For a totally unique area to explore, check out the bustling District 5 in Ho Chi Minh City! One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about accidentally getting stuck in Saigon for six months is that I really have been able to explore its many nooks and crannies. I definitely still have a ways to…
Recently, I was invited by the Odys Boutique Hotel for three nights for a little staycation right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Here’s how it went! Want to hear a fun turn of events? So back before lockdown happened in Vietnam, I ordered some face masks from a woman selling them…
I’ve been wanting to stay in Seoul Mansion for a little while now. When I realized it was in Hongdae and close to a subway stop, I knew I had to stay there for my last night in Korea. This 18-room guesthouse is nestled into an alleyway near Exit 3, so you get to be…
Tucked in an alleyway off the main backpacker road of Bui Vien, if you don’t know where to go, you might walk right past Lily’s Hostel. Because it’s a little way down the alley, you don’t suffer from the noise that can flood the main road (particularly when trying to sleep at night). I stayed…
One of the biggest must-see things to do in Korea and Seoul has to be Gyeongbokgung Palace. If Germany has the Neuschwanstein Castle and France has Versailles, Korea has the five grand palaces of Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace, the “Northern” one, is the largest and most central of them all. I’m so ashamed that it took me so…
Update 2020: I visited Ihwa way back in 2015. A LOT has changed since then (including these poor fish stairs below). I haven’t had a chance to revisit to update this very out of date post. I highly recommend taking this tour my friend, Hallie, which covers the village with much better nuance. It has…