The room we stayed in at the fancy hotel had a single bed added in for me - it was right up against my Dads side of the bed. Flashes of childhood bedtimes were had for at least an hour while we threw pillows at each other, shone the adjustable light in each other's faces (while making goofy faces) and just generally giggled until tears streamed down our faces and Mom sternly told us to go to sleep. We were up early to take advantage of the incredible breakfast buffet set out by the Essence hotel in Hanoi. I stuffed myself (since I had a whole day of travel ahead and it was part of the room cost!) on all kinds of delicious Vietnamese foods. My last meal in Vietnam! Sad to see the end of ... read more

My night bus from Sapa to Hanoi was actually not as bad as I expected. The bus had small beds you could stretch out on, which meant that I actually had a pretty good sleep. I still didn't fit in them very well, but it was much better than a regular night bus! I got back into Hanoi around 6:00 am and went to the hostel, dropped off laundry, had some food then went to my appointment with the tailor to try on some of the clothing she is making to check the fit. One of my dresses was almost finished - and it is going to be gorgeous! The rest of the stuff fits so well I'm very excited to wear it all - but I'll be shipping it home to wear for work, so ... read more

My last blog left off with one more day in Hanoi, I filled it with a bicycle cab ride around the city, going to the fabric market with a tailor to pick out fabric for the clothes I'm getting made and then dinner with my parents and Alaysia. My last night there involved me organizing my gear and going to bed early since our bus to Sapa left at 7am. It was an uneventful ride through some beautiful countryside and up a very windy mountain road that included a few significant near misses and passing big trucks on a blind corner with double solid lines. I actually don't know why they even paint lines, not a damn soul ever follows them... In any case we made it in one piece and settled into the hostel in ... read more

Just finished my last day of work until 2016! I will be doing some final organizing tonight and enjoying a beer in the cold on the top deck so I remember to appreciate the warm weather I'm lucky enough to get for two months! I fly out first thing tomorrow morning, and I've got 24 hours of travel until I arrive in Hanoi so it's going to be a long haul. I do land late at night so should be able to adjust to the time change pretty quickly. Bon voyage! See you on the other side of the Pacific!... read more

As I mentioned in my previous post I have an ambitious packing plan: to fit everything into carry-on. This means I had to be pretty strategic in choosing what to bring. Not only so that I would have what I needed, but that I also didn't have MORE than what I would need. I probably still do have more than I need but anyways.... I do think there is room for improvement! Realistically, everyone has their own style and preferences for travelling - some people will pack less and buy things there, others won't bring as many luxury items etc. I think this is a good balance for me, particularly considering it's my first attempt at lighter travelling! So here is the full list of my stuff that I am taking, photos of everything also accompany ... read more