Trang An Boat TourAfter breakfast this morning, I took a taxi to one of the biggest tourist destinations in the Ninh Binh province: the Trang An Boat Tour. This is a three-hour ecotourism boat ride that takes you down rivers, past steep limestone mountains, to various temples, and through a number of caves. There are …
One of the stops I've been most excited to get to is Ninh Binh, where I had read about stunning landscapes and access to rural Vietnam. This morning, I hopped on a train that carried me from Hanoi to Ninh Binh, and then I took a taxi to the town of Tam Coc within the …
Today, I continued exploring parts of Hanoi's Old Quarter that I didn't get to see yesterday. My first realization when I started out my day today was just how much having San by my side yesterday had kept me from dealing with scammers targeting tourists. I haven't had to deal with this in any of …
Yesterday, I contacted an organization called Hanoi Free Private Tour Guide at my hotel's recommendation, signing myself up for a half-day walking tour of theirs that supposedly occurs every morning at 9am, which would take me around Hanoi's Old Quarter. This is not at all the tour I ended up going on, but that was …
Sai BatI wish that I could say that I was up before the rooster crows this morning, but it turns out that roosters start crowing dang early. Regardless, my alarm was set for 4:45am today so that I could get up to see the daily sai bat (morning alms) occur. This is when the hundreds …
My goal for today was to make it out to the Kuang Si Waterfalls about 18 miles from Luang Prabang. Getting thereIn the late morning, I found a tuk-tuk driver looking for passengers. This wasn't hard to do, as there are many drivers who sit on their vehicles asking if passers-by need a ride, which …
Morning marketThis morning, I stepped onto the street outside my hotel to find the morning food market bustling. The streets acted like a grocery store, with fruit, veggies, eggs, grains, fish, meat, and countless other food items available for purchase. Included as options were the freshest chicken possible (that is, alive) and having one's meat …
So, I'm absolutely still not feeling 100%, but I am somehow sticking more or less to my itinerary and feeling fine when it matters most. (AKA - when it's time to eat!) I flew from Chiang Rai via Bangkok into Luang Prabang, Laos, today. Both of those flights were quite short, so I was able …
Unfortunately, my adventurous eating has caught up with me and I've been feeling sick since yesterday afternoon. I was supposed to take the 2-day slow boat down the Mekong River beginning today, ending up in Luang Prabang in Laos. I decided that feeling unwell while stuck on a boat for two days sounded like a …
Today, I went to visit two of the most popular attractions in Chiang Rai: the White Temple and the Black House. I started off by taking the public bus to the White Temple for 20 baht, which was a 30 minute-long trip. Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)The Chiang Rai-born artist Chalermchai Kositpipat designed this temple, …
Journeying Jasmine 