• ho chi minh mausoleum hanoi vietnam agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Bich Dong Pagoda & Obama’s Bun Cha

    Hello, everyone! This week, let me take you to other parts of Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Bich Dong Pagoda, and the famous Obama’s bun cha! Well, no, Obama doesn’t own a bun cha restaurant… I said that because it was the place where Obama and the late Anthony Bourdain ate bun cha together when they were in Hanoi ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜ Okay, let’s start with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum! Travel to Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum What’s so special about this place? As the name suggests, it’s the burial chamber of the late Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary and ex-president of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh or Uncle Ho was a…

  • Girl smile in front hanoi train street agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Hanoi Trip: Bรกnh Mรฌ, Cafรฉ Dinh Egg Coffee, Train Street, Sen Tรขy Hแป“ Buffet

    This week, let me take you on a food tour in Hanoi! We’ll be sampling the famous bรกnh mรฌ (Vietnamese-style baguette), Cafรฉ Dinh’s egg coffee, and visitting the train street + a popular buffet restaurant, Sen Tรขy Hแป“ ๐Ÿ˜‹ I had one last good brunch on Era Cruises before the tour group departed for Hanoi. It was good weather for a Hanoi trip, not too sunny or cloudy. There was a small boat that transferred us back to the cruise port. From Halong Bay, we took the express highway and reached Hanoi in just two hours. Else, it would take four hours! On the way to Hanoi, we stopped in a…

  • girl sit beside jacuzzi bathtub window sea halong bay era cruise agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Halong Bay Cruise Review: Era Cruises

    Hi, everyone! It’s been two weeks since I saw Maksim Mrvica LIVE and stood beside him… Gosh, I wish I could turn back time. Not sure when he will return to Malaysia ๐Ÿฅฒ Luckily, long before the concert, I already booked a Vietnam tour that included a 2D1N Halong Bay cruise with Era Cruises. The trip cheered me up a bit… I used to ponder, why do I like the ocean but am not a fan of beaches? ๐ŸŒŠ๐Ÿค” I just can’t stand sitting on a beach for hours, doing nothing under the hot sun. Okay, there may be beach umbrellas but the weather would still be hot. Plus, my…

  • asian girl fashionable flowery dress avignon france agirlnamedclara
    Life,  Money

    That’s Amore: Some Love Lessons for This Week

    Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! ๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿ’– I’ve been waiting for this day. Finally, I could meet the Crown Prince of Piano, Maksim Mrvica, in person and watch his concert. Yaaaaay!!! ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ Last Valentine’s Day was like: Me: “Do you want to be my boyfriend?” Someone: “I have a girlfriend.” Me: “Okay.” I may sound like it was all good but actually, that stung a bit. However, I feel grateful to have a happy-go-lucky personality. And for past love experiences. After so many heartbreaks, I guess it’s now easier to move on #thisis30s Thank you, next! ๐Ÿ’‹ Alright, since I’m in a lovey-dovey mood, this week I wanna share some thoughts that…

  • penguin sleeping in a shelter boulders beach south africa agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    South Africa Trip: Boulders Beach and Karoo Moon Motel (Route 62)

    Hi, friends! Psst, your small blogger turned 32 last week ๐ŸŽ‰ Actually, I wanted to skip this week’s blog post because I had a relaxing weekend. Suddenly, right now on Monday evening, I have the inspiration to share with you Boulders Beach (Cape Town) and Karoo Moon Motel (Route 62) in South Africa. I’ll take you to see cute, chubby penguins in Boulders Beach. As for Route 62… Yes the US has Route 66 but South Africa has Route 62 ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ›ฃ๏ธ There’s a cool and quirky rest stop on Route 62, Karoo Moon Motel. It’s actually a motel but it also has a restaurant. Since it’s a long ride along…

  • girl smile pose with male black ostrich oudtshoorn ostrich farm south africa agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    South Africa: Oudsthoorn Ostrich Farm, Cango Caves & De Zeekoe Guest Farm

    Hello, hello, hello, everyone! I feel excited because Christmas (and my holiday) is coming soon. What about you? The theme for this week is: tall men. So yeah, this week, let me take you to Oudsthoorn, the famous ostrich capital in South Africa! Plus Cango Caves and De Zeekoe Guest Farm ๐Ÿ˜‰ If you read my blog post last week, you’d know that Maksim Mrvica is my childhood crush (saw him on TV when I was around 12 years old). Did you know that he’s 207 cm tall?? But not only men in Balkans are tall, there are some tall birds on earth like the ostriches (up to 2.7 meters),…

  • girl hands wide open hermanus walker bay south africa agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Hermanus & Almost Whale Watching, South Africa

    This week, I feel like taking you to Hermanus, South Africa, and show you how beautiful this seaside town is. This is thanks to how I currently feel while writing this blog post โ€” serene yet wavy like the ocean, waiting for the day I meet my childhood crush (fangirling over Maksim Mrvica) ๐ŸŽน๐Ÿ™ˆโค๏ธ I decided to come to South Africa in October because it was the season for whale watching. Travellers would flock to Hermanus, boarding a ship to see the whales, sharks, and other marine animals up close. On the way to Hermanus, I kept replaying Michael Jackson’s song “Will You Be There” and the scene when Willy…

  • vredeneheim red wine tasting flower background stellenbosch south africa agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Wine Tasting & Cheese Pairing in South Africa

    If you’re a wine lover, you’ll love South Africa! This country is blessed with fertile soil and produces A LOT of wines, so you can get high-quality wine at affordable prices. With many wineries, let me take you for wine tasting & wine and cheese pairing in South Africa. I don’t drink much but I’m happy that my tour package includes 2 wine tasting + 1 wine and cheese pairing ๐Ÿ˜Š But first, let’s have a short walk in Stellenbosch, a beautiful university town! Stellenbosch, the Beautiful University Town in South Africa Located in the Western Cape province, this charming, little town is perfect for students, wine lovers, and farmers.…