Nainital Diaries: Whimsical Winter Sun

Sorry for the delay in posting the last part of the series y'all! But I have exciting things going on in my life right now. But more on that on the next post (Hint, it involves a foreign country! ) 

Back to this outfit post in the gorgeous Garden Valley Resort near Nainital. We were awed to see this Country themed cottage situated in the middle of untouched natural beauty. From gurgling sreams, to peeping monkeys and glorius sunshine, this place had it all. A vast expanse of property situated in the middle of the hills, it had a separate area for sitting in the sun and chatting and enjoying your drinks and a separate dining area where a 7-Course Continental/Italian meal awaited you. Although, we gobbled up most of it before we had the time to take pictures, I did manage to capture some of the hearty goodness. 

What I loved the most about the place was that the owners did not have a schedule and there was no rush. You could sit and enjoy the nature for as long as you wanted and then indulge in a relaxed, lesiurely meal. The country style drapes and kitschy decor at this homestay just stole my heart away with its careful randomness. I hope the pictures capture a little bit of the whimsicalness of day. 

Veggie Pizza

Mushroom Pie

Carrot Cake with Fresh Cream

Aztec Sweater Dress: Zara, U.S.A.

Sneakers: M.G. Marg, Gangtok

Bangles: Assorted, Mall Road-Nainital

Earrings: Some Curio Shop, Darjeeling

Aztec Snood: Woolworths, Cape Town, South Africa

Crop-Tops,Goa and the Monsoon...

Have you ever been to Goa in the Monsoon?

If you haven't you must go now.The beauty of a Goan Monsoon washes away all your cares with the rain and you come back a rejuvenated person.If you've been following me on Instagram,You can catch a glimpse of it here.

We stayed at the Taj Holiday Village which is lush and green and so perfect for the weather.They have a gorgeous private beach and the most amazing Thai Restaurant.Goa is so touristy and crowded in the season that you hardly get a chance to appreciate it's beauty.In the monsoons the beaches are less crowded and the people much more relaxed.And Did I tell you how green everything is?

I can't help repeating. :D

I went with the laidback vibe of the place and slipped on this super comfy and chic Crop Top set from Global Desi,some chappals and my backpack and set out exploring.The glasses I stole/borrowed from my cousin,though.

Somehow,All my pictures have that crease on my top.But,I loved the pictures too much to not share them with you.Do let me know about your experience in Goa and if you have visited in the monsoon?

Crop -Top/Skirt Set: Global Desi (ON SALE NOW!)

Chappals: NV Studio for India Kitsch

Earrings: Bangkok Chatuchak Market

Bangles and Bag : Souvenir Shopping in Africa

Sunglasses: Borrowed

Pictures by The Awesome Devanshi Rungta.

The Original Jungle Book

If asked to choose I would not have picked Pench as a holiday spot.My idea of a holiday involves either sipping cocktails on the pool or drinking in the history and heritage of a place. Pench National Reserve had none of these things and yet it turned out perfect.Nestled in the midst of the picturesque Pench forest,Jamtara Wilderness Camp is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.The hotel has been very careful not to disturb the tranquility of the jungle without sacrificing the comfort of it's guests.Be prepared to be absolutely cut-off with technology as there is no television or cellphone reception and definitely none of the chaos we are so used to.

But this does not mean that any of us were bored at any point of time.The 5 hour long safaris twice a day kept you pretty busy.And in the evenings,meals were had in the common dining area...forcing you to interact with the other guests and the rangers rather than obsessively tip-tapping at our phones. Weather permitting there is a cosy bonfire to sit down and chat around with your drinks.We generally retired early anyways as the next morning you had to get up bright and early at 5am.

Now,I am not a morning person.So this getting up was my personal nightmare.But as soon as you enter the forest,the beauty of the sunrise takes your breath away.It is so easy to see why this was the backdrop of Rudyard Kipling's famous novel The Jungle Book. Bit by bit,you feel as if the jungle is waking up with you as the sunlight peeps through the trees.There are two gates you can enter through here.The Pench gate takes you to the larger part of the forest where the tiger sightings are more common.But the other less explored part can be entered through the Jamtara Gate.And even though,the animals are less easily seen here,the untouched nature more than makes up for it.Your breakfast is carried along in your jeep and served right in the middle of the jungle on top of the jeep or a viewing point.

All in all,it was the experience of a lifetime and I hope my pictures do a little more justice to the place than my words did.

The Bonfire Area.

The Common Dining Area.

The Luxury Tents with Private Balcony.

And I took the road less travelled by.

P.S.-This is not a sponsored post.All the views and pictures expressed here are my own and copyright of Shreya Jhunjhunwala.

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Vineyard Romance

During my trip to South Africa,we had the opportunity to visit The Spier Wine Farm for a vineyard tour and vine tasting.The day we were supposed to leave for the tour started out extremely rainy and gloomy and rainy and we were all worried that any outdoor activity was pretty much out of the picture.However,the weather gods heard our silent prayer and by the time we reached,the rain had slowed to a drizzle and soon stopped altogether.The weather was beautiful and everything looked fresh and green and had a romantic air to it.

We had a wonderful day with a segway tour of the vineyard which was great and our instructors were really nice and helpful navigating the bumpy roads.We tasted some delicious wine and cheese.We had the most delicious lunch at their farm to table restaurant and saw some incredible eagles and owls at the Eagle Encounters Rehabilitation Center. At the end,we left wishing we had more time to explore the huge gardens and relax in the midst of nature at the Spier Wine Farm.If you have this as a part of your South African itinerary,I would reccomend you take a full day to visit and make a picnic out of it, or if possible stay the night at their hotel.You will go back refreshed.

Cowl Top: Forever 21

Pants: Zara

Boots: Steve Madden

P.S.-This review is not sponsored.All the views expressed are my own.

This Time For Africa!

This summer I had the opportunity to travel to the wonderful country of South Africa.I was amazed at the huge amount of similarities between our countries and the people I encountered.Besides sharing a similar colonial history,it was quite enlightening to know that this was a country where apartheid was abolished legally only in 1994! When we think of racial discrimination in such a large scale in today's world,we consider it something that had happened in the past before our time.It was shocking to see a place where the people got their rights only a few years back.The amazing thing was this sordid history had not embittered them.The people I met were open,friendly and looking forward to a brighter future.There were a few people were not that nice too,but not more than any I had encountered in any foreign country.The landscape and wildlife of the country will just take your breath away.They had some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen.I have shared some pictures of my beautiful journey below and hope that it inspires you to travel to South Africa to explore for yourself.

V&A Waterfront

Kango Caves

Kwandwe Private Game Reserve

Knysna Waterfront

Spier Wine Farm

 

Dock for Seal Island

Boulders Beach

All pictures are copyright of @Shreya Jhunjhunwala.

Pardon the picture-spam of this post guys! But,I just couldn't resist.:D
Have you ever been to South Africa?What was your favorite place to go?

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