All posts tagged: Shopping

Boho Boutique: Folk Art Interiors, Vancouver BC

This weekend was filled with firsts. For a person who has lived in Vancouver for four-and-a-half years, there are a remarkable number of things I haven’t done, places I haven’t been. On Saturday I went snowshoeing on Grouse Mountain and today I bopped on over to Spanish Banks for an easy-like-Sunday-morning walk. And what’s a basic betch going for walk without a coffee in hand? Queue another first: Grounds for Coffee – and their famous cinnamon buns. I didn’t even stop to take a picture before inhaling my sticky little bun. (Thanks for turning me onto Grounds, Jenn Lee!) Floating on a cozy sugar high, I am walking back to the Jeep when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a shop crowned with vintage antlers? With vibes like that, how could I not? And of course, what should I find but a dust-laden, rolled-up, hairy, disheveled carpet. I couldn’t have found that thing faster if it had been calling me by name. I didn’t stand a chance. So I just spent the last hour-and-a-half beating …

Why I Want to Pack My Bags and Move to Sayulita

Guys, I drank the Sayulita Kool-Aid and I don’t think there’s any going back. It was love at first sight…for me anyway. Sayulita probably wasn’t so enamored with us. In fact, she’d tell you we were a goddam hot mess when we first met. In our defence, it kind of, wasn’t, totally our fault. It was Booey’s fault. But blaming Booey is like blaming a chef for your food baby. Let me explain… 12/23/16 Greg, Peter, Laina and I started our day watching the sunrise over Marina La Cuz before setting out on a full-day excursion with Ally Cat Sailing Adventure. (I’ll review the fully Ally Cat experience in another post.) We cast off shortly after 9 a.m., setting sail for Las Marietas Islands. Shortly after 9 a.m. Booey brought us our first beers. And then our first margaritas. The rest of the sun (and tequila) soaked day involved snorkeling, swimming, whale watching, and plenty of quasi-awkward-awesome dancing. (I’m on a boat!) Sometime during the afternoon I went below deck for water, because hydration. The bartender was pouring a …

Siem Reap: My Boutique Shopping & Dining Happy Place

Siem Reap is a dream. There’s a fantastic boutique culture where you’ll find trendy women’s fashion, hand fashioned silver jewelry, vintage clothing and crocodile accessories. Chic cafes vend macchiatos and witty postcards with bold type font that read: ‘Impossible. A word not known in Dubai.” Buy anything and everything under the sun at the Old Market. Tour its winding stalls, gawk at mystery meats, try to identify vegetables in the produce section and contemplate teas and spices to bring home. After the sun falls, head over to the Night Market and barter for silverware, sustainably made goods, name brand polo shirts and Kroma scarves. For an informative lesson on stone and wood carving, silk painting, lacquerware and other handicrafts head over to Artisans Angkor. This organization teaches disabled  persons the skills necessary to create the aforementioned, providing them with  a sustainable income. Not only are their goods sold for a good cause, they are top quality pieces. Flawed pieces are not sold but showcased, try to spot the defect. Artisans offers free guided tours of the workshops daily. It is mind …

Exploring Beijing’s Mystic Forbidden City

Let’s catch up on the past few days. Monday saw us visiting Beijing’s most iconic sites: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Our hostel is conveniently located roughly 20 minutes walking distance from the two, which are located next to one another. They also happen to mark the ‘geographic centre’ of the city. Following the beaten tourist path we headed past Mao’s mausoleum, through Tiananmen Square and to the Forbidden City. Greg had left me only for a moment before Chinese tourists began to ask for pictures, which I was all too happy to oblige. After all, it was a nice diversion from someone trying to sell you something. Apart from that instance, nothing remarkable happened during our wandering. Following the Forbidden City we decided to make a department store our heading. We ended up shopping on a ten lane highway, flanked by towering department stores. H&M, Adidas, Nike, Only, etc. Everything imaginable. Making our way back to the hostel we made a slight detour through a hutong and quickly realized we were lost. While …