Africa again! | Cape Town, SA

Hey!

So you guys may have been wondering why I haven’t posted in a while and that’s because I was on holiday in Cape Town, South Africa! This was probably one of the most incredible holiday destinations I have ever been to and just the views itself were breathtaking! Whether it’s a relaxing beach holiday, an adventure packed holiday or even one for the wine enthusiasts, Cape Town has everything to offer!

I just arrived back in London yesterday morning and couldn’t wait to share my experiences with you guys so be prepared for a long stream of picture overload!

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Cape Town International Ariport

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Panoramic view from our Villa

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Tandem jumpers on Lions Head

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Camps Bay

On our first day, we went on the Hop on Hop off Tour bus (HOHO) and decided to take the Blue Mini Peninsula route. This was such a great and inexpensive way to start off the holiday, taking in the gorgeous views of the iconic Table Mountain, Constantia Winelands and the stunning white sand beaches like Camps Bay. Definitely a must do when in Cape Town!

Day 2&3

We spent a night at Gondwana Game Reserve where we experienced an authentic African safari along the scenic Garden Route. Since visiting Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, East Africa earlier in the year and loving it, we had to have the South African experience this time around and it was extraordinary!

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Gondwana Game Reserve

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Lunch upon arrival

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Afternoon game drive

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African Impala

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Black Rhinos

We had a strange encounter with the Rhinos as they came dangerously close to our Jeep and started to move it with their horns. It was so crazy and pretty scary if I’m totally honest!

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Lion Brothers

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Giraffe

On our journey back to Cape Town, we visited a cheetah rehabilitation centre called Cheetah Outreach which is a must for those who want to challenge their fears touching a wild predator haha!

This was such an incredible experience and the fact that these animals aren’t sedated and go back into the wild made it even more satisfying.

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My dad and I with Rafiki the Cheetah!

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Jus’ chillin’

Day 4

On the fourth day we travelled through Cape Peninsula down to Cape Point, part of Table Mountain National Park, the most South Western point of South Africa. We rode the funicular up to the lighthouse where we enjoyed breathtaking, panoramic views of the Western Cape.

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Cape Point

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The last stop of the day was Boulders Beach, famous for being home to a breeding colony of over 2000 African penguins. We strolled down Foxy Beach for the best glimpse of the colony and it was truly a special experience.

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Foxy Beach – Boulders Bay

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Penguin selfie! Outfit – Jumpsuit: Dorothy Perkins

Day 5 & 6

We visited Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens which is acclaimed to be one of the greatest botanic gardens of the world and I can assure you, it was beautiful against the backdrop of Table Mountain’s eastern slopes.PC141740.JPGPC141757.JPG

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We stopped for a lovely afternoon tea at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel, which compared to afternoon tea’s in London, this was much more affordable and also had a much larger variety! I would definitely recommend this to any of you guys who love a bit of afternoon tea and are visiting Cape Town, but do book in advance as it can become very busy.

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I opted for the authentic South African Rooibos tea

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Outfit – Dress: H&M on sale!, Necklace: Forever 21

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Day 7

South Africa being famous for its winelands, we couldn’t leave without a bit of chocolate and wine tasting and a visit to one of the oldest vineyards in the whole of South Africa, the Groot Constantia producing wines for over 300 years!

We ended our day at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, a very popular tourist destination so it was always very busy! And they had a MAC store and H&M haha!

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Victoria & Alfred Waterfront – Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre

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Outfit – Shorts: Dorothy Perkins, Vest top: Hollister, Cardi: New Look, Sunglasses: Ray Ban

Day 8

On our eighth and final day in Cape Town, luckily the weather was suitable for us to take our trip up to the summit of Table Mountain, as the cable car does not operate in high winds so be sure to check the wind forecast before you go!

It was the best way to end our holiday with the phenomenal scenery of iconic landmarks such as Lions Head, Robben Island, the Olympic Stadium and Clifton Bay. cable-car.jpg

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Outfit – Dress: Foschini (South Africa), Bag: H&M

Day 9&10

Back to London! We left from Cape Town International Airport on Thursday 17th at around 1:30pm and arrived back in London at around 6am on Friday 18th!

South Africa is an amazing country and one I will be sure to visit again in the future! I loved trying some crazy new experiences and it’s a must for those of you who enjoy an adventurous and thrilling holiday!

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Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading! Have any of you been to Cape Town or anywhere in South Africa before?


Sachita x

 

 

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I’m back! – Post holiday blues…

Hey!

I’m back from The Canaries and missing it more than ever! As I mentioned in my previous post, I have so much more to share with you guys from the rest of our holiday 🙂

After some lovely relaxation for the first couple of days, we thought it was about time to venture out and explore the island a little.

Heading over to the famous town of Playa De Las Americas, we spent the day on the sandy beach. In Tenerife, the beaches’ natural sands come from the volcano, Mount Teide on the island, which gives the sand a slightly darker, more brown tint than normal golden sand, still very fine and soft.

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Sunset in Los Cristianos

Playa De Las Americas

Piña Coladas

My cousins and I along the Marina

Making our way to the stunning Teide National Park we boarded a cable car to Teide Volcano, the highest point in Spain – towering the landscape at a mighty 3718m. As the car rises, the splendour of the landscape unfolds beneath your feet – it’s absolutely breathtaking! A definite must when in Tenerife!!

Mountain Range landscaping Teide National Park

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View from above

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Sunset view over Teide National Park

We made a few stops along the way up to Teide Volcano, one including a visit to an authentic Spanish Bodega or wine cellar called Zeverón, producing specialist wines for international export. I’m not usually much of a wine drinker but I have to say, some of the wines we tasted were delicious and freshly distilled adding to the smooth and rich flavour.

Viewpoint on Teide National Park

Bodega

And of course we had to make the stop when we saw an authentic Churreria for some mouth-watering Churros con Chocolate! Also a must when in Spain, these deep fried dough pastries coated in sugar and cinnamon, dipped in a cup of hot, dark chocolate sauce, are to die for!!!

Wine distillery

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Churros con chocolate

The next morning started with a horse-back riding hack along the coastline of South Tenerife. I absolutely love horses and horse-riding! As I no longer have time to take lessons, I try to take every opportunity to go, when abroad 🙂

As we were living on the footstep of a golf course, we had to take the opportunity to play along the captivating coastline with views of Mount Teide in the distance, the warm sea breeze blowing through your hair…

Stables by Amarilla Golf

Stables by Amarilla Golf

On Horseback

Amarilla Golf Club

Hitting that shot after 100 attempts! LOL

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Gorgeous sunset view

Mount Teide mountain range in the distance

Our second to last day had arrived, and we decided to take a trip up to North Tenerife, which took around an hour by car, to visit Loro Parque – a parrot paradise and dolphinarium. There was 4 shows which we saw; the Loro Show, Dolphin Show, Whale Show and Sea Lion Show. The best two, in my opinion, where the Whale and Dolphin shows – they were absolutely magical! A definite must see in the Canary Islands!!

View when we stopped over on our journey

Arrival at Loro Parque

Gorgeous Macaws upon arrival

Sea Lion Show

Waffle Break

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White Tiger

White Tiger

Dolphin Show

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Orca Ocean - Whale Show

Orca Ocean – Whale Show

And that concludes the end of this little getaway! I had such an amazing time and starting to feel those holiday blues…
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Sunset from the plane back to London


Have you been to any of the Canary Islands before? What did you get upto on your holidays?


Sachita x

Spontaneous Family Holiday to The Canaries!

Hey from Tenerife!

I thought I’d write this post upon my return from this spontaneous family holiday to the Canary Islands, but as I had some time to spare this morning I thought I’d share my travel adventures so far, and this place is just too gorgeous to wait! Currently my family and I are on the island of South Tenerife and will be moving across to another island – Fuerteventura – in a few days time 🙂

Leaving the UK for vivid, clear blue skies and over 30 degree temperatures, was definitely a great decision! After an intense and stimulating summer, trekking Kilimanjaro and starting a summer internship a week after our return, I think my family and I, were truly happy for this small getaway!

Our villa is situated in the area of Amarilla Golf – Golf Del Sur, overlooking open, green planes of a huge golf course with horse stables in the distance. There are 9 of us in our family party, including my parents, two aunts, uncle, three cousins and myself. I love going on large family holidays, they’re always SO much fun when we all come together and chill out!

Here’s some photos so far, we’ve been here a couple days, so haven’t done anything too exciting, just been relaxing in our villa and been to town a few times. Stay tuned for more pics soon 🙂 Enjoy!


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Back garden view from our villa

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Our private swimming pool

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Balcony views

Cutest little town

Haha! Don’t mind me!

Evening before dinner


Have you guys been to Tenerife or on a big family holiday? Where did you go? I’d love to read about your travels in the comments 🙂


Sachita x

Family day out at Kew Gardens

Hey!

Today my faIMG_7362mily and I went to Kew Gardens for the Full of Spice Festival. It was such a nice family trip and something that my mum and aunties enjoyed too, intrigued to find out more about IMG_3408spices.

We travelled to Kew by train and had booked the 13:40 rickshaw ride to escort us around the gardens. The guides were so enthusiastic and the rickshaw’s were so cutely decorated with embellishments from India.

Each of the rickshaw’s had a different spice associated with it – ours was black pepper which was quite fascinating to learn more about, although I was silently hoping for cinnamon (my fave!)! Obvs had to take that obligatory selfie! 😛

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We tasted and smelt three types of pepper – black, green and white, astonished by the difference in taste and smell of them all! It was really cool! We even saw peppercorn plants and learnt that they mainly grow in Kerala, South India.

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We saw some gorgeous flowers as well as chilli plants growing purple coloured chillies!

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Heading over to the Dough Kitchen, we baked some Finnish cinnamon rolls – ‘Korvapuusti’. Here’s a few photos of my cousins and I preparing them!

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We left at around 5ish – it’s ladies night so we’re all going out for dinner! Time to go get ready 🙂

My OOTD: TopGlamorous, Jeans – Topshop Joni’s, ShoesKurt Geiger, DusterWarehouse, NecklaceWarehouse 🙂

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Sachita x

Africa part 2 | Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari

Hey!IMG_4630

I’ve been meaning to write this post for ages now so its slightly overdue but I just haven’t had a minute to spare with this working lifestyle right now LOL! Luckily I have a three day weekend ahead of me so have some extra time on my hands, I’m super excited to share my experiences with you 🙂

IMG_4453After our Kilimanjaro trek we took a few days <— to relax on the beach in Mombasa until our next big adventure – the Masai Mara safari. During the safari, the main aim is to catch a glimpse of ‘The Big Five’ including; White Rhinoceros, African Elephant, African Lion, African Leopard and Cape Buffalo. Fortunately we saw four out of the five which was so great – didn’t get to see the leopard 😦

We went during the summer month of June this year which was not a bad time to go, however the migration had just started over from the Serengeti in Tanzania so the planes were slightly more empty compared to how they would be in a few more months.

Day 1

We started our safari at Lake Nakuru on our way to Mara and here we caught an afternoon game. It was such an amazing experience, the wind rushing through our hair as we stood in the open top jeep, driving through the planes surrounding Lake Nakuru.

We saw a pack of cubs with their mother playing in the distance, the first of our big 5 – such an incredible sight!

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Day 2 & 3

We started on our journey to Mara and caught the afternoon game at 2pm. Here’s some photos of the amazing animals we saw including the white rhino and elephant – second and third of the big 5!

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We caught the morning game and the evening game where we witnessed the gorgeous red sunset over the Mara – couldn’t leave without viewing this – it’s a must! Such a breathtaking view.

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The final morning on the Mara, we woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and hippos splashing in the lake below our lodge haha. The hot air balloons took over the sky in array of multicolours peeping between the clouds.

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All in all, the safari was incredible and something I would love to experience again, that breath of fresh, clean air over the Mara, the breathtaking sunset, the animals catching their breakfast, the migration of the wildebeests crossing the river into the Mara from the Serengeti, cubs playing within the long grass in the distance – unmissable experiences, all of which I would love to see more of!

Hope you enjoyed this picture rich post and I leave you with these words:

Hakuna Matata! 🙂

Sachita x

5 super fun things to do in London this Summer!

Heyy!

IMG_5324So I thought I’d write a post about some fun things to do in Summer in London. Although it’s my Summer holidays from uni, I am working through out my summer in London so haven’t been able to travel too far when going out with friends and family. I’ve been trying to find new and exciting thing’s to do as there’s always so much going on in the buzzing city of London, whether it be paid for or free. As a student, I’m always looking for a good bargain so sites like Groupon and Wowcher have basically been my best friends LOL!

Here are some of the thing’s I’ve been doing and some things that are yet to still try out!

1) Outdoor Cinema – Rooftop Film Club, ShoreditchIMG_5195

My friend Ashni (check out her blog here) and I, went to the Rooftop Film Club in Shoreditch (this is a chain of outdoor cinemas), and we saw…..wait for it….CLUELESS! I know its an oldie but its such a classic chick flick and we though it was the perfect film to see for a girly night out in town!

The setting was so cute, it was at the top floor of a bar/club and there was a bar at the back we you could buy food and drink as well as a popcorn machine and sweets 🙂 We were also given blankets and headphones.

Tickets are quiteIMG_5186 expensive compared to normal cinema ticket prices, we paid £14 each, but for the whole outdoor experience it was well worth it.IMG_5188

2) Kew Gardens – Full of Spice Summer Festival

Making this a family day out, my mum, aunties and my cousin will all be visiting the Full of Spice Summer Festival at Kew Gardens this week. It should be super fun as we’re cycled around the gardens in a rickshaw and dazzling ourselves in all the amazing spices and of course, not forgetting the cheeky spicy botanical cocktail which is also included 😛

Tickets for this were also under £20 – so far so good…

3) Be on a TV ShowIMG_5326

A totally random but amazing experience – My cousin Aarti (check out her Youtube channel here) and I experienced being on the TV show DESI RASCALS. It’s a relatively new show on Sky 1, an asian take on the hit reality show Made in Chelsea. It was such a great experienIMG_5328ce and we met some great people and also got to meet the cast which was great!

We spent the whole day at Altitude 360 a bar/in Millbank Tower near Pimlico, with breathtaking views of London – a great party venue! We also got in free to the afterparty!

We were on the show through Aarti’s acting agency but there’s always ads for being on the show as extra’s and one off’s on FaceBook and Google so be sure to keep a look out.

This experience was also totally free which was an added bonus, in fact we were paid! It was a great excuse to glam up and partayy! haha

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4) Night out with the girls

For a nice dinner, IMG_4989I met my friends in town after work at the famous and fabulous restaurant Thai Square. I love the Thai cuisine – there are some really unique and delicious dishes such as the classic ‘Thai Green Curry’ (also my fave!), and for myself, being vegetarian, they have a great range of vegetarian dishes and a separate vegetarian menu!

This one is slightly on the pricey side but it’s totally worth it once in a while!

5) National Portrait Gallery – Audrey Hepburn: Portrait of an Icon

I wasn’t able to obtain tickets for the ‘Audrey Hepburn: Portrait of an Icon’ display this month but it’s definitely on my list for next month. Taking a trip through Audrey Hepburn’s picture perfect career and her timeless elegance, this display will be fascinating with a sneak peak into the life of one of Twentieth Century’s most enduring style icons!

What do you like to do for fun in London?

Sachita x