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Hillary Banks + Outifits

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Six places to indulge this Pancake Day in London

London restaurants have upped their Pancake game for this years Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday as it's most commonly named. From savoury offerings, pizza and vegan pancakes there really is something for everyone to over-indulge in in London for this year's Pancake Day - and falling a day before Valentine's Day this year why not use this as the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a pre-Valentines date night or just drown your sorrows in stacks of pancakes... here are a selection of six that I think are definitely worth a visit!

Christopher's

Christopher's in Covent Garden, famed for their ultra fabulous and delicious french toast are going big this year to celebrate Pancake Day. The three specials include a multi-coloured vegan option, featuring Beetroot & Sunflower Seed, Rainbow Chard & Spirulina, and Pumpkin, Caramelised Onion & Turmeric, all garnished with pomegranate, Bee Pollen and Coconut Yoghurt. 

Personally, I'm looking forward to the French Toast one In homage to their infamous dessert, Christopher’s will re-create their French Toast in pancake form. Buttermilk French-toasted pancakes will be served with honeycomb pieces, honeycomb ice cream, maple syrup and a dusting of cinnamon – with optional chocolate sauce for those wanting it extra-sweet, this sounds right up my street!

Finally there's he Lobster one for a tad of American luxury, a lavish grilled lobster with sea kale and chorizo, all on top of a Purple & Sweet Potato Pancake. All available throughout 13th Feb.

Covent Garden, 18 Wellington St, London WC2E 7DD

christophersgrill.com

Dirty Bones

As part of Dirty Bones' brand new brunch menu they are now offering pancakes,and not just any old pancakes, double dutch pancakes! The signature dish involves a deep dish pancake topped with fresh clotted cream and blueberries, served with a shot of maple syrup. The good news is that this pancake will be sticking around after Pancake Day so there's loads of opportunity to get it down you! If you missed my Dirty Bones brunch review you can check it out here.

Kensington, Carnaby, Soho & Shoreditch

dirty-bones.com

Breakfast Club

The almighty Breakfast Club have some up with some genius creations making all of our pancake dreams come true for this year's Pancake Day. You can expect Pizza Pancakes teaming up with Pizza Pilgrims, fried chicken delicacies teaming up with Coqfighter, vegan delights and even boozy pancakes thanks to a collab with Bulleit Whiskey. 

Their famous Pancake Day challenge is also back, simply eat a stack of 12 in 12 minutes or less and win your stack on them. The specials are available from the 12 - 18 Feb but the challenge will only be available on the 13th Feb.

Angel, Battersea Rise, Canary Wharf, Croydon, Hackney Wick, Hoxton, London Bridge, Soho, Spitalfields 

www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com/events/pancake-club-2018

The Book Club

The Book Club never fail to disappoint for Pancake Day - and this year on offer is a boozy stack of fluffy American pancakes, glued together with delicious Kahlua Cream, covered in chocolate, Espresso and vodka sauce and topped with even more Kahlua Cream. If that hasn’t sold it to you then I don’t know what will. 

Grab the stack at The Book Club between 9am – 10pm on Tuesday 13th February. 

100-106 Leonard St, EC2A 4RH

thebookclub.eventcube.io/events/10140/pancake-day

Joe's Southern Table

If chicken and waffles can work so well I have all the faith in the world that the fusion of fried chicken and pancakes would be beautiful. Joe’s Southern Table & Bar in Covent Garden is passionate about deep southern flavours; their fluffy pancake stack is topped with sweet tea-brined southern-fried chicken and lathered in Jim Beam bourbon maple syrup. 

34 King St, London WC2E 8JD

joessouthern.co.uk

Polo Bar

If you have to work late or simply have no time during the day, Liverpool Street’s 24-hour favourite; Polo Bar, is your savior! This year they have teamed up with Jude’s ice cream to whip up three mouth-watering specials for Shrove Tuesday.

Don't miss the red velvet & cherry ripple ice cream stack (topped with a slice of red velvet cake OMG!!), for the traditional dessert lovers they have also whipped up a stack of apple crumble and custard pancakes complete with Jude's custard ice cream as well as a healthier alternative of tropical pancakes topped with Jude's mango and passion fruit frozen yogurt and fresh fruit. 

Their ultimate challenge is also back for another year, if you missed me being defeated the Polo bar Pancake Day challenge last year, be sure to check it out here. These stacks are only available until Tuesday 13th Feb!

176 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4NQ

polo24hourbar.co.uk

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10 things you cannot miss in Bali

Spend all day lazing at a beach club

Did you really go to Bali if you didn't spend the day chillaxing at one of their Insta-famous beach clubs. There's a number of popular beach clubs in Bali from Potato Head and Ku De Ta in Seminyak to Jungle Fish, Ubud. Luckily I arrived in Bali just a few weeks after the opening of Canggu's hottest new sunset spot, La Brisa. The mesmerising gypsy-like decor, tasty cocktails and idyllic sunset views will have you relaxed for an entire day and you'll want to get there before everybody else discovers it! You can check out my full review of La Brisa here.

Watch the sunrise and sunset

Arrive early to Seminyak Beach and secure your spot on the colourful comfy bean bags, and equally colourful umbrellas. A cute and romantic spot with gorgeous lanterns to grab a bite and a cocktail as you watch the sun go down. There's even a little band that comes out and sings acoustic which really sets the scene, they also ask for requests!

After taking in the gorgeous sunset in the West, head to the East to catch the sunrise at Sanur beach. You'll have to wake up super early for this one. Named as the “Sunrise Beach” and one of the best on the island for catching the sunrise, Maya Sanur is the perfect hotel located just steps from the beachfront. 

Sample some of the local food

Bali is home to some delicious food spots and amazing fine-dining restaurants. Eat Street in Seminyak was one of my favourite places to find the best places to dine, that were fine-dining worthy with amazing menus but don't break the bank. Chandi, Batik and Sea Circus on Eat Street along with Black Orchid in Sanur and Ubud and Moon Rabbit in Badung were my favourite dining spots. For more in depth info check out my Bali Guide!

Immerse yourself in the jungle scenery and rice fields

Ubud is like something out of a jungle fairytale, there's so much greenery and jungle to see, the perfect location for those Instagram worthy moments, I even made a little video you can view here. If you've ever seen pictures of Bali on Instagram, it's more than likely the layers greenery in the Ubud rice fields have popped up somewhere. One of the top attractions in Bali and a "see it to believe it" type of place, the trek down the steep steps is well worth experiencing the luscious palm tree overhead and you can stop off on the way down for picture opportunities. It does get quite busy and hot from all of the walking so the best time to visit would be early morning. Tegallalang is also famous for the Love Bali sign, this is just on the side of the road, to the right of the fields. There is a small charge to take a photo here and to enter the rice fields. 

The Bali swing

This place is famous for its swing that is hanging between coconut trees, high atop a hill, which offers you spectacular experience. The view of Ayung River, a mini waterfall, rice fields and Mount Agung makes your swing ride thrilling yet addictive. Zen Hideaway is a perfect place if you are looking for serenity and peace, as the rooms here are semi-open, enabling you to enjoy the fresh air and view of Ubud.

Climb a mountain at sunrise

Climbing a sacred active volcano during sunrise is a bucket list thing to do whilst in Bali. You will see it advertised on all of the tour guides that you walk past in the towns, due to the volcanic scares that were happening with Mount Agung whilst I was in Bali it was out of bounds. As well as the lack of time (no, two weeks is nowhere near enough in Bali) I didn’t get to hike up Mt Batur either, which is right now the safe and only option in terms of a volcanic mountain hike.. The trip starts very early, like 2am and there’s a tricky hike to the top in time for the sunrise. It looks like an unforgettable experience.

Shop the markets of Ubud

There are so many markets in and around Bali which sell food, clothes, souvenirs, bags, you name it. My favourites were the markets in Ubud, there’s just so much to look at. Be weary, majority of the shops pretty much sell similar or the same things and make up prices on the spot so be prepared to haggle.  My driver said they usually start at a price 75% higher than what they are willing to accept!

Visit a Waterfall

The idyllic waterfalls in Bali are a beautiful location to spend a couple of hours. I went to the Tegenungan waterfall, which is in Ubud, but I have to say it was a little disappointing, quite muddy and dirty. I’ve seen a number of other waterfalls in Bali along with secret waterfalls which look a lot more striking, particularly the Nungnung Waterfall and Git Git Waterfall.

 Get with the culture and visit some temples

Visiting temples in Bali is something you’re not going to want to miss. There’s a strong sense of culture and an air of calm at the temples and the different locations and architectures are each so unique. You have to wear a sarong to visit most of the temples; you can either bring your own or rent one on arrival. 

The Pura Ulun Danu Beratan Temple is one of the most famous and significant temples in all of Bali, as well as being one of the most photographed.  Located in the centre of the island, it sits on a calming lake up a winding mountainous road against a dreamy mountainous back drop, I visited on quite a cloudy day so unfortunately the fog up there was really thick.

You may have spotted Lempuyang Temple on travel pages on Instagram, one of Bali’s oldest temples and a highlight due to being place 1,175m above sea level with 1,700 steps to climb to get up to the peak.

I also visited the Tirta Empul Holy Spring Water Temple which is close to Ubud. The energy at this sacred temple is remarkable; the spring water is used as holy water for various religious ceremonies.

Go and visit a spiritual healer

As such a spiritual place, there are many spiritual healers in Bali, some real and of course there are always some fakes out there. After Eat, Pray, Love a lot of people had become quite sceptical as well as a lot of comments and reviews floating around online on the authenticity of these healers, I think when it comes to visiting a spiritual healer, I think the best recommendations come from the locals.

I visited Agus Sihman who is an intuitive healer and spent just over 2 hours with him cleansing my energy with a flower bath, a ton beautiful flowers involved in the session, incense and even a little gift afterwards. I strongly believe these experiences are what you make of them, I don’t take every single word literally that I’m told but it definitely makes you think about your energy and attitude and Agus gives you tips and rituals which can improve your life if you act on and continuously work on there. Be prepared to pay a price, my session cost around $100, which I think is a little high, but an unforgettable and refreshing experience nonetheless.

[helenaalyssa]

https://instagram.com/mmarisap/

[helenaalyssa]

To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea is simply not to allow yourself to get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future.

 Thich Nhat Hanh (via purplebuddhaproject)

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I am that clumsy human, always loving, loving, loving. And loving. And never leaving.

Frida Kahlo, The Diary Of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait. (via wordsnquotes)

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Meditation does not have to be hard labor. Just allow your body and mind to rest… Don’t struggle. There is no need to attain anything.

Thich Nhat Hanh (via abiding-in-peace)

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Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Don Miguel Ruiz. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. (via wordsnquotes)

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Maybe love is like rain. Sometimes gentle, sometimes torrential, flooding, eroding, joyful, steady, filling the earth, collecting in underground springs. When it rains, when we love, life grows.

Carol Gilligan (via fyp-psychology)

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Lais Ribeiro by Richard Ramos for GQ Mexico August 2016

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i don’t know what i want but i know that whatever it is i wanna be doing it with you

Unknown (via words-of-emotion)

Good Vibes here

(via words-of-emotion)

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http://iglovequotes.net/

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Take me to Maldives - http://www.tropicaldestinations.info/