Hanoi is a beautiful, hectic, vibrant, colorful, historic, modern yet traditional mix of French colonial buildings, pungent aromas and millions of people and even more motorcycles in constant motion. Halong Bay is 3 hours away. If you had told me I would be paddling a kayak (with Steven) in the middle of Halong Bay in the South China Sea, I’d have told you you’re crazy. Hạlong (or Ha Long) Bay, in northeast Vietnam.
Category: DESTINATIONS & CITY GUIDES
Explore DESTINATIONS with DuffelBagSpouse: Master the art of slow travel planning and uncover global adventures. Let your travels inspire joy, create lasting memories, and enrich your journey with carefully curated experiences. Discover the world at your own pace.
DESTINATIONS & CITY GUIDES
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Visiting the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea: Everything You Need to Know
They come to wrestle, slide, swim and play in the mud. We watched people just sit in the mud with their plastic encased smart phones, they played soccer and sat for colored face and body painting. I went to see what the fuss was about and my son, bless his 19 year old heart, wanted to see a whole lot of girls in in muddy swimsuits… missions accomplished!!
DESTINATIONS & CITY GUIDES
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30 Strange, Funny, and Fascinating Things I Learned in South Korea
Living in South Korea for two years is a long time for an American expat. What I Have Learned Living in South Korea could fill a book. It’s a little past our 1st anniversary in Korea. Which means we have one more year to go. We have no idea where…
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United Nations Memorial Cemetery: Why It’s One of Busan’s Most Important Sites
The Remembrance Wall is quite sobering. The wall is constructed out of beautiful black marble that is reflective. As you read the names, you also see your image. I couldn’t help but see myself in every name on the wall and there are so many. Too many. We wandered around the beautifully carved memorial where more than 40,896 souls from all over the world are carved in perpetuity this past Memorial Day weekend and I’m so glad we did.
DESTINATIONS & CITY GUIDES
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Where to Find the Best Beaches in Bali, Indonesia
We only went to three of them and they were in the south or western shore, so I can’t speak personally on any other beaches on the island. We went to one each in Kuta, Seminyak and Padang Padang. Actually I went to three and my husband went to one. After the beach in Seminyak he refused to go to another one with me.
DESTINATIONS & CITY GUIDES
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20 Quirky, Beautiful, and Unexpected Things I Learned in Bali
My trip to Bali was wild, with many monkeys, stunning temples, giant bugs, and motorbikes everywhere. But Bali turned out to be way more than I expected. In Ubud, Kuta, and Nusa Dua, I found a mix of cool stuff that blew my mind – rich culture, excellent nature spots,…
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How to Experience Travel From Home: 30 Inspiring Ideas
And then it dawned on me. I realized it’s much more than the above. I realized it was more than just the sum of the experiences, the places I’d been or the things I’d seen. It was how it made me feel. And then I realized that I can experience a lot of the same sensations without hopping on a plane, train or boat… right in my own neighborhood.
DESTINATIONS & CITY GUIDES
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How to Hike Apsan’s Kosangol Valley Trail Like a Local
After consulting the map I decided to hike up to the Kosangol Valley because it would take me past the Mud Crack Ripple Mark and Dinosaur Footprint. Keep in mind I had no idea what either of those markers on the map would entail or whether or not I’d be able to discern them once I had arrived.