Flights booked for 2015. USA here we come!

I am so embarrassed.

I haven't finished blogging about our trip to Vietnam & Thailand and here I am about to tell you that we have booked our tickets to the USA!

This year has gone way too fast. It only felt like yesterday that we left to go to Vietnam and Thailand. I didn't even realise that it was down to the crunch that it was time to book tickets!

So here we are, with an awesome deal from Air New Zealand, as much as I would love to fly direct from Sydney to LA, you just couldn't miss the deal for $800 return flights! So we booked our tickets yesterday, and will be due to leave in Feb 2015!

This will be our third time that we've been to the US, and we're just as excited as when we went the first time!

We will be there for my husbands family reunion, and from there we will be seeing a couple of places. I can't not go to NYC, it's right there! I love the place so much there's just so much to do there. So excited!

So all my tools are going to come out soon. Skyscanner for flights, tripadvisor for reviews, airbnb for accommodation, and tripomatic for my itineraries. I can't wait!

Will let you know of the progress.

Until then,
-V

The Brooklyn Bridge. We've been there twice and still haven't seen it's glory. It's on our bucket list this time!

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Unknown Friday, November 14, 2014  No comment

Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Military Museum, Temple of Literature & Hoa Lo Museum

It started raining early morning but luckily enough the rain stopped when we were about to head out!

First stop, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum as it was only open until 11am.

Let me just say, the security before heading into the Mausoleum is STRICT! No cameras, no photos, no large backpacks, no drinks, and after seeing what I saw, I can understand why!

Top: The only photo you could pretty much take of the Mausoleum
Left: A train line in the middle of Hanoi. Amazing!

Seeing Ho Chi Minh at the Mausoleum was, to me, the best 20 seconds of my life! You walk in, and walk around the clear enclosure and walk out. There are 4 soldiers at each corner. It's silent. It's a lot to take in. It's amazing. It's free. Definitely add this to your list if you're planning to see Hanoi!

Not too far away from the Mausoleum is the Military Museum. Most museums close from 11am-1pm-ish so be sure to plan a big lunch in between these times! The museum was interesting. It it set out like a journey to see how Vietnam ventured and survived pre and post war. It also shows how the women survived through the war. An interesting attraction to see.

Some of the imagery from the Military Museum.

Next stop, the Temple of Literature, which is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese banknote. It is a temple dedicated to Confucius, so there was a lot of Chinese symbolism and characters in the temple. It was a large temple and was very serene and beautiful. There was even a couple taking wedding photos in the area. A beautiful and well aged temple that is worth seeing!

Our last stop was Hoa Lo Prison, and it was a very sombre place. Reading about it beforehand, it was a French prison where they executed Vietnamese Freedom fighters. A very interesting visit as back then it was called 'Hanoi Hilton' because of the way the US prisoners were treated in there. It was like a hotel for them compared to the Vietnamese. Very sad that the Vietnamese were treated like that. It's well worthing checking out. It won't take you longer than 2 hours as the place is quite small as they knocked down majority of the prison to make way for the Hanoi towers. Check it out if you're in the area.

It was an eventful and historic day. We learnt more about Vietnam and what they had to deal with especially during the Vietnam War. If you're in Hanoi, I would recommend seeing all these attractions. It should' t take you more than a day and they are all well worth it.

Tomorrow we're off to Ha Long bay. Yay!

Until then,

-V

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Unknown Friday, October 10, 2014  No comment

We made it! Welcome to Hanoi!

After about an hour flight, we made it to Hanoi! I loved it because as soon as we got out from the airport, the weather was about 10 degrees colder!

We chose to get an airport transfer from our airport as our hotel advised that there were a lot of taxi scams happening around there. She even provided us with a password with the driver! We found the driver as soon as we got out of the airport.

For more info about the taxi scams in Hanoi check out these sites which were really helpful:

• http://www.travelfish.org/blogs/vietnam/2012/07/17/avoiding-taxi-scams-in-hanoi/
• http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g293921-i8432-k6102589-2013_Hanoi_Airport_TAXI_SCAM_4_7_SCAMS_in_one_ride-Vietnam.html

The drive into Hanoi Old Quarter from the airport took about 45 minutes. You can tell the difference already between HCMC and Hanoi as there were less scooters and more cars! Our hotel was located in an alleyway in Old Quarter which could not be accessed by car. So when we arrived, we were greeted by the hotel manager on the street and followed her into the alleyway into our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Serene. To see my review of the hotel on Tripadvisor click here). We settled in, had a nap and decided to head out for dinner.

Hotel Serene was an awesome introduction to Hanoi! L-R: Our bed setting at the hotel, our view from the hotel room (not really a view but it's pretty tight in Hanoi), Bottom: They love their flags!

We headed out to a restaurant called Quan An Ngon as recommended by our hotel. It was a nice outdoor/indoor setting, and they had stations all around that focussed on specific styles. It was busy full of locals and tourists. The food was good and prices were reasonable. Check it out if you're in Hanoi!

Quan An Ngon: Yummy food and atmosphere

After a full stomach, we headed back to the hotel as we had a busy day tomorrow sightseeing! Can't wait to see what Hanoi has in store of us!

Until then,

-V

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Unknown Thursday, October 09, 2014  No comment

Goodbye Hoi An, Hello Hanoi!

After a long day bike riding, we decided to stay in, order room service and pack for as we were leaving for Hanoi the next day.

Let me just say that the room service at Vin Hung Emerald resort (to see my review click here) was so good and the prices were reasonable too! The Hoi An chicken rice recipe was to die for! I hammered it like crazy (or maybe it was I was starving from all the bike riding I did)! It was so yum! Definitely try it if you're in Hoi An!

Hoi An was so different to Ho Chi Minh. It really changed our perspective of Vietnam. The 6 dollar charge into Ancient town did put me off, but in a few years time I hope they use some of that money to make Hoi An better.

Danang Airpot is cute. It even has a hungry Jacks!
Our bed at Vinh Hung Emerald Resort was made up with it saying 'good luck' as it was our last night's stay!

Danang Airport is the closest airport to Hoi An, and it's about a 30-45 minute drive. The airport is small but clean, so you won't get lost at all!

Next stop, Hanoi! 

Until then,

-V

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Unknown Monday, June 23, 2014  No comment

Happy Birthday Queen! Fishing for the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend

I love how we still get to celebrate the Queen's Birthday! With that being said, it was another long weekend for us here in Sydney!

Unfortunately the weather recently has been real temperamental, but we were still determined to go out for a fun fishing day!

A couple of months ago we stumbled across Taylors Point Wharf located up North in Pittwater. It's a cute wharf, which although can get busy at times, is still a good place to relax and have some fishing fun. It's also nestled between a quiet neighbourhood and a marine naval base!

The last time we went there was on a beautiful sunny Saturday, and because of that, attracted a lot of traffic in terms of boats and yachts disembarking and doing pick ups. If that doesn't bother you (the fact that you have to reel you line in every so often) then overall it is a good place to fish. I managed to catch a leather jacket which was exciting!

The long weekend weather was terrible but we fit in about 2.5 hours fishing before it started storming down with rain. If only we woke up earlier it would have been better, but that was self inflicted from drinking the night before! My cousin did manage to catch an Octopus but it unfortunately got away! Can you believe that he caught that with raw chicken breast covered in parmesan cheese?

Taylors Point Wharf is located on Taylors Point Road in Clareville. To check it out Google Earth, click here.

Until then
-V

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Unknown Thursday, June 12, 2014  No comment

Hoi An: Heaven & Earth Countryside Tours. A must do!

I initially wanted to go see My Son, a UNESCO listed attraction but decided to stay in Hoi An and do a bike tour. I found it a bit expensive to go out there, even with a tour and we didn't have a lot of time in Hoi An.

We decided to do a tour with Heaven & Earth Countryside tours. Check out their website here.

The price was reasonable and we chose to do the Afternoon countryside tour which was about 5 hours. To check out my review on TripAdvisor, click here.

It was the best decision to do it! It really changed our perspective on Vietnam. People still work hard and lead a simple life. It was actually quite inspirational. We were taken to places where people made the simplest things - straw mats, incense sticks, and even the bamboo fishing boats. It was one of the best tours and if you do go, I recommend doing it!

These photos don't even do the tour justice! You really have to do it to experience it!

After all that cycling, we decided to stay in for the night. We were leaving the next morning and we were dead as.

Even though we were in Hoi An for a short time, it did treat us well. It was good to get away from the hustle and bustle of HCMC.

Next stop, Hanoi!

Until then,

-V 

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Unknown Tuesday, June 03, 2014  No comment