Celebrating Tết in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta

Husband & I travelled to Saigon airport from Taipei on the evening of February 17, the day before Tết. Tết is the solar new year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Holiday. This year it was officially six days, from February 18-23, and our first chance at an international trip since Husband's English school, along with most everything else in Taiwan, was closed for the duration.

We chose to visit Vietnam due completely to airplane ticket prices. It was simply cheaper to travel to HCMC than anywhere else and, since this was our first international trip since relocating to Taiwan, we really had no constraints except that it be somewhere we've never been before. And that list is short; Hong Kong and Manila.

We flew on VietJet Air, one of a number of discount airlines found in this region. Nothing like RyanAir or EasyJet in Europe though. Much closer to JetBlue or Southwest Airlines in the States. Meaning, prices aren't ridiculously cheap. Prices can be inexpensive, however, but nothing only a weekend could justify. One needs, at a minimum, four days to justify the cost of air travel over here. In this case, because we had specific dates we wanted to travel, our tickets were reasonable. We paid US$725.88 for two, including seat reservation costs (US$3.96) and mandatory booking fee (US$20.00) but excluding any baggage costs since we travel light (read: carry-on luggage only).

After booking our tickets we read up on what we should expect in Vietnam over Tết. Basically, the country shuts down. Most everything is closed because most everyone celebrates the holiday with family. Similar to Thanksgiving in the US and Christmas / Boxing Day in the UK, everyone goes home and the country supports this (or enforces it) by shutting down to accommodate the migration from the cities to the villages.

Though we found the preponderance of closed shops frustrating at times, we were thrilled with our overall experience. Additionally, we had memorable experiences we wouldn't have had otherwise had we visited at any other time of year. And, because we visited at such a special time of year, visiting again at any other time of year should elicit a very different experience, which is just another reason to return.

HCMC or Saigon (both are used, though I'm not sure when to use one and not the other) is a lovely city. I read Graham Greene's The Quiet American before traveling, providing me with a little background to the city which I found extremely helpful and fun. Walking the former Rue Catinat was one of the highlights of my visit and one I'm not sure I would've experienced had I not read the book prior to visiting.

Bến Thành market

Bến Thành market closed at noon the day after our arrival, the first day of Tết (new year's eve, Feb 18), and remained closed throughout our stay. Unfortunately, only a few shops within the market chose to open that morning, so we didn't get to see it in all its glory, but at least we did get to go inside. We even had our first Vietnamese meal at one of the stalls; bún thịt nướng (grilled pork & rice noodles), summer rolls, seafood fried rice, and Vietnamese coffees. This meal would be the first of many delicious items we tasted during our stay.

It's true what they say about Vietnamese food; it's amazing. We ate a lot, and at a lot of super dodgy places, but didn't have one bad meal. At one spot there were so many chicken bones on the floor, Husband ate the entirety of his delicious meal with a drumstick perched on his toe (he was wearing flipflops) and didn't even care. Because the food was that good.

Our first meal

We stayed at Madam Cuc 127 in the backpacker's district which is an area we would normally have stayed far away from but served us well on this visit because it was the only area of the city that stayed completely open during Tết. Our hotel was fantastic too. There were a lot of stairs but the staff were super friendly and breakfast was free (baguette with butter and jam and coffee). Staying here also provided us with an indisputable reason for visiting during Tết, unbelievable hospitality.

Upon returning to our hotel after midnight on new year's morning (Feb 19) the owner and staff were celebrating with ceremonial offerings plus a delicious and generous meal for their guests. Not expecting to be invited to a celebratory late night dinner, we had already eaten and weren't terribly hungry. But we ate anyway. Because the food was, per usual, delicious.

On new year's day we found ourselves at the Saigon Zoo. We had ventured out expecting complete solitude, which proved nearly accurate, so we had just intended on wandering the city aimlessly. The map had a large park area near the river marked as a botanical garden, which sounded lovely, so we headed in that general direction. Upon reaching what we thought were the botanical gardens we were greeted by a zoo instead. And it was having a party. So we ventured forth and spent the better part of the day visiting with the animals.

gibbon at the Saigon Zoo

Now, it's true that some of the exhibits made me sad for the animals (which is often the case) but there were also a few exhibits that were awesome, like the gibbon exhibit which had a large section of the zoo fenced off so the gibbon could swing from trees over a river, seemingly uninhibited by boundaries. The gibbon looked so happy. The enclosure appeared makeshift, like the gibbon had escaped its cage and found this refuge instead and the zookeepers had decided it was just easier to fence off this area than to recapture it. It was very cool to see an animal so seemingly thrilled to be in a zoo. Also, the elephants were really close to the crowd. And when was the last time you saw kids feeding them? New year's day in Saigon for me. (I'm not advocating for this, I'm just saying this happened.)

elephants at the Saigon Zoo

When traveling abroad we usually spend a good deal of time pre-trip learning important phrases in the local language. But, because we've been spending all our time trying to learn Mandarin in our new home country, we didn't even attempt to learn any Vietnamese prior to this trip. I'm not proud of this, it's just a fact. We did pick up a few things once we arrived but not enough to do anything complicated on our own. Luckily, staying in the backpacker district helped bridge the language gap a bit, since they cater to tourists there and know English very well, but for more complicated transactions we had to rely completely on our hotels.

I'm usually quite wary of hotel tour booking services. The only other time I tried it was in Costa Rica in 2006 and the whole thing just felt like a dirty tourist trap. I resolved to never do that again. But, because we were traveling lazy this time, and I knew exactly what I wanted and had researched prices, we asked our hotel for help. The whole process turned out to be so simple and convenient and stress-free that I may begin utilizing these types of services more often.

Our hotel in HCMC helped us arrange bus travel to Cần Thơ in the Mekong Delta. We just wanted the normal public bus, which should have only cost us US$6 but, due to the holiday, wound up costing twice that. Whatever. The bus was air conditioned with reserved seats and even came with a pickup from our hotel and a free bottle of water and moist towelette. We felt like kings.

Saigon bus station

The bus station itself was a bit intimidating but we successfully navigated it and made it to Cần Thơ without incident. Upon arriving we found our bus ticket even came with free transportation to our new hotel. Score! What a system!

In Cần Thơ we stayed at the Kim Long Hotel. This was also a great experience. The location was perfect; right on the waterfront and only a few blocks away from all the action. Additionally, on our last night in Cần Thơ we were treated to hospitality similar to that of our HCMC hotel, a staff / family dinner. Such a great experience!

As soon as we arrived in Cần Thơ, knowing our return trip to HCMC on a Sunday night would be popular for those returning home after the holiday, we asked the hotel to book our return travel. Additionally, we knew we wanted to visit the nearby floating market and asked about that too. Unfortunately, due to the holiday, the floating market was closed. But, we really wanted to get out on the river anyway, so we booked a 3.5 hour tour for Sunday morning, hoping the market might be open that day. The tour was only US$9 per person.

Cần Thơ

With our tickets booked, we ventured out to explore our new surroundings. We had read that Cần Thơ was the largest city of the Mekong Delta. In addition, with most people returning to their village roots for the holiday, we had expected it to be much livelier than usual. If that was indeed the case, my expectations for the population density of the Mekong Delta are vastly inaccurate. Cần Thơ is a sleepy village. It's lovely. But sleepy.

We spent our days wandering the streets, grabbing the occasional beer and Vietnamese coffee, and stopping for the plethora of cultural diversions. In both cities, perhaps due to the holiday, we were surrounded by events. There were stages with performances (dance, singing, music, comedy), there were fairs and festivals, there were fireworks. It really was a wonderful time to visit such a lovely country.

Floating Market

One of the highlights from our trip was definitely our river tour. Though the market had decided to open that day, it was still very quiet. Despite that fact, seeing the area from the water was a great experience on its own and one I would repeat.

We were picked up for our tour at the ungodly hour of 5:30am but it was nice to see the area come to life. It's something I've noticed in Taiwan too; there is an entire early morning economy that I am absolutely oblivious to. Perhaps it's due to the heat but I have observed that most activity happens when the sun is down, both in the morning as well as in the evening. For instance, when the market is up and running, it is usually over by 9am. I don't typically wake up before 10am. That means an entire business day has passed before I even open my eyes. Astounding.

I really enjoyed our trip to Vietnam. I loved everything about it; the people, the food, and the culture. I look forward to returning often.

For more pictures, please visit here.

2014 Travels

Boardwalk, Atlantic City

In January we traveled to Atlantic City to participate in Yelp's Winter Break, a weekend of entertainment co-organized by Yelp New Jersey and Yelp Philadelphia. It was a fun weekend of scavenger hunting and drinking but, mostly, it was a great way to experience Atlantic City for the first time.

Our weather wasn't the best, but we still got to see some of the famous landmarks from Monopoly and the gorgeous beach.

Someday, hopefully, we'll get to see it in all its summertime glory. But, its wintertime glory wasn't too bad at all.

In February we spent a long weekend in Boston. We did the Freedom Trail. We ate Boston creme pie. We drank Sam Adams beer. We pub crawled.

Boston was cold in February but we still had a great time wandering the city and exploring historically significant locations (including Cheers, pictured).

The Freedom Trail is excellent for the really old, historically significant stuff (not just '80's TV shows, though Cheers is near the start of the trail). Plus, the Trail leaves you in a lovely part of Boston called Charlestown. You should go to Sullivan's Pub for some local color. And watch The Town with Ben Affleck before you get there.

Puerto Rico

In March we went to Puerto Rico for a proper holiday. We scored on a Delta glitch and got roundtrip first class / priority tickets for only US$87 from NYC via ATL.

This trip was amazing for many reasons but mostly because we got to reconnect with old friends who now live there. Also, we want to live in Viejo San Juan. Its colonial charm and friendly locals really made it hard to say goodbye. We'll be back, Viejo San Juan. Promesa.

Playa El Cuco, El Salvador

In May we traveled to El Salvador for a long holiday. We stayed over three weeks at La Tortuga Verde in Playa El Cuco. The picture on the right was our view for the entirety of our stay.

Although El Salvador was slightly dodgy at times, we made some great friends on this trip, had some great experiences, and ate some great food. I can totally see us going back someday.

If you go and stay at La Tortuga Verde, don't miss the All Day Open Water Adventure. Magical. ¡Hay pescado!

The end of June and beginning of July were reserved for visiting family and friends in Utah. We spent the bulk of two weeks in the Salt Lake valley visiting family before venturing on a quintessential road trip to Las Vegas for a long weekend with old friends.

Las Vegas

July also saw us officially becoming expats again. After a night in Long Beach, California, we caught a flight to Manila, Philippines where we survived two nights before landing in Taipei, Taiwan.

We spent over two weeks in Taipei before moving south to Kaohsiung, our new home. Besides a few day trips to Maokong, Danshui, and Yangminshan, we didn't really do much sightseeing again until November.

We had a houseguest from Seattle join us for a week in early November. Besides showing her around Kaohsiung, we took her up to Taipei where, in addition to Maokong, we also traveled to Beitou for the hot springs.

Beitou Hot Springs

We finished the year with an ambitious day trip to Sun Moon Lake.

2014 was an amazing travel year for us. We got to see new places, visit old favorites, and share many of them with friends and family. We hope this foretells a new trend in travel for us. Sharing experiences with those you love is truly one of life's joys.

To all the Travel Bunnies out there, may 2015 bring you good health, happiness and many safe travels.

Ten Things I Enjoy About Living in New York City

I was going to title this post "10 Months, 10 Disappointments" but eventually opted against it (clearly).  Upon reflection, I feel like I've been pretty hard on New York and, with at least another 8 months in this city, that's no way to live.  So, in an attempt to love this city I'm now calling home (at least for the time being), I'm lowering my expectations and starting anew.  Now, instead of 10 months and 10 disappointments, I've rewritten this post to be more positive (though I reserve the right to write about my disappointments in the future).

I have now lived in New York City for 10 months.  That's the longest I've stayed put since we left Seattle after 11 years of residency back in 2010.  And, if our experience in Seattle taught us anything it's that it can take a good two years in a city before feeling at home.  However, if our experience in London taught us anything it's that it can take as little as one month, too.  After 10 months in New York City I can tell you that NYC will definitely be more reminiscent of Seattle than London for us.  Still, although we don't feel at home quite yet, we are really enjoying certain aspects of our new city.  Here, in no particular order, are some of the things I'm enjoying the most.

The UN from a Tudor City rooftop

1.  Hidden New York
Everyone knows about Grand Central, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building but not very many tourists know about Coney Island or the northern side of Central Park or Governors Island.  It's fun having the time to really explore this city.

2.  Transportation Options
I am no fan of the MTA and it's very possible this same heading will appear on my "10 Disappointments" list some time in the future but, at the same time, I do admit that having multiple transportation options is a good thing and something that should be celebrated.  However, the inane bureaucracy and outrageous costs associated with said options due to the MTA's incompetency is another matter entirely.  But, lest I get too negative in a supposedly positive post, NJ Transit is pretty awesome.

Travel to neighboring areas by train

3.  New Jersey
Speaking of New Jersey, what a freaking surprise!  I haven't had too much exposure to NJ but from what I have seen I'm rather impressed.  Hoboken is adorable and Newark didn't kill me (remember, expectations are low).  Plus, I got to both for only $2.50 each way.  Jersey gets a bad rap but it's looking better and better as time goes on, at least from this side of the Hudson.

4.  European Feeling
Upon moving here, it was very evident to us that NYC is much more European than we had ever noticed prior to living abroad.  Perhaps it's the history of the city or maybe because it's so international but, regardless, there are many aspects of living in NYC that have reminded us of our time in the UK.  From garbage collection to pronouncing French words correctly to not respecting personal space to crossing the street whenever convenient and not just at crosswalks.  New York City is exactly what someone missing London, but banned from residing there, needs.

Autumn in Central Park

5.  Seasons
There are four seasons here.  Really.  Four very distinct seasons.  The summers are hot, the winters are cold, the springs are filled with new growth and the falls are filled with changing colors.  And, the sun shines all year round.  This is perhaps my most favorite thing about living here.

6.  Rainstorms
Speaking of weather, it rains in New York City.  No, like really rains.  Like, thunder, lightning, flash flooding type of rain and it happens often.  Anecdotally, I'd always known it rains more in NYC than Seattle but I'd never really understood how that was possible.  Well, rather than having months of dreariness and days filled with mists of rain or small droplets, in NYC it's a gorgeous day and then, out of nowhere, you're drowning. And then it's gone.  It's awesome and diverting and exciting and fun.  And, since you won't be able to catch a cab, you might as well enjoy the experience.  Seriously, you can try but don't expect to successfully hail a cab in a rainstorm.  They're all taken.  Every single one of them.  Also, you should probably always carry an umbrella.

Sudden Rainstorm

7.  Fireflies
Everyone loves fireflies.  From the kids growing up in the city to the elderly who've lived here all their lives; everyone is enamored by these little sparkly guys.  They're fascinating.

8.  Street Festivals
These are random which sucks because I'd love to plan my calendar around them but the randomness may also make them more fun because when you stumble upon one it's like you've wandered into a surprise party.  For you. I've lived in two neighborhoods now and have awoken to surprise street festivals at least once in each of them.  It's so fun to wake up to a fried Oreo booth on your front lawn.  Seriously.  This is not sarcasm.  I love it!

Marine Park, Brooklyn

9.  Neighborhoods
The real charm of New York City is in the neighborhoods.  I guess that might be true of any city but it's one aspect of big city living that I truly enjoy.

10. Pop Culture References
One of the things I always enjoy is watching a movie or TV show that takes place in a city I'm about to visit or am currently living in or miss terribly.  The Bourne trilogy is good for eastern European cities, the new BBC Sherlock is good for London and Frasier, to a certain extent, is good for Seattle.  But, the depth of material for New York City is bottomless.  The reservoir spilleth over and it's fun to have so many options, especially when I move away and, inevitably, begin to miss this city I called home but didn't appreciate enough while I was here.

Coney Island

Coney Island boardwalk

Believe it or not, Coney Island is not an amusement park on an island (seriously, I can't be the only person who thought that).  Rather, it's a normal neighborhood in Brooklyn (like Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, etc.).  Situated on the south side of Brooklyn, Coney Island exceeded all my expectations whilst not actually meeting any of them.  Seriously, I had expected an island with rides.  Instead, I got a beach resort (See, expectation not met yet exceeded).  Best July 4th surprise ever.

For $2.50 you can take the subway to Coney Island from anywhere in New York City.  The D, F, N and Q lines all terminate at Coney Island.  The B line will get you pretty close, terminating at Brighton Beach.  The journey takes about an hour from Midtown.

Coney Island Beach on July 4th

First of all, who knew New York City had a huge, lovely beach?  I've lived here now for over 6 months and not one person or article about things to do in the summer has mentioned this beach.  Come on!

So, once you finally discover this beach, if you're anything like me, you run out to the water to soak your feet and then plop down in the sand to just absorb the moment.  Not wanting to leave, can you imagine my joy when a plethora of vendors begin to parade in front of me?  Peddling Italian ices ($2), ice creams ($2), churros ($1), mangoes and cotton candies, these vendors allow one to snack on summer foods without expending too much energy or losing your choice beach spot.  Without being obtrusive at all, just pushing their little carts along the sand, ringing a little bell to alert you to their presence, these vendors were very popular and their presence, especially in that suffocating heat, was very welcome.

Luna Park at Coney Island

If simply basking on the gorgeous, 3-mile long beach and playing in the warm (when compared to the Pacific) waters of the Atlantic is not enough to divert you, Coney Island has many other activities to choose from.  In addition to the restaurants and bars found along the boardwalk, there is also an aquarium, amusement areas and rides (including the famous Cyclone) as well as MCU stadium, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones (minor league Mets).

Having never lived in a city with this type of a beach, I'm really excited to start putting together my 'beach bag' for weekday afternoons and lazy weekends.  For the first time ever, I have the opportunity to get off work and go directly to the beach or waste an entire weekend day sitting on the beach instead of on my couch (figuratively, since I don't have a couch).  Who knew this could happen in NYC?

Cape Cod

Highland Lighthouse, North Truro

Last weekend we had the opportunity to visit Cape Cod with a dear friend and his family, including his youngest brother, future sister-in-law, mother, and grandmother.  We stayed in a lovely cottage near the sea in Dennisport and proceeded to have an amazing time, dare I say "Best Weekend 2013".

Getting to The Cape from New York City without a car is pretty straightforward.  One can either take a train or bus to Providence and then take a bus to Hyannis from there.  We opted to take a bus to Providence, purchasing on Greyhound's website because they had the cheapest fare.  (Side note: apparently, Greyhound is no longer Greyhound because our bus was labelled Peter Pan and, though the driver would mention Bonanza in conjunction with Peter Pan ("thanks for choosing Peter Pan / Bonanza"), we never heard anyone say anything about Greyhound.)

The Port Authority (aka bus station) in New York City is very reminiscent of the bus stations we experienced in Europe (actually, there's a lot about New York that reminds us more of Europe than of the US, but I digress); buzzing with activity as though riding the bus is really a thriving transportation alternative (though most people in the US would not consider it an option at all because, if you're going to use the road, why don't you just drive yourself?).  Though our experience was relatively painless, it could have easily gone the other way.

First of all, the Port Authority does not have a departure board telling you where to go for your bus, nor is the information printed on your ticket and, at 7am on a Saturday morning, all information booths are closed.  Luckily, while retrieving our tickets the day before, we had been told what terminal our bus would be leaving from (though the Peter Pan insignia on our bus made us doubt the information for a bit).  Secondly, apparently bus companies will intentionally and regularly oversell their buses.  If you're one of these sad fools who don't get on the bus you bought a ticket for you may be lucky and another bus will be brought in to accommodate your reservation relatively quickly or, and just as probable, you may have to wait for the next scheduled bus.  Without knowing about this custom of overselling, we barely made it onto our bus.  The poor fools behind us were not as lucky.  Whether another bus came for them or they had to wait until the next bus, a whole 2 hours later, we will never know.

The bus ride was 3 hours and 45 minutes from New York City to Providence and another 2 hours to Hyannis.  Leaving New York at 7am, we were in the welcoming embrace of our friend by 1:30pm Saturday afternoon and enjoying our first Cape Cod feast by 2pm.

lobster roll and chowder

One of the things that made me instantly fall in love with Massachusetts, or maybe just The Cape but, as I've never been to other parts of MA before, I'll assume it's the whole state until otherwise disproved, was that beer is served everywhere.  You're in a family friendly diner?  Want a beer?  Yes, please!  You're at a tent party in a random, isolated area?  Want a beer?  Yes, please!  And, not just any beer.  You get variations of Sam Adams.  Know why?  Because Sam Adams is The Boston Beer Company and (another thing that made me fall in love with Massachusetts) the people here have great pride in all things Massachusetts.  (We saw "Go Bruins!" alternating with the destination on city bus display boards.)

Our time on The Cape was relatively short - we were on our way back to New York City by 4:45pm the next day - but we packed a whole lot of good times and memories into what also felt like an incredibly relaxing weekend. In just over 24 hours, we were able to do all the things one does whilst enjoying The Cape during The Season. We lounged on the beach for hours, we sat drinking mimosas on the back porch for an entire morning, we played a leisurely game of mini-golf, we bought salt water taffy and attended drag karaoke in P-Town, and we went to a benefit concert for the local radio station which included seafood gumbo, amazing zydeco and, of course, Sam Adams beer. Seriously, Best Weekend 2013!

After a lifetime of hearing references to The Cape, my first visit did not disappoint.  This area has been in the common American lexicon since at least the Kennedy administration but it doesn't look like an aged seaside retreat at all.  Instead, it is thriving and modern, achieving the latter without having changed much over the past few decades (at least according to our hosts).  I'm so glad I had the opportunity to visit such a great place with such a good friend and his fun family.  Enjoying The Cape with the added benefit of generational knowledge turned a lovely weekend into a memorable one.

31 Things I Learned Whilst Living Abroad

In December 2012, which was my last month living abroad (this time around, at least), I compiled the below list of some of the things I learned during my time as an immigrant in the United Kingdom.  Though in all likelihood this post does not signify the end of Travelin' Bunny, I do expect long periods of silence between posts.  Until we meet again, I wish you all happy travels and safe journeys.

31. Every country has hillbillies

30. When in doubt don't use sarcasm

29. There's more than one way to make a bed (see Evidence A)

Evidence A

28. You don't know what you don't know

27. English, even when both parties are claiming to speak it, is not necessarily a common language.

26. I am not a small town girl.

25. European Christmas markets make everything better.

24. Mulled wine makes everything better.

23. Mixer taps (aka regular faucets) are 'new' technology". (see Evidence B)

Evidence B

22. Nothing beats a £3.50 chicken doner kebab. Nothing. (Except, of course, a cheaper one.)

21. It is possible to see Europe for £25 return

20. I am capable of sleeping anywhere (e.g. standing, sitting, on the floor, lumpy futon, hard mattress, surrounded by shouting/crying/thumping).

19. Some cities completely shut down their public transit systems on Christmas day (I'm looking at you London). You wanna go visit your family? Hope they live within walking distance. You have work? Better sleep there overnight. Wanna go see the lights on Kensington High Street? Eff you.

18. Travelling by train, not that great. Don't get me wrong, plenty convenient (at times). Just not that great.

17. Not putting your rubbish in a bin is okay (and not considered littering) because people are employed to clean up after you. Seriously.

16. The USA was referred to as 'the most liberal country in the world' in either an article I read or something I saw on the news. Either way, even if it was just one person's opinion, I didn't know anyone believed that.

15. Michael Bublé and Bruno Mars are very popular.

14. Hotels in the US often have signs near the phone which read 'local calls are free'. I've always thought, 'well duh'. But, now I know that they say that because local calls are not free everywhere - like in Europe.

13. For the most part, things are exactly the same

12. Those of us who possess self-awareness are at a disadvantage and destined to be slightly frustrated with others at all times. (#12b, Europe is full of people lacking self-awareness.)

11. Shower head placement is arbitrary

10. Escalators are complicated and sometimes deadly (this may only apply in Scotland)

9. Generally, low standards/expectations equals more happiness

8. New friends are just as valuable as old ones.

7. Sometimes different isn't wrong, it's just different. But, sometimes different is just wrong. And, sometimes the wrong-different stuff is still different because people are too stupid/stubborn to change it.

6. I have a very unsophisticated palate

5. Street food is a cheap way to sample local cuisine (and delish!). (See Evidence C)

Evidence C

4. Comments are often made about the percentage of Americans who don't have passports (among other unflattering American statistics), both by Americans as well as others. But, I was shocked to find a number of people here who haven't been abroad (not even to Paris). More people in Scotland than London but there are still a good deal of people in London who've never left London. Shocking.

3. Not having to worry about health insurance, just knowing I'm covered, is a huge relief which I didn't expect. I thought because I always had amazing coverage in the States that I was never concerned about it. But I was. And I'm not here. And it's nice.

2. I don't hate all Americans I meet abroad. I may still hate all tourists, though.

1. When I left in 2010 I'd had enough of the States. The politics, the entitlement, the patriotism, the guns, the religious zealots, the anti-choice ignorants, the second class citizen-making. I was ready to never return. But, after about a year, the honeymoon period was over and I started to miss the States, something I didn't think was possible. But, I do miss it. And, I'm looking forward to coming home.

Yelp Love

I love sharing my opinions.  Unfortunately, not many people like hearing what I have to say, at least not constantly.  Luckily, since about 2006, I've had other outlets for sharing my perspective besides just pestering those sitting next to me.  In 2006 I wrote my first review and, as of today, exactly 3 people have found that review helpful.  Clearly worth the effort.

In 2010, looking for an outlet for my opinion about my new home in Dundee, Scotland (and having no friends nearby nor very responsive in email) I stumbled upon Yelp.  The Yelp community in Dundee is small (I believe there was only one other Yelper in the area), but it was an outlet and I enjoyed it.  However, my relationship with Yelp didn't really blossom until I relocated to London in 2011.

The London Yelp community is awesome!  They throw amazing free events, have an active online community which also meets up in person for drinks and events, and the people all seem to be really friendly and happy.  Last summer we only got to experience a small sampling of how great this community is so upon our return to London this past July of course we picked right back up with them.  There has already been a Meet the Owner event and a couple of nights out with various members of the community.  We're meeting new, awesome people and having a great time!

Yelp is exactly what I needed after 2 years of solitude in Dundee!  I feel like I've got friends again, and a full social calendar, and people read what I write and send comments.  I love that socialising in person with the people you meet online is actively encouraged with Yelp sponsored events.  Yelp is perfect not only for an ex-pat (because most in the community are Americans) or recent transplant but for anyone wishing to shake up their usual routine.  I wish I'd been more active in the Seattle Yelp community before we left.  Happily, I won't make that mistake again and am already looking forward to joining the NYC Yelp community come January.

Lake District

Ravenglass estuary

In February we purchased a voucher for a 2-night stay in the Lake District National Park from KGB Deals for £79 (including breakfast). With train tickets from Dundee to Ravenglass only £34pp return, this trip to England was an effing steal and a perfect birthday present for Husband.  Last week we redeemed our voucher and had perhaps the most perfect holiday ever.

Our voucher was for The Pennington, a gorgeous hotel in Ravenglass, a charming coastal village on the west coast of the Lake District in Cumbria, England.  We arrived on Thursday morning too early to check-in (around 11am) so we dropped our suitcase off and started to explore the area.

The village is super small so we made our way along the main road to the neighbouring tourist attraction of Muncaster Castle.  We had planned to spend Friday exploring this area but we had nothing better to do and it was still relatively early so we decided to enter (£11pp).  This would prove to be the first of many correct decisions made on this trip.

Muncaster Castle

We rambled a bit through the gardens, up to Bluebell Hill, and then back down to the castle.  We started the castle tour just after 1pm and were done before 2:30pm.  The castle is still occupied by The Penningtons and it's their voices (parents, daughter, and son-in-law) who narrate the audio tour.  The tour is lovely and the castle is beautiful.  They've made it charming and comfortable but it's still definitely a drafty, old castle.  I do not envy their maintenance or energy costs but they've done a marvellous job of refurbishing and I wouldn't be averse to spending a summer in their shoes.

In addition to their lovely grounds there is an owl reserve on their land and at 2:30pm they put on a very entertaining bird show.  We got to see a common buzzard, barn owl, and eagle owl in action and learn a bit about their plight here in the UK.  Afterwards, we made our way to the actual sanctuary where they house many more varieties, all available for adoption.  The owls are fed dead chicks, which we got to witness, and then at 4:30pm the leftovers are fed to a rather large but patient group of wild herons.  The whole experience at Muncaster Castle was magical and easily supplanted Glamis Castle as our new favourite in the UK.

After the heron feeding we made our way back to Ravenglass via Public Footpath, passing fields of grazing sheep with their newborn lambs.  The return trip didn't take very long and we were quickly back at our hotel.

Day Two saw us rambling 6 miles into the park to the town of Boot, along the River Esk.  One of the great things about the UK is the fact that one can probably get anywhere via Public Footpath.  We hadn't known that there was a trail from Ravenglass to Boot but we knew we wanted to go and assumed  we'd eventually hit a trail so we just started rambling.  Public Footpaths, Bridleways, and Right of Ways (all free to use) are definitely lovely perks of the British countryside.

Our 12 mile ramble took up the bulk of our second day but it was a lovely way to while away the hours and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery.  The highlight though was the surprise ending when we popped out of some trees to discover we were at the top of a hill, in a pasture of grazing sheep, with an amazing view of the estuary.

The rest of our time was spent sampling local real ales from the various establishments we stumbled upon, resting at our lovely hotel, and walking along the pebble beach at low tide.  We left Saturday afternoon with giant smiles on our faces from a weekend well done.

For more pictures, please visit my Facebook album here.

Scotland Highlights

With just 3+ months left in bonnie Scotland, I thought it would be nice to relive some of the highlights of our nearly 2 years here.

St. Andrew's Cathedral

St. Andrews: Upon first arriving in Scotland, back in Aug 2010, we were instantly enamoured by our neighbour to the south.  We've only been a few times since but each time we're amazed by its loveliness.  The residents may be a bit posh (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did both attend university here) but the scenery is unbelievable.

Coastal Paths: We've only done two (Seaton Cliffs and Fife Coastal Path) but we can pretty much guarantee that all of Scotland's coastal paths would make for amazing day trips.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh: Of Scotland's two main cities, Edinburgh is by far the more impressive.  With the castle, festivals, and Arthur's Seat, it just can't be beat.  This is not to say that Glasgow isn't a nice city (because it is) but, as far as uniqueness on the world stage, Edinburgh is worth travelling for whilst Glasgow is worth seeing once you're here and if you have an extra day to kill.

Glamis Castle: Unlike Edinburgh Castle, Glamis Castle is still a functioning residence (with a recent link to The Royal Family).  It's super cute and fun and, to this date, our only fully functioning, non-ruin castle experience.

Rambles: Our rambles have been the best part of our time here.  They've forced us out and about and provided us with memorable experiences to cherish.  Including the aforementioned coastal walks, our countryside rambles (Pitlochry, Blair Atholl, and The Hermitage, to name just three) are definitely something we hope to replicate wherever we call home.

Since we're leaving a year earlier than planned, it's true there are things we wanted to do and see before leaving which we no longer have time to do, but we think we've seen a lot in these two years and we'd rather leave too early than too late.  Although our stay in Scotland has not quite jumped the shark it's perilously close and no one wants to read stories about our adventure once that precipice has been reached.  Thus, we begin the next adventure not completely averse to the notion of returning to Scotland in the future but happy we're leaving to experience something different.

Three Hours In Paris

view from the Trocadero

My boss is travelling to Paris on Thursday.  She's grabbing the first flight there and taking the last flight back so she can get home to her kids (she's a single mom).  She has a meeting from 11am until 2:30pm.  Her flight gets her there around 9:30am and leaves around 8:30pm which means she's free to roam the streets of Paris from around 2:30pm until about 5:30pm.

She's only ever been to Paris once before, in October for the same meeting and the same three hours. She wandered to the Trocadero for the best view of the Eiffel Tower and bought macarons from Ladurée, both perfectly acceptable things to do during your first three hours in Paris. For her second three hours, she's asked me for some help.

Here's what I'm giving her (her meeting will be near the Jardin des Tuileries, which she visited during her last trip).

• Walk through the Tuileries to Place de la Concorde for the Champs-Elysees Christmas Market and be sure to sample the vin chaud. 

• Take the M1 (Metro) from either Champs-Elysees Clemenceau (mid-market) or Franklin D. Roosevelt (end of market) to Hotel de Ville where you can ice skate for free (small fee for skates rental) and experience a small Christmas Fair. 

From here you can do any of the following:

view from the Pompidou

1. Head north to the Centre Georges Pompidou contemporary art museum (€12). Especially good if the weather is poor; you can store your bag in the cloakroom; wonderful view of Paris from the top floor. The building itself is worth a look, even if you don't go inside, and the neighbourhood (part of Le Marais) is cute, too. 
2. Head south across the Pont d'Arcole towards Notre Dame Cathedral (free to enter, though the tower has an entrance fee). Continue south towards the Latin Quarter, the trendy/hip university neighbourhood near the Sorbonne. 
3. Head east along Rue de Rivoli towards the Marais District, the historic Jewish quarter, which has eclectic shops and cafes. Visit the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Church just east of the Saint-Paul Metro station on the south side of the street (one of my favourites). Continue north-east towards the Place des Vosges and Victor Hugo's former residence (a free museum). 

Get to Chatelet Les Halles station for the RER B to Charles de Gaulle.

Portland Itinerary

After 11 years in Seattle, just a short 3-4 hours north, you would've thought we'd have spent more time in Portland, Oregon than just a couple of visits but, sadly, that's all we have under our belt. Still, I feel confident enough about my time there to make some recommendations.

Hotel: Hands down, no doubt about it, you must stay at the Kennedy School. It's a bit out of town but, if you're only staying for a weekend, you won't even notice the distance. Get there on a Friday late afternoon, check-in, and plan to spend the whole night there; you can check out the rest of Portland tomorrow. Kennedy School has restaurants and bars on site (yes, plural of both), entertainment including pool tables and a cinema, a lovely soaking pool (which we weren't prepared for but, especially after seeing it, wish we had been), and the ability to stroll the halls with a beer in your hand (like Vegas). It's a great hotel and a great destination and I only wish we'd been able to experience it more than just once.

Restaurant: Pok Pok - this place is crowded all the time. Just accept it. Put your name on the list, go across the street to their bar (Whiskey Soda Lounge), have a drink until they call your name, and then go experience some amazing food. Done. Caution: someone might whip out a boob and start breastfeeding next to you whilst you're enjoying a drink and/or meal. No judgement, just providing you with some notice so you can mentally prepare for this possibility.

There's another restaurant that I'd recommend if I could remember anything about it beyond the amazing food and atmosphere.  I remember we had to drive east from downtown, it was in a neighbourhood, and we sat outside in an amazing garden area.  Otherwise, I have nothing else to help recall it's name or location.  It was great, though.

Activity: I highly recommend the Worst Day of the Year bike ride.  If you do the full ride you've got two killer hills but both are well worth the effort.  I suggest taking the short cut after the second hill, which really should be the end anyway.

Pitlochry

Pitlochry is located in the lovely area just west of Tayside (where Dundee is located) called Perthshire.  Less than two hours from us via train, Pitlochry is a hopping town with two distilleries, a brewery, a dam, a theatre, and a whole lot of people on a Saturday night.  We weren't actually planning a day in Pitlochry, just a stopover for the Blair Athol Distillery.  But, then we heard about the Edradour Distillery, Scotland's smallest, and the Moulin brewery, both right outside of town, and decided it deserved a full day's attention.

We started our day leisurely, departing Dundee around 10am.  We had a short layover in Perth, where we've found we enjoy grabbing a sophisticated cuppa at the Station Hotel right outside in the car park, but were in Pitlochry before noon.  We immediately headed in the direction of the Blair Athol distillery but wound up on an unplanned detour to the Pitlochry dam and fish ladder.  Since the salmon weren't running and the visitor centre was closed, we quickly reversed course.

The Blair Athol Distillery is right outside of town (not sure how we got lost) and possesses a nice visitor centre focused on Bell's Whisky, which contains Blair Athol in its blend, a good gift shop, and the best tour ever.  Our tour guide was amazing!  He had both great historical knowledge as well as general knowledge and, best of all, he was able to explain everything to us in a way which we understood.  We never have to go on another tour again, this guy was THAT good.  Our tour did cost £5 each but included a £3 voucher for their whisky and a proper whisky tasting at the end.  It was an excellent experience and one which we highly recommend.

We had hoped to grab some lunch in the distillery's restaurant but, sadly, they don't have one.  Thus, starving, we headed back into town for lunch.  We stopped at the Pitlochry visitor's centre where we bought a £1 map of the area and received a few restaurant recommendations, which we ignored, and headed back out.

Black Spout

After lunch in town we headed off on our ramble of the area, through the Black Spout woods towards Edradour Distillery.  We haven't seen a waterfall in ages, so we were excited to incorporate this ramble into our day.  We love waterfalls.  The Black Spout woods themselves were nice, too, and the trail was empty and well maintained.

Edradour Distillery was a bit of a disappointment.  They have a sign out front, before even entering the gift shop, that there is a £5 admission.  Having just been on the best tour ever, we didn't want to do another tour and were unclear as to whether we would be charged just for entering the premises or if that was a tour charge.  Thus, we stayed off their grounds and just looked from afar.

We quickly headed the long way back to Pitlochry so we could go through the small town of Moulin on our way home.  We had heard good things about their brewery but, sadly, the brewery was closed to tours because their guide was on holiday.  Happily, the adjoining inn was open (and packed) so we were still able to sample the beer before leaving.

We arrived back into Pitlochry around 5:30pm and the town was hopping.  There were tons of people everywhere.  We were not prepared for this at all.  Our previous experience in Crieff had made us believe that towns closed down around 5pm in this area but Pitlochry looked like it was going to be open until the wee hours.  Apparently, if you want to party Pitlochry is your place.

We really had a great day, with some lovely scenery and nice drinks.  Pitlochry is definitely on our list of places to send friends when they visit and we'll keep our eye out for events at the Festival Theatre, another reason to visit the area.

For more pictures, please visit my Facebook page here.

Fife Coastal Path: St Monans to Crail

Our first Sunday back in Scotland, to celebrate our successful move, we decided to ramble for five hours along the Fife Coastal Path.  We wandered down to the bus station, purchased two Fife Day Rider Plus tickets, allowing unlimited rides throughout Fife for £9 each, and were off by 11am.

Besides having to transfer in St Andrews, our ride was pretty simple.  The bus drivers we encountered were very helpful and friendly and, with their help, we made it to our destination, the tiny town of St. Monans, with ease.

Our ramble would take us from St. Monans, through Pittenweem, Anstruther, and Kilrenny, to Crail.  We had no idea what to expect but we were guessing something along the lines of last year's Arbroath to Auchmithie ramble, so we made sure to pack a lunch.  What we actually encountered were adorable, peaceful, picturesque, little seaside towns peppered along the beautiful coastal path.  We were absolutely enamoured.

The Fife Coastal Path is actually very long (81 miles) and part of a larger network of walking paths which take you up and down Scotland's coast.  We selected this section due to it being highlighted in one of our Scotland guide books.  Happily, we had such a lovely time we can't wait to explore more of it.  Next time we won't pack a lunch, though.  We encountered so many adorable towns with equally adorable pubs that we plan to incorporate them into our future rambles.

Our five hour ramble came to a perfect end when we bid adieu to the coastal trail in Crail, wandering towards the main road, to catch our bus in front of the post office back to St. Andrews.  We almost seamlessly caught our connecting bus back to Dundee and were home in what felt like a matter of minutes.  We could not have had a better reintroduction to Scotland than this ramble and we're looking forward to the next one.

For more pictures, please visit my Facebook album here.

Bath Day Trip

Jane Austen lived here

This past Sunday we hopped aboard the 9am train from Paddington station to Bath (Somerset) for our last London-based day trip of the summer. Situated 1 3/4 hours west of London, Bath is famous for its Roman ruins and healing thermal waters (both of which we completely bypassed).  Additionally, it was also the former residence of a little known author from the late 18th century (you may have heard of her), a Miss Jane Austen.

Upon arriving around 10:40am, we quickly made our way to the Bath Abbey for the only Jane Austen walking tour of the day.  Starting at 11am and lasting a bit longer than planned (2.5 hours rather than 1.5), our walking tour met our expectations for its historical anecdotes and literary references along with just being a nice introduction to such a lovely town.

Jane Austen lived in four homes in Bath.  First, when her brother was prescribed Bath’s healing waters (along with electric shock treatment) for his ailments, she and her mother accompanied his family on the trip. Next, upon retiring, her father relocated the household (including herself, her mother, and her sister) to Bath, where he subsequently died. Upon her father's death, the family tried to stay in Bath but, after relocating twice, finally acknowledged that Bath was prohibitively expensive for their circumstances and had to leave town for good.  Both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are products of her time in Bath (neither of which I know anything about).

Parade Gardens

After our walking tour we grabbed a couple pints at The Porter, an adorable vegetarian pub with outdoor seating and a great location and then headed to 'the famous' Sally Lunn's to sample some 'world famous buns', where we wound up having an excellent lunch and grabbing a few buns to-go.  After our meal, we walked to the riverside to enjoy the sun, water, and our lovely surroundings.  Then, just to add to our contentment, a band began playing in the bandstand at Parade Gardens, across the River Avon from where we were sitting.  It was lovely.

Besides a disappointing hike up to Alexandra Park - located at the top of a neighbouring hill it was supposed to be a great spot to view the town but really isn't at all due to all the trees - we had a perfect day.  In hindsight, the hike was actually quite nice and the park was cute and, though requiring an exhaustive and frustrating search, we did eventually stumble upon a break in the trees which did provide a mediocre view of the town.  But, disappointing view aside, we did discover the existence of a ravenous, man-eating, invisible plant with a sting that lasts around 24 hours and is painful enough to make two adults run screaming from the wilderness.  So, you know, that was cool.

Royal Crescent

We spent the rest of the day revisiting spots from our walking tour and trying to find places that were pointed out in the distance and discussed but not actually seen.  We took a turn around the Royal Crescent, just like the high brows would've in Jane Austen's day, and found the spot where Jane Austen's father had been buried in a churchyard on the hill, next to one of Jane's inspirations, Frances Burney.

More than any of our other day trips, this trip to Bath was the most fun historically for me.  I'd say Bath is my favourite town thus far in the UK and I'm looking forward to returning for further exploration.

For more pictures, please visit my Facebook album here.

London Walking Tour

Click for more pictures

This past Saturday Le Cool, one of my early finds upon relocating to London in May and my first stop whenever looking for something to do, was hosting the launch party for Artesian Wanders, a walking tour of London in partnership with Fiji Water.  Although the walking tour from Camden to Clerkenwell, an area of the city we haven't spent too much time in yet, would've been enough by itself, we were especially looking forward to this event because it would involve an organized pub crawl and free drinks at the final destination (and I'm a whore for free drinks).

As expected, this walk was SO much fun!  Mike & I joined a larger group, mostly made up of Le Cool writers but with a few other readers such as myself, and had the best time not only seeing the city from a different perspective (we're never with a group and rarely learn anything historic, or of interest, about our surroundings) but also getting to know new people with similar interests (they were all fans of Le Cool).

The walk followed the path of the Fleet River, which flows underneath the city (who knew?) and which we actually glimpsed through a street grate outside the Prince Albert (perhaps my new favourite pub?).

King's Cross station

Another of the many interesting stops along our walk was at King's Cross (where we arrived from Dundee back in May) and St. Pancras.  We discovered not only the circumstances (privatized, competing train companies; capitalism at its best) which caused two train stations to be built right next to each other (seriously, they're neighbours) but also the amazing rejuvenation which St. Pancras has recently gone through (it used to be a hotel and then stood derelict for some time, avoided demolition, and is now a working station again).

We continued on to the Farringdon area, passing the UK headquarters for Amnesty International (a very small and unassuming building), finally arriving at our destination pub, Three Kings, at around 4:30pm (maybe; we weren't really checking the time) where we were greeted by loads of free Palm beer.  We mingled with more of our awesome group and then, seemingly only minutes later, it was 7:30pm and we had to leave for our next engagement.

With or without the free beer and Fiji water, this was an amazing way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon and I'm so happy that we did it.  We made some new friends and had an amazing experience and would happily do it all again.  Our Artesian Wander will definitely go down as one of the highlights from our London summer.

Londres

I'm approaching the two month mark as a resident of London, also the halfway mark.  Although I'm still trying to wring the most out of my four months in London, my endurance is beginning to wane.  Rather than doing something every day I'm down to maybe one week night and the weekend.  I suspect I'll get a second wind in August but, until then, I'm enjoying the groove of being a Londoner and not just a tourist.

I've been a bit more observant of my surroundings this week, perhaps due to the importance of this being the last week of the first half of my London summer.  I've noticed, for instance, that the Londoner's blank stare is a grimace.  Additionally, Londoners will pay to sit in a lawn chair at a public park rather than for free on the grass or park bench.

London is not a bicycle-friendly city.  Although there are bike lanes and 'sharrows' and designated areas for bikes at the front of some intersections and a bike rental program in place throughout the city ('Boris bikes'), there are also 'no cycling' signs everywhere and bikes aren't allowed on the tube or buses.  Perhaps bicycles are considered full-fledged vehicles here (cars aren't allowed on the pavement so why should bikes be?), which might be a good thing as far as safety on the road.  But, not all bike riders are equipped for road travel.  Sometimes you just want to take a leisurely ride through the park but in London that doesn't appear to be allowed.

I enjoy my morning commute.  I love catching the bus every morning to my tube station and riding 30 minutes underground, sometimes standing the whole time, to pop out in the middle of The City.  Taking my time to get to work each morning, I get off a few tube stations earlier than necessary so I can walk along the Thames and past St. Paul's Cathedral.  My morning commute takes about an hour and each morning I find myself stopping to take another picture along the route.  London can be very picturesque, especially when the sun is shining.

I enjoy riding front row upper-deck on the double-decker buses and I prefer riding a bus to the tube, especially on lovely days.  Unfortunately, the bus isn't a practical option for my morning commute but on weekends it's my preference and on late nights it's the only option.

I'll probably have a different perspective, along with different observations, towards the end of the next two months, which I'll enjoy sharing at that time.  Until then, I'm going to continue to relish being a Londoner before midnight hits and I revert into a tourist again.