Woke up with muscle pains from my feet right up to my thighs—a not-so-sweet keepsake from our climb at Hang Mua. That mountain really left its mark on us! Andi’s knee is slowly on the mend, but today’s motto is definitely “short steps only.” It reminds me of when I tried to stroll around Zürich …
Another short night in Vietnam, and especially for Andi, who’s clocking in a grand total of 2.5 hours of sleep. His knee was still giving him grief after our Ninh Binh adventure (Hang Mua Cave, you’ll haunt him for a while), so after breakfast, we decided it was time for a pit stop—not at a …
Day 5 in Vietnam started with the kind of ambition you only have when you’re still jet-lagged: we set our alarms for 5 am, determined to catch sunrise from the top of Hang Mua (Mua Cave) viewpoint. The plan? Easy. Just a quick 500-step climb to one of Ninh Binh’s most breathtaking vistas. The reality? …
Sometimes, a little FOMO can be a blessing in disguise. Yesterday, we squeezed every drop out of our time here, worried we’d miss something essential. Our instincts were right: Day 4 woke us up with thunder, sheets of rain, and the kind of gray sky that makes you grateful for your hotel bed. While some …
If Hanoi wakes you up with its horns and energy, Ninh Binh is like a gentle nudge to slow down and breathe. Our day started criminally early—pick-up at 6:30 AM, though we were down in the lobby at 5:45, caffeine levels dangerously low and anticipation high. The van, punctual to the minute, scooped us up …
After a deep, much-needed sleep, our second day in Hanoi started even earlier than the first—we woke up at 5 am, and Andi’s first words were, “I’m hungry!” Typical. Luckily, Hanoi never really sleeps, and neither do its food stalls. We wandered into the early morning stillness and found a tiny spot serving up a …
Our journey to Hanoi was a true test of endurance. We arrived at 12:45 a.m., and after a long flight, we finally reached our hotel in the bustling Old Quarter around 2 a.m. The exhaustion was real — three hours of sleep was all we could muster before our bodies and minds woke up, fueled …
Are you like me, snapping photos of every stunning building, famous statue, or dazzling skyline you pass on your travels, and then sharing them on Facebook, Instagram, or your blog? It feels natural: you want to relive the memories and let your friends see where you’ve been. But did you know that posting images of …
Living on the beautiful island of Mindanao in the Philippines is an experience many dream of. With its lush landscapes, vibrant culture, and warm communities, it’s easy to see why this island is a gem in the archipelago. However, when it comes to travel, we often find ourselves looking beyond our island paradise to explore …
I’m not a professional art collector—just an ordinary admirer of beautiful things. A bit of a treasure hunter. I wander through Japan Surplus shops here in the Philippines as often as I can, drawn not only by the possibility of finding something rare but by the strange, quiet magic these places seem to carry. Each …