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…
Tag: beautiful
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….
Ko Lanta, Thailand
A few weeks ago my mom visited me in Thailand! After visiting Sanpatong and a few market, waterfall, and elephant-filled days in Chiang Mai, we headed South for the laid back islands and beaches of Thailand. Before this trip I had only been to southern Thailand once, when I spent a weekend in Krabi, so…
A Weekend in Krabi, Thailand
Last weekend I finally had an opportunity to explore Southern Thailand. We had a long weekend for Thai Constitution Day, so my friends and I headed to Krabi to enjoy a weekend on the beach. We stayed in Krabi Town, the capital of Krabi Province and a cute little town on the Andaman Coast. We…
Celebrating Loi Krathong
This year while my family and friends were stuffing their faces with turkey and pie for Thanksgiving, I was celebrating Loi Krathong in Thailand! It is purely coincidence that Loi Krathong fell exactly on Thanksgiving this year, but I was happy to have a reason to celebrate while far from home. Loi Krathong is a…
A Weekend in Nan, Thailand
This weekend my fellow foreign teachers and I ventured away from our home in San Pa Tong to Nan, Thailand’s Northeastern-most province, which borders Laos. Just a cozy 5-hour night-bus away from the city of Chiang Mai, Nan is a rural province that borders Laos and is known for its spectacular national parks, the most…
Grand Palace, Bangkok
I have been to some beautiful mountain tops that can’t be beat, but the Grand Palace in Bangkok is by far the most beautiful man-made structure I have ever seen. It’s not just one Palace, but a complex of temples and buildings where the king lived for centuries (until the mid 1900s). The Grand Palace…
Rock Climbing at Silvermine
On Friday morning I headed to my job for what I expected to be another normal workday. At about 9AM my boss informed me that he would be leaving to go rock climbing with a visiting supplier at around 10:30, and asked if I would like to join. Determined to be open to lots of…
Wine Tasting in Stellenbosch
A trip to the beautiful wine lands that surround the city is at the top of every well thought out Cape Town to-do list. On Thursday, I was finally able to visit wineries in Stellenbosch and I can confirm that the famous wine lands truly live up to their reputation. The mountain backdrop behind the…
Limpopo
Last week I had the exciting opportunity to travel outside of the Western Cape to work on a collaboration beer with a brewery in Limpopo, a province in northern South Africa. My coworkers and I took a two hour flight to Johannesburg, followed by a five hour drive to Haenertsburg, a small mountain town of…