Category Archives: Travel Stories

No one told me that the 14-hour overnight bus from Ninh Bình to Da Nang was going to make a stopover in the city of Hue, or that we would be swapping buses, or that we would have a two hour “layover” between said buses. A man on a Grab bike (the SE Asian equivalentContinue reading “Vietnam — V. Da Nang & Hoi An”

Coming to the region of Ninh Bình after two days spent with a bunch of binge-drinking 20 year olds in Ha Long Bay felt like a relief. Other than the constant feeling that I’m defying American societal norms, the most difficult thing about backpacking around the world in my late 20’s has been separating myselfContinue reading “Vietnam — IV. Ninh Bình”

One of the things I find both good and bad about backpacking South East Asia is that everyone seems to stick to the routes known as the Banana Pancake Trail. These tried and true sequences of major cities and smaller towns are ideal for the first time traveler. But as I approach my 30th birthdayContinue reading “Vietnam — II. Cao Bang Province”