The famous, ultra-modern island of Singapore is at the top of most travelers’ to-do lists. The island is diverse in every way: the people, the neighborhoods, the food, etc., so I needed two posts to explain it. This first post is dedicated to the shiny, futuristic, skyscraper and super tree-filled Singapore that I was expecting….
Author: MacKenzie
Ha Giang Loop, Vietnam
Ha Giang is Vietnam’s northernmost province bordering China. It’s famous for the Ha Giang Loop, a motorbike loop through amazing mountainous landscapes, isolated villages, and endless rice terraces. Unlike Sapa, Ha Giang is off the radar for most of the tourists who visit Vietnam, probably because it requires a motorbike to see most of it…
Sapa, Vietnam
Sapa is a small town in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains in northwestern Vietnam. I took a seven hour sleeper bus from Hanoi and arrived there at around 7pm. Little did I know it would be another two hours of driving on a (very unsafe seeming) cliff side dirt road and having to walk half…
Hanoi, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City is the most populous in Vietnam, but I had way more fun in the capital. I stayed near the city’s Old Quarter, where historical buildings meet aggressive street food vendors and at night the streets are filled with people sitting in plastic chairs enjoying mugs of beer for 5,000 dong (about…
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
*Post Disclaimer: Thailand was my home away from home for six months, so I’m very biased and think it is better than everywhere else.* Throughout my month in Vietnam, I constantly heard other backpackers at hostels either raving about the beauty of the famed Ha Long Bay, or discussing how it was the most important…
Tam Coc, Vietnam
Ninh Binh is a small city on the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. Surrounding areas like Tam Coc and Trang An are filled with caves, limestone karsts, mountains, rivers and rice fields. The (intensely green) landscape is dotted with cute, little homestays that sit at the end of dirt paths that turn into mud…
Phong Nha, Vietnam
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is in Northern Central Vietnam. It is a protected area known for its huge caves and breathtaking limestone karsts. The actual town of Phong Nha is little more than a short street with a few hostels, tour companies, and restaurants, and there is a small village next to the river….
Hai Van Pass, Vietnam
The cheapest way to get from Hoi An to Hue, Vietnam is also the most fun: take a motorbike. The drive takes you past the beautiful beaches of De Nang and through Hai Van Pass, a famously beautiful 21 kilometer mountain pass. I did it myself, and it worked out really well because I just…
Hoi An, Vietnam
I took a 13-hour night bus to Hoi An, a coastal city with colorful architecture. I spent most of my time there wandering around the Old Town and near the river. Once a major port and silk exporter, Hoi An is still known for its tailors, where custom-made clothes can be bought for a fraction…
Da Lat, Vietnam
Da Lat, a mountain town famous for its coffee, was an unplanned stop on my trip through Vietnam. From Mui Ne, the only buses available were either back to Saigon or North to Da Lat, so I chose to keep moving North as planned and figured I would just stay a night in Da Lat….