Every Sunday I like to share my pleasures, favorites (or less favourites) and delights – just five things I want to share at that time. Fun or less fun, exciting or just interesting. A travel tip, an item, a hotel stay, a memory, a movie that gets me, news…Just all I’d like to share with you.
  

1. Civil sundays

On Sunday I like to hang out with my manfriend. Sounds boring, is great. Makes my mind calm down. We visit a flea market, have a picnic, walk around in nature or enjoy home cooking. Terrible, isn’t it? One Sunday you find yourself snorkeling with a whale shark and the next you’re back in Holland and do normal stuff. Today felt like a holiday in our own country. The sun was shining, we made Turkish sandwiches and rode the bike for hours. Are you civil at its time as well?

2. Travel essentials

* A camera (I can’t stop making pictures). No more words needed.

* A hair band. You will not see me often without it while traveling. Easy as hell. I don’t worry about make-up or how I look while traveling, and with this I don’t even need to do my hair. I won’t worry about my bangs or how this moist heat in Asia makes my hair wet and charming within a nanosecond. How zen do you like it?

* Sunglasses. In a country with sun (which I prefer) sunglasses are of course indispensable. This one is a Rayban Meteor in Turtoise.

* A good book. During the last journey through the Philippines I read 7 books. I have even done a book xxchange with a fellow traveler because I finished them all. On the plane, on the bus, on the beach, during the lengthy wait s…A book always comes to pass. And I can read anywhere. Even in a bus with a strange child on my lap and two chickens in my neck.

3. Shepherds Arms, Bohol

This is the orphanage where we spend time on Panglao Island, Philippines. I’m going to dedicate a blog post to our time here, of course, but I think back to these moments with a smile on my face and that should be shared. The children are so immensely grateful and have brought me so much joy. A wonderful experience.

4. Yotel Schiphol, Amsterdam

Before heading towards the Philippines we slept on invitation in the Yotel. A bizarre experience. With our backpacks we tried to convince the customs at the security gates to pass, and after that we were allowed to walk -under strict guidance- in the Yotel. An abandoned airport in the middle of the night feels very strange. Scary, almost. Yotel consists of a number of mini cabins that really are situated next to the gates, mainly useful for a long transit time or early flight. You can rent the cabins per hour. Great for a nap and freshen yourself up. The cabin is indeed tiny, I can barely turn my (present) derriere (present), but modern though. Round shapes, purple lightning and a rain shower. A bed that upon entering looked like a couch, but with the push of a button transforms into a real bed. I like that. Taking pictures is impossible. Though it is quite convenient, this possibility to spend the night in the airport, I am not very enthousiastic. The showers and toilets make a lot of noise and not only the ones in your own cabin. It is very hot in the room and without windows or ventilation I don’t sleep very well. And the red wine was, next to very expensive, terrible…Essential tip. Still, it’s funny to sleep at the airport in the middle of the night and it is certainly a practical and fun concept. The hotel is always overbooked and so it works. I saw that Yotel in New York just opened, this looks amazingly cool (in the city, not at the airport) and I’d like to test that. Hint, Hint.

5. We NEED to change our house!!!1!

A well-known statement by me. Our house is actually still far off, but I’m crazy on a little change as well. Every now and then. I have hated the dark walls since we first came to live here. We have already whitened most walls (what idiot paints his WHOLE house very dark grey?) but had some darkness left because it might seem nice. Nope. I found a near full pot of white paint and threw some leftover turquoise in it. It resulted in a mighty beautiful minty color and I want to paint ALL OF OUR HOUSE MINT. Well, some walls. Can’t wait. We ordered two dining chairs as well. Turquoise Eames look a likes. We already have two white ones and the four of them will look perfect with our wooden dining table. Mint walls and this. I am lyric. I have gotten so much inspiration for inside and outside during the last trip and when I got home I freaked out and everything needs to change. It is because the masking tape is nowhere to be seen, otherwise I would be painting right now.