• girl smile flower bridge amsterdam canal agirlnamedclara
    Life,  Money

    Overseas Wedding Invitation: Yes or No?

    Hi everyone, I hope you had productive days this week. It’s almost Friday, woohoo!! πŸŽ‰πŸ’ƒπŸ•Ί Actually, I wanted to share with you my Amsterdam trip this week but something changed my mind. First, let me ask you a question: if you get a wedding invitation but it’s overseas, will you go? Okay, let’s flashback a bit. I was scrolling Facebook until I saw my friend post images of how each zodiac sign apologises. I laughed so hard on the train 🀣🀣🀣 Of course, the image above is meant to be a joke. I’ll share with you the rest of the images later on. So, back to the topic. That image…

  • 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 😁😁😁 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: BÑnh Mì, Café Dinh Egg Coffee, Train Street, Sen TÒy Hồ Buffet

    This week, let me take you on a food tour in Hanoi! We’ll be sampling the famous bΓ‘nh mΓ¬ (Vietnamese-style baguette), CafΓ© Dinh’s egg coffee, and visitting the train street + a popular buffet restaurant, Sen TΓ’y Hα»“ πŸ˜‹ 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 πŸ₯² 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? πŸŒŠπŸ€” 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…

  • 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 πŸŽ‰ 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 πŸ˜‰πŸ›£οΈ 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…

  • man in infinity pool look at jungle bucu view resort ubud agirlnamedclara
    Money,  Travel

    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? πŸ™‹β€β™€οΈπŸ™‹β€β™‚οΈDon’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…

  • christmas at koral restaurant apurva kempinski bali agirlnamedclara
    Money,  Travel

    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)πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰ 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,…

  • 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 β€” serene yet wavy like the ocean, waiting for the day I meet my childhood crush (fangirling over Maksim Mrvica) πŸŽΉπŸ™ˆβ€οΈ 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…