From Tokyo, With Love (and shopping tips!)

There seems to be a unanimous answer whenever you ask cabin crew heading to Asian destinations “What are you going to do when you get there…?”

SHOPPING.

Followed by a close second. SLEEPING.

In Tokyo, despite the shopping appeal, I’ve spent most of my trips roaming around in search of cultural brain stimulation to make sure my grey stuff doesn’t vegetate due to the routine nature of my job. Temples, cherry blossom hunting, sushi bars, people-watching in Harajuku, ryoken, public baths… Doesn’t leave much time for shopping now, does it?...

Don’t ask how I managed it, but on my last Tokyo trip, post-elation on discovering cherry blossoms in Ueno Park, and before rushing back to the hotel (a trip which takes over an hour on the train), I took a stroll through the nearby city area to see what I could find. Some weird plastic food displays, the weirdest kinds of manga, and lots of teeny banzai trees later, I came across a small chinaware shop, tucked between a ramen restaurant and a shop selling a weird selection of DIY hardware and outdoor clothes…

This is Tokyo.

Strange. But true.

Enticed by the floral chintzy printed rice bowls carefully heaped outside, I unknowingly wandered in to Japanese homeware heaven. Yep, actual heaven. Teapots, teacups, rice bowls, bentos and everything else that the average tourist-filling-their-home-with-foreign-stuff would sell their grandma for.

I heart MAC... / The Beauty Of Louise

Exciting news from The Trolley Dolly! I recently teamed up with lovely Louise over at The Beauty Of Louise, detailing a joyful visit (or five) to MAC and the beautiful buys I invested in. Click hereto see my guest post and visit Louise’s gorgeous blog :)

Alongside the items bought there I also purchased these beauties from the Limited Edition Style Seeker collection and I wanted to give you a review based on my own experience of MAC, as an avid eyeshadow-buyer and Fluidline fan.

Eyeshadow Duo in On The Hunt...

The gold is hyper-pigmented and the red can be built up to the desired strength as you like it...

Fluidline in Dark Diversion...

First of all, I just have to talk about this Fluidline. ^^^ My poor mother… what I put her through whilst we were shopping. I stopped for goodness knows how long, just staring at this plummy, aubergine-y, charcoal purple-y pot of perfection. And then along came the delightful MAC salesperson… she saw me coming.

World Catwalk: Destination Copenhagen

I confess that I didn’t do my research before I set off for Copenhagen (nothing new there then). I had a rough plan to visit the famous Tivoli Gardens, the world's second oldest amusement park (apparently), and, quite frankly, that was about it.

To be honest, sometimes it’s nice to enter a city with no preconceptions, no expectations and then be pleasantly surprised (I had a similar experience in Hong Kong – read about it here…). Copenhagen achieves the impossible in its ability to be beautiful, even in the rain. The falling drops simply bring out a moody, almost magical atmosphere in this calm Scandinavian haven.

As far as my World Catwalk is concerned, I was intrigued by the street fashion in Copenhagen because it seemed to be a little different from most other cities. Like the odd wacky-fashion kid in class, or that one in the office (face it, you know who I'm talking about), she’s the one who shocks you by stepping in with interesting combinations that are unexpected and a tad weird, but on the whole, enviably cool.

On my first walk around the city, I took in the sights of the Tivoli Gardens, and for the most part I didn’t spot too many stylistas amongst all the touristas. What I did notice though, was a recurring theme of very yummy mummies! I’m sorry, but I draw the line at tearing Mother away from Baby whilst I snap their style but I will report that the streets of Copenhagen were full of svelte, stylish, poised mums, pushing prams in heeled boots and swishing big bouncy blonde hair around – making me feel a bit frumpy yet simultaneously inspired. Hats off to glam mums everywhere – I’m sure it’s not as easy as you all make it look!

I stopped for dinner in the superb Nimb Brasserie, a restaurant on the border of Tivoli Gardens. It was there I spied Seul Ki, from Korea, who was looking perfectly quirky in her printed tea dress with dainty collar and plimsolls. I’m not sure how anyone achieves skin as luminous and perfectly porcelain as Seul Ki’s, but regardless of the mechanics as to how, this amazing combination of flawless skin and floral print, is refreshingly simple yet stylish.

Finding Maccheroni

You know that earliest part of the day when the clouds are light and pink, and the air is fresh and the wind is just enough to make your eyes bright? I don’t get to see it too often as I’m always in my bed at that time of the day… but on a trip to the truly beautiful, postcard-perfect Roma, I experienced it midday. Pure loveliness. 

I was forecasting sunshiney, gelato-friendly weather, but instead this intermedium of daybreak and dusk was following me around town – and conveniently creating an amazing backdrop for my photos. How nice.

My mission on this one-day venture was to find really tasty Italian food. Yummy pizza, amazing gelato and blogworthy pasta. No mean feat when my available time extended to an afternoon and early evening (must get back and sleep before working the flight back the next day).

I started my search, as I’m sure many do. Lonely Planet guidebook firmly grasped in one hand, map in the other, camera over one shoulder… and some sniggering locals behind the other I’ve no doubt. Laughing, and rightly so, at my comedic over-enthusiasm. I might as well have been walking around with a neon sign saying ‘TOURIST’ plastered to my head with a Big. Flashing. Arrow.

Anyway, me and Lonely Planet Guidebook (LPG), hit the streets of Roma. Wandering in amongst the beautifully architectured streets in Trastevere, down shy cobbled lanes, and past rows and rows of scooters, their slim parking spaces surrounded by decorative drapes of pretty flowers. And all the while, with this dawny-dusky sky overhead, giving the buildings a sort of burnt glow, and adding warmth to all the colours around me. It was the perfect antidote to the busy flight I’d worked just hours before.

Do I really have to leave tomorrow?

Cobbled streets, trattorias, motorbikes, really bad parking... yep, I'm definitely in Rome.

About an hour into my meandering, I gave up on LPG. 

Much as I love their handy tips, I fancied the idea of chucking the map and just taking myself wherever I felt was the right direction.

That sort of thinking obviously led me straight to a little gelateria for my sugar fix. My obsession with all things dessert-related called me in to visit Alberto Pica. That’s the name of said restaurant/gelateria, by the way. Not some handsome Roman. Just for the record.

As my good friend Laura might say, YUMOLA.

World Catwalk: Destination Ghana

Ghana is like a painting.

One of those paintings where you can’t quite figure out what it’s supposed to be, but you like it anyway… its many colours, textures and fabulous patterns draw you in and make you forget that you’re supposed to be figuring it out in the first place.

Just a brief walk along the dusty streets is an experience in itself here in the country’s capital.

Buses whiz past packed with people squeezing their bodies out of the windows to catch the breeze.

Women in bright, patterned clothes carry everything and anything on their heads and talk / chat / run / argue / carry children at the same time.

Stalls selling barbequed plantain serve up this delicious cross between potato and banana and wrap it in pages torn from a jotter, so you don’t burn your fingers…

People laugh loudly, talk loudly, and love to make jokes.

People make things, make music, make fun…

It really is a jolly place from where I’m standing. But then that’s perhaps a silly statement, as most places seem pretty jolly from where I’m standing in my little red hat, with my manicured nails as The Trolley Dolly!

I was reading a pro-tourism publication here in Accra, Ghana and I was inspired by what was said of the nation’s unfailing belief that ‘tomorrow will be better than today’. I like love this hopeful, resilient sentiment.

As you pass all the brightness of the city’s building success, you see the real meaning of this statement when your pretty picture is scratched by the image of real poverty. One man leads his blind mother amongst the heaving smoky traffic, another sits in a wheelchair at a traffic signal, with a big smile, missing his legs. And children with no shoes come to the windows of your car, putting their hands to their mouths, asking for any spare Cedis (Ghanaian currency).

As I walked amongst this bizarre network, it didn’t really cross my mind that this might pose as a backdrop for one of my World Catwalk features. Even if I wanted to take a few pictures, most of the women here are suspicious of the camera and I’m not about to start a row in the middle of downtown Accra. Would you?!

To my surprise, as I went in search of a restaurant, two stylish ladies walked onto my World Catwalk radar. 

Without thinking, I casually walked ran over and introduced The Trolley Dolly, explaining that their cool style had caught my eye. To my further surprise, they were from London, and yes, they wouldn’t mind me featuring their outfits in World Catwalk… job done.

Natalie was keeping up with the bright theme that skips through Accra by teaming a multicoloured print tee with super fresh turquoise skinny jeans, rolled up to reveal a bright beaded anklet. Top marks for the Raybans and sweet pink lipstick. And the holiday hat is the cherry on the cake!

View From A Tuktuk...

So, here I am in Bangkok again. Destination of choice for extremely cheap shopping, extremely good massage, and extremely yummy mango. Oh, and did I mention, extreme numbers of tourists, travellers, and of course Thai people, making this one of the busiest, most blindingly buzzing cities I’ve visited.

I’ve been to Bangkok more than 10 times – and despite the heat, the dirt and the constant haggling for anything from a boat ride to a banana, I usually use Bangkok as my down time.  Time to get scrubbed, massaged, manicured, pedicured and quite frankly, royally pampered for about 10 quid (50 AED).  Many of the temples, palaces, buddhas and interesting sightseeing-y things lie unseen, as I am usually far too wrapped up (sometimes literally) in my favourite spa to be tempted outside.

But it is in fact outside, on those grubby streets, where you get a peek at the real life of this very unique, very intriguing city.

Stalls selling strange food, massage parlours that look like laundry rooms, old women cleaning noodle bowls behind tiny restaurants, young girls cooking meat on sticks, wrinkly old men hacking coconuts, helpful police officers that know how to say hello in any language, young guys sitting on motorbike taxis drinking coke waiting for customers, tuktuk drivers shouting over the noise of their engines… It makes for some very colourful photographs and some clever manoeuvring around the city to avoid being ripped off by sly salespeople who can spot a tourist from a mile, no matter how well you pronounce sawadikaaaa.

And hence this mini photo diary was formed. 

I’ll call this, ‘View From A Tuktuk…’ a mere glimpse of a city that might take more than a lifetime to capture fully.

Clearly a football fan...

I love the garish colours and the pink taxis...

Our tuktuk driver found my incessant photo-taking rather amusing...

Carrying laundry on a motorbike taxi - no problem.