toffee. Worth it!

We took a few photos of the window displays and I snapped a quick selfie before returning to the real world… Of normal people.

But first – let me take a selfie

Clutching our Fortnum & Mason bags on the tube felt a bit ironic. I wonder what the locals thought of us… Too poor for a cab after spending so much money at F&M? Haha!

This is an experience I would definitely recommend if you ever travel to London. Save some money and treat yourself. The money you spend on this event can be made up for by following a strict budget for the rest of your trip.

I’ll entertain you with more of that when I tell you more about my trip.

Have you had any memorable High Teas where you live? 

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0800-Mauritius

Tee and I are finally going away!

After many months of planning and monitoring the exchange rate, our plans have evolved from Malta, to Switzerland and Croatia and we have finally settled on Mauritius.

Our accommodations for the duration of our holiday:

The Ambre hotel:

Source

Our 700m long white beach:

Source

It’s an affordable holiday and the added bonus is that it is outside the country so there is no way the office can contact me and ruin my trip.

When making the booking I put the following under Special Requests:

1. Twin beds
2. Hot Man to meet me at the door (in that case, ignore request #1)

Now if only that was the motivation I need to get my butt back at the gym. 

I have piled the kilograms on and I look horrific in my underwear, but I just cannot seem to muster the mental strength to make that decision… time is looming closer!!

I guess I am just so excited about actually getting a break away that I will only regret not losing the weight once I am actually there trying on my bathing suits and realising that I look like a beached whale.

Then I will down a few cocktails and not give a hoot anyway – CHEERS!

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Holiday Snaps Part 4

Our last day of holiday was spent taking a scenic drive around the Cape and along Chapman’s Peak towards Hout Bay, where we stopped for lunch. 

Hout Bay

Wind being perverted with my skirt

Silly buggers

Thumbs Up!

On the Beach

Cool water on our feet

Awesome Lunch at Dunes

Quenching the Thirst

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Holiday Snaps – Part 2

Day 2 was a chock a block day of wine tasting & tipsiness.

Quoin Rock was a nice surprise as they had a “Secret Society” type room complete with round table in a round room, only lit with candles. The only natural light is from the oculus above that casts an eery glow on the table below.

Each alcove has something new – I would love to be able to host a function there. 

HQ Steak Restaurant – Heritage Square

Our Wine Purchases at Quoin Rock

The Oculus – Very “secret society”

 Muratie was so old, the cobwebs looked like pieces of chiffon draped everywhere. They even had the original Title Deed on the wall from 1699!

Muratie – a really oooold wine estate

Bet it looked like this in the 1600’s

From olden days to posh estates – Waterford is where you expect to see horses & polo players accompanied by woman with huge hats.
We experienced an orgasmic wine & chocolate pairing & I finally saw how food and wine can compliment each other

Waterford Estates

The wine & Chocolate pairing gives you Turkish Delight!

Models?

Happy on Wine!

Clearly…. tired, not tipsy

 A set menu followed at Dornier and gave new meaning to the phrase “lazy lunch”  Service was a bit slow and if it weren’t for the fact that we were drunk, we might have been more content to relax, but I think we were afraid of falling asleep at our table

Dornier – lunchtime

 This is a favourite of mine and i think if I had to get married at a wine estate (seeing as Waterford is a private venue) I would choose Asara.

The function area overlooks the lake and it is just too beautiful.
They also have the nicest macaroons – I bought 1 in each colour and a scoffed them all that night!

Asara

Asara – perfect for weddings

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Holiday Snaps – Pt 1

Once again over the next few days I am going to bombard you with a few snaps from my 4 day long break in the Cape.
It was a small break with Tee, but exactly what I needed, as I was ready to kill somebody – seriously.
We did some touristy things like the Red Hop On Hop Off buses you can find all over the world and we visited the wine farms & went up Table Mountain.
When I am there I always find myself asking why I don’t relocate there. The people are laid-back, The scenery is gorgeous and the sea is there!
Yet, here I am… still in Jhb!

Enjoy my pictures of Camps Bay & the Aquarium!

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Bye Bye Thailand (and the end of these holiday posts)

Our final dinner in Aonang was at a restaurant overlooking the sea. Thanks to some well-placed fans, we managed not to melt completely. I sat next to a couple that I hadn’t really gotten to know and spent sometime getting to know them.
Phil is a personal trainer and as a result has some nice biceps going on. The one elephant guide had felt his arms and said, “Nice strong muscles. Mmmhh you have strong cock too!” that same guide asked one of the girls if she was a ‘She-lady”. Ah boy we had a good laugh!

not melting yet

After dinner the group went out to get completely smashed and Tee and I did what we do best… Shopping. Truth be told we actually went shopping for another bag as we had no more space left for our copious number of purchases. And to think I went to Thailand expecting to buy a small gift for the people who helped me tremendously in getting ready for this trip and in the end I went crazy. My mom is going to get spoiled but she us always so much fun to buy presents for.

The next morning was a late start for all of us and after packing we spent a bit of time by the pool before heading back to Patong beach.

After a brief goodbye to the people we liked, we took a slow, heavily laden walk to our next hotel. Eventually the weight of our bags forced us to get a Tuk Tuk. Good thing as it turns out that we were going the wrong way! Yikes!

We were going to spend our last evening having dinner on the beach at the same place we had enjoyed our first dinner. However, my body had other plans and I ended up spending dinner time vomitting in the bathroom. It wasn’t from anything I ate or drank so it could have been a bug. I’m still feeling drained and my stomach is sensitive now.

I had wanted to spent the last morning lounging on the beach and working on my tan. Thanks to my SPF20 it doesn’t look like much. Instead I spent it in bed and I managed some last minute shopping before the heat got the better of me.

And here we are sitting at Starbucks (who have been our saving grace in the land that does not have any decent coffee) AND they have free wi-fi.

these are our sad faces

We have a 3 hour wait for our next flight. Then 10 hours later it’s back to the real world. I don’t even want to contemplate all the work that is waiting for me!

I adored Thailand. The beauty exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend a visit to all of you. I loved bartering over prices, I loved meeting the friendly stall workers, I loved exploring the beauty of a foreign land and getting to know a foreign culture. I love that prawns a pineapples are staple foods.

I should have bought this shirt – it should have been written in Thai!

Saying all that- I don’t think I will will be eating any rice or prawns for a while. I’m looking forward to a nice juicy steak and a good glass (or bottle) of red wine.

I look forward to constant BBM and FB on my Blackberry without having to rely on wi-fi and I look forward to seeing my babies again. I have missed my fluff balls terribly!

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Phi Phi to Aonang

The massage on Phi Phi was amazing. Slathered in coconut oil the ladies really got to work on all our sore muscles. Let me tell you- this is not relaxing if you have tense muscles, but you do feel good afterwards!

Tee had an afternoon nap and I made my way to the beach. I read my book, enjoyed a swim and just relaxed. It was the perfect alone time.

We then went shopping when it had cooled down somewhat and If the stalls had had more western sizes, I would have bought more things!

We stopped at a Sports Bar and had some real western food, it was great!!

We had to check out the next morning, but were only boarding the ferry at 3, so we made the most of our air-conditioned room, found a pizza joint on the beach with free WiFi and then made our way to the ferry

At least this time it was airconditioned!

I have not started on my Novel for November Novel Writing Month, so I put a good hour or so into beginning it. I have to finish this challenge, it would be really fun!

Our hotel in Aonang is amazing. The island is pristine, the people are super friendly and their english is very good. Prices also seem to be higher here.

We enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant and then made our way to the pharmacy for Aloe Vera oil for me and a McFlurry for Tee.

Oh and I bought myself a pair of nailclippers! I had left mine behind an my nails have been irritating me! I even had a dream about nailclippers! :-p

This morning we were up early for our elephant trek through the jungle. The asian elephants are a lot smaller than the African elephants, but nevertheless, these gentle giants are still daunting when you stand next to them.

We went for a leisurely walk through the jungle. Our bare feet rested on their backs and it was an amazing experience to feel the thick skin and hair under our feet. We got a chance to pose sitting on her neck and I really hope that these animals are treated well. A few trainers seem to be a bit harsh and you can see a few marks on their skin from the bullhook, but I sincerely hope they were superficial. Our trainer said he did not use the hook and it was only there for emergency. He seemed to really love the elephant though. But unfortunately he only works there, doesn’t own them.

We came back to our hotel and had another sleep. It is incredible how the heat drains a person!

We are off to do some shopping in a bit and then all meeting for our final dinner tonight

There are some good people in our group, but then there are some really loud, obnoxious people. We try to avoid them!

Right, I have shopping to do, so I will say cheerio for now!!

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Paradise that is….

… …..Phi Phi Islands

After an extremely long wait on a stuffy boat, we eventually arrived on the Phi Phi Islands on Monday. A walk through the town to get to our hotel was a fun way to see the area and see what was up for sale.

The islanders are not as friendly as on Phuket, but at the same time also not as insistent at trying to get you to buy something.

I finally got to see a gorgeous wood carving for the wall and I really want it, but I am not sure whether we will be allowed to take it back into the country.
Arriving at our hotel- The Bay Resort – we were awestruck. Literally on the beach. The sea sand leads right up to the stairs of reception to check in. Our room is on the 1st row and as I type this I am lying on my bed looking out at the tree covered mountains and the gorgeous sea with the little wooden boats sailing by. The water is sparkling turquoise that leads into a dark blue. Oh my goodness, we have arrived in paradise!

We can swim on this private beach whenever we want to,we just have to roll down the hill!

Our first night we had a group dinner buffet style at the hotel overlooking the water.

I never thought I would say this, but I am getting a bit tired of the rice and curries and prawns (yes I have eaten prawns almost every day!) I have been craving some pizza!

 Afterwards we visited a place called Hippie Bar and watched the Firedancers perform their magic. Its a great show to watch. The bartender also gave me a free Mojito- score! 🙂

Yesterday we took a boat tour out to all the islands. The speed boat collected us on the beach and off we went. With stops at Maya Bay (the famous beach in the movie The Beach) and Monkey Island (where people can feed the monkeys) Bamboo Island (no bamboo in sight) and also Viking Island, we got to swim in each areas seas and watch the little yellow and black fish devour slices of bread. These fishes are not scared of you and swim literally 3cm in front of you.

The scenery surrounding us while swimming was breathtaking as the magnificent rock faces rose majestically out of the water around us.

You could feel their presence as they watched over us and marvelled at all they have silently seen before us.

Do not diss our hats – they saved many a sunburnt nose!

Practising: – This is my expression if I were a rich snob who owned her own boat

Exhausted at the end of the day, we nibbled on fresh pineapple and watermelon pieces as we were dropped back on our beach. A few hours to recover and find ourselves a white tshirt and we joined the group for a western style dinner. After some huge pitchers of cocktails (Tee and I shared the Sexy Beach) and Towers (literally) of beer, we began writing and painting all over each other. The things that came out were hilarious:-

“I am gay- and not in a happy way”

“Rub and tug- 5 Baht”

“I can Ping Pong better”

“Does this shirt make me look gay”

“I like to Phi Phi (pee pee)”

Fan: – Mandatory in the heat of Thailand

We paged through a tattoo book and I was so tempted to get a little chinese sign (Love) on my hip. I’ve been wanting to do it forever and to get it in Thailand would be awesome!

We made our way to another bar called Slinkys and watched an even more spectacular Firedancing show. Around midnight we made our way home and showered and fell into bed. Exhausted!

Today is a go slow day. We dragged ourselves out of bed to quickly get breakfast and now we are relaxing. We will be going for a massage just now – I would like the coconut massage- and then some bits of shopping and then lounging on the beach to try get a tan.

I have been slathering on the 20SPF sunscreen and as a result I am not tanning. As you put it on, you have a swim then you re-apply and so it repeats! Its just too hot to lie still for long enough to get a tan!

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Bond, James Bond & Simon…. Cabaret that is

After an on-time wake up (with me stressing the whole night about oversleeping that I got no rest) we finally boarded our speedboat, led by a very enthusiastic guide- Nush – we were on our way!

Zooming over the water and watching the clusters of islands go by and thinking to myself: we are finally in Thailand, now it feels real!

We had so many photo opportunities that I filled up my memory card!

We stopped for lunch on some floating restaurants and did a bit of shopping (I thought there would be better shopping later, but there wasn’t) and I wish I had bought more!

We docked at THE James Bond Island used in the Roger Moore: Man with a Golden Gun.

The rock jutting out of the water is enough to make us camera-weilding tourists turn into a group of rabid dogs frothing at the mouth as we all eagerly try for our 5 seconds to pose for a photo to capture the memory!

Later on to Naka beach where we got to swim and laze a bit on the beach and our picturesque day was complete!

One damper for the day: Tee got a fish bone caught in her throat, which was not fun at all, she finally only managed to dislodge it when we got home and all seems to well in paradise again.

In the evening we watched a show called Simons Cabaret. I’ve never seen such gorgeous costumes and stage sets! All the performers are men, turned ladies. You can’t help but marvel at their beauty.

Apart from 2 of them (one had a man’s legs and the other had a very muscular bum) the rest were so ladylike and poised, you found yourself forgetting that they were once men!

The choreography was a bit off, but the show is definitely worth seeing. Photos were prohibited, so I unfortunately have nothing to show but my memories.

So far I have noticed a huge difference between the Thai and Malay people: the Malay people are for the most part (taxi drivers excluded) a very calm and peaceful nation, the ladies are true ladies. The Thai people are very coarse, very loud people.

Having said that- I love that the life in Phuket seems to be so laid back and simple.

We are on to Phi Phi tomorrow and we will see what that has in store for us.

Somewhere in between all these tours, I still need to catch a tan!

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The tour that wasn’t

We overslept. Again

As a result we missed the bus to our meeting place for our first scheduled tour to James Bond Island. Bye bye 1500baht!

I’m disappointed in our tourguide as we missed them by 5 minutes, he didn’t leave any instructions on where to meet them and his phone was off. What the hell?

In the end Tee and I decided to spend a day on Patong beach.

With almost everything to buy on the beach- we didn’t have to move off our seats

A bit later a group of guys started playing soccer. Shirtless and muscled- suddenly the heat wasn’t only from the sun!

Tee went for a swim a bit later and the guy I’d had my eye on came and chatted to me. I’d been teasing Tharien that I’d happily rub sunblock on when somehow he asked about it and asked if I had any. Seriously? Could the day get any better?

Chatting to Tommy, he is a 22 year old final International Business Student in Malaysia, but originally from Indonesia.

Tanned, charming and intelligent with super long eyelashes. I was itching to run my fingers over that muscled chest and tummy of his, but I had to settle for his arms and the side of his torso.

I made my first barter sale by haggling on a pretty pink beach cover top. I got the price down from 850Baht to 530Baht.

You’ll notice in all these and upcoming photos – I am not one of those glamourous bach girls. I have straggly hair and I sweat in humidity – so i do not wear make up, I warned you!

Thank goodness for that top and my sunblock. I have a nasty red sunburn, but considering we were in the water for about an hour and under the umbrella for about 4 hours. I can’t say its too bad.

The lesson I did learn: listen when they say to leave 30 minutes before going into the water once having applied sunblock!

I can even see the spot where I rubbed lotion on my leg and scratched it soon after- I have the sunburn in the pattern of the nail marks- hilarious!

We finally got our first Thai massage today. If I thought it would be relaxing- I was soon relieved of that notion!!

Add in some pain, mixed with a bit of contortionism and some elbows, knees, knuckles and other sharp bits and no muscle was neglected. They don’t just rub the skin and muscle, they move and manipulate the whole muscle itself!

We paid about R100 for a full hour. You really can’t believe the price of things. Deep fried Prawns: R35.

Pineapple on the beach: R7.50!!

All in all, it was a successful day and I can’t say I am too sad about not being with the rest of our group on the tour today. Tee and I will be doing the tour on our own tomorrow and afterwards we will be joining the group for a Cabaret show- all She-Ladies. Think this will be fun!

Now its off to bed again- hopefully we wake up on time!

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