Porto Trip – Part 5 (The Art Of Wandering)

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The sound of seagulls squawking awakened the adventurous side of me. The one who usually prefers a well-planned travel itinerary finally changed for a day to experience the art of wandering. Wandering aimlessly left me extremely nervous at first, but then I learnt to trust the magic of Universe.

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Instead of planning where I should head to, I knew the path itself would lead me to where I supposed to be. Having a carefree mind while walking down the street allowed me to see things from a different perspective. The more I walked, the more I felt as if the whole city was smiling at me.

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I had no idea whether it was the positive energy I received from walking down the street or the magic of the Universe sent to the Cafe of my dream – Majestic Cafe. Whatever the case, I knew it must be a place where I meant to encounter.

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A sense of romance permeated the cafe – dimly chandeliers and Art Nouveau decorations were perfect settings to intoxicate anyone who walked in. I was almost drowned in the world of romance until their waitress woke me up from daydreaming to take my order.

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I would have gone back to daydreaming, but my order finally arrived. The smell of Rabanadas Majestic Style (French toast in Majestic Style) kept me awake and made me realized that it was the time to enjoy it.

I felt the love floating in my mouth when I first tasted it. Every bite of the French toast gave me delightful warmth and sweetness that melted my heart completely.

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The feeling of love left me wanting more…A cup of tea would be the best to complement the taste of the French toast, but a glass of Sangria was perfect to continue the feeling of love.

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When the Sangria traveled down my throat, I could feel the alcohol slowly running through my veins. A blurry image of Belle Époque kept flashing in my head…I couldn’t help it but to think of its old charm. It made me forget how busy the cafe was. It was a moment when everyone was frozen, except me and the cafe dancing to a romantic song.

“Excuse me! Would you like another drink?”, the waitress asked. There I knew I should leave my fantasy behind and let the magic of Universe take me to another destination.

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Just left the cafe, I saw a small crowd moving towards the same direction…I didn’t even question where they headed to, but simply followed them. After all the traveling, I reached a place where I believed it was a fairy tale. Grasses at its finest, trees at its tallest, sunbeam was caught by the luscious greens radiated a ray of hope.  However, nothing quite like the smell of seashore.

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I still couldn’t understand how the smell of it led me to a world with palm trees waving their hands in the breeze and clouds drifting in and out to catch my attention. I would like to stay here longer to enjoy the relaxing vibes, but the smell of seashore kept haunting my mind.

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The smell of it was no longer haunting my mind after I found my final destination – Pergola da Foz.

I stood aside to soak up the romantic atmosphere as a breeze gently touched my skin. It was a moment when I felt the presence of my Prince. He hugged me from behind while we listened to the sound of waves together. Our love seeped through every corner of the Pergola. There I knew the sparks we had would be ignited forever…

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It sat deep in my heart and kept me content when travelling back home. It also made me proud of myself getting out of my comfort zone to experience the art of wandering.

The experience of wandering changed my perspective about traveling. It left me more than just romance. It was a gift with treasures – the unexpected, the excitement, the joy and the love were all wrapped in one.

My recent trip to Thailand

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I took a trip to Khao Lak (Thailand) few weeks ago.  I’ve been to Thailand twice before, but I’ve never been to Khao Lak. Khao Lak is just an hour something away from the famous location Phuket. After landing, I couldn’t wait to get into the car and go straight to the resort. However, it took me more than an hour to clear the customs before I could step out the airport. Poor driver who picked me up from the airport has waited me for a long time and he could still greet me with a nice smile. 🙂

I couldn’t believe what I saw from the lobby, the pools and everything when I reached the resort. It looked even prettier than what I saw from the website. Everything at the resort was nicely designed with a relaxing vibe. ❤ All the rooms closer to the main pool were pretty much in family style. The other side of the resort was full of villas which were much more laid-back in style. The villa I stayed at  was absolutely stunning. 😉 The interior design was modern without losing its relaxing vibe. Whenever I was in the villa, I just felt like sleeping. I guess it was all because of its comfortable low platform bed. A lot of time I was struggling to decide whether I should go outside or keep hugging my comfy bed. 😀

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Obviously, I still chose to go outside to explore here and there not to waste a wonderful opportunity to see all the beautiful things around. I discovered a beach with gorgeous sunset was just few minutes away from my villa.  There were few restaurants near the beach and it was where I loved to have my lunch and dinner. The most amazing thing having my meals there was to see how the color of the sunset changed. It changed everyday (from reddish to orangey, from orangey to yellowish, sometimes purplish with a hint of blue and sometimes a mix of all these colors). It was like an art gallery on live. Apart from that, I also loved to observe how Thai live their lives while enjoying my meals. They are incredibly polite. 🙂 They always have a nice  smile greeting others with “Sawasdeeka” (means “Hello” in English) whether they are stranger to them or not. They are very laid-back and live a simple life. Majority of them don’t stress too much about money, but to focus more on happiness. The food there was pretty decent. If you ever have time traveling to Thailand, I would highly recommend their fried stuff. Their pineapple and banana fritters were what I enjoyed the most. They were very crispy, but not oily at all. Moreover, they were not overly sweet and heavy. 😛

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After few days of relaxing at the resort and a day of shopping at Khao Lak Centre, I decided to explore Tachai Island. Tachai Island is a relatively new tourist spot for snorkelers and scuba divers in the world famous Similan Islands. Before I joined the local tour for this trip, I thought I would only go there to sunbathe. I never thought I would go for snorkeling because I seriously can’t swim. However, this trip has completely changed my mind about snorkeling. Everyone was wearing their life jacket and ready for snorkeling once the speed boat reached the middle of the sea. They jumped into the sea one by one when I was still struggling to decided whether staying on the speed boat. Eventually, I made one of the bravest decision of my life was to wear the life jacket and try snorkeling. I tried my best to swim properly in the sea, but I kept rolling like I was put into the washing machine. 😦 The tour guide had to send a swimming expert to help me at the end. Honestly, I couldn’t be more thankful to have him to help me with snorkeling. 🙂 If he wasn’t there to help me, I wouldn’t be able to snorkel. He gave me an extra life jacket to hold on so that I could stay balanced. Then, he kept pulling the life jacket from the other side to lead me to different spots in order to see the sea corals. During that 40 minutes of snorkeling, he used only one hand to pull my life jacket and the other for swimming. Whenever he saw beautiful fishes and sea corals, he would instantly ask me to look down to see how beautiful they were. ❤ Whenever he saw water going in my mask, he would help me clear it. Although I’ve never snorkeled before, I knew how difficult it was to do all of these things in the middle of the sea.

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After the snorkeling session, we all headed to the beach to relax. The moment I stepped on the sand, I could feel how soft and powdery the sand was. It was nothing, but a soft cushion wrapping around my feet.  Need not to mention, the water was incredibly clear. The spectacular view from the beach was completely surreal.  I felt like I was living in a calendar printed with a gorgeous beach. No wonder the Island is often referred to as the Maldives of Thailand. ❤ 🙂

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To summarize my entire trip, It was truly an amazing trip. The resort itself was impressive. I couldn’t find anything to complain from its design to facilities. I could stay at the resort my whole trip without getting bored. Everyone I met during my trip was very polite whether they were complete strangers on the street or serving me at the resort and restaurants. Their willingness of greeting others not only impressed me, but also brightened up my day. Obviously, the trip to Tachai Island was the highlight of my trip. ❤ I was beyond blessed to be taken special care by the swimming expert. I wouldn’t know how beautiful the view from underwater could be if he wasn’t there to help me. As a person who can’t swim, I’ve never dreamed to see that view.  Honestly, the clear water and white sand at the beach had blown my mind away. I never thought the actual view could be this vivid and stunning. It looked way better than what I’ve seen from TV, magazines or promotional leaflets. 🙂 After this trip, I learned to appreciate the nature more. With all the digital gadgets we have now, we often forget how wonderful the nature is. Nowadays, I love to look up to the sky and take a moment to appreciate the nature and what I have. 😉

I wonder if there are some beautiful places you would like to recommend. What do you like the most from the place/ places you recommended? Please feel free to let me know in the comment session.

With love,

xoxoxoxo Khloe

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