feeling festive

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Nothing like a red skirt to make you feel festive during the holidays. This was of course taken before christmas, but as always I'm late with my posts. I've been searching for a knit crop top all winter long and found one at urban outfitters of all places. It was in the "lingerie" section and is actually a "bralette" but I'll let that slide. And no belly button is shown to tone down the somewhat nakedness.

warmest winter day

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A few weeks ago we had one of the warmest winter days I've ever experienced in the DC metro area. This must be what California winters feel like. Of course it was followed by sub-arctic temps a few weeks later...

This shearling jacket I picked up from Kiliwatch in Paris was the perfect security blanket for a warm day that promised to turn into a chilly night. I wish I had more time in that store to peruse the piles and piles of vintage. But with only 20 minutes before close I only managed to snatch up some leather shorts, a furry vest, and this jacket. I fell in love with it the moment I laid eyes on it for it's close resemblance to the Acne Velocite jacket.

We stopped in our favorite spot in Georgetown, Bistro Francais for a late lunch and scored a great little table right next to their open window. A glass of wine and some escargot was the perfect way to enjoy 70 degree weather in the middle of December.








[wearing rag&bone harrow boots, zara faux leather cami, ae shorts, kiliwatch jacket]

Le Cronut

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I've been wanting to make cronuts for quite a while now. If you've not heard of the cronut you've been living under a rock! It's the newest food craze to hit NYC by Chef Dominique Ansel.

I cannot claim my cronut is authentic but it is rather easy. I used frozen croissant dough from Trader Joe's and this recipe, letting it rise over night, then cutting a hole in the middle using a shot glass. And voila! Le Cronut! The term cronut is trademarked by Mr. Ansel so I shall call this Le Fraunut!

Travel Diary Bangkok Last Days

Pin It Now! On our last days in Bangkok we did some last minute shopping at Chatachuk Market, Siam, and Platinum Fashion Mall and topped it off with some of the best ramen I've ever had. I've had Ramen in several places in the D.C. metro but none have compared to Mitsuwa in SoCal and Ippudo in NYC. I've even had ramen my friends raved about in Hong Kong, but I found it overly salty and lacking in flavor.

After googling the Eakamai Thonglor areas in Bangkok for nightlife potential, I came across a site dedicated to food in the area, specifically ramen. Though none of the places listed peaked my interest until I googled ramen in Bangkok and came upon Bankara. It had almost 5 stars on Tripadvisor, but Sean was not convinced. He had to consult a long time friend in Thailand who legitimized it was the best ramen in Bangkok.

And off we went on our last day early, which turned out to be good because there was a line out the door by the time noon came around. It lived up to all the hype has the best ramen I've ever had, beating out Ippudo and Mitsuwa by miles. The tonkatsu broth was rich and brimming with pork flavor. It was so rich neither of us could finish our bowls, which is so sad. A return visit is already planned on our next trip to Bangkok.

Travel Diary Koh Samui

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In the middle of our Thailand adventure we decided to take a break from the city and hop over on a quick 1 hour flight over to Koh Samui. Chaweng was every bit as beautiful as described, but we found our little piece of paradise at Crystal Bay. An idyllic little bay between Chaweng and Lamai, it's the type of beach you'd want to be stranded on forever.





Chaweng was a bit crowded but the wonderful shallow waters extended for miles leaving plenty of room for frolicking in the waves.







Instead of staying at a hotel we rental a 2 bedroom villa near Bangrak Beach toward the northern part of the island. Having our own pool to dip in any time we wanted was a definite treat.









Not to mention the outdoor sunken in stone tubs that came with each room...



Weather in Koh Samui in July is not ideal however. I read everywhere that Koh Samui is not in rain season in July, it's actually high season...the internet lied! We were there for 6 days and only 1 day was sunny, the last one! I think during the summer everywhere in Thailand is rain season.

And rain season in Thailand is not the same as hurricane/rain season in the Caribbean where it rains for 10 minutes then the clouds break into sun. Almost our entire stay was covered in perpetual clouds with no sun in sight. It wasn't constantly rainy but it was definitely not sunny. If you want to visit I'd advise going before summer, in the January to April time frame. As a result of the poor weather conditionals all the tours I had planned didn't happen. I never got to see the surrounding islands unfortunately.

But I did get the chance to go to the most amazing spa sitting on top a mountain. Surrounded by the most lush greenery I steamed then plunged then was massaged to a pulp under an open air canopy...bliss is the only word to describe Eranda Herbal Spa.





And they give you the most amazing little sweet treat and tea after your treatment.

Travel Diary Thailand Markets

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The wonderful markets in Bangkok are not to be missed. Favorites were the Chatuchak Weekend Market (JJ Market) and Asiatique Night Market.

Chatuchak Weekend Market is a true site to behold with narrow winding mazes of vendors covered and uncovered. You can try using a map but my advise is just wander around and enjoy stumbling unto the most amazing food and trinkets. EVERYTHING is sold here, from underwear to orange juice. The prices here are lower than anywhere else in Thailand that I've seen. My most amazing find here though was orange juice! I know right orange juice? Well this wasn't juice from any orange, but a green skinned orange. It might actually be a variety of tangerine not available in the U.S. I first encountered this green tangerine in Taiwan over 10 years ago and have never loved a citrus fruit more, when I saw this fresh green fruit being juiced I rushed the stall for a bottle. Sean and company were not impressed, it's just orange juice they said. But after one refreshing sip they were all hooked.





Asiatique is the somewhat replacement for the defunked Suan Lum Night Market Bazaar. It attracts both tourists and locals alike with a variety of food stalls and artisan vendors. Not to mention the ferris wheel. There are some truly unique items here to be bought, including chainmaille hand bags comprised of quarter sized metallic leather held together by delicate metal rings. And definitely try the grilled tiger shrimp here, simply amazing, the best I've had. And take a spin on the ferris wheel for incredible views of the river.






We went here twice, once arriving from across the river on a life threatening long tail boat and once through more conventional method. From the city center of Bangkok it was impossible to find a taxi to drive us here directly. They all said it would take hours because it was rush hour in Bangkok's legendary traffic. So the next best route was to take the BTS to Saphan Taksin station then take a short 2 dollar boat ride to Asiatique down river. Finding our way back to Sukhumvit was not a problem at all, with a taxi stand right outside the market.