Jewel of the Free State

On my last weekend of holiday at home, we decided to venture out of the province and visited a quaint corner of the country close to Clarens in the Free State. The holiday lodge was surrounded by mountains and tranquility and it was a weekend filled with putt-putt, quad-biking and wonderful little eating places - all the key ingredients to a weekend away in the Drakensberg.

Durban Street Food Festival

I did some adventuring today, venturing to the old Rivertown Beerhall to eat some yummy food at the Street Food Festival. Unfortunately, I didn't choose the right time to go as it wasn't as buzzing as it would have been in the evenings and not so cleverly went after lunch so there were plenty of burgers and full meals available to buy which I didn't have the appetite to savour.  Nonetheless, the music was festive and we ate some delicious deep-fried oreos and melt-in-your-mouth macaroons. The last day is tomorrow and it's going on tonight till late, as well.

summer wishlist

Although we are already full swing into the summer heat, it's never be too late to post a few items that I want for my closet this summer.

1. Hooded Poncho
A poncho is great to throw over whatever you're wearing in the evening if it gets slightly chilly, which is generally not the case here in Durban but is definitely a useful item for breezy Cape Town evenings. It's effortlessly chic & minimal which I love.

2. Halterneck Pleat Dress
I love love love this halter neck dress. The pleats make it so pretty and whimsical - perfect for twirling around. Paired with some wedges and statement earrings, it's my favourite kind of summer chic that can be worn either day or night.

3. White fringed dress
This dress is just one of those cute, casual dresses that can be worn on any kind of summer day. I love dresses like this that are not too tight as it's much more comfortable to wear as you're not pulling and tugging at it all day ensuring you're not exposed.

4. Denim dungarees
Whether you call them dungarees or overalls, this is a want that is at the absolute top of my list. Dungarees are the most versatile pieces of clothing that can essentially be worn all year around. For summer, my ideal would either be wearing a crop top or a printed tee underneath it.

5. Striped jumpsuit
Jumpsuits are another piece of summer clothing that are so fun & easy to wear because it can usually be worn by itself but you can always pair this jumpsuit with a statement bangle and some heels for a dressier look.

6. Slim White Jeans
I would normally not touch any pair of jeans in this heat but for some reason white jeans are so summery and appealing in this weather. For me, they're extremely dangerous as I know by the end of the day they will not be clean. Nevertheless, I am willing to risk it paired with a loosely fitted white shirt and a pop of colour in either my make-up or jewellery.

I realised that the colour scheme of my wishlist is very neutral but all these items I would definitely pair with some brighter colours so that it's not all a washout - bright and chic are two adjectives that can be synonymous right? 

December in Durban

Having the whole summer holiday ahead of you in your hometown can seem dauntingly boring, however, I am determined to explore more of this city. I say determined because I know more often then not my sloth tendencies take over and hours of afternoons can pass by potato-ing on the couch. I like to think my saying this on the Internet will force me to be less sloth.

I digress, here's my list of things I'd like to do/explore/see this summer:


Promenade Bike Rides:
For as long as the revamped promenade has been around, I haven't cycled along it. This time it shall  happen. Bike rides can always be so whimsical.

Indoor ice-rink:
Hot weather calls for cool places and floating on ice always provides some entertainment.

Markets:
From the iHeart Market to the Shongweni's Farmer Market, Saturday mornings are made for markets and yummy food (if not for sleeping in)

Mini-Town:
Only because I like to feel tall once in a while and heels aren't always as fun.

Beaches:
Basically Durban at it's best - need I say more?

Exploring new & different dining and coffee spots:
Tea (& food in general) is always the best idea.

Beachfront amusement park:
Merry-go-rounds & fun rides never get old.

Yoga by the beach:
It just sounds very movie-like but will probably prove to be hot & sticky in this humidity.


Seeing the city in a different way:
As cliched as it sounds, seeing the city through the eyes of a tourist can be refreshing.

 So this is my mini-list of things I may or may not do this December. I plan to update the blog with all the adventures if the bustling holiday crowds don't test my patience.

For now,  here's some Mindy.

 

What are some of your fav summer activities? xo

mindy

Island Hopping.

What started off as a cruise to Mauritius turned out to be something that none of us really expected. Haha that sounds so mysterious.

After four days of cruising we docked in the extremely humid port of La Possession, Reunion. It was a really beautiful French speaking island and the beach that we ended up at was by a part of the island called St. Gilles and the beach was heavenly in that heat.

Rain clouds looming. 

Next stop was Port Lois, Mauritius on New Year's Day. We were originally meant to spend 3 days docked in Mauritius but due to a cyclone which was soon hitting Mauritius we could only spend that day there and would have to depart at 11pm that night. Luckily we had a taxi for the entire day and tried to squeeze in seeing most of Port Lois in a day. We visited the Port Lois market where you bargain your socks off if you don't want to get ripped off. We floated from one place to the next with dark clouds overhead, experiencing heavy rain for some parts of the day. We eventually ended up in the Grand Baie area which had a lovely beach that was almost like a lagoon. It would've been idyllic if the temperature was 3 degrees warmer. Shopping wasn't all that eventful because most shops were closed on New Year's Day and the few that we did find open we had to rush through because we had to get back to the ship. Tear, sniff. That night we decided to brave the rain and use a water taxi to get across the harbour to the waterfront where we ate fresh food from one of the local Indian restaurants as we were a little tired of the ship food. There was an arcade by the restaurant where we saw local Sega dancers which was something different. 

Port Lois Market

The photo doesn't really do justice to how dull and overcast it was that day.

My souvenir from Reunion. 

Since we only had one day in Mauritius, the ship took us to Fort Dauphin, Madagascar (after another two days of cruising). Fort Dauphin is a really rural place and as we stepped out of the shuttle from the ship we were swamped with hawkers trying to make a few dollars. Driving through the town there were no real buildings or structures which showed how poor this place was. We decided to go to the beach and the beach itself was breathtaking. The ocean was a collage of blues and greens. It was truly island living with simple canoe-like wooden boats floating around and on the shore. Despite us being on the other side of the island we could see the ship. The best place to be, however, was in the sea and if you were stuck on the sand as I was the sweltering heat didn't make for good company as you burnt like hell. 

All in all, it was a good cruise. Not many people get to say that they visited all the islands off the southern coast of africa all in one go. Who needs to go bar hopping when you can go island hopping instead? Stay stylish! 

Summery cheer.

Wow that is a cheesy title but I laaaike it a lot. Anyway; even though the weather doesn't seem to be on board, summer is on it's way/is here. So to get in the mood for this festive season (pun not intended), I thought to change my laptop wallpaper to a more summer-appropriate one. Just for fun.

I know it's idyllic. Somebody just needs to tell the sun not to be bullied by the rain and clouds then it will all be okay. Plan? Yes it is. 

Stay stylish!

A little bit of Jo'burg.

These holidays I didn't even get around to doing anything on my "Bucket List" shock, horror, disgrace..I know. Oh wells, it was a short holiday anyway and there's always December. So what exactly did my 9 day break entail? Well nothing too exciting although I do have an enthralling tale of how I bought my leather jacket last Wednesday which I will save for another blog post. We arrived back in rainy Durban today after being up in Jo'burg for four days. Jo'burg was fun, the weather was trés beau which meant I had a chance to wear my summer dresses!! I love summer - the sun, the sandals, the sundresses.. just lovely. Our Jo'burg trip consisted of Sandton City, Monte Casino, visiting family and entertaining my three and six year old cousins. I watched a lot of Baby Looney tunes and Dora the Explorer (I even caught myself singing the Dora theme song...doo doo Dora!)  Sandton City, as always, was fab. I have a new found-love in the store Cotton On but sadly there is no store in Durban and I didn't even buy anything this time round! I also took to Instagram, still getting the hang of it though - you can follow me @sohinii.

Back to school tomorrow, this term shall be hectic so I'm not too sure how frequent I shall be with blogging but I'm sure procrastination shall kick in soon enough so the blog shan't suffer - the quote du jours will at least be posted. As always, stay stylish!