Bali Adventure Part 1: Nusa Dua

As promised, I'm sharing photos of my trip to Bali, Indonesia. I left with my two sisters and we took off early in the morning at around 4:00am. I didn't have the energy to stay awake during the flight so I slept through the whole 4 hours. But when I woke up, here's what I saw: 

We checked in at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Nusa Dua, with the help of my brother-in-law. What I like about it is the openness of the area. The front lobby may not be air conditioned, but it has a great view of nature.

Isn't this pretty? Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua is not a high rise hotel. If I remember correctly, there are only 4 storeys in the facility. Plus, you will see ponds and gardens everywhere. It's like living in paradise.

This is at the koi fish pond near the front desk. They say that the bigger the koi, the more luck it will bring.

Aaaand here is a nice Balinese bas relief I found along the hallway.

After checking in, we went to The Bali Collection to check out the shops and also to eat breakfast. Nusa Dua is the posh region of Bali and luxurious hotels are situated in that area. No wonder the products that the shops sell are very expensive.

There were paintings,

(this one is my favorite)

hand carved sculptures,

and beautiful fabric.

At the grocery we saw this big-ass mango. They call it Manila Mango, but I don't think mangoes in Manila are not as huge as these. Imagine mangoes as big as your face.

At our hotel room they served this cool looking fruit, called "snake fruit. It tasted like lychee, but the texture is like an apple. They kind of remind me of the Khaleesi's dragon eggs.

We brought the fruits and had breakfast at the beach. Look at this peaceful view. 

I was about to take a photo of the temple and then these ducks came along.

This is the Balinese feature pool at the hotel. We were the only ones swimming in the pool at that time, so that was extra relaxation points for us.

That's it for Nusa Dua photos. Tomorrow I will be posting about Padang Padang and Uluwatu.

What I Had For Breakfast - Bali Edition

I'm back everyone! We stayed in Bali for four days (+1 more day because of a cancelled flight). The breakfast food in the hotel was pretty good, but it was western food. I didn't take photos of the hotel food because they weren't so interesting. Anyway, one morning we went straight to the beach and this is what we had for breakfast:

Fresh fruits from the hotel, shrimp krupuk, french bread and water. It was a pretty light breakfast but we enjoyed eating our food by the shore.

For lunch our driver took us to Ibu Oki in Nusa Dua and we had Nasi Ayam (spicy chicken rice). It also has boiled egg, chicken satay, fried peanuts, and sauteed beans with green chili. You can hardly distinguish the chili from the beans.

We asked the lady not to make it spicy. But the "not spicy" for them was still spicy for us! We can tell that the waitresses were laughing at us at the corner because our noses were getting runny and eyes watery. But all in all, local food in Bali was delicious.

I'm going to post more photos of my trip in Bali, so get ready because the next week or two will be filled with travel posts!

Shop The Road Less Traveled

National Geographic launched the online store called "Shop The Road Less Traveled", which features handmade jewelry, accessories, furniture and home decor inspired by the travels of anthropologist Dr. Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey.

The three collections reflect the rich cultures, traditions, colors and landscapes that Elizabeth Lindsey encountered on her recent visits to India, Thailand and Bali. Each piece from the line offers consumers an opportunity to experience another part of the world and appreciate the work of its talented craftspeople. Items purchased from the boutique help support the local artisans as well as National Geographic’s work of exploration, research, conservation and cultural preservation.

Jewel Tones

Renew your spirits with handcrafted items in shades from teal to indigo.

Neutral Luxe

Richly textured selection of home decor and accessories, handcrafted in wood and leather, wool and stone.

Royal Accents

Tell a colorful, cultural story without saying a word. This vibrant collection of one-of-a-kind textiles, accessories and decor does all the talking.

Here are some of my favorite items from the three collections:

Jewel Tones

1. Paisley Morning Pillow Rectangle, 2. Merino Wool Striped Shawl, 3. Blue Thai Celadon Vases

Neutral Luxe

4. Thai Mango Wood Vases, 5. Hand Carved Elephant Festival Sculpture, 6. Suzani Medallion Embroidered Ottoman

Royal Accents

7. Vintage Kantha Quilts with Indigo Black and Beige Shams, 8. Kantha Quilted Peacock Chair, 9. Vintage Kantha Cube

Text and Photos via National Geographic

At the Lettuce Farm

I will continue my story on what we did during our vacation in Tagaytay. There's a lettuce farm right across the flower farm and we were welcomed inside as Toti knew the owner. All I saw was green. Green everywhere. It smelled fresh and everything looked nutritious!

The farm grows nine types of lettuce. Nine types? I only know Iceberg and Romaine. Anyway, here's a photo of cute baby lettuce leaves. 

I know kale is not widely available in the Philippines. I've been reading about it in the internet but I just couldn't find it at the supermarket, not even at the palengke. But lo and behold! They have fresh kale in this farm. My sister picked a lot. As in a lot. As if we were on a shopping spree.

It's not only lettuce that they grow. They also have herbs like rosemary, and other vegetables like cherry tomatoes. The owner gave us a pot of rosemary, how generous of him! And oh, I really love the smell of fresh rosemary leaves. 

If there's a cat at the flower farm, there's a dog at the lettuce farm. Don't worry, he doesn't bite.

We were so blessed to have been able to bring home fresh herbs and vegetables. It was like a sign that I should eat healthy this 2014! So from that day up until now, the lettuce in our salad is from this farm. It's been what, 10 days? And we're not yet short of supply. Haha. Of course we shared some to our family friends. 

And so that ends our trip to Tagaytay. Yay! I'm looking forward to more adventures this year.

PixaRoll Photos - The Results

Hello! I am still alive! It's just been hell in the office. We have so many new projects and I don't even have time to do crafting, update my blog, and even exercise. :( But anyway, I don't wanna talk about that. Let's talk about the good stuff. :)

So last week I received a package from Singapore. My PixaRoll photos are here! Hehe, I had to cover my address with digital washi tape (from Pugly Pixel).

The photos took two weeks to arrive at my home. I assume it's because I ordered again 3 days after my first order and they just shipped the 2 batches together to save costs. But nonetheless I am very impressed with how they all turned out. Even though some of the photos were low res (that was my fault, I used an iPod), they still looked really good. I am a happy customer right now! And you know what? It was worth the wait.

So here they are, a bunch of 4"x4" photos from my travels. I'm planning to redecorate my room, with Travel/World/Jetsetter as my theme. I just love and want to travel both locally and abroad (hey, nothing bad with dreaming, right?), and I will most likely stick these photos on my wall along with my other lomo photos that I took a few years back.

So, if you are impressed with the results that I had, then download the PixaRoll app on your phones and make sure to LIKE their Facebook Page because that's where they will most likely announce their sweet deals and other promos. :)

Marrakech Style

Moroccan style is probably one of the trends that I see all over the internet. I'm not surprised that more and more people are in love with the unique vibe, and a more outdoorsy, laid back, bohemian character. If you want to try to capture that Marrakech style into your home, here are some tips that may help you.

Vibrant gem colors are nicely combined with neutral sandy tones. In the photo below, bright poufs make good contrast with the white rug, which also looks good against the dark floor tiles. For more texture hang brass lamps or place metallic accessories like candle holders.

Don't forget to play with pattern. I absolutely love their floor tiles. Morocco is famous for the intricate geometric design instilled by Moorish culture. Their religion does not allow the use of animals and human figures as part of decoration so that's why plants, floral motifs, and inscriptions from the Koran are very prominent in designs.

1. Fellah Hotel via Luxurious Magazine
2. Door via A Door a Day
3. Marrakech Tiles by Hanna Hiatt via Pinterest
4. Rugs via Billiebillie