FATFACE CHRISTMAS BUNDLE GIVEAWAY

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!

I hope you're all feeling super festive but if not I hope this blog posts gets you well on your way to getting into the Christmas Spirit. I had so much fun shooting this little post for a very exciting reason...I'm holding a CHRISTMAS BUNDLE GIVEAWAY WITH FATFACE! 

It's a time of year for giving and being selfless and I know I adore the search for the perfect gift for my loved ones but this year it's you lovely people that are getting a christmas gift from me and my lovely friends at FatFace! I was sent the most wonderful bundle of lounge trousers, top and slippers for myself and Mike received his lounge trousers and T-shirt along with some amazing smelly candles and wash bags for us both and you can get your hands on all this. We are definitely going to be spending Christmas day in our new lounge-sets sipping mulled wine!

There is nothing I love to do more this time of year is light the fire, put a good christmas film on (ELF every time) and snuggle into some PJs and I'm totally smitten with these. Super warm, soft and comfy I doubt I'll ever change out of them. I love all my little gifts and in your bundle if you are the lucky winner you will get:

*Your own lounge trousers and top

*Slippers

*Mens lounge top and trousers (always nice to share your winnings)

*2 lovely smelling candles

*1 large tin candle which also smells amazing

*A ladies wash bag filled with wonderful treats

*And a mens wash bag to keep him smelling tip top!

An amazing giveaway that you simply can't miss out on! 

HOW DO YOU ENTER: 

Link on my facebook page (search fivefotfour by Crystal Lily) then click giveway! 

Or enter below by clicking the link! 

Or click on the giveaway box on the side of my main blog page!

Comp ends 4th January 2016 so there is no excuse not to try your chances at having the snuggliest January you've ever had! 

Afternoon in Berlin

Great news my lovelies, I have nearly finished my dreaded dissertation so will back to normal this week (hopefully). Surprisingly I have actually enjoyed it though, the research and writing just not the lack of time I have had for the blog. Trust me, no one is more surprised I just said that than myself. 

Here is your second instalment from my stop over in Berlin. There are something amazing little hidden away places all around if you just take time to explore. My resolution this year is to do just that. explore more. Life is definitely worth living, you just have to live it how best suits you. There is too much out there in life that needs to be found and appreciated. Still massively gushing over my ASOS coat though which served me well when it started to snow in Germany. The final part to my trip will be posted either tomorrow or wednesday (depending on my flats internet, it's very temperamental) so keep an eye out!

Have lots of juicy surprises coming this week including my first vlog of 2015...it's been a while but all will be explained. Happy Monday Everyone!

Beautiful Hydration

If it's one thing I miss most about the beautiful country of Thailand is the detail they put into their drinks. They were always perfectly made, amazing flavours and beautifully presented. 

This was one element that opened my eyes to the world, something so simple as a drink can widen your experiences to the world so quickly. In UK there are places that put the effort in to their presentation more than others, but out in Thailand it is everywhere you go. The effort, the love for their food and drinks, it was wonderfully refreshing. As for the flavours, they were vibrant, exotic and it felt like they awakened my taste buds from the grave. 

Being pretty frightening of trying new foods and flavours for my most of my life is just a distant memory as without trying new things I wouldn't have been able to taste the wonders of Thailand in all its glory. Don't be afraid to try new things, even with experiences, because you could be passing up a chance to try the most wonderful thing in your life.

Drinks:  Mango Mojito, Caramel Iced Coffee, Chocolate, Raspberry and Mango Frappes and Iced Lemon Juice with Orchid Garnish.

Doi Suthep Temple

Being blessed with the amount of wondrous temples we have come across in Chiang Mai, we decided to go find another breathtaking experience we had heard about. Known as the golden temple, the Doi Suthep temple is found up the mountains in Chiang Mai, through the rainforest and situated at the top of over 300 steps.

After a great work out to reach the top the first thoughts were you were walking straight inside a huge temple. To my delight the doors I walked through opened up into a large courtyard with smaller temples, statues, walls of candles all surrounding a glowing golden temple. With the sun shining off it all over allowing it to glow in gold it almost looked like it was the sun of Thailand. 

For the most part of this adventure I was speechless, everything was so perfectly crafted even on a huge scale. The talent was incredible. Stumbling across a room where a monk sat and anyone can go inside to be blessed was something I needed to experience. No photos were allowed to be taken whilst sitting in front of the monk so I wasn't able to show you myself getting blessed but the experience was wonderful. Taking part in things like really make the journey that little bit more meaningful and spiritual. I had to close my eyes in the prayer position and the feeling of complete calm fell over me again as he chanted and flicked water over us whilst praying. He then called us forward and showed us to the right of him where we were giving bracelets which would protect us and give us goodluck. 

If you are travelling, embrace every opportunity that presents itself to you, you never know what it might mean to you. 

Street Food Bliss

One thing I really truly miss about travelling is the amazing street food on offer. Everywhere we went there were streets lined with stalls and independent trailers with woks and cookers on them. After getting over my initial fear of getting sick I tried some street food chicken skewers and they were amazing! There was every type of food imaginable and all cooked fresh before your eyes. 

I do miss walking down roads looking at how they make things and watching the locals cook, it was always so refreshing to see. Definitely think we need more street food instead of restaurants over here. Just look how much sushi there was (yes my obsession with sushi was in heaven in Chiang Mai) 

If you are ever travelling even if it's not in Thailand, try the street food, it's the experience as well as the taste.

Little Friends

Being a massive nature geek since I was little I LOVED the amount of nature that was just so normal to the locals in Thailand. Anyone who has seen my tattoos you will know, but in particular my lizard on my foot. So you can imagine my excitement when we noticed there were lizards everywhere in Chiang Mai. 

Simple little things in life make me happy and these little guys definitely did, especially when a lady pointed and screamed at my foot thinking there was a real lizard lying on it. Luckily she saw the funny side when I rubbed it to show her it wasn't real. (It's not even a realistic tattoo)

Tuk Tuks.

One thing I was particularly excited to see and try in Thailand was the Tuk Tuks. They are like scooters and cars mixed together but are all brightly coloured and just one of the coolest things I've ever seen. If they were road legal in the UK I'd have to get myself one for pottering around in.

We had a lovely first experience in one, with a very sweet man driving us who also had an amazing moustache. They have many things in their cars and Tuk Tuks for protection so at the top of them it almost looks like a little shrine. I loved this as each were different and personal, so it allowed you see things that meant so much to the drivers without even knowing them. Little insights into their traditions were so refreshing.

Sleeper Train

After a short stay in Bangkok we had to move North to Chiang Mai. After researching ways of travel through Thailand we chose to take a sleeper train north for 14 hours. Not knowing how clean or nice the train would be but the thought of sleeping in a bed on train was pretty exciting. 
On arrival I was surprised with how nice it was, it wasn't anything amazing but there were little rooms of 2 bunk beds in each room. I had the top bunk which was quite private with a curtain that goes across the room cutting it off from the aisle on the train then a curtain which closes off your bed from the room. Even the beds were pretty comfortable so I was happier knowing it wasn't really how I pictured it. (Pictured below was my bed for the night)

As the heat outside is so hot nearly everywhere has air conditioning which is usually heavenly when you step into it from being in the heat. On this occasion it wasn't so pleasant as the air con was like Arctic winds. It was set in the ceiling and because my bed was underneath it, my night was not one I'd want to relive. Apart from being freezing the journey was really enjoyable and an experience I'll never forget.

Arriving in the morning in Chiang Mai was a bit of a rush as I had finally fell asleep in the morning and woke up with 5 minutes to get off the train before it went onto its next stop. We all got off safe without forgetting anything (miracle) then went on to get our first Tuk Tuk to our new hotel, The Small Hotel.

Iced Lemon Tea

Although I believed Thailand would be totally different to the UK I was massively surprised to see Burger Kings, Starbucks, McDonalds and Boots everywhere on every street in Bangkok. The first day we had chance to explore the heat was still so new to us, the humidity was just incredible, so yes, we caved and decided to go to Starbucks to see how different it was from the UK. 

Yet again Thailand impressed us with how tasty everything was and the presentation. Starbucks in Thailand have different flavours so I opted for Iced Lemon Tea as it sounded refreshing (exactly what I needed in the 30 degree sun). I can safely tell you this was one of the most amazing drinks I have ever had. I'm already hoping it gets introduced in England soon. To make this experience even better a man came around giving us free mini tasters of other drinks, then cakes. 

Just sat in the middle of Bangkok having a Starbucks felt so surreal. It still didn't feel like we were abroad or really left the UK. But the feeling of total freedom was coming on strong and fast, a feeling I've been chasing all my life.

Lanterns and Lights

On arrival in Thailand everything seemed so surreal. I'd been waiting my whole life for a chance to travel, dreaming about the heat in paradise, the smells, everything. Now I have this chance and it all feels like my dreams, like I'm not really here. 

After a lengthy taxi ride we arrived at our first hostel, which wasn't as bad as people make out by the way. We had our own little pods where our beds were, with lockers for our bags, everything was safe and clean. We settled in and finally built up the courage to go exploring. As the area we were in wasn't central Bangkok there wasn't much around but we stumbled upon a little restaurant where we sampled our first meal in Thailand. Noodles and chicken (yes I played it safe) the noodles of course I expected to be hot, but as a pleasant surprise they were cold, with a soy sauce dip for the noodles before eating. First meal for me...Well Done Thailand!

Night falls early this time of year as it's their winter so when we walked home it was dark but so much prettier than the UK. Lanterns lit the streets, reflecting off the trees which backed onto giant buildings of lights and noise. It was like another world. It was magical.

New Faves.

Have to share these with you! Little diamond earrings I found and at an amazing price. Perfect for summer to show off the shine in the sunshine! It's a heart themed summer without me even noticing lately. Have a first look at the new pandora heart ring on my instagram before it goes up on here!

But seriously, HOW CUTE ARE THESE?!

Thankyou!

This made my day!

I know it's not a huge amount but to have 2,000 people taking notice of what I do, to me, it's very exciting! Thankyou to all those who follow my instagram! (If you want to the link is at the top of the page under the header!)

The Big Adventure!

I'm back!

Sorry for the lack of posts for the last month but I have been on one amazing adventure backpacking around Thailand! Lots to catch up on and so many amazing things to share with you! There has also been some very exciting news on the modelling front too so keep your eyes peeled for updates coming from now on!