The trip began with a rather cool morning, accented by a persistent drizzle. Thankfully, what our morning lacked in literal sunshine, our bright and cheery tour guide more than made up for with his sunny disposition. As our packed tourist van set off, he turned around in the front seat and introduced himself with a wide smile, a smile that would rarely leave his face as the trip […]
Sitting in my seat on Vietnam Airlines flight number 836 destined for Hanoi, I reflect on the last few days spent in Siem Reap… after our Angkor Wat tour the previous day, Saffron and I had dinner at the hostel then set off with a group of fellow travelers to enjoy a night on the town. We head north and are soon inundated with the pulse of Pub […]
Siem Reap, Cambodia and its famous ruins of Angkor Wat was my only contribution to the planning of this trip and I had the absolute best time of my life…so bear with me for a rather lengthy post. After wasting a entire day at the hostel bar in Phnom Penh, we set out to the bus station to take a sleeper bus to Siem Reap. Departing the station […]
This post touches on the dark side of humanity; past, present and most likely future. So buckle up. Yesterday we departed our island paradise to travel by sea and land to our next destination, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The itinerary suggests eleven hours of travel, hopping from van to boat to bus to van to cover roughly the same distance as the 35 minute flight here from Saigon a […]
Our third morning in Phu Quoc greeted us with a cloudless sky. The morning heat is mild, but it reminds me of when the ominous music begins to play during a scary movie…you know that the killer is going to sneak up on you sometime soon, yet you are still somehow caught off guard when it pops out with a wicked smile. After a quick breakfast we pop […]
Compared to the grueling 27 hour door-to-door travel experience of a few days prior, our 35 minute flight from Saigon to Phu Quoc Island via Vietnam Airlines was like falling off a log. Shuttle buses offered to carry travelers into town on the western shore, about 6 miles from the airport, for $2.25 but taxis at the curb charged $4.50 for the two of us so it was […]
Lanza was gracious enough to let me sleep until 11 AM before he dragged me out of bed to tour some of the major sights the city has to offer. Admittedly, going out until nearly six in the morning before a full day of sight-seeing is not exactly ideal, and I do not recommend it unless you enjoy discreetly vomiting in public parks. We walked a distance to […]
Our second day in Saigon (a name still used interchangeably with Ho Chi Minh City) began early, basically as the sun rose. For my complimentary breakfast I opted for sweet and delicious banana pancakes, and even more delicious iced coffee. The Vietnamese drink their coffee rather sweet, with a generous amount of sugar and milk. Yet the end result is not overwhelmingly saccharine and the distinct notes of […]
With a scheduled departure at 1:15 PM from Chicago’s O’Hare International airport, we await the arrival of our Uber Wednesday morning. Our first leg of the flight has us staring down a 16 hour non-stop (I didn’t know a plane could remain aloft so long) to Hong Kong. Then a 3 ½ hour layover before wearily shuffling aboard another flight to Saigon for a total travel duration of […]