I have a confession. Despite its iffy reputation, I love backpacking. And what do I mean by “backpacking”? Backpacking, by my loose and unofficial definition, is independent international travel on the cheap, typically done by young people from all over the world. Backpacking has a lot of negative connotations- namely drunk teenagers partying on beaches. But I … Read more
This post could as easily be called, “An Ode to Vietnamese Food”, as my love for Vietnam’s cuisine knows few bounds. Admittedly, I’m not that well-versed in Vietnamese cuisine. While I spent a month in Vietnam indulging in every speciality I could find I a. have never lived with a Vietnamese family and b. I … Read more
Across Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll see ads for Mekong Delta tours splashed across shop-fronts, especially in the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker district. And after hiring a guide for the Cu Chi Tunnels, canyoning and motorbiking, I decided to venture to the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s “rice basket”, on my own- no more hand-holding. Because who needs … Read more
They say Vietnam is a love it or hate it country- and its largest city, Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City, depending on whom you ask), is a city that falls into the same dichotomy. Well after a month in Vietnam, and nearly two weeks spent in Saigon alone, I firmly fall onto the “love” … Read more
I awoke on our second day of our Vietnam Easy Riders tour a bit weary from our late-night karaoke but ready for the road ahead. Our second day of the trip would take us from the pine-covered hills of the Central Highlands to the seaside city of Mui Ne. Noodles for Breakfast As a westerner it … Read more
When a Dutch stranger asks you if you’d like to drive across Vietnam on a motorcycle with him, what is the correct answer? Well for me, it was yes, see you tomorrow at nine a.m. Our Easy Riders tour of Vietnam began in the lovely, mountain-nestled city of Dalat. Our Vietnamese guides and drivers were … Read more
Deep in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, Dalat is a former French hill station that sits high up in the mountains at around 5,000 feet above sea level. Popular with domestic tourists, Dalat is a honeymoon destination nicknamed the “City of Eternal Spring” on account of its consistent temperature of around 50-70 degrees. And the mountain air was … Read more
If you’ve been reading this blog for more than about five minutes, you’ve probably realized that I’m not a huge adrenaline junkie. In fact many of the more daring activities I tried, like duck-hunting or surfing, I completely failed at all together. But canyoning – an adventure activity that can be summed up as “white-water … Read more
If anything, at the end of this Asia trip I will be able to say that this continent has changed me. I’m not certain of much at present, but I know that I will be a different person when I leave Asia than when I arrived- hopefully a slightly older, more balanced, more confident, more … Read more