Take Me Back to Thailand

I'm getting back into my groove and I have to share my adventures in Thailand. October was truly a month to remember. My boyfriend and I decided to celebrate our birthdays in Thailand. We are both Libras and love to travel. This was our first trip together. Check out our journey below!

We started out our adventure exploring the streets of Bangkok. We ate amazing street food that was super cheap. There were massage parlors on every corner. After 18 hours of travel, we stopped and got the most amazing foot massage.

The next day we took a trip outside of the city and visited the Floating Market. The market is literally floating on water. We jumped in a boat and stopped by different shops. I bought a pair of beautiful pink silk pants. There were so many cute handcrafted items that it was hard to say no to the sellers. 

Annnd I held a snake and a lemur!

As we approached the end of the tour we stopped to grab fresh coconut, and watched the process of making coconut palm sugar. Then we headed to the elephant sanctuary to ride an elephant! It was a bumpy ride, but such a fun experience! Next we stopped to see the Golden Buddha.

That night we explored Bangkok nightlife. We found a nice a rooftop bar with amazing views of the city. It was pretty crowded at first until it started pouring down raining. As the rain stopped we were lucky enough to get a table with the perfect view. We enjoyed the rest of the night listening to music accompanied by sax.

The traffic in Bangkok is insane! So the next day we took the BTS train to the mall and explored more of the city. The metro train system there is very advanced and easy to use. DC Metro should take some notes.

Next up - Phuket! We flew from Bangkok to Phuket which is about a flight. The scenic views in Phuket are so beautiful. Our AirBnB was close to Patong Beach and walking distance from lots of restaurants and bars. Patong is your typical party beach town. We had a great AirBnB host that booked our tours. 

While in Phuket we stopped by the Rawai Fish & Seafood Market and picked out fresh seafood. They also cooked it for us. It was soo good and cheap! I love spicy food but the spices in Thailand are on another level! I definitely had to take a break from ordering spicy food. LOL

We spent most of our time at the beach and took a boat day trip to the Phi Phi Islands. I was too terrified to go snorkeling since I can't swim, but it was a great day of fun in the sun!

We returned to Bangkok for our last night in Thailand, and had a beautiful stay at Hotel Muse. We chilled by the pool and decided to stay in for dinner. 

Visiting Thailand was such an amazing and humbling experience. Every thing was affordable, the people were friendly, and the food was delicious. It was rainy season, but the weather was still great. This was definitely one of my top 5 favorite trips! If you haven't been to Thailand yet - add it to your bucket list. What’s on your travel list for 2019?

Viva la Cuba

I just made it back from my first international trip of 2017! Havana, Cuba was truly an amazing cultural and humbling experience. Stepping off the plane was almost like stepping back in time with all of the classic old cars sitting outside of the airport waiting to pick up those that just landed to their destinations. I had a bit of a scare waiting for my sis/travel partner Ash to land. After waiting 2 hours for her flight to land I still didn't see her walking through the exit to meet me at the currency exchange. I finally asked someone for help and turns out her flight flew to another terminal which required a taxi to get to. I asked my driver that barely spoke any English (thank God for Google translate) to take me over there. So of course she wasn't there waiting for me. After searching the entire terminal a few times I sat down and took a breath and then I looked up and saw her and my driver walk up to me. He found her! Turns out she had went to the other terminal looking for me. LOL Without phone service or wifi in another country, communicating can be difficult so I'm glad we eventually found each other. So if you're meeting up with people in another country make sure you have a plan B!

After settling in at our Airbnb and meeting our amazing host, Ruben, we grabbed food and explored the streets! On almost every corner you could hear live music so of course we were pulled in to listen and drink mojitos. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The next couple of days were filled with more exploration. We took a tour of the city and stopped at many of the major landmarks. One of my favorite experiences was a cooking class at Cafe Ajiaco in Cojimar. It was so much fun! We were able to walk to the garden where they grew their spices and herbs before they taught us how to cook an authentic Cuban meal. There was so much food I couldn't eat everything. We also learned how to make the perfect mojito. I'll definitely be playing bartender with my new skills in the near future.

We ended our stay with a special 30th birthday dinner for Ash at San Cristobal, which is where the Obamas ate when they visited Havana. The food was amazing and the service was even better. After dessert we tried a Cuban cigar and sampled 15 year old Cuban rum.

This was definitely a trip to remember. Check out pics below from our adventures in Cuba.

xoxo

Victoria

Learning how to cut open a lobster

Cooking shredded beef

Part of our feast

Listening to salsa music

Me and Miss Nora

Ash's favorite place

Standing outside in Plaza La Vieja

Our cool driver Armando

Selfie with our wonderful waiter at San Cristobal

Cheers! Sippin 15 year old Cuban rum

Yes we came.

Reunited in RVA

A couple weekends ago I had the pleasure of co-hosting my best friend Jimmette's baby shower in Richmond, VA. It was perfect and she loved it! We did a black/white/gold brunch theme with MOMosas!  It was such a great time being able to reconnect with my best friends and shower the mommy-to-be with lots of love. It seemed like just yesterday I was watching her walk down the aisle. It's so exciting to watch my friends grow and transition into new phases of life. I can't wait until Baby Harrison arrives!

Of course while in Richmond, the foodie in me had to try a new restaurant. Janna and I decided to have brunch at Sweet Teas in Shockoe Bottom, and the food was great! I was so stuffed I had to take a nap before getting on the road lol!  Check out a few photos below from my weekend in RVA. 

xoxo

Victoria

Tonia, Jimmette, Janna and I #auntsquad #raisingHarrison

The parents-to-be: Jimmette and Michael

Lots of sweet treats for our mommy-to be!

Top: Vintage blouse (thrifted)

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: Shoedazzle

A little rain can't stop me. 

Vintage earrings "borrowed" from mom. :)

Check out more photos here from my RVA shoot with Deaudrea Rich.

Home

Visits home are never long enough. I always enjoy the quietness and stillness of going home to the country but surprisingly it's hard to sleep when it's so quiet. I've gotten used to the sounds of the city putting me to sleep. But I had a great time back home with family. Distant cousins visited from NYC and Baltimore and we went on a trail visiting the land where our ancestors once lived. We rode on the back of my dad's truck soaking up the sun and scenery. We crossed an old bridge  that I thought for sure would fall in, but we made it across safely. We spent the rest of the weekend catching up on life, over good food of course.

Midwest Weekends

Last weekend I headed back to the Midwest. This time around Alex took me on a day trip to Chicago. Chicago is about an hour train ride from Milwaukee and this was my first time riding an Amtrak train. (The DC metro doesn't count.) This was also my first time visiting the Windy City. As soon as we hopped off the train I wanted to try everything that Chicago was known for. First stop: Portillo's Hot Dogs! I stuffed my face with an all beef hot dog topped with everything (mustard, relish, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and a pickle) and cheese fries. I also tried a bite of Alex's Italian beef sandwich. Yes I was hungry. So so good! Definitely stop here if you're in Chicago. 

Then we set off for some sight-seeing. The Chicago Sky-Deck line was a 2 hour wait, so we decided to take a bike ride to Millennium Park to see the Bean instead. Afterward we walked around the Navy Pier which had awesome views of Lake Michigan. While there I was able to catch up with one of my friends before heading back to the train. I definitely needed more than a day to discover all of Chicago. So I'll definitely be back.

The next day we spent the day at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, and hung out with family and friends. It was another great weekend in the Midwest filled with food and fun. :) 

xoxo,

Victoria

Chicago's Union Station

The Bean at Millennium Park 

Bradford Beach

Bolognese with brisket and meatballs at Onesto

Chicago-style hot dog at Portillo's

Travel Often

This past weekend I visited my soror Jenerra in Miami and we had a blast! It was great to get away for a mini vacation and escape to much warmer weather. DC weather is a little bipolar at the moment. After dealing with a flight delay and cancellation, I was so happy to finally arrive in Miami. Friday, we went to the beach and baked in the sun and we went to a rooftop happy hour at the Epic Hotel with an amazing view of the city. The next day we went to a boozy brunch at South Street. Try the Cousin Francis tea and the chicken apple sausage and grits. Nom Nom. So good. Then a thunderstorm hit! So we waited until the rain stopped and chilled at the beach again. Saturday night we went to an art walk and food truck festival for more great food and amazing art work. We ended the night with hookah by the water.  Travel often and enjoy every last bite.

Drinks at Wet Willies

Me and Jenerra

Ash, Jenerra, & I on the rooftop

Cousin Francis tea

Top shelf album collection at the bar

South Beach

Liz

Lady made out of floppy disks

Saturday Art Walk

Off the Hookah

it is better to travel well than to arrive.

So I've been trying to save my money, but I've dipped into my stash of course since I'm a struggling full time worker/part-time grad student living in the DC area, and emergencies happen. But I am slowly turning into a responsible adult. I'm even researching stock options, and considering how I can save for future business opportunities.  As much as I would like to spend my money on the things I need, I prefer to spend my money having the time of my life. I mainly want to use my money to pay back my student loans for travel. I haven't been to many places outside of Virginia or the East Coast so it's time to go further. I've checked off one city from my to-do list: Los Angeles! I would like to visit the Caribbean and Las Vegas this year. I currently have no stamps on my passport! These places are at the top of my list: Morocco, Belgium, Paris, South Africa, the West Indies, and Egypt.  I'll reach all of those places at least once during my lifetime. Which countries or cities are at the top of your travel list?

Sahara Desert, Morocco