Hi, friends! I hope you’re doing well so far, it’s already the middle of the month ๐ This week, I’ll take you for a day trip to Vietnam to see Tam Chuc Pagoda, one of the largest pagodas in the world. Prepare your walking shoes, jacket, and hat for the long walk! I went to see this famous Buddhist temple with my mom and sister. One of the perks of joining a group tour is you can visit far far away places without having to worry about transportation. According to Google, it takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes from Hanoi to Tam Chuc Pagoda. It was a wonderful day…
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Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum, Canal Cruise & Red Light District
Whenever spring comes, I always think of tulips. But I don’t know why, I don’t have the desire to go to Amsterdam to see the tulips bloom… maybe not yet ๐ So, this week, let me take you to Van Gogh Museum and stroll Amsterdam. We’ll board on a cruise twice and visit the famous red light district too! I went to Amsterdam twice on separate tours, just because the itinerary includes the city. Even so, I haven’t finished enjoying everything the city offers. If I ever go to Amsterdam again, I’d love to visit Gieethoorn ๐ทโต๐ Okay, so, on my first trip, I explored Amsterdam and the famous red…
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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 ๐๐๐ 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…
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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 ๐ 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…
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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 ๐ฅฒ 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? ๐๐ค 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…
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Visitting Dewata, the Biggest Starbucks in Southeast Asia
It was a rainy afternoon in Bali. My mom, sister, and I were planning to go to Penglipuran Village. However, because it was raining heavily, I suggested that we stopped by the biggest Starbucks in Southeast Asia. “Oh, you mean Dewata?”, asked my driver. Ah, so that’s it! Starbucks Reserve Dewata, to be precise. I wasn’t a coffee lover but since we were already in Bali, I wanted to check it out! Not only it was the biggest Starbucks cafe building ever, it also had its own logo and offered a different experience that you wouldn’t find in other Starbucks. First, it had its own parking lot, receptionist, garden, coffee…
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Bali Trip: Why You Should Choose Unpopular Hotels During Peak Seasons
It’s the second week of January 2023 but who’s still in a holiday mood? ๐โโ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธDon’t worry! When you focus on your job, summer won’t be too far, hehe! If you’re a conscious spender like me and are planning to travel to Bali during peak seasons, I suggest you stay in unpopular hotels over popular ones. Last Christmas, I finally realised my dream to stay in a five-star hotel in Nusa Dua. I heard that the big hotels in that area were gorgeous, so I couldn’t wait for my stay. But I found out that the experience wasn’t fully satisfying, compared to my expectation and the money spent. Staying in Popular…
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White and Blue Christmas at Koral Restaurant, Apurva Kempinski Bali
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a great holiday and Christmas (for those who are celebrating)๐๐๐ I had a memorable Christmas celebration with my mother and sister at Koral Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant under the sea. Since the restaurant was inside Apurva Kempinski Bali, we also stayed for one night there. This white and blue Christmas dinner was part of my impulsive travel bookings that I didn’t regret. If you’ve been following my blog, you may remember that in early 2022, I made some impulsive travel bookings. There were consequences to my actions, of course. I was always careful with my spending, but because of my impulsiveness,…
