Toraja Part Two.

Picking up on the third day of my visit to Toraja, we were in for a slightly simpler one around the town.. We hit the biggest local market, where it was livestock day. I tried really hard not to empathise and settled for just taking photos and gawping like a tourist.

Dress & Belt - New Look; Shoes - Primark; Earrings - Forever 21.

This is one of my favourite outfits from the whole holiday because the dress is so light, pretty, floaty and flattering. The super cute tomato print just screamed SS'12, and it was perfect for visiting a market! I got lots of compliments from the locals - always a boost to your self esteem. This was one of the days I felt most myself too because I had my hair (half) down and some lipstick on!

Market day.

New-found love for buffaloes awakening..

Albino!

The most impressive horns of the day.

On Day Four the cultural trips recommenced and our Torajan odyssey continued with Londa & Tampangallo. Getting out there was easy enough and the sites were incredible. They were both cave burial sites that were creepy in part, yet respectful and fascinating. Getting back from the sites was a different story - the limited transport meant that we ended up walking about 10k before hitching a ride on a passing cement truck..

Top & Skirt - New Look; Shoes, Bag & Headband - River Island; Necklace - Accessorize; Earrings - River Island.

I loved this outfit too, especially the light and floaty skirt. The print clash was one of my staple style statements for this holiday and I enjoyed mixing the strong tribal print with a softer floral one. Not going to lie though, I felt a little awkward posing here by the burial caves.

First glance at Londa.

I guess they do it a little differently here..

The tau-tau are ready for their close up!

Inside at Tampangallo

Standing guard?

The intrepid explorer surveys her route..

Love and kisses, Tara xox

Toraja - Part One.

This next destination is going to be spun out into several parts, since we spent 6 days there and there was just so much to see and do! Toraja is an area, like a county or something, that has a lot of tribal history and tradition, making it probably the most visited place on the island of Sulawesi. That doesn't mean it was overrun by tourists though!

Arriving on the first morning, fresh (but not with it) off an 8 hour night bus the first thing we noticed was how much less developed it was there in Toraja. We were staying in Rantepao, and it felt like we were the only tourists around! We weren't quite, but it was close.. And there wasn't even a 7-eleven! We spent the first day resting, aka mooching around town to recover from the night bus.

Top - Topshop; Skirt & Belt - New Look; Shoes, Bag & Bracelet - Primark; Earrings - River Island.

My pink maxi has finally been taken up (thankyou mum!) & was christened on holiday. First of all I paired it with a neutral batwing top and a casual topknot for a simple, breezy holiday look. In a strange way I found myself settling into the 'less-is-more' aesthetic here, and not minding being covered up..

Gorgeous fruit snack.

The view from the hotel.

My favourite mie kuah (noodle soup) for lunch!

This is almost too photogenic..

Day Two in Toraja was a little more hectic - we had organised a day trip to see traditional houses, grave sites and a funeral ceremony. It was stunning weather again, and it was almost too picturesque in places. I'll admit, being shown burial sites is a little strange, and so is sitting in at a funeral.

Skirt - New Look; Shirt, Bag & Shoes - Primark; Earrings - River Island.

I wasn't exactly sure about what to wear to a Torajan funeral, so I covered up even more.. This time I styled my maxi skirt with a black shirt and simple accessories. The skirt was a big hit with the locals at the funeral!

Traditional Torajan houses, with temporary wedding structures.

Stunning countryside.

A cave burial site, complete with wooden carved figures (tau tau).

I won't make you guess what happened to this poor buffalo..

The cutest kids in traditional dress for the funeral.

Love and kisses, Tara xox

Paris Day Two!

Waking up in Paris was a pretty beautiful feeling, and that sensation was only improved by croissants with nutella and some good coffee! Day Two was our cultural day, so we went to the Sacre Coeur, then the Notre Dame (followed by a picnic in a nearby park) and then the Louvre, where we found a funfair and went on a chairswing. For dinner we found possibly the only vegetarian food (two of us are veggie!) and had a good old curry, before continuing the culture with l'Arc de Triomphe, a stroll down the Champs Elysee and crossing the Seine. I'm not going to lie, we did an awful lot of walking!

The weather on the second day was gorgeous, so I really dressed for the sunny weather!

Skirt - River Island; Bralet, Bag, Shoes & Ring - Topshop; Sunglasses - ASOS; Earrings - New Look; Bracelets - Pandora, Lola Rose & Accessorize.

Like a true British tourist, as soon as I hit vaguely sunnier climes I start to wear as few clothes as possible. I have wanted to put these two pieces together for quite a while, but was waiting for the right opportunity.. Paris was perfect. I love how the silhouette becomes like a classic retro prom dress (aka uber flattering) while the prints complement each other well. This daytime look was surprisingly comfortable, especially thanks to the flat shoes and gorgeous cat-eye sunglasses to keep out the sun's glare, even if that bralet did not allow a lot of room for pastries.

And here are some of our photos from Day Two...

It's not all serious here..

Do you like my shades?

One of my fave pics of the whole trip!

The Sacre Coeur from below.

Getting touristy.

I would quite like to live here.

Pont Saint Michel.

Writing postcards apres picnic.

Myself & Claire outside Notre Dame.

These made up a large proportion of my Paris diet.. BNs!

Oh my beloved BNs.

Here we are now, entertain us..

Myself and Claire at dinner. (yes, I changed shirts)

The poppadoms disappeared too fast to photograph!

My very yummy rose lassi - so French, I know.

Haagen Dazs for dessert.. nom nom nom.

Imploding with joy at the LV store.

On the statue of Charles de Gaulle.

City lights on the Seine.

Okay wow, that was quite picture heavy.. The trip continues in the next post with Day Three!

Love and kisses, Tara xox