Summer Tribe

Harpers Bazaar 

I loved this editorial in July's issue called "Tribes of Summer" - I have always loved Missoni vivid knits to conjure up exotic summertime escapes - this kaftan is a silk-knit mix from the Italian Fashion House.

I won't be going away this summer but I can wonder and reminisce my GetAway capsule : ) 

I have worn this silk chiffon embroidered shirt almost everywhere I have travelled to - I love it so much - it carries the memory in its fabric of so many adventures and places - I bought it in a thrift store in Greenwich:

Including to Sri Lanka - where I paired it with baggy khaki combats rolled up to mid-calf.  On my feet some leather thong sandals I bought from a shoe-maker, cutting and melding the leather around my soles, on the side of the dusty road.  He had a shiny, toothless smile and I watched his labouring hands with fascination - the teak and texture, sinewed knots and veins, the cuts and abrasions to fingers, but ever nimble and calm - he knew soles very well.

As sunset fell over the bush planes in Dambulla, we went down to the water and bathed the elephants.  They had a long day I think, giving rides to people or being watched or had carried logs. They liked the evening cool water so much, they knelt and softly placed themselves horizontal into the shallow bank side, while I took a brush and scrubbed them down and then lowered my cheek to theirs and whispered my fondness into their ears - they were giants, mild in my hands and they slumbered.

Another stop was at Kandy in the centre of the island, where I convinced my friends to take a walk with a guide through the rich surrounding forest.  We had walked 45 minutes up the steep forest slope to the boredom of my friends who were not much into fruit and fauna talk and I felt guilty.  All of a sudden, there was a scramble of hundreds of macaques down the slope, taking over the path and overhead canopy. I will always remember the sound of their calls and chatter and the heavy rustling of branches and leaves surrounding us like the centre of an aural whirlpool.  We froze, I had never seen a sight of animal domination and charge.  I looked to our guide, who said it was okay, just to keep still, they were not interested in us, they were just passing.  Every evening they migrate from the peaks to the ground, I can't remember why, I was so in awe.  I saw the males, the mothers carrying their young on backs and cuddled in bellies, I half expected at least one to come and investigate us but they didn't.  The whirl was gone just as fast, leaving us wondering if it happened at all?

These are my memories of travel to a most beautiful land.

Hot colours instantly sweep me away:

Shop: Passport and Indie purses

These accessories from GirlWithARadioMind give me just that wanderlust and imagination.  I especially love their combination of hot colours with earthy grade jute and burlap.

 

ooak-Aztec-patchwork-pillow 

I get the same feeling from this patchwork pillow with it's fiery colours - this is a favourite!

 Freedom Flock

Singapore Top 5 Must See Travel Tips

Being one, always curious for travel, I asked girlwitharadiomind  to share with me her top 5 tips should you find youself in her home land of Singapore - Asia's "melting pot" of cultures:

1. Take a walk down Little India. Beautiful Hindu temples with colorful goddess statues and rows of pre-war shophouses. This is in one of my favorite street of shophouses in Little India. Little India mini-travel-notebook

2. Arab street - Immerse in the rich culture of the Muslim district. Have a pipe of shisha and chill by one of the many indie cafes or jazz bar. Discover local indie fashion shops at Haji Lane.

3. Chinatown - Crazy good Chinese food. Walk through the street and end the day with a cheap but good foot massage. Lovely :)

4. Take a long and good bus ride. My favorite is double decker bus 30 that crosses through the East coast express way and you can see the Singapore Skyline in a cool cheap bus ride.

5. and lastly, food of course. How can we forget that? :) If there's 5 must try, it'll be

-Chicken Rice( most travelers told me that's their favorite),
- Roti Prata (Indian bread with curry),
- Ice Kachang (it's a dessert made with a pile of ice with colorful syrup),
- Teh Terik ( how they make the tea, it's like a 10 second performance. See how they make the tea "dance from one cup to another")
- and finally, Durian, the king of fruits ( the most "unique" fruit in the world) ;)

This is exactly the sort of guide I wish I had when I was there!