The Purple Gypsy

This is my vlog from the Maldives. We visited Equator Village on Gan Island. A full post is still to come but here is a taste of what a wonderful time we had. Lots of Love xxx

1. Explore the Water Coconut woods on a basket boat This was one of the things I was most looking forward to doing in Hoi An. We did a tour and it ended with a ride on basket boat. Firstly, riding on the actual basket boat was a huge adventure. It amazing to see how they paddle it.And then, the beautiful scenery. Traveling through these woods was absolutely stunning and picturesque.  2 . Walking through the Ancient Town at Night Hoi An quickly became one of my favorite places I have visited so far, this was a lot to do with the look of the streets at night. The town is incredibility lite up by lanterns hanging from shops, restaurants and across the streets. There is a buzz in the air like no other place I have been to. The river is also lite up by beautiful boats and Lanterns you light and let go on the water. I felt like everywhere I looked I found another amazing views. 3. Shop the streets for beautiful leather and tailor made goods. Well who doesn't love ...

I could help but do a photo gallery post of Hoi An because it is just filled with so much beauty. I was absolutely blown away by the streets, beach and river bank in Hoi An.  I hope you enjoy my photo gallery. The town by day... The town by night..... The Coconut forests and basket boats..... The beautiful countryside..... An Bang Beach.... Hope you enjoyed! Lots of Love xxx

The one thing I wanted to do in Hoi An was go in a basket boat and so when the lovely staff of the Goda Boutique Hotel recommended a basket boat excursion I jumped at the opportunity. Hoi An Eco Green Tours was the tour operator we selected. We decided to do a half day tour, which included a bicycle ride into the beautiful rice paddies, then a ride on a water buffalo followed by a quaint ride through the coconut woods in a basket boat and a traditional Vietnamese lunch. The bicycle ride was a fairly easy one and it involved some gorgeous scenery. We got to see the locals version on Hoi An and not just the tourist view.  When approaching the water buffalo, being from Africa, we were naturally a bit nervous. However, the water buffalo are more like cows than African Buffalo. I jumped at the chance of riding one. It was quiet scary in the beginning as there is no such thing as a 'Water Buffalo' saddle, its just bare back. I was very happy when the handler jumped on w...

Check out my video of my amazing holiday to Hoi An. Lots of Love xxx

I have been lucky enough to venture to many countries around the world, and a great deal of this travel has been on my own. Every time I come back from traveling alone, I have learnt something new about myself and grown in a way that is very different to any other experience. My first experience was on a School Exchange when I was 16 years old. I went to Finland on my own for 6 weeks and stayed with a lovely host family. I was very young and it was the first time I had ever done something like this. I remember the beginning being a bit difficult but as soon a I got to know the family and got involved in the country it got a lot better. I grew up a lot in 6 weeks and I believe my maturity level increased. I learnt that I can handle things on my own and that it's so important to put yourself out there and have a good time with whatever you do. Then a couple of years later I adventured to Europe on a Contiki tour. I spent the first 2 nights on my own in Paris and that was...

I have decided to write this post because ,since living in Vietnam and traveling a bit, I have noticed that there are certain beauty products that I just can't live without. I am by no means a beauty freak ,but I still like to look after my skin and my body.  The weather and altitude is different in different countries and so this has a great effect on your skin and body. It is very important to keep yourself hydrated and healthy. So I have put together a few products I think that every traveler needs. A moisturizing body cream  Your skin reacts to change in weather a great deal. Having a good body cream is so important to ensure you keep your skin in good condition. If you live in South Africa I would recommend this Pure & Simple Beauty Factory Body Souffle. It not only has the most amazing scent, but also leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth. Micellar water Micellar water is such a wonderful product. Ever since I discovered it, I can't ...

So I have been in this busy city for 3 months and I am slowly starting to feel at home. Among the crazy traffic and beaming city, I have truly found the inner beauty of it all. Now obviously, when you move to any country in the world, there are always going to be negatives. I guess the extent of the negatives will impact how long you continue to live there for. So, yes there are negatives but I definitely think that the positives out way them, in my case. So on that note, what don't I like about Hanoi so far??..... well pollution is a big thing. I know pollution is all over the world but it just is so much worse here. It is also very visible to everyone making it that much worse. However, there are precautions you can take to limit your intake of it. The second thing is the traffic. I still have not had the confidence to rent a bike because I am so incredibly scared of the roads. I do drive a car back in South Africa, so I am familiar with roads but these are on another le...