Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls

Another busy, yet entertaining week for all of us!
I have previously mentioned that my family will celebrate birthdays and anniversary along the weeks in December, right! After Nadine's birthday on Dec. 8, we celebrated my husband's birthday and our 13th wedding anniversary on Dec. 12 :). Later on, Bo, my son, will celebrate his 11th birth on Dec 18. So you can see a lot of cakes, cards, presents and hugs here. Plus some traveling and weekend gateway :).

Lovely weekend at Philadelphia

But unfortunately, the work at the UN is also at its pea :(.
Back-to-back meetings are still going strong and we are trying to wrap things up.
Wish us luck.

Chrysler Building seen from the UN Delegates Dining Room 

This week we enjoyed the screening of Kartini, the great movie by Hanung Bramantyo, about Indonesian famous feminist who fought for the emancipation of our women, back in her time in the 18th century in the old Indonesian setting. It was a  fantastic movie with such great talents, story and cinematography.

Great time watching Kartini

Then we headed to Philadelphia as well last week!
Strolling around the Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Reading Terminal Market, and a brief stop at the Amish Village. Surely I have so much to tell and so many photos to share!

the Independence Hall during the snow day..

But now, let's have our weekly party with Oh My Heartsie Girls.

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WW: the First Snow of the season in NYC

Here comes the snow!

 Is it already snowing in your place?

We actually have more that day but we left NYC and headed to Philadelphia :).

It was snowing as well there in Philly!

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun blog hopping :)

Saint Lucia at a Glimpse

Back to traveling!
Ready to see Saint Lucia at a Glimpse?
#MyItchyFeet is taking me around the globe again.
Super happy and blessed to come back to wonderful spots in the Caribbean this time!
Never thought I will get back to these amazing destinations so soon!

Remember my excellent transit at Barbados?
Read about my trip Barbados in Great Places to See in Barbados in 4 Hours.

After visiting Trinidad and Tobago (for a short transit), Barbados as well as  St. Vincent and the Grenadines last May, I was privileged to visit this beautiful region again!  
Lucky me indeed.
This time I have Saint Lucia as well as Antigua and Barbuda.
Although I came here for work, I have to admit I was super excited when I found out at the very last minute (well, around 7 days before my trip) that I would take this official trip with some high level delegates from Jakarta.

Originally, we have 4 countries on the list, which are St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and the Bahamas. But the trip to Jamaica and the Bahamas were suspended until January 2018 due to the conflicting schedule. I was so ready to hop on and off on those beautiful island countries, but even with 2 countries, it was  still a great visit.

So, let me share my trip to St. Lucia first.

We had an early morning to Castries, St. Lucia, at 6 AM from LaGuardia Airport.
We flew with American Airlines via Miami and after around 6 hours flying plus 2 hours transitbtime, we welcomed ourselves to Castries, the capital of St. Lucia.

Even before landing, the view from above is breathtaking!
I have strategically position myself on the window seat and I just couldn’t stop taking pictures! Don't blame me for that :).

Don't you just want to jump to that ocean :)

Fluffy clouds, crystal clear turquoise water and dotting islands are perfect combination that would certainly attract people’s attention. Guess I’m not the only one taking snaps of this amazing vista.

As we landed at the International airport at around  4 PM, we were rushed to the VIP lounge and waited for a while as we had our immigration process and bags were taken care of. Then after that, we werebrushed to the Prime Minister residence for the meeting, followed by the Foreign Minister. It was indeed a super productive day, and exhausting at the same time.

That's why we headed to our hotel right after the meeting and it was 9 PM already :).

We stayed at Capella Marigot Bay and it was indeed a great place to stay.
I have this huge 1-bedroom suite for myself and I was super happy!
One of the perks of traveling in official trip is I got this top-notch accommodation and local transportation to facilitate the work.
And Capella Marigot Bay is indeed a five-star hotel :).
I had a good rest and woke up with a lovely view!

The room, the amenities and the view from my balcony :)

When I woke up the next day, I took the liberty to stroll around the hotel and to Marigot Bay. Waking up to such a wonderful view is a great mood booster, I have to admit. Even after non-stop meetings directly from our trip ex New York City, I felt super fresh looking at the plush green of the mountains and that wonderful bay.

So, I took the liberty to take my morning stroll around Marigot Bay and swim at its huge pool.

Marigot Bay is beautifully stretched around the and it's famous for being the movie set for Dr. DoLittle :). Remember that funny movies starred by Eddy Murphy? Well, overlooking the Caribbean sea, Marigot Bay is indeed beautiful and has serves as the hurricane hole to provide shelter for boats during those stormy days. And It is also historical as the French and British Navies had been fighting over this beautiful island in the past several times. I have to say I wouldn't blame the Brits and French to fight over this piece of paradise!

Marigot Bay, seen from the port 

The other side of the Bay

Done with my morning stroll, we all went for the early lunch at the Pink Plantation.
What a great place indeed!.
As we stepped into this historical house turned into an art gallery and restaurant, I instantly fell in love with the architecture and the colors!
Let's take a look at some pictures I took here.
I felt at home directly.

The Pink Plantation. Don't you just love it!

Now you can see why I can't stop admiring this beautiful restaurant.
The dinnerware, the setting, the flowers, the architectures..everything is perfect!

Not to mention another breathtaking view and delicious food using local and fresh produce and ingredients they have here!
We tried the famous local grill catch of the day, Barracuda it was for me, with fried plantain and hot pepper sauce, my favorite!

They also serve salad, tamarind glazed shrimp kebab (local way of cooking) as well as smoked herring and breadfruit.
I got my delicious blend of St. Lucia local soup of the day and the grilled Barracuda.
Heaven!

Don't miss the Pink Plantation is you manage to visit St. Lucia!

Another great thing about the Pink Plantation is that it is also an art gallery. 
Michelle Elliot, the owner as well as the artist, displays and sells her wonderful art works here at the Restaurant. You know exactly I go berserk looking at all these lovely artworks.
I took home one big decorative plate, depicting the colonial houses in St. Lucia, one medium plate in purple and 4 mat places.

 One last thing abut why you can not miss the Pink Plantation is the  amazing view from its white, classic wooden porch!
Look at these photos and tell me what you think.

And finally, after such an amazing lunch, we headed to the Governor General's residence near the restaurant.
Again, here we were honored to be received by the Governor General herself, Honorable Dame Pearly Louisy.
Unsurprisingly, her elegant, colonial-inspired architecture residence has amazing vista overlooking the island and the Caribbean sea. We took the liberty to take some snaps while waiting for her.

With the Governor General of St. Lucia, Honorable Dame Pearly Lousy

So, that's my 2-day visit to St. Lucia.
Apparently it was not very touristy as I missed many popular spots such as the rain forest and the volcano. Too bad that on the second day we were there the rain was pouring very hard and we couldn't go anywhere making a quick trip to the already-closed-but-reopen souvenir shop and  stay in our hotel for dinner. The next morning we have to catch our early morning flight to Antigua and Barbuda. But Saint Lucia at a glimpse is wonderful!

Here's a short video I made for the trip to St. Lucia :)

Short but sweet,  my trip to St. Lucia is unforgettable indeed.
I might not get the chance to properly explore this beautiful country but enjoying what I can in the middle of my official visit has been a wonderful experience for sure.
I know I want to go back here again.
Next time, on holiday with my loved ones!

Have you been to the Caribbean? 
Which island you love and if you haven't which one that you want to visit?

Breathtaking View at the Governor General's Resident in St. Lucia

I was super lucky indeed!
During my last visit to St. Lucia, we were honored to have the opportunity to meet the Governor General of St. Lucia, the Honorable Dame Pearly Louisy.
She is such a lovely, gracious lady.
And after the meeting, we managed to take a little tour to enjoy the breathtaking view at the Governor General's Resident in St. Lucia, although it was cloudy and rainy at that day.

Here'e a little peek, before I came back with more stories from the Helen of the West Indies.
I took them all with y iPhone 7 Plus.

I love this porch!

 And hopefully a little selfie won't hurt :)

It is a lovely residence indeed!

And I was honored to have a little picture with the Honorable Governor General herself.

With Dame Pearly Louisy, the Governor General of St. Lucia

It was indeed a great experience there at St. Lucia.
Do you like enjoying the view from the top like this?
Where is your favorite place?

Join us of Skywatch Friday and get lost in the amazing sky from many corners of the world

Happy Happy BIrthday, Dearest Nadine

Here's to my brightest, bubbliest daughter, Nadine Frakarsa!

Happy 7th Birthday, love.

Those stoic faces! Posing with dearest Abang Bo :)

 7 is indeed the lucky number!

And we just had a little celebration at home in the morning, right before she left for school :) 

 

May Allah SWT grant you continued blessings and graceful life, filled with love, laughter and joy.

Always.

Doa terbaik Mama, Bapak dan Abang Bo untuk Obi selalu ya.

Alhamdulillahirabbil aalamiin