Well – I’m here again in Vietnam – told you I’d be back! Lisa and I continued our tour with a full day adventure to the Vietnamese countryside, an area called Ba Vi, several hours outside of Hanoi. Ba Vi means the mountain of 3 peaks (which I attempted to highlight in the feature picture). All three peaks were a little elusive the day we visited –...
Time for friend visit #2 – woo hoo!! Lisa (friend and former Target Canada colleague) joined me for almost 2 weeks to enjoy an organized tour of Laos and Vietnam. Not gonna lie – was nice not having to plan all of the logistics and details for that stretch of time! Our time in Laos was spent in and around Luang Prabang – a city of which I had heard...
Ok! We are on to country #4 – Laos!! But don’t worry, I’m not finished with Vietnam. I’ll be back again (actually at least another 3 times) to continue to explore the country with some of my friends! In this post I am featuring some of my adventures in Vientiane (the capital of Laos) and Vang Vieng the self proclaimed adventure capital of the country (and shown...
I’ve been blown away by the incredibly beautiful and diverse landscapes in Vietnam. My next two locations (as I continued north on my way through the country) transported me to two of my “happy places” hanging out in caves and hiking. The area around Dong Hoi is known for caving and Sa Pa (bumping up on the border with China) for its rice fields and trekking through...
My trek through Central Vietnam next led me to Hue, the Imperial City of Vietnam, which housed generations of Kings and their burial tombs. I found myself charmed by the grandeur and opulence of some of its former rulers. Each King designed and built their own tomb and burial grounds as a legacy of their rule. The surrounding area was also the stage for some of the...
This UNESCO gem was the next and final stop on my adventures with Chris and Peter. This well preserved town was a key trading port in South East Asia between the 15th and 19th centuries. It’s an intriguing combination of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and European cultures. Of course our foodie adventure was complemented with a cooking class – we bought...
I’m in Vietnam…Country #3 and it marks the beginning of visits from friends from Canada and the US. With colder weather back home, it becomes the perfect time to visit me! First up – Chris and Peter have arrived, my foodie friends from Toronto. What do foodie friends do when then arrive in Hanoi? They of course take a walking food tour of the city! Known for...
So after exploring the town of Pai – I needed to continue on my way around the Mae Hong Son loop in northwestern Thailand. My preferred means of transportation was to go via a local mini-van service, but oddly the seats were all sold out (for a week) for the next leg of the trip to Mae Hong Son. That meant I need to travel on the local bus – otherwise...
After my volunteering experience, I set out to complete the Mae Hong Son Loop. This is a route of about 600km through the mountains of northwest Thailand – with a starting and ending point in Chiang Mai. The adventurous (and more dangerous) way to complete this journey is by motorcycle, but you aren’t going to see me on a motorbike this trip – I don’t...
One of the amazing things about my volunteering experience was that I had the opportunity to interact daily with elephants during that 2 week period!! Chai Lai Orchid is known for its humane treatment of their rescued elephants. There are 15 elephants on site and the eco-lodge guests have the opportunity to feed them breakfast, care for them and engage with them. So...