When I got up today at SCST (my new acronym for Soul-Crushing Six Thirty) the view was definitely clearer. It was still misty and overcast, but you could see further along in the distance. When you can actually see what's around you, the landscape is magnificent: we sailed all morning and as far as the… Continue reading Halong Bay, Part 2
Author: Martin Towers
Halong Bay, Part 1
I woke up at a soul-crushing 6:30 today to be picked up for my Halong Bay cruise!Halong Bay is this amazing site with all the limestone rocks jutting out of the water that you've probably seen a million times in magazines or movies. It's 180 km from Hanoi, which in Vietnam takes at least four… Continue reading Halong Bay, Part 1
The French Quarter, the History Museum, Hoa Lo Prison
After overextending yesterday, I slept in today and took it slow over breakfast. Today's my last day in Hanoi, and I used it to visit the last few items on my list.I got out at about 10 and walked along Hoan Kiem lake, all the way until the French Quarter. It's still gray and misty,… Continue reading The French Quarter, the History Museum, Hoa Lo Prison
The Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature
Sleep is awesome, you guys! You should totes try it! Last night I fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow at around 20:30 -I woke up wide awake at 2AM, thinking the jet lag was going to screw me over, but next thing I know my alarm is waking me up at 7AM.The… Continue reading The Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature
The Old Quarter of Hanoi
So we left off when I left the cozy hotel at what must have amounted like 5AM my time on no sleep to delve into the chaos that is the Old Quarter of Hanoi. I figured I would just walk around the area for a bit until I became tired again -I took the Lonely… Continue reading The Old Quarter of Hanoi
To Vietnam, by way of Hanoi then Da Nang then Hanoi again
Another year, another adventure: this time I came to Vietnam!I took on a direct Vietnam Airlines flight that turned out not to be so direct when, after more than 10h in the air, we received the news that visibility was insufficient in Hanoi. They diverted us to Da Nang (which added an hour on the… Continue reading To Vietnam, by way of Hanoi then Da Nang then Hanoi again
River Street, the Owens-Thomas House, City Market
Last day in Savannah, last day of holidays... It's coming to an end, peeps!Allegedly we were going to suffer storms today, but while it was cloudy most of the day, it didn't rain at all, so we got to be outside as long as we needed. Our first task today was to walk the length… Continue reading River Street, the Owens-Thomas House, City Market
Bull Street, the Telfair museums, Bonaventure Cemetery
'What a day! Today it was sunny and a balmy 28°C!! Inside a store I overheard the owner say he was from Florida and for him this qualified as "cool". Well, I live in Versailles, and for me this qualifies as August!!Our main mission today was to walk the length of Bull Street, a scenic… Continue reading Bull Street, the Telfair museums, Bonaventure Cemetery
Beaufort, road to Savannah, Broughton Street
Today we had to leave Charleston behind -I didn't get to take a picture of the pineapple fountain! I'll have to go back- on another gloriously sunny day, but before heading out to Savannah, Georgia, we stopped by Beaufort, South Carolina, at the behest of our guidebook. It's a small town on the coast, and… Continue reading Beaufort, road to Savannah, Broughton Street
King Street, Nathaniel Russell House, The Battery
We got off to a rocky start in Charleston last night when we landed at Charleston International (sigh) Airport and went to pick up our rental car. Turns out we had made a mistake in our reservation and booked the car to be returned one day early, and trying to make any change in the… Continue reading King Street, Nathaniel Russell House, The Battery