To get to Laos, we had to take a bus from northern Vietnam to our next destination, Luang Prabang. The journey was billed to be 24 hours long, little did we realise this journey was going to take much longer. bus to laos # The first hurdle of the journey was sharing a wide plastic gym mat of a mattress at the back of the bus with a stranger. Thankfully it was only one other person, but it could have been up to three others. ...
After spending a few extra days in Ho Chi Minh City, Jade and I decided to take a bus up to Da Lat, a city about 330 kms north-east which is known for its cooler climate due to being a part of the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. da lat # You’ll notice that there is a lot of greenery and pine trees in the pictures going forward. A flower greenhouse. ...
This is the first time I’ve arrived in a country by boat. We took the boat up the Mekong, going through immigration before docking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A pretty easy boat ride, albeit a bit slow and uneventful. I don’t know why I expected more from the Mekong. A cold Angkor beer to kick it off. The Mekong? Yawn. We spent a little while in Phnom Penh checking out a few touristy sights such as the Royal Palace, but it’s honestly not the greatest city to visit, and I don’t recommend staying for long. ...
We’ve made it to ‘Nam. It’s good to be back, and it has been interesting revisiting this city that I had seen a few years prior with new eyes. ho chi minh city # We spent one of our first evenings in the city going on a food tour. Whilst it was an enjoyable time, it was a little underwhelming as they showed us foods we were both already quite familiar with - bun bo hue, rice paper rolls, banh mi. ...
Our first stop in the Philippines was Manila, the capital city. A sprawling metropolis, it was quite built up, chaotic and not exactly the loveliest place. However, we were only there for a few days as it’s often used a launchpad before heading to other parts of the country. manila # After a couple of days loitering around Manila, we hopped on an overnight ferry to Coron, our first true destination. ...
Ah, Taiwan. One of the places I look back on most fondly. Arriving from South Korea, we took the train from the airport to our accomodation in Taipei, the capital of the country. The streets here reminded me of some Chinese cities, but with a more expressive and open atmosphere. There was still the messy streets, the smell of street food stalls and the density of other megacities, but people seemed more relaxed and welcoming. ...
We’ve arrived in South Korea, and boy is it cold. We’ve decided to start it off by staying in the Hongdae area of Seoul due to its proximity to nightlife. This may or may not have been a mistake. seoul # Seoul is an interesting city. It’s quite busy and the nightlife is pretty bonkers, especially on the main bar streets. Our choice of staying at a party hostel was perhaps a misguided one, as we spent multiple nights getting blind and wasting the following day in bed. ...
Our next stop, Japan, has been particularly pleasant as Jade and I got to meet up with our friends Maxi and Oscar to travel around the country together. After our relatively isolating visit to China, it has been nice to catch up with some old friends. Like many tourists, we’re starting in the metropolis of Tokyo. tokyo # The streets here are plastered in various displays and Japanese typography, which lends itself to a particularly appealing look that many others are a fan of. ...
So we carry on. After finishing up in Chongqing, we hopped on a train to our next destination, Xi’an. xi’an # Xi’an is most famous for its terracotta warriors that were discovered in 1974, amongst a few other attractions. This is not to say it is a small city, as it still boasts about 12 million people. Nowhere is small in China. xi’an city wall # Our first attraction was actually the Xi’an City wall, which we chose to spend the entire day walking around. ...
It was time to tackle one of the largest and most exciting countries on our journey, the People’s Republic of China. We began by entering mainland china via Gongbei Port in Zhuhai before making our way to Guangzhou. guangzhou # We spent a few days in Guangzhou exploring the streets, particularly the streets surrounding Shangxiajiu Pedestratian Street, as there were many fashion shops for seemingly ‘boutique’ labels. Twilight sun hitting the concrete. ...