Deprecated: Required parameter $is_script follows optional parameter $list in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 21 Deprecated: Required parameter $handle follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 45 Deprecated: Required parameter $src_cdn follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 45 Deprecated: Required parameter $deps follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 45 Deprecated: Required parameter $ver follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 45 Deprecated: Required parameter $footer_or_media follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 45 Deprecated: Required parameter $handle follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 104 Deprecated: Required parameter $src_cdn follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 104 Deprecated: Required parameter $deps follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 104 Deprecated: Required parameter $ver follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 104 Deprecated: Required parameter $footer_or_media follows optional parameter $register in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php on line 104 Deprecated: Required parameter $path follows optional parameter $expire in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_functions.php on line 54 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php:21) in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/onecom-vcache/vcaching.php on line 614 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php:21) in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/onecom-vcache/vcaching.php on line 622 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/redux-framework/ReduxCore/inc/class.redux_cdn.php:21) in /customers/5/a/f/wondersoftraveling.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/feed-rss2.php on line 8 Vietnam – Wonders of Traveling https://www.wondersoftraveling.com welcome to the world of an ex-world traveller Wed, 05 Jun 2019 08:40:32 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.4 https://usercontent.one/wp/www.wondersoftraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/cropped-logo4-32x32.png Vietnam – Wonders of Traveling https://www.wondersoftraveling.com 32 32 Vietnam: Da Lat https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2019/06/05/vietnam-da-lat-ho-chi-minh/ Wed, 05 Jun 2019 08:40:32 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=2319 After our weeklong stay in Hoi An, we continued to travel down south. Our next stop was Da Lat. Most people go there to escape the heat or go on a honeymoon. We stayed here for 4 nights and really enjoyed it, despite the fact that we got a bad first impression of this city.

Bad first impression

Initially, Da Lat wasn’t really what we expected. It’s often portrayed as this mountain town where you go to relax and recover from the Vietnamese chaos. In my mind, I was expecting some sort of Alpine town, with gorgeous rivers, charming houses, surrounded by mountains. The reality is, far, far off. Da Lat city is almost as hectic as all the other cities we’ve been to. There were also no rivers, charming houses or mountains to be found. To be honest, I think we were staying in the wrong part of town. We were right in the middle of the hustle and bustle.

We decided to do some sightseeing and try to find the side of Da Lat we had read so much about. Once we left the city centre and went in the direction of the lakes, it felt more calm and peaceful. However, Da Lat was also the first place in Vietnam where we didn’t feel entirely welcome.

da lat

On our first day, we decided to go for a walk around the lakes. When we got hungry and wanted to sit down somewhere, all the restaurants suddenly “didn’t have any food” or their “kitchens were closed”. Very weird, since we saw tons of Vietnamese people eating there!

Our hunt for a place that allowed us to eat, continued. After walking for a while, looking for a restaurant to no avail, we wanted to take a taxi to get us closer to the city centre. When Simen showed them the address on his phone, they merely said: “Just walk there.” Clearly, they didn’t really seem to like the tourists… After about an hour of being extremely hangry, we finally found a place that wanted to serve us food!

da lat
View from the Da Lat Cable Car

Maze Cafe

Despite the bad first impression, Da Lat has a lot to offer. One of the first things we did was go to the Maze Café. This café is located in the city centre and as the name already suggests, is a maze inside a café. In order to start exploring the maze, you have to buy a drink first. The maze goes up for several floors and sends you in all kinds of directions so you don’t really know where you are anymore. It was a lot of fun!

da lat

Crazy House

One of the other nice attractions in Da Lat was the Crazy House. This is basically a hotel but because it’s designed and structured in such an odd way, lot’s of people go there to have a look (€2 entrance). It reminded me a bit of the Maze Café, but then on a much larger scale. There are tons of stairs going in all kinds of directions, you walk on the roof, past the rooms, etc. It’s a very fun place to explore! Too bad we didn’t know it existed before we booked our hotel because it would’ve been fun to stay here for a night!

da lat

Easy Riding

One of the top things to do while in Da Lat is “Easy Riding”. You basically rent a driver with a motorbike for a whole day and they take you on a sightseeing tour. We paid €24 each for a whole day. Our guides picked us up at 8.30 and brought us to tons of nice places. We got to visit a pagoda, learn more about the biggest source of income for people from Da Lat (agriculture), went to temples, waterfalls, coffee farms, silk farms, mountains with beautiful views, etc. It was an amazing day out during which we learnt so much about the life of Vietnamese people.

da lat


Our guide told us about how there’s still tension between the North and the South and people of the South are still discriminated against. For example, his father used to fight with the Americans and because of that our guide wasn’t allowed to go to university, his children couldn’t get any work, etc. When he complained about it and said it wasn’t him who fought with the Americans, but his dad, they merely said: “Like father, like son”. It was so interesting to hear about all the things that happened during the war, and that are still happening today.

If you ever go to Da Lat, you should definitely go for an easy riding tour because you not only get to see more of the gorgeous countryside of Da Lat, but you also learn so much more about the country in general.

da lat

da lat

Ho Chi Minh City

After a quick stop in Ho Chi Minh where Simen visited the War Museum (I had to work), and we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels, it was time to head to country nr. 12: Cambodia. We only stayed there for 6 days: 3 days in Phnom Penh to visit the Killing Fields, and 3 days in Siem Reap to go to Angkor Wat. I will tell you all about it in my next blog!

]]> Vietnam: Ninh Binh, Ba Na Hills & Hoi An https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2019/05/28/vietnam-ninh-binh-ba-na-hills-hoi-an/ Tue, 28 May 2019 09:57:24 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=2295 After our visit to Halong Bay, we just couldn’t get enough and went to the Halong Bay on Land: Ninh Binh. We stayed in a charming village close to Ninh Binh, called Tam Coc because it’s easier to get to the tourist attractions from here. Afterwards, we travelled to Ba Na Hills and Hoi An. Read all about it here!

Ninh Binh

Mua Cave

One of the first things we did in Tam Coc was climbing up to the Mua Cave. Mua Cave isn’t just a small cave, but it also refers to two hills from where you get an amazing view over the countryside. The hike up only takes about 15-20 minutes, but the high humidity and scorching hot temperatures make it feel a lot longer. Chances are big you’ll arrive feeling very sweaty and while catching your breath.

Halfway up the trail goes into two directions, and it’s best to take the one on the left. The right trail leads you to the smaller one of the hills. The views are better from the higher hill. Once we got up there, we noticed they had built a big dragon on top of the hill which was really cool. Even though we climbed up on a very cloudy and foggy day, the views were still gorgeous. A must when in Ninh Binh!

Ninh Binh

Tran An Boat Tour

The Ninh Binh area is known for boat rides on the river which take you past gorgeous landscapes which make you feel as if you’ve just ended up in a King Kong or Lara Croft Movie. The most touristic boat ride leaves from Tam Coc centre, but we decided to rent a scooter and drive for about 30 minutes outside of Tam Coc (Trang An). The boat ride here isn’t as touristic and is a little bit cheaper. We paid around €8 for a ticket and started queueing.

We ended up sharing our boat with a lovely Slovakian couple. I was under the impression the boats were going to be motorised, but we were joined by a lady who brought her 2 paddles and started peddling. For her, every day is arm day! Because we were five people in 1 small boat, we decided to help her out and peddled along with her.

ninh binh

You can choose between 3 different tours, which all take 3 hours. We decided to go for tour 1 which would take us through 11 caves and bring us to 5 pagodas. The other 2 tours don’t go to as many caves but bring you to some of the locations where King Kong Skull Island was filmed. The boat ride was super peaceful and the scenery was stunning! However, 3 hours on a small, wooden boat was a little bit long. We probably would’ve preferred a 2-hour ride if that was possible. Nevertheless, we did love the boat ride and would recommend it to anyone going to Ninh Binh.

ninh binh

Hoa Lu Pagoda

There are a lot of pagoda’s in the Ninh Binh area, but we decided to only go to one: Hoa Lu pagoda. This pagoda is very close to Tam Coc and easily reachable by bike, scooter or car. You don’t have to pay to visit the pagoda. The only thing you have to do is pay for parking space. The pagoda isn’t particularly big but is still a nice visit.

ninh binh

Ba Na Hills

After Ninh Binh, we decided to take the train down to Da Nang. Here we had scheduled 2 nights since we wanted to go to Ba Na Hills. Ba Na Hills is somewhat of a “theme park” located in the Ba Na Hills mountains. The park is based on a typical French Village. It takes about 40 minutes from Da Nang to get there (we paid €28 for a taxi both ways). Entrance tickets are quite expensive (€30 each), but in my opinion, it’s worth it.

Golden Hand Bridge

Once you arrive at the park, you get the option to choose between 3 cable cars. The first cable car brings you up to the Golden Hand Bridge, the second one to the giant Buddha statue and the third one up to the French Village. We took the first option and decided to see the Golden Hand Bridge first. We were fully aware of the fact that Ba Na Hills can be very crowded but were still a bit surprised to see the amount of people on the bridge. It doesn’t look this busy on Instagram! Nevertheless, it was still very cool to see the hands with our own eyes.

Garden of Love

Afterwards, we walked towards the Garden of Love and the giant Buddha. This part of the park isn’t as interesting since it’s just garden after garden after garden. We still decided to have a look, but got tired of it quite quickly and decided to take the cable car up to the French Village.

ninh binh

ninh binh

The French Village

Like I mentioned before, this part of the park is modelled after a typical French Village. It was really weird to see something that looked so familiar and reminded me so much of home in the middle of Vietnam! In the French Village, you will not only find tons of restaurants, but also a lot of fun activities and rides. Several luges are going down (which we couldn’t take because we got caught in a tropical thunderstorm) and there is a 3-floor theme park inside the village. The theme park isn’t that big and doesn’t have that many crazy rides, but it’s still a very fun way to kill some time. We both loved visiting Ba Na Hills!

Hoi An

Tailor-made clothes

After our visit to Ba Na Hills, we decided to travel southwards, to Hoi An. This charming city is world renowned for its tailor-making. Simen had his mind set on some tailor-made suits, so already on day 1 in Hoi An, we went to a tailor to pick some suits and do the first fitting. Because it usually takes 4-5 days to get a suit tailor-made (if you want it done properly), we decided to stay in Hoi An for about a week. Simen had to go back several times for more fittings, and in the end, got 2 new amazing suits. I also bought some new outfits and sandals. When in Hoi An, right?

Ninh binh

My Son

Hoi An itself is a gorgeous town which is full of colourful lanterns which all light up at night. It’s a very enjoyable place to go for an evening stroll. We went to the evening market, the beautiful bridge and generally enjoyed the lively atmosphere of Hoi An. We also went on a day trip to My Son. This is called the “Poor man’s Angkor Wat”. Since we haven’t been to Angkor Wat yet, we couldn’t compare, but it did feel a bit like it was a “poor man’s something”. The temples are about 1-hour drive away from Hoi An and were nice to see, but not all that spectacular. Plus, we got, once again, caught in a tropical rainstorm. Because of this, we didn’t spend that much time there and quickly made our way back to the taxi.

In my next blog, I will write about our stay in Da Lat!

]]> Vietnam: Hanoi and Halong Bay https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2019/05/11/vietnam-hanoi-halong-bay/ Sat, 11 May 2019 10:29:34 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=2261 On the 25th of April, it was time to say goodbye to Bali and move onto Vietnam! We decided to fly to Hanoi from where travelled to Halong Bay. Afterwards, we started our long journey towards Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Read here about our first couple of days in Vietnam.

Once we arrived in Hanoi we realised that Bali felt a lot more “western” than Vietnam. It is obviously still Asia, but it’s more catered for western tourists. For us, Bali was a good way to ease into the Asian way of living.

Hanoi is eclectic, loud (constant honking will do that) and busy. There is a seemingly endless stream of honking cars and scooters zigzagging through the capital city. To a western person, the traffic makes absolutely no sense. Scooters driving on the wrong side of the street… People crossing intersections without even stopping and looking… After 2 weeks in the country, I’m still surprised I haven’t even seen one accident. Clearly, the Vietnamese have figured out some kind of system, because traffic moves very smoothly and everything seems to work out just fine. 

That feeling of an “attack of the senses” really transported me back to 2016 when I travelled to Nepal, my first Asian country. For Simen, it was the first time ever, and he needed some time to get used to the chaos and loudness. But after only a couple of days, we both felt like Vietnam was a very special and beautiful place.

Exploring Hanoi

On our first day in Vietnam, we decided to keep the sightseeing to a minimum. We only went to 2 highlights in the city: The Temple of the Jade Mountain and the Water Puppet Theatre.

Hanoi_Vietnam

The Temple of the Jade Mountain (Den Ngoc Son)

This temple is located on one of the lakes in Hanoi: Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s built on a jade island, which explains the name. We paid €1 to enter the temple. The whole complex is quite small, but it’s a nice temple to visit and it barely sets you back any money.

Hanoi_Vietnam

Water Puppet Show

One of the main highlights of Hanoi is the “Water Puppet Show”. There are several theatres offering this show. We chose to go to Thang Long Water Puppet theatre, close to the Temple of the Jade Mountain. Water Puppetry dates back to the 11th century, and is very entertaining.

We both didn’t have high expectations when we bought our tickets (€4 pp.), however the show was actually really fun! We couldn’t understand anything since the actual performance was entirely in Vietnamese, but we still managed to get the gist of it thanks to the puppets. The puppets “told” several different stories, mainly about people working and catching fish. It’s very lighthearted and the stories’ main purpose is to make the audience laugh. The show lasts 45 minutes, which is a little bit long, but it’s definitely a fun activity when you’re in Hanoi.

Hanoi_Vietnam

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

On our second day in Hanoi, we met up with Ricardo, a friend from Malta. Since he had been to Vietnam before, he decided to take us on a sightseeing day through the capital city. 

The first major highlight we went to, was the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, which dates back to the 11th century.  Entrance tickets cost about €2. The citadel itself is very beautiful, however, the rest of the complex isn’t really that impressive. To be honest, we didn’t quite understand why this place was consistently mentioned as one of the “must-sees” in Hanoi. The only reason to visit this place, for me personally, is to see the citadel itself from close by.

Hanoi_Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Afterwards, we headed in the direction of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Because we visited this place in the afternoon, it was actually closed. We could only admire the building from outside. If you would like to see the actual mausoleum from the inside, you have to make sure to go there before noon.

Hanoi_Vietnam

Chua Tran Quoc

The last attraction of the day was the Buddhist temple Chua Tran Quoc. This temple is located on the Ho Tay lake and is free of charge. It’s not very big, so you won’t spend much time here, but according to me it is definitely worth a visit!

Cruising Ha Long Bay

After our stay in Hanoi, we decided to head west towards Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We had done quite a lot of research online about what tour company to choose, but read a lot of conflicting things. The tours looked super nice and luxurious, but the reviews said the boat and the rooms were actually very old and outdated. Some of the agencies, which had a 5 star rating, apparently refused to let people disembark until they gave them a 5 star rating! This led to us not really knowing which companies to trust…

So, we decided to do it the “old-school way” and went to a travel agency in Hanoi. We were met by a very friendly and helpful girl who managed to get us 2 tickets on the Oasis Bay Cruise for €190 pp. We opted for the 3 days/2 nights cruise, assuming this would mean we’d see a bit more of Ha Long Bay.

Vietnam

3 days/2 nights with Oasis Bay Cruise

Once we stepped foot on the boat, we realised this boat wasn’t one of those outdated ones with deceiving pictures. The boat was very nice and modern and came with a sun-lounger deck and a Jacuzzi. There are definitely worse ways to explore Halong Bay! For every meal (except for breakfast) we were treated to 3 courses (but actually it was 5 because we always got 3 starters). Safe to say we didn’t go hungry at all on this boat! 

Vietnam

Vietnam

Day 1

On day 1 we enjoyed an amazing lunch on board before leaving for a kayaking trip through Ha Long. The kayaking trip was quite short, it took maybe 30 minutes, but it was still nice to see Ha Long Bay from up close. After the kayaking trip, we got some time to relax in the jacuzzi and on the sundeck before joining a cooking class. Here we learnt how to make fresh spring rolls, which was surprisingly easy. Afterwards it was time for another very big and filling dinner. 

VietnamVietnam

Day 2

On day 2, we were woken up by a very bad thunderstorm. Since we were the only 2 people who had booked 2 nights instead of one, we were supposed to leave on another boat for a day trip. However, because of the horrible weather, our day trip was cancelled and we had to go back to the Oasis Bay Cruise. This meant we drove back to the harbour to pick up new people, and we basically had to repeat our previous day. Since we didn’t feel like going on the same kayaking trip twice in two days, we decided to stay in the boat and admire the gorgeous views.

Vietnam
Day 3

On day 3 we went to the Surprise Cave, which is an immense cave in Ha Long Bay. From here you can get Instagram-worthy views! Afterwards we had a buffet brunch and returned back to the harbour.

In my next blog I will write about our stay in Ninh Binh, the Ha Long Bay on land!

]]> Wonders of Traveling is going on a trip around the world! https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/12/wonders-of-traveling-rtw-trip/ https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/12/wonders-of-traveling-rtw-trip/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2018 06:00:36 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=955 After months of keeping it a secret, I can finally announce that I will be leaving soon to go on a trip around the world! Together with my boyfriend Simen I’m going to leave Malta in July to go traveling for a year. Curious about the countries we will be visiting during our RTW trip? Then definitely continue reading because I will tell you all about our plans.

Traveling the world has always been a dream of mine. I figured now was the best time to do it, before I officially settle down somewhere. I spent the last 3 years saving up for this once in a lifetime trip, and I’m so excited that in only 3 months I will finally be able to make my dream come true. It took me a little while to get Simen on board, but ever since he said yes, we’ve both been super excited and are really looking forward to July 12th.

Our travel style

Since Simen had only about half the amount of time to save up for this trip (compared to me), we decided to backpack. Our aim is not to sleep in fancy hotels. We’re going to try to not spend too much money, which means we might be spending some nights in hostels or even tents. We’ve also opted to go to cheaper countries because of this reason. However, we are going to go to some more expensive countries as well (they were high up my list), which is why we might have to resort to camping. I personally love sleeping in a tent, but Simen isn’t such a big fan, so we’ll see how this is going to go!

RTW trip

From Central America

The first stop of our RTW trip will be Mexico. For a long time, Mexico wasn’t even on our list. We were thinking more about Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. However, after hearing a lot of people talk about how beautiful Mexico was, we started considering adding it to our trip. After doing some more research and looking at pictures on Instagram and Pinterest, we were both completely convinced. Now it’s even the country Simen is looking forward to the most!

After Mexico, we will be heading to Cuba! To be honest, going to Cuba hadn’t been on my list for a very long time. However, it would be cool to see the country as it is today, before it starts changing. I feel like we will be traveling back in time when visiting Cuba, and I’m now super excited about exploring this beautiful and mysterious country.

RTW trip

To South America

I have been dreaming of going to South America for years, so after Cuba we will be flying to Ecuador. Here we’re planning on going to Banos, Vilcabamba, Cotopaxi, Cajas National Park, and many other highlights. After Ecuador, we will be traveling down towards Peru, of course to see Machu Picchu. However, there are so many more things I’m looking forward to in Peru: Nazca Lines, Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cordillera Blanca, etc. We will be crossing the border with Bolivia and stay here to check out La Paz, Salar de Uyuni, Potosi, and tons of other highlights. After Bolivia we will go to Argentina and Chile (Patagonia!), including Easter Island.

RTW trip

Next stop: Oceania

After 6 months in South America we will be flying to New Zealand. Here, my parents will join us for a little bit. Our initial plans were to only stay in NZ for 3 weeks, but we quickly adapted those plans. We will most likely get a working holiday visa so we can stay in NZ a bit longer without breaking the bank too much. This is also the reason why we won’t make a stop in Australia. If we do NZ and Australia, this will cost us too much money (and to be honest, I’m too scared of the huge spiders they have down there!).

RTW trip

Last stop: South East Asia

The last continent we want to explore on our RTW trip is South East Asia. After NZ we will be flying to Indonesia (Bali), where we will be staying for about 2 weeks. Here we will also meet up with Simen’s family who will be celebrating Easter with us. After Bali we will make our way to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We might visit some more countries (I’m also very curious about Myanmar), but that will depend on time and money. The aim is to fly back to Europe some time June/July 2019.

Preparations for our RTW trip

Since we’re only 3 months away from our departure date, this means the preparations are in full swing. We’ve booked our first 4 flights, scheduled appointments to get all the necessary vaccinations, ordered new bank cards, etc. There is still a lot that needs to be organized, but I feel like we’re right on schedule. If you’re curious about the practicalities of going on a RTW trip, make sure to check this site regularly because I will share all those things with you!

If you have any tips for traveling as a couple or RTW traveling, please feel free to leave a comment below. Also, if you have already been to one of the countries we’re going to and have recommendations I would love to hear them, so please don’t be shy!

]]> https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/12/wonders-of-traveling-rtw-trip/feed/ 4