Santorini, Greece: Boat Trip

Sailing Away 
While in Greece, I wanted to take a small, intimate boat - perhaps a yacht - to spend the day exploring the neighboring islands.  Well, the cheeky Greek man working at the travel agency kindly reminded me that I wasn't Gary Pepper Girl or Barefoot Blonde. Hmmmph. (Okay, he didn't exaaactly same that but it was the same idea.)

So Kristen and I ended up going on a very very large boat with many people for 20 euros. And ya know what? It wasn't that bad! I do get sea sick though which I think is completely unfair given just how much I absolutely LOVE the ocean and being on the water. Has anyone tried the seasickness bracelets? Do those work?

The highlight of the trip was to go to a volcano where you had the option of hiking to the summit. Ha! No, thank you. However we did walk up the half way mark to take in the view and we were not disappointed. Across the deep blue water we could see the cluster of white buildings of Oia. We felt like we were aliens in a weird land with only rocky hills stretching out of view.

FYI, there are many mixed reviews on Tripadvisor about this type of day trip but we really enjoyed it. But honestly, I think Kristen and I could have enjoyed exploring a paper bag (I'm glad we got to see more than that though!) Funny story: when we were climbing up a suspiciously high and precarious edge of the volcano, Kristen stops to take a picture and then says, "Wait! I'm out of memory!" and I thought she proceeded to delete photos ON THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN-VOLCANO. After we safely arrived back on level terra firma we then tried to think of all the most ridiculous examples when a tourist would make people stop and say, "Wait! I need to delete my repeats!" (Can you think of any?) Just trust me. It. was. funny. We are available for re-enactments, if necessary. Have your people contact our people.

BTW, if you haven't already, be sure to check out my post about our first day in Santorini! 

The Outfit

The best part about being on the boat was the laissez-faire everyone had about clothing. I've become accustom to the general Asian mentality of boat trips: hide from the sun by any means necessary and unless you are a size 0, cover yourself. But the Europeans have a very different take that is very refreshing: they go for it. Every age and size was in varied states of dress. Some were in full bikinis sunbathing on desk, others in see-through cover-ups and then others were wearing non-beachwear. It made for a very comfortable holiday atmosphere! 

I only wore my long-sleeve button-up because I was afraid of being burnt to a crisp (not a good look, trust me). Underneath I wore my custom-made-to-fit high waisted swim suit from Surania which if you know anything about me, you know I'm absolutely obsessed about this suit; proof from this post and my instagram. You can see a better image of the suit here. 

What are your favorite pieces for beachy-travel & exploration? Got any go-to cover-ups? 

Shirt, Shorts & Hat: H&M | Shoes: Rack Room | Earrings & Bracelets: Lovisa
Sunglasses: Cotton On

Photos by Kristen

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Cherries & Raspberries: Mix and Match Swim Suit

This past weekend we went to Sentosa in Singapore to check out a beach bar called the Wave House. A few weeks ago I did a post about another Sentosa beach bar, Tanjong Beach Club. Maybe I should do a whole series about all the beach bars on the island…? I mean, if y'all reeeally want me to I guesssss I could. Anything for the blog. 

At Wave House they have 2 different type of wave pools where you can surf. I was too busy enjoying their Wednesday special buy-one-get-one free (for long-term residents & Singaporeans only) that I didn't take any decent pictures of the wave pools. We did enjoy watching folks wipe out though! And of course, they have just a regular pool or the beach to jump back and forth in between pina coladas. 

While at Tanjong I opted for a retro look, this time I decided to keep it more casual. Besides, I was having a good natural hair day and THOSE are rare to come by. 

Y'all know else is rare? When you uncover the most sublime thrift store find, obviously. I saw this top in the $2 bin and squealed in delight. This top epitomizes all that is holy this summer: fruit prints & off the shoulder. To top it off (pun intended) it matches my favorite high-waisted bottoms! A match in mishmash heaven (also pun intended. Man, I'm on a roll… wait, I'm in a swim suit. No one talk about rolls.) 

Okay, sorry. Let's get to the bottom of this. Wearing my Surania high waisted bottoms. If you follow my instagram, you might have already seen the full swim suit. It was my first time getting a custom made swim suit which made me nervous at first but when you have a big booty and a small waist, any custom made bottoms sound like a dream. It was totally worth it! 

What places have you been exploring this summer? And of course, what are you wearing while exploring? 

Swim Suit Bottom: Surania | Swim Suit Top: Thrifted (New2U) | Sunglasses & Bracelets: Cotton On 

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Modcloth's Retro Swimsuit / 4th of July / Tanjong Beach Club

Patriotic Bathing Beauty

You might have noticed this picture from my Modcloth Travel Bug post. You didn't think I just took the one photo and called it a day, did ya? ;-) 

This outfit would be my top choice for 4th of July festivities if I wasn't working on Saturday. At home, Independence day is always spent at either the pool or at the Marietta Square tailgating until fireworks time. 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays and it's not just because I can wear my favorite color-combo unabashed! 

This swim suit literally is the most perfect suit you will ever find. All the hype (if you've heard/read the reviews about it) is true true true. It's Modcloth's Ester Williams Bathing Beauty and it is the most flattering thing I've put on my body, swim suit or otherwise. 

I particularly love that they named it after Ester Williams. As a kid, I was obsessed with the movie Million Dollar Mermaid (I think we randomly rented it at the library) and after that, I almost thought I had dreamed up the movie because no one seemed to know what I was talking about when I brought it up. 

FYI, for this pear-shaped lady, I went for the size 14. Because of my big bottom, I was supposed to be a size 16 according to the chart but I was afraid the top would swallow me up. I'm glad I got the 14 - it's a little tight around my thighs but I've slowly and carefully stretched it out. 

Beach, Pool and Hamburgers 

Like I said, I've already written up a review for Tanjong Beach Club for Modcloth but let me tell you a little bit more! Because I have my "weekend" during the week, when we go it's usually pretty chill. However, on the weekends it has more of a party-vibe and I hear they put their beer pong tables to good use! They also have a volleyball net for those less lazy than I. 

For us though, we like to sip our beers on the large lounge beds and take dips in the pool and beach to cool off, alternating between the two. I've heard they have a lot of delicious seafood on their menu but for me, it's the burgers and truffle fries all the way. Forgive me for stating the obvious but Y'ALL. IT. IS. SO. GOOD. Their burgers are insane - flavorful and tender. 

I will warn you the prices can be a little intimidating but 1) so many cool places in Singapore are and  2) I think it's a very fair price for being able to lounge luxuriously at the beach all day. The TBC staff is very helpful and relaxed and they won't shoo you away after you've eaten your food. 

I feel like such a ritzy person when I'm at Tanjong Beach Club (though I'm most definitely a champagne taste on a beer budget kinda girl). I wonder if that's how you feel when going glamping…? 

Happy Fourth of July to all my American readers! 

And happy Canada day and Bastille day and Hari Raya as well! 

What are your plans for the celebrations? 

Swim Suit: Modcloth | Shorts: Forever 21 (Australian Goodwill) | Shoes: Modcloth (sold out, similar ones here and here) | Sunglasses: Cotton On | Scarf: Vintage

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