Author: Shanti

September 5th-6th, 2019 Yesterday once we arrived back in Ha Giang and returned our bike we had time to chill out for a few moments, have dinner and take a shower before we got on a night bus to Sapa.  I read that Sapa used to be like Ha Giang before it got flooded with…

September 1st – 4th, 2019 The Ha Giang Loop.  WOW!  This was one of those life highlights for us.  We spent four days on a motorcycle going through some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen.  We got up and talked with the super helpful receptionist at Bong Hostel about the loop.  We…

August 31st, 2019 Today, we got off to a rocky start and continued to have some challenges throughout.  We were told by the only somewhat English speaking guy at our hotel to be down in the lobby by 5:15am.  He assured us that someone would be there to call a taxi for us to take…

August 30th, 2019 After our amazing day exploring northern Vietnam yesterday, today we were going to get on a bus to our next stop Ha Giang.  Ha Giang is northwest of where we are now, and the next place we want to visit as we make our way west to Laos.  Ha Giang is referred…

August 29th, 2019 Today is our fifth wedding anniversary!  Brendan and I would NEVER have thought five years ago we would be spending today riding the Vietnam/China border heading to a remote waterfall that is actually the fourth largest border falls in the world (after Niagara, Iguazu, and Victoria).  A lot has changed in five…

August 28th, 2019 There is an amazing waterfall that borders China in northern Vietnam.  I have seen many pictures of Ban Gioc Waterfall and thought we should include this in our trip. We have talked to so many backpackers along the way either going or coming from a place you have been or going.  It’s…

August 27th, 2019 Today we packed our bag, put on some sun screen and started our journey back to Hanoi.  Our scooter ride is the reason I am actually writing my first blog post.  By now we’ve been to many countries with crazy drivers and we’ve also been to many countries with no apparent road…

August 26th, 2019 We had another beautiful day of sunshine to explore Tam Coc.  We got up and had our free breakfast and coffee at the homestay before heading out to Trang An Ecotourism complex.  This was another world heritage site made up of limestone towers, connected by sharp mountain ridges that cover flooded valleys. …

August 25th, 2019 After the awesome free breakfast at our hostel in Hanoi we rented a motorbike and decided to go to Ninh Binh for a couple of nights.  It is a province close to 3 hours away from Hanoi and known as “Halong Bay on Land” and is filled with jutting limestone cliffs, mountains…

August 24th, 2019 We got up early and checked out of our hotel by 7am.  We ate a quick breakfast and then went to the pickup spot for our day cruise.  I felt so lucky because we had the perfect sunshine weather!  It was hot, but that doesn’t matter as much when you’re on a…