WanderlustandWhimSea

I flew from Hanoi to Beijing to catch up with another tour, this one is 17 days in China and Tibet.  New group, new personalities and a pretty hectic pace to see everything. Beijing included the Square, Forbidden City and The Great Wall and of course a rickshaw ride! There was a 3-hour line to… Continue reading Next Stop China

    After quiet Laos, Hanoi assaulted the senses, all of them.  We arrived on a Sunday night on 4 day holiday and it appeared all 97 million Vietnamese were on the streets fighting for an inch of space. Crossing the street was a deaf defying miracle each and every time. The funniest was the… Continue reading Ferocious Frenzy in Hanoi Vietnam

There was joy in the streets as the people of Laos celebrated their New Year.  It was one huge water fight with kids, teenagers and adults all getting into the fray. The water is suppose to be about washing off the old year and starting fresh with a new year but it was just one… Continue reading Happy New Year Laos Style!

I love LAOS.  After all the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, the quiet countryside of Laos was a relief and respite, Perhaps except for the burning of the rice fields that kept the air filled with a cloudy haze and it smelled like a camp fire everywhere. Although welcoming to tourists, Laos is still very… Continue reading LAOS – A quiet respite

Bangkok is a huge city with cranes on nearly every corner as it continues to grow at a fast clip.  Thailand is 92% Buddhist so we visited a LOT of Temples and saw Emerald Buddha’s, Reclining Buddha’s, Golden Buddha’s, Stone Buddha’s.  With all the people there was also a lot of traffic but hardly anyone… Continue reading Bangkok – 16 Million Strong

One of the first surprises was this snake draped boy who greeted me from his floating fishing village. He graciously accepted the dollar bill as a thank you for his effort.  I landed in Phnom Penh and joined my Gate 1 travel group. It was wonderful to let someone else be responsible for all the… Continue reading Cambodia – Full of Surprises!

Phuket Thailand was a major bucket list stop for me and it definitely lived up to the hype.  I got to see the Island where the James Bond Golden Gun movie was filmed and motored up and down the bay.  The views are all so exotic and I was fascinated with the boats where the… Continue reading Phuket Thailand is so Exotic – I was enthralled!

Malaysia is a gentle entry for a westerner into Asia. First, they use the English Alphabet so although you don’t know what the writing says at least you can read it. Actually, there are quite a few signs in English as well.  Second, most of the stops had at least 1 western style toilet. Third,… Continue reading Malaysia – A Great Gateway into Asia

I have done a lot of traveling over the years, and I’ve been fortunate to share the experiences with friends and family. The Asia travel is quite different, as I am a Solo Traveler for the first time. I have cobbled together an aggressive itinerary that has me all over the place joining travel groups… Continue reading Solo Travel -The First Debacle

I arrived in Singapore at 11pm after a long flight from Australia, it looked much closer on the map when I was planning the trip, but I guess all distance is relative! Due to my late arrival and earlier departure, I booked a hotel room in Singapore Airport that charged by the hour.  Before you… Continue reading Nap time in Singapore