Travel with me: Sri Lanka

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well.
Recently I got the opportunity to go to Sri Lanka with two of my closest friends for a holiday and it was such a memorable holiday that I really wanted to share some of my favourite memories and the top 5 places we visited whilst we were there.

1. Horizon hill top villa, Unawatuna
The first place on my top 5 is actually the hotel that we stayed at for the week we were there. The hotel itself is fairly small and is situated on the south coast of Sri Lanka in a town called Unawatuna, where it sits on the top of a hill looking out over the sea. The staff were extremely friendly and the hotel was so well kept. We were so lucky and we ended up getting the sea view apartment and the views we had were absolutely incredible and was just the right amount of space for the 3 of us. The cost of the hotel was very reasonable and activities were planned everyday for us when we told them what we wanted to see.

2.  Jungle beach
Out of all the beaches we went to this was by far our favorite so we ended up visiting many times and it was very close to where we were staying. It was quite a small private beach and required you to walk through the jungle to get to it which added to the excitement. The sea was lovely and not too rough and the beach itself was amazing. We visited one side of jungle beach which was right by the Japanese peace pagoda and was slightly smaller than the second and more private. The second place was the other side further along from the peace pagoda and also had a small café which sold cocktails and snacks which was perfect for us being their all day.

3. Yala National park
Yala national park was by far my favorite place that we visited whilst we were in Sri Lanka. The national park itself was not in Unawatuna so we did have to travel 3 hours from the hotel to get to it but it was definitely worth the long journey. Me and my friends had made a list of places and things we wanted to see whilst we were in Sri Lanka and at the top of my list was so to see an elephant but not in a sanctuary or zoo and this is where I finally got to see what I wanted. We seen so many animals and the safari itself was a good length of time and we were so blessed to have such lovely weather and lovely people showing us around.

4. Koggala
Next on my list is Koggala which is a small coastal town in the Galle district not far from Unawatuna. We spent the day driving around Koggala in a tuk tuk and did a number of activities including a lake safari, visiting Buddhist temples and going to the turtle sanctuary. The lake safari was amazing and the views were incredible, we went to 3 different islands where Buddhists lived and also where cinnamon was made by some local residents. We also got to visit Koggala beach which again was beautiful but the water was rough and we weren't able to actually go into the sea.

5. Galle fort
Last but not least is Galle a historic site in the southern region, this place really gave us a feel for what Sri Lanka is like and what it was also like in the past. The area has been adapted to attract tourists by adding souvenir shops and activities such as getting your photo taken whilst holding a monkey but I liked how it still had a traditional feel. It was lovely to have a walk around and there were some perfect spots for photos to be taken and to admire the views.

Overall my trip to Sri Lanka was absolutely incredible and nothing like any place I have been before. We went at the end of June which for the south region is supposedly monsoon season however we didn't have any problems with the rain and when it did rain it would only last about 20 minutes and was often in the evening. Sri Lanka would be perfect for a family vacation, a honeymoon or like us a trip with friends. I have made some very special memories In this place and I really hope to go back some day. Thank you Sri Lanka!

Hotel we stayed at: http://www.thehorizonvilla.com/

Thank you for reading

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

Don't forget to follow me/contact me on:
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18 things I want to achieve whilst I'm 18

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well,
So recently it was my birthday and I turned 18 so I thought why not make a blogpost based around being the big '18'. I was always so excited about turning 18 and becoming an adult because I couldn't wait for the independence and also being exposed to many more opportunities that will help me later on in the future. For a person who still struggles to tell a doctor what is wrong with them without the comfort of their mum it is a also a scary thought for me because I now have to make some big decisions for myself and these decisions are ones that will decide how my future pans out.

I decided to do a post today on 18 things I want to achieve whilst I'm 18 because this year I really want to focus on trying new things and also making my dreams a reality. Every year I make a list of goals I want to achieve and add to my bucket list, this bucket list however has been pretty neglected over the last couple of years and I think this year is the year to get some of them ticked off. Some of these may be very simple but they mean a lot to me and some are very adventurous so it might take some time to face my fears and actually go through with them but I'm very excited to get started on achieving these goals.

1. Learn to drive
As soon as I turned 17 I was desperate to drive but with moving to Dubai I had to postpone that until I moved back to the UK and I'm moving back this year so its the perfect time to start my lessons.

2. Get a full time job
I have decided to take a gap year before starting university so to fund this gap year I'm going to need a job. I really want to be able to get a full time job that excites me to wake up in the morning. I know your first job is not necessary the most exciting thing but i want to be able to feel positive in some way about going each day.

3. Spend more time with family
I really want to try and spend some quality time with my family this year as I haven't got to spend a lot of time with them all over the last 2 years because I've been in Dubai so before I go off to uni I want to spend more time going out with them on little adventures and getaways.

4. Visit Europe
Even though I'm from the UK I haven't really experienced many places in Europe so this year I am going to make a solid effort to visit new countries around Europe especially with friends.

5. Sky dive
I have wanted to sky dive for so long now and now I'm finally able to I'm definitely going to try and do it this year.

6. Meet someone new
I want to meet someone new and have that person stay as part of my life as meeting new people is always so refreshing.

7. Be more positive
I have always tried to be a very positive person but sometimes I have found myself seeing the worst in a situation. I want to be able to see good in situations and understand that everything does happen for a reason.

8. Volunteer in some way
I have always been very blessed and have lived the best possible childhood thanks to the amazing support from my family and friends. Some people haven't been as lucky as I have so I really want to help at least one person to experience something I was fortunate to have.

9. Fly a plane again
If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I have had a flying lesson before and  I would love to get my private pilots license in the future so this year I want to take another lesson and get back into flying.

10. Some kind of walk or run for charity

11. Give back to someone who has given something to me

12. Get into my top university choice
As i said before I am having a gap year after I finish my A-levels this year so I really want to get into my top university choice.

13. Get back into dancing
Dancing has been a huge part of my life over the years and after taking a year out I'm really exciting to be back dancing.

14. Get back into photography
I am going to wipe the dust off my big camera and get back into photography properly.

15. Go horse riding along the beach
I have always loved horse riding and I really want to go on a ride along the beach.

16. Be more confident
This year I really want to focus on making the most out of opportunities and not be scared of saying yes to certain ones. I want to become more confident in myself and believe that I can achieve anything that I put my mind too.

17. Take a course in something that has the potential to help my future.

18. Have my blog give me at least one major opportunity that I wouldn't have gotten without it.
Starting this blog was so nerve wracking for me but since doing so I have received such positive feedback and Ive been given opportunities that I have loved so I would love that to continue this year.

Thank you for reading

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

Don't forget to follow me/contact me on:
Instagram: lydiakateashley
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Email: lydia.ashley15@yahoo.co.uk

How to style: A Pinafore dress

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well. It's really starting to warm up here in Dubai so my wardrobe is beginning to change and my cooler 'winter' clothes are being stored away. One item of clothing that always seems to stay in my wardrobe no matter what season is a dress. Dresses are great pieces because they can be layered up in winter, dressed up or down for different occasions and are really just very versatile. The style of dress i've been loving in particular this winter has been a pinafore dress which I got from new look, the reason I like this dress is because you can wear all sorts of other clothing with it for different occasions and it still looks some what classy, so i decided to show you today what I personally have loved pairing with it.

1.Casual
The first look I went for was a very casual, comfortable one which i've worn when walking along the beach or simply popping into the mall to do some shopping. The colour palette I have gone for is very monocrome with a slight pop of colour in the shoes. My favourite t-shirts at the moment are plain whit rolled sleeved ones which I have paired the pinafore dress with here. Its a very simple look and to give it a bit of colour I paired my rose gold glitter plimsolls and rose gold Michael Kors watch which just adds a little something extra to the outfit and made it seem more put together.

Plain white Tshirt: H&M Plain white jersey top
Black pinafore dress: New look pinafore dress (not the exact one, but very cute)
Shoes: New look rose gold glitter plimsolls
Watch: Michael Kors Blair Rose Gold-Tone Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch

2.Smart
This second look I went for was a smarter look which I have worn out for lunch with my family, I paired the pinafore dress with a button up shirt and some wedges to keep it more classy but still extremely comfortable in the Dubai heat. The colour palette is still fairly monochrome but this time the pop of colour is in the shirt where there is a bit of light blue. I really liked this outfit because the shirt was thin, perfect fort the warm weather and the wedges were so comfy meaning i could walk around all day without my feet hurting.

Shirt: New look white shirt (not the exact one i, but this would go perfect)
Pinafore dress: New look pinafore dress (not the exact one, but very cute)
Black wedges:Steve Madden wedges(similar)

These are the ways I love to style my black pinafore dress but obviously there are so many other ways it can be worn and so many options to pair with it. If you would like me to do another 'How to style' blogpost then please let me know.

Thank you for reading

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

Don't forget to follow/contact me on:

Instagram: Lydiakateashley

Email: lydia.ashley15@yahoo.co.uk