With Love,
Alliyah&Jasmine💕
Glamping in Phuket (review)
Phuket is a whole lot bigger than what we expected, especially for an island. Having beach access was, of course, a top priority, as well as being able to get around to shopping and nightlife efficiently. During our initial search for places to stay, we were set on staying at a resort or hotel, but tons of reviews of the island itself advised against it. One because you don't get private beach access, there are lots of tours of the island being done and boats are constantly docked along the shoreline, and Phi Phi (pee-pee) Island is crazy touristy and that's not our thing. We expanded our search to other areas in Phuket and decided an Airbnb was the best option while there. We also set out a goal to stay under 1000$ for all flights and places to stay (per person) while in Southeast Asia and so that was a huge factor in deciding as well. Most everything in Phuket is reasonably priced, almost underpriced in my opinion; so staying in the budget was not hard at all. We looked at Airbnb and it was one of the first options that came up under unique stays. The pictures immediately had me sold. It was located in Rawai, which is about 40 minutes from Phuket International airport. It seems far out but everything from where we were we could get to within 15-20 minutes by taxi or mo-ped. Vin was our host and he could not have been better, he arranged a pick up for us from the airport and everything that we wanted to do while in Phuket he took care of. We arrived early November 10 at about 8am and check-in was not until 3 pm, my fault for booking such an early flight, but we only had two days in Phuket and wanted to get the true two full days. When we arrived we were greeted by the sweetest woman Lena, she showed us around the property and told us what to expect during our stay. The area is pretty much a campground, it's secluded and secure behind a gate that guest have the passcode to. The campground houses about 8 tents right on the beach, 6 standard tents and 2 upgraded. Each tent has its own porch sitting area in front and swings made from bamboo. Behind the tents, directly on the beach, there is a swimming pool and 5 different penthouse suites. Those were more apartment-style and when booking I did not see them as an option. If you continue behind the penthouses there are 7-8 more tents on the back of the property all upgraded and with private bathrooms attached. The property also has a covered breakfast nook and a full bar. Our tent was perfect, it had two queen size beds, a floor-length mirror, refrigerator, and lots of shelving space to put everything. Also, it's hot as shit in Thailand so the fan in the room was a huge plus. Each tent is assigned a private bathroom as well; (toilet, sink, shower, bidet) my only complaint about the bathroom is the water was cold to shower which was nice at night after being hot and sticky, but at 5am before a flight, for sure not my favorite. We ate breakfast on site both days we were there and it was excellent. The menu available is pretty vast but we didn't get a chance to eat dinner there. Cocktails were my favorite. Lena made us probably the best margarita I have ever had, and I'm from Texas. We had about 8 each lol. Neither Alliyah or I am super outdoorsy so this was way out of our comfort zone, but we're willing to try anything once. Lena arranged all of our activities while there, elephant washing at the sanctuary, and the boat tour to Phi Phi island. The property is pretty quiet, even with the number of people that were staying there. They have kayaks available for free on the property, pool table, and lots of board games and stuff. The last night we made lanterns for Loy Krathong and everyone on the property was there. There are also cameras all around so safety was not a huge concern for me. Overall the experience was really nice and incredibly cost-effective. For two nights we paid a total of $133, with all the amenities an added service we got I would of for sure been willing to spend a little more. The staff was exceptional, the Rawai area isn't the prettiest, but really that's all of Phuket. In the description, it does say something about low tide and I didn't really pay attention to that in my excitement of being able to sleep outside on the beach. So the beach was kinda non-existent in our area, but that's not a deterrent really because there are tons of other beaches and islands that you can hop on over to and we weren't confined to this space. I thoroughly enjoyed staying here and would recommend it to anyone looking to do something different while staying in Phuket.
How We Traveled to Thailand Under $1000
When we first started planning this trip the original plan was to go only to Singapore. Our dates were set and we were going to travel from Lax to Singapore nonstop, mid-October and the total round trip airfare would be 750 dollars each. Super impressed with that price, compared to what we had been told it would cost we wanted to jump on that instantly. I had a hard time getting my dates approved at work, we were 3 months out from our travel dates, and nothing had really taken off. Watching youtube videos and doing tons of research we decided we were spending a lot of money to go to an already super expensive place and we should really look at revising our trip. For one, to make it more cost-effective and two because there were other places we wanted to see while in Southeast Asia and we knew traveling while abroad is so much cheaper. We both wanted to see Bangkok, of course, Phuket and the Phi Phi islands. We moved our dates to the first week in November and spent a night researching all the ways to get to Southeast Asia, the shortest route, best layovers, and the cheapest cities to fly in and out of. We also wanted to make the most of the 9 days we had available, factoring in the loss of a day due to travel.
I downloaded the sky scanner app, per lots of recommendations on travel blogs and Reddit threads. Some people said that they saw cheaper prices on Tuesday travel dates and most expensive dates were leaving or returning on a Sunday. I found that mid weekday travel and staying a minimum of 5 days proved to be the best way to find the lowest rates. Google Flights worked about the same as the Sky Scanner app, providing the cheapest routes with the ability to filter by stops, connection cities, and of course price. I found Google Flights a bit easier to navigate, I was able to quickly jump back and forth between departures and arrival, whereas in the Sky Scanner app you had to start new each time you wanted to go back to compare times. The first game plan was to fly into Singapore and then spend two days in the middle of our trip in Bangkok, a flight once in Singapore to Bangkok was pricing around 100$ which would have put our overall ticket cost at 850 dollars in total. 750 dollars from the states to Singapore and Singapore to Bangkok round trip at 100 dollars. After playing with the idea and again trying to figure out how to cut costs in an already expensive place, we decided to look up what the ticket price would be if we instead flew Lax to Bangkok instead of Singapore. 400 dollars cheaper yall! So, of course, we were sold! The only fear was the airline was not one either of us was familiar with. We did our research for two days nonstop reading review after review. Neither of us could be swayed one way or the other and the fact that we were saving 400 dollars and the travel time was no different from the ticket that was priced almost double, we decided to do it. We booked our tickets from Lax to Bangkok with China Eastern Airlines' total travel time from Lax to Bangkok with a 3-hour connection was 22h and 25m.
If traveling to Southeast Asia from the west coast I would advise morning or early afternoon flights so that with the travel time you only lose a day vs evening flights (everyone's preference so they can sleep) you could lose a day and a half or up to two days. So our trip changed and we set out on a challenge to each spend no more than 1000$ including all airfare and places to stay while abroad. Thailand is super inexpensive so doing those two cities first was smartest, while we knew we would spend a lot more money in Singapore. We were also going two weeks before high tourist time, but right after monsoon season so pricing was reflective of that as well. My biggest advice when trying to book a trip of this magnitude is to be flexible, play around with the dates and see what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to try something new or outside the box, such as flying a low cost carrier; we all wanna travel but everyone doesn’t have 1000$ to book a plan ticket on a whim. Also if you are not near a huge international airport I have found booking your ticket to the international airport separately from the actual international flight saves a lot of money as well so that’s a bonus tip.
I downloaded the sky scanner app, per lots of recommendations on travel blogs and Reddit threads. Some people said that they saw cheaper prices on Tuesday travel dates and most expensive dates were leaving or returning on a Sunday. I found that mid weekday travel and staying a minimum of 5 days proved to be the best way to find the lowest rates. Google Flights worked about the same as the Sky Scanner app, providing the cheapest routes with the ability to filter by stops, connection cities, and of course price. I found Google Flights a bit easier to navigate, I was able to quickly jump back and forth between departures and arrival, whereas in the Sky Scanner app you had to start new each time you wanted to go back to compare times. The first game plan was to fly into Singapore and then spend two days in the middle of our trip in Bangkok, a flight once in Singapore to Bangkok was pricing around 100$ which would have put our overall ticket cost at 850 dollars in total. 750 dollars from the states to Singapore and Singapore to Bangkok round trip at 100 dollars. After playing with the idea and again trying to figure out how to cut costs in an already expensive place, we decided to look up what the ticket price would be if we instead flew Lax to Bangkok instead of Singapore. 400 dollars cheaper yall! So, of course, we were sold! The only fear was the airline was not one either of us was familiar with. We did our research for two days nonstop reading review after review. Neither of us could be swayed one way or the other and the fact that we were saving 400 dollars and the travel time was no different from the ticket that was priced almost double, we decided to do it. We booked our tickets from Lax to Bangkok with China Eastern Airlines' total travel time from Lax to Bangkok with a 3-hour connection was 22h and 25m.
If traveling to Southeast Asia from the west coast I would advise morning or early afternoon flights so that with the travel time you only lose a day vs evening flights (everyone's preference so they can sleep) you could lose a day and a half or up to two days. So our trip changed and we set out on a challenge to each spend no more than 1000$ including all airfare and places to stay while abroad. Thailand is super inexpensive so doing those two cities first was smartest, while we knew we would spend a lot more money in Singapore. We were also going two weeks before high tourist time, but right after monsoon season so pricing was reflective of that as well. My biggest advice when trying to book a trip of this magnitude is to be flexible, play around with the dates and see what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to try something new or outside the box, such as flying a low cost carrier; we all wanna travel but everyone doesn’t have 1000$ to book a plan ticket on a whim. Also if you are not near a huge international airport I have found booking your ticket to the international airport separately from the actual international flight saves a lot of money as well so that’s a bonus tip.
Our Itinerary is as follows.
Bringing our Love to life
Kamryn will be 18 months on September 26th, I have been a mommy for an entire 18 months. She has done so much and gotten so big. We have moved and traveled and grown together over the last 18 months. One thing that I have learned is to roll with it, motherhood isn't all black and white. I remember around the time she was 6 months old, we had really gotten into a great routine. She was nursing well, we were getting out the house, we were all together in Greece, my mom/ life balance was exactly that; balanced, and for a second I thought "wow I got this" and then she learned something new, and shit changed. The things that once worked didn't work anymore, the stuff she once liked she decided she didn't, and my frustration grew from starting to second guess if I really knew what I was doing, I realized that she had so much growing and learning and developing to do that parenting/mothering her was going to have to change and evolve as she did and adjustments were going to need to be made.
My journey to motherhood from the beginning I feel has been incredibly unconventional but it works for us. I am not a single mother by definition but I parent alone(in the physical sense) for about 7 to 9 months out of the year. The amount of time we have Darnell home is precious and we live so in the moment during that time. The bond Kamryn and her papa have is honestly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Darnell was meant to be a father to a little girl. We are fortunate enough that I was able to stay home for the first year of Kamryns life which allowed for us to be in Greece last year so the time away was limited, which was nice but also an adjustment. I forget what it's like to not have him around once he is home and when he is away I go through the adjustment of remembering what it is like to do everything without a partner.
Becoming parents has brought so much love into both of our hearts, I am the "spilling over with love" kind of person, while Darnell is more of a "you know I love you" type. Having Kamryn has softened his heart tenfold. We differ a lot in our parenting styles but also have tons in common. Things that I didn't think I would ever waiver on ("When I have kids I will never...") I have done complete 360s. Regardless of where we differ we always make the best decision that's in the benefit of our child. Our latest opposing view, being screen time, but that's a whole nother topic for an entirely different post. Before having a child we had lots of talks about children and parenting and we were pretty much aligned the same, but once that child is here in the flesh a lot of things shifted. I don't believe we need to have the exact same views on everything child-related in order to raise her to be an amazing human being. Over the last 18 months, he has brought things to the table that have changed my views while I have done the same, I think that as women we tend to take on more of the child-rearing responsibility when in fact the father should have just as much responsibility as the mother, and while Darnell is away I try my absolute best to make sure I don't take away that space that we have created for him just because he is not present physically. I adjust and some days are harder than others, I appreciate the time he is home more, I have a small understanding of what its like to be a single parent and I applaud anyone doing it alone, especially anyone who is not getting any help financially, although sometimes I would prefer him here in the physical than the monetary contribution, just know I see you.
Darnell and I met in 2011 a super casual encounter. I remember the first time we officially hung out over the Labor Day holiday weekend, Darnell was walking out of his house and coming to get in the car, I turned to my older sister and told her that he was going to fall in love with me and we were going to be together (I am a Gemini remember), remaining strictly friends for over 7 months I knew from that first day, that he was it. Fast forward to 2018 finding out I was pregnant and a little piece of me got scared. We aren't married and everyone I knew who had had a baby was no longer with their babies father for one reason or another. Now did I think Darnell was going to dip, no lol, but I know babies are hard on relationships, I know that they change feelings for some people and can add a lot of stress to a relationship. We had been together for 8 years at this point and if a child was going to change his mind so be it. It was for sure an irrational fear but a trigger for me at the beginning of my pregnancy, I was hormonal AF and he was away. Fast Forward to now and how things have evolved with a baby. Duh Darnell loves me and he goes out of his way to show me or tell me on a daily basis but his love has grown in a way that is hard to describe but you can see it. He has so much pride for what he has created with me, the way he beams with excitement to tell me when Kamryn does something new, the way he holds my body in appreciation for bringing forth life. There is so much love in our home.
Love has always been present between the two of us, but after having Kamryn we sort of forgot about each other. We adjusted to being parents very well, in my opinion, but adjusting to adding a baby into our relationship was a struggle. We joined Darnell in Greece when Kamryn was 7 months, dating in Greece was hard. Kamryn was still small enough to be in the infant car seat and be content but in Greece dinner is very late and she was not going to sleep in that thing. We would try and get out every once in a while; try and make it through dinner without her losing her mind, but the amount of baby free dates we had was far and few between. We did have friends who babysat for us from time to time while there but we were new parents, scared about everything. As time went on I missed him. I missed Darnell the person, I saw Darnell the daddy often but I felt incredibly disconnected from each other as people and as a couple. I didn't know this was the issue upfront and I voiced my concern in all the wrong ways. I have a need to be heard and when something bothers me I need to be heard right at that moment. Darnell needs more time to think over situations and is far less reactional than I am. Having a baby meant less spontaneity and more scheduling, and we are a very spontaneous pair. When we're together, we alternate planning the dates, and do every other week date nights. Of course, we are constantly spending time together but the time with just him and I is what I was missing. Darnell does a wonderful job when he is away of not just calling to talk to Kamryn or about Kamryn, he calls and has conversations with me that are about me. Once couples have kids it feels like the only things we ever talk about are our children and things that involve them. We have a date night rule that we can only talk about her twice then after that no more. It rarely works but we're working on it. We have always had a great sex life, and while pregnant I had heard and read all kinds of stories about how having a child changed couples sex lives and some in very negative ways. Tip, don't read all that bullshit when you're pregnant. Spare you the details but before he left I was having the best sex of my life. The last 18 months have gone by so quickly, taking this time to reflect really puts life into perspective. Raising a child is hard work, raising a child and maintaining balance within your life and relationships is hard, but we adjust. We find a new normal and I love this new normal for as long as it's ours until we must adjust again. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to parent with Darnell these last 18 months. Through growth and struggles, we both are constantly learning how to be the best parents for our child and the best partners for each other. Darnell is my absolute best friend I could spend every minute with him and enjoy his presence. I can easily say these have been the best 18 months of my life.
Thank you, Darnell, for growing with me these last 18 months. Thank you for constantly supporting me as Jasmine and as a mommy. Thank you for praying for me and with me, and for hearing me when I need to be heard. Thank you for always showing up. Thank you for choosing this family every single day! Lastly, thank you for creating this beautiful life with me. We have been parents for 18 months and we are killing it! As crazy and chaotic or unconventional as it may be. I would not trade this life with you and baby Kakes for anything in the world. I love you from a place so deep in my heart!
Becoming a mommy is life-changing. I am still early in the parenting game and taking thing as they come. Days are long and years are short. My definition of motherhood has drastically changed since becoming an actual mother. There are so many different types of moms, and to me, that was a bit overwhelming. The crunchy mamas, The free-range mamas, The type A mamas, and everything in between; honestly I am none, some, and all of that. There is no reward for being a perfect mommy and some days being a mommy really stinks and that's okay to say out loud. Over the last 18 months, I have learned to give people grace, especially mamas. It feels kind of cliquey in the mommy world. Finding my place and building my own "mommy clique" is still a work in progress but I have found a few people and they are really my people and its great. I have made lots of mistakes and I am sure I will make more, but along the way I have also figured out what being a mommy to my daughter looks like for me, and I protect that space at all cost. I don't care what choices other mommy's make for their children If I decide I don't want to be friends with another mommy it's more than likely because I don't like them as a person not because they don't give their child gluten-free donuts. 18 months is nothing compared to the life-time of mommying that I have left, but it feels pivotal. I feel accomplished and secure in my new role. I feel happy that I am able to make the necessary adjustments to keep pushing every day, for myself, for my baby and for my man. I am grateful that I get to make my own definition of mommy. Bring on the new challenges and along the way, I promise to celebrate every success. I'm blessed to have made it to today. To have created life from love and now see that love come to life.
To my baby girl:
Happy half birthday my love! You have forever changed me in the best ways! I am honored to have been chosen to be your mommy, to raise and guide you for all the days of my life! Cheers to full-blown toddlerhood! Love you always my sweet girl.
My journey to motherhood from the beginning I feel has been incredibly unconventional but it works for us. I am not a single mother by definition but I parent alone(in the physical sense) for about 7 to 9 months out of the year. The amount of time we have Darnell home is precious and we live so in the moment during that time. The bond Kamryn and her papa have is honestly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Darnell was meant to be a father to a little girl. We are fortunate enough that I was able to stay home for the first year of Kamryns life which allowed for us to be in Greece last year so the time away was limited, which was nice but also an adjustment. I forget what it's like to not have him around once he is home and when he is away I go through the adjustment of remembering what it is like to do everything without a partner.
Becoming parents has brought so much love into both of our hearts, I am the "spilling over with love" kind of person, while Darnell is more of a "you know I love you" type. Having Kamryn has softened his heart tenfold. We differ a lot in our parenting styles but also have tons in common. Things that I didn't think I would ever waiver on ("When I have kids I will never...") I have done complete 360s. Regardless of where we differ we always make the best decision that's in the benefit of our child. Our latest opposing view, being screen time, but that's a whole nother topic for an entirely different post. Before having a child we had lots of talks about children and parenting and we were pretty much aligned the same, but once that child is here in the flesh a lot of things shifted. I don't believe we need to have the exact same views on everything child-related in order to raise her to be an amazing human being. Over the last 18 months, he has brought things to the table that have changed my views while I have done the same, I think that as women we tend to take on more of the child-rearing responsibility when in fact the father should have just as much responsibility as the mother, and while Darnell is away I try my absolute best to make sure I don't take away that space that we have created for him just because he is not present physically. I adjust and some days are harder than others, I appreciate the time he is home more, I have a small understanding of what its like to be a single parent and I applaud anyone doing it alone, especially anyone who is not getting any help financially, although sometimes I would prefer him here in the physical than the monetary contribution, just know I see you.
Darnell and I met in 2011 a super casual encounter. I remember the first time we officially hung out over the Labor Day holiday weekend, Darnell was walking out of his house and coming to get in the car, I turned to my older sister and told her that he was going to fall in love with me and we were going to be together (I am a Gemini remember), remaining strictly friends for over 7 months I knew from that first day, that he was it. Fast forward to 2018 finding out I was pregnant and a little piece of me got scared. We aren't married and everyone I knew who had had a baby was no longer with their babies father for one reason or another. Now did I think Darnell was going to dip, no lol, but I know babies are hard on relationships, I know that they change feelings for some people and can add a lot of stress to a relationship. We had been together for 8 years at this point and if a child was going to change his mind so be it. It was for sure an irrational fear but a trigger for me at the beginning of my pregnancy, I was hormonal AF and he was away. Fast Forward to now and how things have evolved with a baby. Duh Darnell loves me and he goes out of his way to show me or tell me on a daily basis but his love has grown in a way that is hard to describe but you can see it. He has so much pride for what he has created with me, the way he beams with excitement to tell me when Kamryn does something new, the way he holds my body in appreciation for bringing forth life. There is so much love in our home.
Love has always been present between the two of us, but after having Kamryn we sort of forgot about each other. We adjusted to being parents very well, in my opinion, but adjusting to adding a baby into our relationship was a struggle. We joined Darnell in Greece when Kamryn was 7 months, dating in Greece was hard. Kamryn was still small enough to be in the infant car seat and be content but in Greece dinner is very late and she was not going to sleep in that thing. We would try and get out every once in a while; try and make it through dinner without her losing her mind, but the amount of baby free dates we had was far and few between. We did have friends who babysat for us from time to time while there but we were new parents, scared about everything. As time went on I missed him. I missed Darnell the person, I saw Darnell the daddy often but I felt incredibly disconnected from each other as people and as a couple. I didn't know this was the issue upfront and I voiced my concern in all the wrong ways. I have a need to be heard and when something bothers me I need to be heard right at that moment. Darnell needs more time to think over situations and is far less reactional than I am. Having a baby meant less spontaneity and more scheduling, and we are a very spontaneous pair. When we're together, we alternate planning the dates, and do every other week date nights. Of course, we are constantly spending time together but the time with just him and I is what I was missing. Darnell does a wonderful job when he is away of not just calling to talk to Kamryn or about Kamryn, he calls and has conversations with me that are about me. Once couples have kids it feels like the only things we ever talk about are our children and things that involve them. We have a date night rule that we can only talk about her twice then after that no more. It rarely works but we're working on it. We have always had a great sex life, and while pregnant I had heard and read all kinds of stories about how having a child changed couples sex lives and some in very negative ways. Tip, don't read all that bullshit when you're pregnant. Spare you the details but before he left I was having the best sex of my life. The last 18 months have gone by so quickly, taking this time to reflect really puts life into perspective. Raising a child is hard work, raising a child and maintaining balance within your life and relationships is hard, but we adjust. We find a new normal and I love this new normal for as long as it's ours until we must adjust again. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to parent with Darnell these last 18 months. Through growth and struggles, we both are constantly learning how to be the best parents for our child and the best partners for each other. Darnell is my absolute best friend I could spend every minute with him and enjoy his presence. I can easily say these have been the best 18 months of my life.
Thank you, Darnell, for growing with me these last 18 months. Thank you for constantly supporting me as Jasmine and as a mommy. Thank you for praying for me and with me, and for hearing me when I need to be heard. Thank you for always showing up. Thank you for choosing this family every single day! Lastly, thank you for creating this beautiful life with me. We have been parents for 18 months and we are killing it! As crazy and chaotic or unconventional as it may be. I would not trade this life with you and baby Kakes for anything in the world. I love you from a place so deep in my heart!
To my baby girl:
Happy half birthday my love! You have forever changed me in the best ways! I am honored to have been chosen to be your mommy, to raise and guide you for all the days of my life! Cheers to full-blown toddlerhood! Love you always my sweet girl.
Make It Juicy For Me
Had to come on here and share some gems! I am turning into this herbal, earthy, holistic lady and I see the benefits daily. I have been juicing for about two months now and I'm kicking myself for not taking before and after pictures. MY SKIN. Holy shit! My skin has transformed. I've always had pretty dry, acne prone skin. During my periods I would breakout so bad with big, tender pimples. My skin glows everyday whether I wash my face or not. I only get one or two pimples during my period now. That wasn't the reason I initially started juicing. During the Celery Juice craze I researched to understand why all the influencers I follow were juicing. First thing I saw was gut health. Recently I've been going through this weird thing with my gut. TMI but I'm either going waaaaaay too much in a day or I'm going waaaay too long until I do the number 2. I wasn't always like that and I'm poor and don't feeling like going to the doctor so I figured it wouldn't hurt trying this out. Celery Juice has helped my gut out tremendously and honestly its become a part of my morning routine. It's my version of coffee. I always drink my juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach so you get all the nutrients directly.
I have been experimenting with different fruits and veggies because celery is getting old. So here are my 4 go to juices.
This is the easiest juice to make and only takes 3 ingredients! If you follow me on instagram @alliyahhh_ then you saw me make this drink on my story this morning.
What you need:
-carrots
-apples
-ginger
I used 4 carrots, 2 apples, and a nub of ginger. You can adjust what you like to satisfy your tastebuds.
This is an upgraded version of celery juice
What you need:
-Celery
-Cucumber
-Apple
-Ginger
-Lemon
I hate beets but I enjoy them in this drink!
What you need:
-Beets
-Carrots
-Apple
-Lemon
This is my favorite drink! Taste like lemonade and is supposed to help with cellulite
What you need:
-Grapefruit
-Orange
-Ginger
-Lime
I got my juicer from Walmart for $40. It is so easy to take apart to clean and to put back together. Juicers are usually pretty expensive but I think this is a great juicer especially for the price.
XO,
Alliyah
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