The 1st of December had swiftly arrived and before I had the time to register what that meant, Mr M and I were on the plane, with our seat belt fastened, awaiting for the captain to announce take off.
This trip meant a great deal to both of us for many reasons. Not only was it our first time being squashed together long haul, we were also there for a wedding and to meet Mr M’s family in 3D (2D meetings on skype were somehow lacking in something, no offense). It was my first time on African soil so I was looking forward to exploring and discovering all sorts of wonderful things on offer.
24 hours, 3 flights, 5 in-flight meals, and numerous bumps later, we finally landed at Cape Town (CT).
Before I delve into the nitty gritty of my experiences there, and how breath-taking every corner was, I would like to perhaps address the one issue that frustrated me, and to most girls at least before a trip. That is, what should I take with me?!!! I mean, is it even possible to travel light? I’ve had my fair share of lugging heavy suitcases and the last thing I wanted was to wear only half of what I packed. Seeing that I would be stopping over in Malaysia (Mas) for 2 weeks after CT, and that shopping was very much part of the agenda, I needed to put on my thinking cap to save myself from breaking my back and expensive excess baggage charges.
These are the 3 things I found particularly helpful, but they involved some planning in advance unfortunately, especially if you live by the thrill of being last-minute like me.
Firstly, know the weather. I have been lucky enough to have a boyfriend who loves numbers and graphs (I KNOW RIGHT?) and he was very sweet to compile some weather information together for me. As it is summer over in CT now, and Mas is hot all year round, I was able to recycle my clothes. SCORE!
Secondly, know the activities that you would be doing in advance. Once again, thank you Mr M for being so organised and a meticulous planner. Ask your best friend Google to find out more about the places that you’ll be going to because you want to have everything that’s required instead of a bunch of pretty clothes that serve no purpose at that time. Plus, I would feel absolutely gutted if I had to spend money buying something that I already owned at home.
Thirdly, create a capsule travel wardrobe. My interpretation of a capsule wardrobe was pieces that are not too frilly and that could be matched easily with one another. Admittedly I had a crisis moment when I felt like my current wardrobe wasn’t comprehensive enough for me to do that (ironic much?), but really there isn’t a right or wrong answer. Fashion is all about experimentation.
These are some of the photos taken at the green belt at Mr M’s parents’ on the first day of arrival. I was severely jet-legged so sorry about the grumpy face! It was simply delightful to stroll in the area while Mr M and his brother reminisced their childhood and those times that were spent playing there. Best of all, there was a huge willow tree, which made me feel that wllwproject is meant to be indeed.
On that day, comfort was key. I chose to pair a simple white tee with my burgandy jeans because the waxed look of those jeans made the seemingly boring combination a little more interesting. The nude ballet flats were in perfect harmony with the colours in my opinion as it balanced out the huge contrast between the white, burgandy and the black colour of the belt. As the weather was a little chilly, I added a crop denim jacket for extra warmth and a touch of ruggedness.
I don’t mean to sound bratty but I’m not into climbing trees! I was kinda petrified and had all sorts of unpleasant thoughts running in my head. I mean, I intended to enjoy CT in one piece! Obviously, the drama wasn’t exactly necessary in the end.
To me, the simple act of folding up the sleeves of the t-shirt just made the look a little more put together, especially considering that I’m not usually a t-shirt kind of girl. I brought this t-shirt with me because I knew that I was going to do some outdoor activities and it could be worn again for that.
I went light with the accessories and only wore 2 copper rings because they were all I wanted to wear that day.
Please stay tuned for more CT adventures!
All photos by Mr M