My Week in Thailand – Bangkok
Teradise found … It’s exactly one month since I’ve come back from Thailand and I can say with absolute certainty that this was the greatest trip of my life so far. Thailand is country number one hundred and two that I’ve visited and why have I waited so long to visit my motherland ? Let me dive deep for a minute and give you a bit of my background… For those of you who don’t know I’m half Thai from my mother’s side and my father is English and Dutch. My parents met in Thailand during the Vietnam war when my father was stationed there. My mother left Thailand pregnant with me in 1976 only to return once more when her father died in 1985. She happily left Thailand for a new life in America and never took us back to visit or spoke Thai with my sister and I after we started primary school. In fact all I really remember in Thai are colors , numbers ,basic phrases pertaining to food , salutations, and I can recite The three little pigs. So random … As I got older I’ve always wanted to take my mom back to Thailand so I saved this trip thinking we would return together . As the years passed and I kept asking my mother to go with me I started to realize then accept that she just didn’t want to go. She had her reasons and after having many of my own life experiences I understood why she didn’t have the same desires I did to see her homeland. My Dad, best friend Charmane and countless other friends kept telling me I needed to go to Thailand . I should see and experience this incredible country for myself. So finally in August of 2023 with my husband we spent one incredible month in Thailand. Week one Bangkok Beginning in Bangkok we arrived into Suvarnabhumi which serves as the main airport for international arrivals. My first tip is get a Thai SIM card here http://www.ais.th I can’t believe I had to go to Thailand to have BETTER wifi and cell phone service but here we were! Two Youtube channels we binged on were Retired working for you https://youtu.be/NFw-WizIt50?si=poCQYbuH0Sgr4oq2 . Chris is so funny and in this video he explains how to make your arrival into Thailand much easier . Paddy Doyle has fantastic guides that we bought from his channel https://youtube.com/@PaddyDoyle.?si=IX6PAHHzrtCkWvQd .Although he’s lived in Thailand for many years he’s made countless videos of himself traveling the world and I like is carefree enthusiastic personality as he documents his journey. I booked our tickets six months in advance to Thailand from Italy and we had an idea of the regions we wanted to visit so we made an itinerary based on where we were going to be from one week to the next. In the four weeks we would be there we started in Bangkok . We stayed at The Carlton Hotel on Sukhumvit RD .The Carlton hotel is incredible and within walking distance to great shopping malls , food markets, breakfast spots , Thai massage and anything else you could possibly need. Some spots near our hotel we shopped and ate at were http://terminal21.co.th where you can get anything from clothes to electronics . http://emquartier.co.th had the most beautiful food market I’ve ever seen in my life! This luxury mall has all the high -end shops and on our last night here we ate delicious Mexican food at La Monita . There was this twenty -four-hour mango sticky rice spot across from our hotel that we hit up after a long day of sightseeing temples and it was SO GOOD. The mangos in Thailand are on another level .. ask anyone who’s had one seriously ! We also had Pang Cha which is Thai Iced Tea with shaved ice, soft white bread topped with tapioca pearls. It’s hard to describe unless you try it but its a sweet crunchy chewy combination of pure deliciousness ! We took ours to go and strolled Bangkok at night absorbing all of the beautiful chaos that is this fantastic city! Our first night we were exhausted so we had our first dinner Of Pad Thai, Tom Yumm Goong , and red curry at Pak Bakery and passed out early. Day Two Our second Day we headed to Lumpini park because I wanted to see the Thai Monitor lizards. You all know how obsessed I become with animals and this was my goal for the trip. We took a tuk-tuk to the park and after walking around for a good twenty minutes I finally spotted one! He (I’m assuming a male but I’m not sure ) just slinked past me and I got so excited and took my first selfie of the trip with him . They are super chill I mean we found them mostly sleeping on the grassy banks or swimming slowly in the water . I read a sign at Lumpini that said the Thai Park Authority had to remove many lizards because they would frighten the tourists but I was happy nevertheless to see about twenty of them just living in the park .. It was close to lunch time so I remembered my girlfriend Christy Bomb a few years prior had mentioned a Street food chef by the name of Jay Fai . She’s also profiled in the Netflix show Street Food Asia but it was Christy who sent me a YouTube link of Jay Fai cooking her famous crab omelette years before that sparked my curiosity . She was located a bit far from Lumpini so we got back in a Tuk Tuk and headed over not knowing what to expect but we had some luck on our side that day for sure… I’ll say this about OUR Jay Fai experience , we loved it. Yes you have to wait.. a long time. We put our names down (party of two)
Butternut Squash Lasagna
ButterNut Squash Lasagna Butternut Squash screams fall and so do my food photos !! Making this Butternut Squash Lasagna was a last minute decision and because I couldn’t WAIT to share it with you all I didn’t set up proper lighting or go at a nice chill pace to get decent photos. I promise you this lasagna is so good! Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food. It’s also time consuming and requires some prep work but on those chilly , foggy , gloomy fall days making this will make you feel good . This version I made only took one hour from start to finish . I used no boil lasagna noodles that we have in the refrigerated section and frozen butternut squash . I always buy no boil lasagna noodles. They save so much time and make your life so much easier. Usually I would buy pumpkin or squash whole and roast it in the oven then puree it but frozen works just as good and saves time. My version is vegetarian but I think it would be tasty with sage infused ground turkey or chicken. I used mushrooms and they were the perfect savory filling for this lasagna. Let me know what you think and be prepared for more pumpkin and squash recipes this month! XO Tera Butternut Squash Lasagna Ingredients One butternut squash or Frozen Squash . Mushrooms – I used a mix of cremini, portobello and wild mushrooms. Cheeses- ricotta cheese for the filling , shredded mozzarella for the topping , and parmesan cheese grated in between each later or mixed into the ricotta filling. Egg – one egg for the ricotta filling. No- boil lasagna noodles (see photo below) Spices- I used red pepper flakes , salt , white pepper. How To make Butternut Squash lasagna The butternut squash is going to be your “sauce” so start by peeling , then cutting your fresh butternut squash into pieces and roasting it until tender . Let it cool a bit then puree . You want it to be “saucy” . I used frozen butternut squash so I boiled mine in some homemade chicken stock I made with a few pinches of salt and white pepper then blended it in my vitamix blender until smooth. Sautee your mushrooms in garlic and onion if you like and seasonings let cool. Make the ricotta filling by combining your ricotta cheese with salt , pepper, red pepper flakes, one egg , and parmesan cheese . Mix all together well. You don’t need the egg but it helps bind everything together. Now Layer! Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of your casserole or pyrex dish . I used a 9×13 inch one and place some butternut squash sauce at the bottom. Place the first layer of no-boil noodles down , top with ricotta cheese mixture spread evenly across. Then add your sauteed mushrooms on top of the ricotta . Repeat these layers a couple of times in the pan and finish the last layer with shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 375f or 190c . Bake uncovered for the last fifteen minutes so the cheese gets nice and brown .
Namibia safari
Hello friends! This is the second half of our trip to Africa last summer and our Namibia Safari. It’s taken me a full year to write this post and go through the hundreds of photos my husband and I took. I swear it literally feels like we just got back from this amazing trip. Seeing so many incredible animals in the wild and the breathtaking landscapes of Namibia and South Africa has me planning our next adventure to Kenya and Tanzania . Sometimes I struggle with how to write about my travels. I don’t always have my phone or camera ready to shoot. I prefer to stay in the moment and capture everything with my eyes and soul . Hopefully my experiences and suggestions can give you an idea of how to plan your own trip. Leaving Twyfelfontein our travel time to Etosha National Park http://etoshanationalpark.co.za was about 320 km and took almost five hours. We stayed our first night at the Etosha Safari Lodge https://store.gondwana-collection.com/accommodation/etosha-safari-lodge This Place is spectacular ! Etosha Park Safari The rooms are beautiful the food was delicious and the Andersson Gate entrance to Etosha park is only 9km away . Gates opened at 7 am and since we were doing our own self-drive safari we wanted to get ahead of the packed safari tour vans to see if we could get spot lions , hyenas , and leopards . Sure enough fifteen minutes in we spotted our first male lion and an hour later I spotted a leopard . We spent the day visiting the various water holes and saw giraffes, elephants, zebras, ostriches , Wildebeest , springbok, kudu , and black rhino ! When we got back to our resort in the early evening right outside our room a few banded mongoose were getting it on LOL They are so cute and I saw more when we hiked up into the Waterberg Plateau Park a few days later ..The next two nights we stayed in Etosha park at two lodges . Halali Wildlife Resort http://www.nwr.com.na/resorts/halali-resort/ and Namutoni Resort https://www.nwr.com.na/resorts/namutoni-resort/Both are nice and convenient because you’re staying inside Etosha but the nicest resort in my opinion is the Etosha Safari Lodge for the quality of the meals and comfort of rooms. Each lodge has it’s own water hole located close to where the campgrounds are within each resort so, after dinner you can head out and watch the animals come to you. It’s pretty dark but they’re lit up with floodlights so you can see many of the animals that are nocturnal like Black Rhinoceros , lions , Hyenas and if you’re really lucky wild African dogs ! We didn’t see any Hyenas this trip and when I was at breakfast some people said that they saw Hyenas at the lodge water hole around midnight ! Grrrrr Waking up at five am to catch the first sunrise and animals of the day had me falling asleep at 10 P.M. The starry open skies of Namibia are incredible. If you’re coming to Namibia Etosa national Park is a must . The high season runs from July to November . It never felt crowded and it’s the best time to see the animals . The average temperature was around 25 c during the day (It does get really cold at night though !!) and it’s the dry season so there’s no rain which made driving much easier but also dusty.We spent three days here and most of the day on the courses exploring each water hole and following the animals. Etosha is clearly marked with good signs so you won’t have any trouble navigating or seeing wildlife they are abundant. Don’t get out of your car and stay only on the marked roads . It’s dangerous for the animals and intrusive. There was a few times that some Zebras got really close to us . I got a kick out of watching them in their family groups. They would nuzzle each other, roll around in the bush , or just stand there looking at us while they rested their heads on each other or did the Zebra equivalent of cuddling. My husband captured them smiling as you can see here . So sweet…. Leaving Etosha we headed northeast towards Rundu passing Tsumeb , and Grootfontein. This was the most populated part of Namibia we had seen so far. The last two weeks of driving through the country we were lucky if we’d pass two or three cars a day ! We had lunch in Rundu and stayed here a bit longer to recharge our phones and check out some of the local shops for snacks. This was going to be a long travel day . Seven hours and 633 kilometers later we arrived to Popa Falls our home for the next three nights. Popa Falls – Caprivi Strip Popa Falls is located in the north eastern corner of Namibia in the Caprivi strip. This panhandle of Namibia borders on Angola and Botswana and was a stark contrast to most of the country we’d seen so far. Lush woodlands and the sound of the falls was nice to hear from our river chalet at night . We stayed at the Popa Falls Resort http://nwr.com.na/resorts/popa-falls-resort/ We were excited to get up early and explore the Mahango Game and Bwabwata National park. http://national-parks.org/namibia/bwabwata We went to Bwabwata first and this is where I got my first glimpse of Warthogs!! Within minutes of entering we saw herds of elephants, giraffes, ostriches, monkeys and the sitatunga! This species of antelope is so pretty and very elusive so I felt really lucky to have spotted one! I was told the Caprivi Strip was one of the few places we could potentially see the wild african dog but to no avail. We also still haven’t spotted a Honey Badger… Throughout the day we saw so many different species of incredible birds, including some giant vultures feasting on carcasses . I loved that “Beaky Buzzard
Miami EXXXOTICA 2023
Miami Exxxotica is where it all began! Our 50th show anniversary was in Chicago but it was The Miami Beach Convention Center that first opened their doors to us in 2006 and I was there! Over the years Exxxotica changed venues and spent a few years in Ft. Lauderdale , but in 2018 we went back to Miami and I returned for the 2023 show . Loyal Fans http://tinylf.com/BbB7CanERp was our Spotlight booth sponsor again and they pampered us with Goody bags full of hot bikinis and great merchandise , massages , and cuban food! I got my Mexican food fix at http://ohmexicorestaurant.com . Dinner Friday night was at http://dirtyfrench.com The food was so good and it’s beautifully decorated and the service is exceptional . I actually flew into Florida a week early and was in Orlando . I’ve always wanted to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it was amazing! I really liked it! I avoid these kinds of parks normally but Universal studios Orlando http://universalorlando.comwas so much fun! I got the three day pass and did both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and of course all the rides ! It took three hours to get to Miami and it was the first time I’ve actually driven in Florida LOL It kinda tripped me out because living in Italy for so long now and not driving everyday (I usually walk or bike ) I was like whoa the open road and I’m DRIVING! Watch out! I also ended up going to the Miami Beach Convention Center INSTEAD of the Miami Airport Convention center where the show had been held since 2018 so I guess old habits die hard! It was so good to see so many friends and meet new fans . See you at the next EXXXOTICA 2023 in New jersey !! You XO Tera
Hello Ghost , it’s me Chiwan
Hello October it’s me Tera! Spooky season is upon us! Halloween is not MY favorite holiday nor am I on the Horror film and Pumpkin spice latte bandwagon . I do love a good ghost story and I was excited to reconnect with my friend Chiwan Choi http://chiwanchoi.com and share mine on his new podcast/show Are you there Ghost ? It’s me Chiwan. Dubbed by the LA Weekly as “The Jay-Z of poetry I will always be grateful to Chiwan for inviting me to read my memoir with another great author friend of mine Shawna Kenney at his 90×90 reading event in Downtown Los angeles in 2017. You can pre-order his newest Poetry Collection Sky Songs here http://writlargeprojects.com/shop/p/sky-songs I hope you enjoy the show! I’m good with never experiencing another ghost encounter!! XO Tera
Weekend in Capri
I’ve just returned from an incredible week in Napoli and the beautiful Island of Capri. It’s always been my dream to visit Capri and for our 6th wedding anniversary my husband surprised me and whisked me off to Capri!! All about Capri Capri is an Island in the Campania region of Italy. You fly to Naples , then you take the ferry from Calata Porta di Massa. From the airport it’s about a 15-minute ride. Be prepared because Naples is wild, fun, and crazy different! We went with http://caremar.it. The ferry is about 40 minutes to an hour and it’s super comfortable. You can bring your dog too! I saw many big and small dogs on the ferry. You’ll arrive at the Marina Grande which is your port of entry. It can be a bit chaotic to get a taxi and a bit of a wait so if your hotel has transportation I advise you to book it. The island is divided into two towns Capri Town and Anacapri. On arrival you’re in Capri town, so if you’re just hanging out for the day, this is where a lot of people stay. Anacapri is on the other side of the island . There’s a cute little train called the funicular that takes you up to the Piazzetta and this is the heart of the island. Here you’ll find all of the designer shopping and a ton of bars and cafes. We booked our stay at http://lecantinelle.it which was so beautiful and cozy. Anacapri is a lot calmer. You’ll find some beautiful shopping that’s unique to the island (which is more my speed) and not the bigger chain shops. We enjoyed lunch at Vinoteca La Zagara upstairs on our first day and had fresh tuna tacos with margaritas. The following day after our private tour of Capri by boat, we had lunch downstairs in their Ristorante Vinoteca La Zagara, which is in a lemon garden http://casamariantonia.com Where to eat and drink in Capri I’m not a fan of Limoncello but there’s the BEST I’ve ever had in my life. Trust me, even if you don’t like Limoncello it’s hard to resist theirs and they make it in house. We took a private boat tour early the next morning and I HIGHLY recommend doing this. We had 3 hours and it was just incredible to sail around the entire island, swim and see the Grotta Azzurra!! The Blue Grotto has been on my list for many years and I was so happy to see it on our wedding anniversary. It’s quite an experience, and you must go early. I can’t stress this enough! We started our private tour with our guy at 9 am and by 9:30, the queue of boats to go in was pretty long. It was only June the beginning of the crazy tourist season! I can’t imagine this place in August. The sea was pretty rough which made the tiny entrance very difficult to get into so we were luckily the 5th and last boat to make it in that morning before it was closed off. You have to lay pretty flat to get into the entrance, and I was kinda tripped out to see how these guys managed to do it at the very last moment, but they’ve been doing this for a long time! Once inside it’s just breathtaking. It was so magical and peaceful. Huge thank you to my husband for the pics and videos because I never have my phone or camera on me! I’m the worst blogger ever … A few other spots we ate at were Aumm Aumm which is a Pizza place. I had my first Pizza Fritte – fried pizza, and it was super tasty! I really wanted to have it when we were in Naples but next time. Also, http://acurtiglia.com had the most beautiful view and delicious food. This place had the kindest staff that were so welcoming. They will pick you up and take you back to where you’re staying which is really nice!! Capri was so incredible and memorable. I hope on your travels to Italy, you’ll add this to your itinerary! XO Tera
My Namibia Trip and Self-Drive Safari
Welcome to Namibia! The second half of our trip was in Namibia and lasted eighteen days . We drove from Cape Town, South Africa through the entire country of Namibia! Our total drive was 8000km, and it was so much fun what an incredible adventure! We spent six months planning our self -drive safari through Namibia and we were finally here and doing it! Hell yea! We had to scrap the last and third half of our plan which was to drive through Botswana and end up at Victoria Falls but for legal reasons, we couldn’t take our 4X4 rental into another country. Now we have another reason to go back to Africa! August is wintertime in Namibia and it’s pretty warm with the sun most days but the temperature would drop pretty low at nigh so this made us reconsider camping out at night. Our original plan was to get a Toyota Hilux with a pop-out camper attached so we could camp, cook and do everything in our car as we made our way through the country, but everything worked out for us in the best way. Camping out under the African starry sky sounds so cool, but after the long drive days we just wanted to take a good shower and sleep in a warm comfy bed . August is also a pretty busy vacation time especially since the kids are out of school. Countries like Italy usually take August off and everything is closed so pre-booking in Namibia is essential. Namibia is one of the top five least densely populated countries in the world and places like Safari Lodges, tours, and rental 4x4s (especially campers) will book up early in the year. Planning your road trip Make sure you plan and prepare accordingly. We mapped out our driving route for Namibia, pre-booked and planned all of our lodges, safari camps, and ensured we had all our essentials and paperwork straight. You will have to get a Namibian SIM card. We got ours through http://www.mtc.com.na and would top it up at MTC’s various vending machines in their gas stations and shopping centers. It’s their better wifi and phone option as the coverage is pretty good, but driving many hours through Namibia, I’d recommend http://www.tracks4africa.co.za. There were many hours we would be without wifi going through the country, and even though we had our maps and guides, having this navigation was so helpful and necessary! After hours of driving without seeing another car pass or anyone else, it was just me, my husband, and the wildlife. The best … After clearing customs and having our Truck inspected at the SA / Namibian border, our first stop was Fish River Canyon, and we stayed two nights. The first night at Ai-Ais Hot Springs Spa http://www.aiaisresort.com and then at Hobas Camp http://nwrnamibia.comFish River Canyon was INCREDIBLE, just breathtaking. It’s the second-largest canyon in the world, and its colors and depth are massive and stunning to see. We arrived in the early afternoon and had lunch at a cool place we accidentally discovered called https://store.gondwana-collection.com/accommodation/canyon-roadhouse. We had lunch here, and this place was where we wished we had stayed for our two nights in the area …. We enjoyed lunch, dinner, and a small safari drive called the Garas Self drive safari when we weren’t exploring Fish River Canyon, and the staff here is so kind. The loveliest people we met on our trip. I had to take a picture of this local tale I found in the women’s bathroom called TJONGOLOLO’S Box … Fish River had the most beautiful energy. It felt like I was in this euphoric pink, purple, white clouded room. The sunrises and sunsets were just phenomenal, and even though we were supposed to be back at our lodge by dark, we stayed after dark to see the stars. Not too late as it isn’t advisable to drive at night when there’s no street light, and the animals CAN potentially pose a threat. We only managed to see a family of Ostriches cross the road. We were hoping for Honey Badgers or Lions! From Fish River, we drove to Luderitz, which took us five hours. On the way, we saw the wild desert horses of Garub. Aus in situated in the center of the Namib desert and as we made our way we were able to spot these wild beautiful horses noshing on wild melons…. These wild desert horses have adapted to the harsh climate in the Namib we were told there are less than 80 left .. The scenery just driving through Namibia so far was just truly spectacular . The mountains , and landscapes I’ve never seen so many beautiful colors . I can’t even explain the peaceful , magical feeling coursing through me on our trip so far … After being in the Namib it was refreshing to be on the coast and water . Luderitz is a cute town . We had fantastic oysters and stayed at the http://nesthotel.com This is where we got our SIM card , exchanged some of our Euro for Namibian Dollars and went to the gym lol. Luderitz is a great stopover for these errands . Bear in mind though that exchanging large amounts of cash is a process here . The clerks aren’t used to these transactions everyday in this small town (but bigger than most in Namibia ) and to be patient . We had Lunch and dinner the night before at Diaz Coffee Shop -Oyster& Wine Bar – Beergarden . AMAZING food , Oysters , Coffee and the sweetest staff . The chef prepared us the most amazing spicy Cioppino for lunch and I had it again for dinner that night . It was so cold and foggy being so close the the water and bay and this was a perfect meal for the chill. On our way to Sossusvlei we drove 349 km and about 5 hours to get to our next stay which was
EXXXOTICA Chicago 2023
Hello everyone ! I’ve been back from Chicago for a few weeks now and I had the most wonderful show and trip . This marked the 50th EXXXOTICA Expo show and I’m so honored I could join so many wonderful friends and fans here . I was one of the first three adult stars to exhibit and introduce the Exxxotica show to the world so it was really exciting to see how far the show has come after so many years . Jay Handy (who is the owner of Exxxotica ) and I had a brief moment where we stood in the middle of the show floor on opening night Friday April 21st and just marveled at the crowd . The energy was incredible ! To think that the show’s become THIS huge after all these years and embraced by the fans was just such a great feeling . Our new sponsors Loyal Fans were wonderful as sponsors of the spotlight booth . This is where the main stars of Exxxotica sign autographs , sell merchandise , and meet and greet their fans . Loyal Fans is a great subscription based site and I’ve got mine up here http://www.loyalfans.com/terapatrick . Our other sponsor was Liquid Death http://www.liquiddeath.com and I was pleasantly surprised and blown away with how good their water is ! I’ve never considered drinking water from a can before but it’s actually REALLY clean tasting and I’m a fan ! I hope we can get some in Italy soon !! Day two was fun ! I got to see so many hotties and friends and a HUGE Thank you to my good friend and photographer Evan Richardson http://evanrichardsonphotography.com for making my beautiful banner , prints and custom Hello Punisher stickers . The new stickers were LOVED by everyone ! I’m going to have them at the next two Exxxotica shows in Miami and New Jersey . I’m also going to bring more copies of my memoir Sinner Takes all . You guys keep requesting copies! Lisa Ann hosted the Friday night Exxxotica afterparty and I hosted Saturday night . A trip to Chicago MUST include Gibsons Steakhouse http://gibsonssteakhouse.com The portions especially the desserts are meant to share so come HUNGRY ! That wasn’t a problem for Lisa and I especially after signing all day !! I had so much fun in Chicago this trip. It’s always nice for me to come back to the US . I got up early Sunday morning and hit the CVS , Walgreens , ULTA , Nordstrom and grabbed a coffee and two donuts from Dunkin before my last day signing on Sunday . I ate one maple glazed (YUMM ) and gave the other to RockyEmerson http://thatonetattooedgirl.com who is such a sweetheart and gorgeous . It was also nice to meet Kazumi http://kazumisworld.com and see Ember Snow and Joanna Angel . Thank you to everyone who came out ! I have so many friends in Chicago and It made me so happy to see your faces. See you at the next Exxxotica ! Miami !! XO Tera
March Madness Prague and London
March in Prague and London March is winding down, and it was a fantastic month of travel. London was FREEZING, I’m so happy to be back home in Northern Italy where it’s Springtime. Prague was so beautiful, and we had snow the entire first weekend of March. I wanted to venture out of Prague and see some other places, but with the snow, not having a car, and the cold just putting a damper on things for me I decided to spend the weekend indoors burning off all the incredible food we had this trip yummy… Eats in Prague We returned to Field http://fieldrestaurant.cz which I was so excited to experience again. It’s such an incredible place ,the wine list is fantastic, and this restaurant is decorated so elegantly. The service is exceptional, each course and dish’s presentation is just incredible. If you’re visiting Prague, this is a MUST for lunch or dinner. We found a new breakfast spot we loved called http://bistromonk.cz. Small spot, but so good! If you don’t show up when they open on the weekend be prepared to wait a bit I’m warning you! It’s the best breakfast I’ve had in Prague. On This trip, I finally tired my first Trdelnik I kept seeing a Stall for these sweet cone donut thingy’s and finally caved and had one. I had mine filled with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and it’s a sugar bomb! We also found a Mexican spot http://lasadelitas.cz and I can’t vouch for their margaritas, but the tacos were delicious. Bordeaux I visited Bordeaux next week to see my sister and best friend, Charmane Star. With Lockdown from 2020-2022 and life, we hadn’t seen each other for three years!! Too much time!! We had such a fun week in Bordeaux together. We did some shopping and ate some excellent Thai food. The weather was still freezing and wet from the lingering rain and snow, so we just stayed in (I got to see her beautifully built new home!!), watched Thai youtube, ate, and caught up on life just like ladies who’ve been friends for (GASP) 20 years! Time flies … Food and Friends in London Speaking of good friends, my Shawna Kenney and I reconnected in London this past week. We haven’t been able to see each other these past two years with Lockdown, relocating, and work, so when she came to London for the “Beyond the Streets London Exhibition http://saatchigallery.com we met up, and the show was great too. Her Memoir “I was a teenage dominatrix” is being reprinted, and I make a small contribution on the back, so get a copy! It’s a fantastic, funny, freaky memoir and easy read . http://www.shawnakenney.com. We only had the weekend, so Alberto and I could get a Michelin meal Saturday night at Akoko http://akoko.co.uk. This place is so delicious. West African food with the most incredible flavor fusions. Spicy, smokey, sweet, mmmm so so so good. We opted for a Spanish Red Wine. I mean, I’m acting like I know, but guys, my husband knows wine, and I go along because he’s never wrong and always pairs our food perfectly, so Ottimo!! We started the evening with their version of the Negroni, which had a nice smokey gin infused with cacao nibs. Just YUMM! London was so cold too. Freezing temps, grey skies, and SO MUCH WIND. The next trips I’ve planned for April through August are warm! Are you surprised !!! Have a great week, and let’s finish March strong!! XO Tera
South Africa 2022
I’m finally sharing with you all our INCREDIBLE trip last summer to South Africa and Namibia! This was one of the most incredible trips of my life. I tend to plan our trips around countries and continents that have an animal I’m obsessed with and since my husbands spirit animal is the Honey Badger, we were on a mission to see one! It took us one full year to map out our trip. We knew since we were driving we had to study the route and roads to plan our stops. Initially, we wanted to get a Toyota Hilux with an attached camper so we could alternate between hotels and campsites. We wanted to camp some nights at the NWR Campsites but we had a difficult time acquiring a camper. It ended up working out better for us and well if I’m being honest I’m not as rouge as I used to be. I always tell my husband that “I’m more rico than Eco” !!! I prefer comfort as I’m sure many of you feel me on this! In August we departed from our home in Italy and landed in Cape Town. It was a 15-hour flight and really comfortable on Emirates. I had the pleasure of sitting next to a wonderful woman who relocated from London to SA and opened an Artist Space in Muizenberg called The Commons.https://thecommons.co.za . Such a cool spot that I highly recommend! This Beach community is so freaking cool. There’s a lot of fantastic food options here also for Vegans. Every week there are different live performances so check their site for live music, poetry, art, yoga and meditation classes. We stayed at The Raddison RED Cape Town V&A Waterfront for our first few nights in Cape Town. From The rooftop bar you can see Table Mountain,which we hiked the next day and being in the Silo District we were walking distance to everything. Breakfast here is also REALLY good. I’m not a breakfast person outside of vacation but when you’re on holiday you need to start your day with something right ! Instead of walking we rented an E-Bike through Electrek http://www.electrek.co.za and it was so fun! Like after a 15-hour flight, indulging in amazing food and hiking table mountain we decided that checking out CapeTown on an E-bike would allow us to cover more ground and we had so much fun doing it! A few dinner spots we had a lovely evening at were Belly of the Beast http://bellyofthebeast.co.za great tasting menu and excellent wine list, Gold http://goldrestaurant.co.za, a fun place with really amazing real African food. Bouchon http://bouchon.co.za it’s like tapas style (UM no the plates were good size and filling!) But the service was very good and their local wine recommendations were wonderful pairings for our lunch. On that wine note we picked up our 4×4 and drove along the SA Whale Coastal Route to our next spot Hermanus then Stellenbosch. I’m the queen of pamphlets and guides I have to take one from every spot we go. I get that I phones are amazing for this kind of stuff but guys I get so much joy from reading an actual pamphlet and guidebook. Also maps. I LOVE maps and globes. You get the idea. I took some shots of the ones I took and they were (aside from locals telling us what was up) REALLY helpful and also give you some good insight and history about the area. I’m dorky and love this info. We stayed at Whale Rock Luxury Lodge http://www.whalerock.co.za. This is without a doubt one of the most incredible places I’ve ever stayed at. The owners were so kind, everything was fantastic here literally every detail. Mind you it’s winter time and being on the coast it’s freezing cold our room was so warm and cozy with the most comfortable bed and linens. We had our whale watching and shark diving excursions the next two days so we took a beautiful walk around the cape and OMG you guys for me my first animal trip out were the DASSIES!! The Dassie / Rock Hyrax is the cutest coolest animal EVER with it’s sweet cranky face. So much fun to see these critters around. We had a beautiful lunch that day at Perlemoen. It had just opened a week prior I believe but it’s located in the Old Harbour on the harbour’s edge. It’s such an incredible view hiking down to the rock platform and then you’re hanging with dassies , and eating the most incredible , fresh caught fish and seafood with DASSIES and it’s the most spectacular view! The old Harbour here was the first abalone hatchery how cool is that! For dinner we went to The Fisherman’s cottage http://fishermanscottage.co.za and we had the most incredible Malva pudding of our life. It was our first time having it and let me tell you this place spoiled me because for the rest of the trip I didn’t have any other Malva Pudding that lived up to that one!! I also had their Thai Red curry and it was so fresh and 100% authentic Thai. Whale watching was eventful and we spotted many Southern Right Whales as August is their breeding season. Shark Diving was cancelled due to bad weather and I’m NOT mad about it. I mean yes it would have been cool and scary fun but it was off to Boulders Beach to see the African Penguins then the Cape of Good Hope! What a beautiful drive. For real though this western Cape side of SA is just wow. So Blue, green, the most incredible sunrises and sunsets. We saw so many Baboons in the road on our way in and they have zero fear of cars and people so make sure you take your time driving through the park to the cape point. The Cape of Good Hope left me feeling so peaceful. I’ve always wanted to come here and now I can
