Wear Aloha Prints While Eating Conch on this Island
Hi friends, I just got back from one week in Providenciales (known as Provo), in the Turks and Caicos (TCI for short).
Last year around this time I escaped to Tulum for a little R+R and a lot of sun. I love gettting away this time of year. If you go on vacation late February / early March the Montreal winter weather will only be better (warmer) when you get back than when you left. While I'm on the topic of weather- I hate to brag, but... It was a steady 28C and sunny every day in TCI.
I took pictures of all of my favorite parts of the vacation from Potcakes (name for a dog), conch (pronounced "konk" not "konch" which I learned on the last day even though I ate it every day) and beaches. I wore Naked & Famous Denim's Spring Summer '18 collection everywhere. Check out the women's collection here. Aloha prints, an over-sized powder blue denim jacket and 100% cotton boxy top and wide leg pants... This collection was made for hot days and warm summer nights.
Note: This is a combination of my iPhone photos and my sister Coral's film.
We rented a little house no more than a 5 minute walk to the beach and rented a car so we could explore at our own pace. It's a small island; you can drive from one side to the other in 30 minutes... On the left side of the road! This took a little getting used to.
I found this map of all the restaurants on the island I found in a magazine left in our house. As you can see, there is no shortage of good eats.
This is the little pink Suzuki that took us everywhere. Here, we took the wrong turn down a tiny rocky road and stumbled upon this amazing view off a cliff.
The Boxy Top was the hero of the trip. 100% cotton, sleeveless and boxy. Super comfortable, this simple silhouette is easy to wear.Most afternoons were spent on the beach. The water is crystal clear, the beaches are clean and full of white sand with the exception of pink conch shells. Every day, on our walk to the beach, we would pick up 2 Potcakes that would lie in the sand and play in the water with us all day. I am a big dog lover and missing Cobalt, my blue eyed Boxer/Lab/Australian Shepherd at home, I was so happy to have this guy to hang out with.
This is only 2 of the 1000000 pictures I took with my favorite Potcake. *Send me an email if you want more pictures of dogs.
"Potcake is the name given to the dogs of the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands. It came about because the locals fed the caked remains of the cooking pot to the dogs. As generations have passed, Potcakes have evolved into a breed which is extremely smart, loyal and loving." - www.potcakeplace.com.
We visited the Potcake Place, the local Potcake rescue, and played with a litter of puppies up for adoption. If it wasn't for my 4 month old furry handful at home, I would have brought one home.
My boyfriend and I hilariously rented a Tandem for 24 hours. It was the only bike the rental shop had left and after a few Coconut Water + Rum's it felt like it was meant to be. Laughing our butts off while trying to stay balanced we made it to a near by hotel to catch our breath and reapply sunscreen on the way to Mr.Groupers.
Wearing the Aloha Dress with the drawstring belt tied at the back.
I could not get enough of the fresh fish in TCI. I ordered the blackened Grouper at Mr.Groupers. So, so good! I brought back some Blackening seasoning to try at home.
Pictured here is the Conch Fritters and Smoked Black Bean Fries from Da Conch Shack. Not pictured is the Cracked Conch. I highly recommend cracked conch. It's like Fried Calamari but better.
Cocovan is a food truck set up outside one of the fanciest restaurants on the island, Coco Bistro. Priced much more reasonably with a laid back vibe, I can only assume Cocovan is a better time. I may or may not have gone here not twice but three times for their Gorgonzala fries. Here I'm wearing the Oversized Denim Jacket with the Black Rinsed Oxford Boxy Top and Wide Pants.
This is the view from the table we sat on the beach while eating at Bugaloo's. The man working at a table in the water is cleaning the conch he just caught and we were about to eat. I got in the water with him after we ate and he showed me how almost every part of the conch is used; from bait to food and decoration.
The little restaurant, Bugaloo's, is a pink wooden house with tables that are built around tall old trees. The trees were lined with string lights- I imagine this place is beautiful at night. There's no one sitting in these seats because we got there early, before it opened.
Conch salad is like ceviche. A chopped combination of onion, green bell and scotch bonnet peppers, tomato, and conch meat with lots of lime. I love raw fish and tried the conch salad almost everywhere we went. My favorite was at the Local Fish Fry hosted every Thursday at Bright Park. My dad, with his fork in my food, agreed. Wearing the Tropical Leaves - Aloha Shirt in Navy.
Lobster on the grill at the Fish Fry.
On the 7th day in TCI my time as a beach bum was up. In the Wide Leg Pants and matching Boxy Top I was off to the airport back to Montreal. Writing to you from the shop, it might not be Aloha Dress weather but it's good to be home! Although we haven't received all of the Women's Spring Summer 2018 items I'm wearing in this post, you can use our Email When Available button and we'll send you a notification as soon as the inventory is added. We're expecting the shipment any day now.If you have any questions about fit or sizing or just want to talk food and sunshine please don't hesitate to post a comment or send me an email cierra@tateandyoko.com.
While I was writing this was playing (loudly) in the shop:
Lucky Man - Courtney John
There You Are - Watch the Duck
May I Have This Dance (Remix) - Francis and the Lights
Yours to Keep - Jordan Mackampa