My favorite beaches are the ones on the Konkan coast. Quiet, calm, and serene, these beaches are far from those typical commercialized beaches, where hawkers and bystanders will keep irritating the hell out of you. The sea water is clean, so much so that you can spot a variety of fishes and sea shells from a distance. When the cold water splashes against your feet, you can't help but dance with joy. The pristine white sand welcomes you, as you sit down to doodle your name on the shiny little particles. 

On a trip to the beach, dresses, shorts, leggings are your best bet. Flat shoes are more comfortable and suitable, especially the ones without any straps. I prefer those over any other variety, because you can quickly get rid of your footwear when you spot a virgin beach in the middle of nowhere. I always carry one or two pairs of osho flats in different colors. 

While we are on the topic of apparel and accessories, I must add that you get some fabulous accessories in Sawantwadi. I picked up some funky bangles and cute earrings during my recent trip. As they say, "When you are travelling, take some time out to shop for local favorites."

If you like experimenting with food, then you shouldn't shy away from trying the local delicacies. Konkan is famous for its non-vegetarian delights, and the never ending love affair that we maharashtrians have with 'Kokam Sharbat' (you can see me posing with a glass, in the photograph above). So when in Konkan, have your share of Malvani macchi fry and Malvani Chicken Sukka. Vegetarians, don't fret! You will get the best Kaju malvani masala and Vangyacha bharit, which will leave your taste buds happy.

Outfit Details:

Top - Asos

Leggings - Mango

Chain with pendent - Hill road, Bandra

Shades - Valentino

Footwear - Linking road, Bandra

Watch - Gift

Best time to visit Konkan - October to February

If you are a Mango fanatic like me, visit Konkan during the summer season to gorge on endless number of mangoes.

Love
The Dancebee

The title of this post is not related to the book written by Amitav Ghosh in any way. But, I must add, that I was inspired by the book, when I saw its cover on Flipkart. We shot this post at a fort named Ratnadurga, which was won by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from Adilshah in 1670. It was used as a watch point to keep an eye on the pirates.

If you are in the mood to an ethnic touch to a basic essentials, try this look! As I wanted only the Dhoti pant and accessories to stand out, I opted for a basic navy blue tee. These dhoti pants are extremely comfortable and can add a touch of 'desiness' to your outfit. Also, the Ghungroo neck piece added an extra dose of desiness.

I don't have any nail paint on as I avoid wearing them while travelling (simply because I love eating local food with my hand sometimes and I don't want the color of Turmeric to ruin the colour on my nails. I hope you are not someone like Oprah, who has a problem with people who eat with their hands). For lips, I've mixed the shades 'Addis abiba' by NYX (lip creme) and 'Cherries in the snow' by Revlon. If you are wondering why I have some 'Kumkum' on my forehead, it's simply because this photo shoot was done after a visit to the temple.

So, how many of you love adding a 'tadka' of desiness to your outfit? Let me know.

Outfit Details
Tee - Marks and Spencer
Dhoti pants - Globus
Aviators - Ray Ban
Accessories - Hill road and Glamour Grammar

Love
The Dancebee

I haven't done an outfit post since a very long time. So, I decided to take time out and ask my sister to click some pictures during my recent trip to Konkan. Yes! The beautiful coastal region of Maharashtra where people like me are allowed to go berserk on Mango based dishes, Jackfruits, Cashewnuts, Coconut water and more. You may think, 'Wow, That's a lot of calories', but I believe that when you are Konkan, never miss out on these amazing things. After all, the Konkan region is home to the original, pure Alphonso Mangoes (Unlike the almost there alphonso mangoes that you get in Mumbai, these are 100% organic & they taste heavenly) and all the other food items I mentioned earlier.

Now, let's talk about the outfit. Every year during Summer, I experiment with different colors. Be it apparel, accessories, shoes etc, I like to dress up mixing up colors in my outfit. Plus this year, the neon trend gave me a chance to experiment further with different neon shades. I got myself a Lime Green Cardigan and I've been in love with it since then. The material is extremely comfortable. Another product is the NYX addis abiba lip creme, which is an almost neon pink shade. Apart from the usual neon stuff, I found a super comfortable pair of pink pants at Chemistry. Not only can they be used for an casual outing, but I can dance in them too.

So, on the 3rd day of our trip, I decided to play with some colors here and head to the Ganpatipule temple and beach in style. The aim was to incorporate my favourite colors in the outfit and still feel comfortable. Also, I got a beautiful aquamarine necklace and decided to give it a try along with this outfit.

The outfit post is named 'Colors are the smiles of nature' as it's one of my favourite quotes by Leigh Hunt.