Hey folks!!
The day is finally here. My new site is officially up and running. (Screams in excitement) I’ve even made my first post. Be sure to subscribe over there because I will shut this page down pretty soon!
New Site: http://www.brokeandabroadlife.com
GO NOW!!!
Hey folks:
Just wanted to check in and let you know I’m still alive here in America. I wanted to come and give you a quick update.
So I will be re-doing my whole blog site in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, this version of WordPress that I have been using will not allow me to take my brand to the places it can (and will) go. Therefore, I will need to pretty much start over. (Screams) However, I am ready for the challenge and I know once I do, it will be worth it.
I will post again once I get the new blog link, that way you will be able to just hop over onto my new email list. I plan to bring better content to help you really start living your best travel life.
In the meantime, you can check out the articles I have been writing with Travel Noire. I will link my author page below. I have been cranking away and producing some really great stuff for them, including a series I’ve been doing on Black Expats that’s been doing REALLY well. So yea, check it out and the next time you hear from me, I’ll have a new (and way better) site. I got goals y’all!!!
https://travelnoire.com/author/deanna-taylor/
As always, happy traveling.
Wow! I really did it! I took a leap of faith, trusted God through it all, and lived to tell about it.
I never would have imagined a year and a half ago when I began the process to move abroad, that it would have ended up being so impactful.
Click here to read about the process on how I made the move to Korea.
Getting off of that Delta flight July 21, 2017 was the beginnng of a new me. I’ve explained many times, that I decided to pause a career as a criminal defense attorney (and personal trainer) to make this move. Many people didn’t understand why I would take a significant pay cut (and way of life in general) to move to this once foreign land. But I did!
Over this last year I have grown and learned so much about who I am. I’ve been challenged in ways that I never would have been in my comfort zone back at home. I’ve met some amazing men and women from all walks of life and have been inspired in ways they’ll never know.
Korea now has my heart, despite a few bumps here and there. (But who wants that perfect love story anyway?) She allowed me to come in and share my culture with people who may never have had the opportunity to interact with someone like me. She allowed me to teach, motivate, and bond with school-aged kids despite a language barrier and some cultural differences. She even allowed me to venture out and explore 8 other countries. Finally, Korea allowed me to be me! (Sure there were a few sideeyes along the way but who cares)
I can’t fully put into words the impact this experience has had on me. But what I can say is, it’s a feeling that I’ll never forget and I never want to go away.
So Korea, while this may be the end of THIS chapter, it’s not the end of our story.
Thank you for an amazing year! ❤️
Hey folks:
I know the title has you wondering what those 5 things have in common, well I’ll tell you. These are the things that annoyed me most while in Korea! Let me explain below…
1. Seniors: aka old people of Korea. Now if I haven’t mentioned it before, old people (more so old ladies) run Korea. They literally don’t care what they do or who is affected because well they’re older. Some of my favorite (or not so favorite) encounters with seniors include them pushing and shoving you when they want to get nowhere fast. This is normally the case on public transportation. The little old ladies will push you to either get to a seat they are eyeing or when they need to get on or off and you aren’t moving fast enough for them. I say they are going nowhere fast because they do all this pushing and shoving to only end up moving at a snail’s pace. ( insert major eye roll) My other “favorite” is when you are waiting at a crosswalk and there is space between you and the actual road. An old lady will come insert herself in the small space between you and the road as if there is a line to cross the intersection. Keep in mind the light is red and no one is going anywhere. Yet, when the light does finally turn and it’s time to cross, they move slower than molasses. I’m always thinking, really lady?! You did all that for what? Smh you can’t help but to love em.
2. Spit: Yep! That spit. So Korean men have no issue hawking up all of the flem from the deepest parts of their soul and spitting it out wherever they are. Korean sidewalks are pretty gross and I constantly find myself walking in zig zag patterns to avoid stepping in fresh flem and spit. Now the even grosser part is that some even spit INSIDE buildings. Ewwwww. I’m not sure of the reasoning behind it, but it just goes to show that things are viewed differently across various cultures.
3. Stares: Its’s no secret that most Asian countries are very homogenous, meaning there isn’t a lot culture/race mixing. Because of this, they seem to be “fascinated” when they see people who don’t look like them. Now add in some melanin and “ethnic hair” and whew! It’s too much for them. Normally when one gets caught staring, we catch ourself and look away. Not in Korea. (and Asia) Some people will stare a hole into your soul. I have had to stare back in a very extra way just to get them to look away. I knew prior to coming to Korea it would happen but some days you just don’t want to feel like you are an exhibit at a freak show. I know they mean no harm by it and it’s more so curiosity, but sheesh! It’s not for the weak at heart. Luckily, I could handle it.
4. Stairs: As you may or may not know, I walk everywhere. Now, I don’t mind it since it’s extra cardio. But what I do mind is the bazillion steps you have to climb at certain places. The subway stations in Seoul are notorious for stairs. Sure, they have elevators but they are usually packed with the seniors I mentioned above. And when I say there are stairs, baby… I mean stairs! Every now and then we will luck up and the stations will have escalators but there are usually so many people racing to get on, it’s just easier to climb the stairs. Also, because Korea has so many businesses in such a small space, restaurants tend to be in multi level buildings. So your favorite restaurant will end up being on the second or third floor of a building which means…stairs!
5. Smells: Honestly this one doesn’t need a long explanation. But…baby when I tell you that Korea can produce some smells…whew child! Contrary to popular belief, Korea isn’t this clean and prestine place. Korea is actually pretty dirty. People and businesses throw their trash out on pedestrian sidewalks daily. Now factor in the hot and humid weather and the smells intensify. Now the smell that really gets my stomach turning is kimchi. If you don’t know, kimchi is a traditional dish made of fermented cabbage and spices. There are several variations of the dish and they range in spice levels. The actual smell of kimchi fermenting is quite gross. Also, there are times that the smell will come out of the locals pores. *barf
While I truly loved my time in Korea, it had its flaws just like any other place. Luckily these things weren’t too bad and were easy to deal with overall. I will still miss it, flaws and all!
So…. If you don’t follow me on social media, you haven’t heard the good news. I have officially been offered (and now accepted) a position as a travel writer with one of the top black travel and news sites, Travel Noire/ Blavity. It’s crazy how things come full circle. This was the site that exposed me to travel deals and the one that encouraged me to live and work abroad. Now…I’m writing for them! God is amazing! Don’t worry, I will still keep my travel reviews going and other important travel info on here.
As always, thanks for reading and happy traveling.
As many of you know, my time here in Korea is quickly coming to an end. I am actually pretty sad now and not too excited to go back to America. (I mean duh. Do you watch the news?) I can already likely see myself going back abroad whether it be back to Korea or another country. Any who, before I leave I wanted to make the top 10 things I appreciate/like/love about living here. So without further adieu…
As you can see, Korea is actually a really great place to live. I will miss it dearly although I’m not convinced we are really parting ways forever. If you ever get the chance you should definitely visit my temporary home some day.
As always, thanks for reading and happy traveling.
Hello folks:
I wanted to update you all on a couple of MAJOR acheivements here in Korea. Now most people would think I’m crazy for doing them (and trust me I had to question myself a few times) but the feeling after actually doing it was worth it.
Back in May, I took part in the Lotte Tower Sky run in Seoul. Lotte Tower is one of the WORLD’s tallest skyscrapers sitting at 123 stories. Someone somewhere decided that it would be fun for people to compete by seeing how fast they could climb the 2,917 steps in the lava-lamp shaped building. Of course, being the over-achiever that I am, I decided to sign up and do it!
In the weeks leading up to the event, I ran the stairs in my apartment building to somewhat prepare me. I honestly never made it past running 60 floors but it was better than nothing.
On the day of the race, I met up with my friends that morning at the race site. One of my friends, who actually told me about the race, would also be doing the climb too. Our two other friends came as our personal cheer squad. I was super nervous but anxious to get it all over with. Since it’s Korea, they had a whole mini festival going on around the tower to get people pumped up for the race. There were even professional athletes in town just to compete in this race. They apparently travel around the world competing in these types of extreme races. The crazy thing is, the fastest time among them was FIFTEEN minutes.
My goal was to complete the climb in under 45 minutes. The first 50-60 floors had me wanting to quit. But, after that it’s as though the numbers were magically changing by 10 with each stair that I climbed. Once I hit the 100th floor my second wind kicked in. (Or I just really wanted it all to be over. Hey whatevs) I pushed through those last 23 floors and ran through the finish line! My time came to my phone… I MADE MY GOAL!!! I was so happy. I collected my medal, took a few pics from the top of the tower, and made my way down the high tech elevator.
Now I can say, I competed in an international race! It was a tough race, but some how I wasn’t satisfied and decided to go even farther.
I had seen posts from a Facebook group inviting people to come to Seoul for free Saturday workouts. This was something I had really been missing from my workout regimine. So my friend and I decided to check out this group called Seoul City Crew. They hosted free outdoor workouts for ANYONE on Wednesday and Saturday. They were also preparing to compete in….the Spartan race. Initially I said no to the race seeing how I had done a similar race in the states a few years ago. But again, the overacheiver in me decided otherwise. My friend and I would once again put ourselves through physical extremes. (What is wrong with us??) There were also over 60 people from the Crew that would take part in the race.
We loaded up on buses on June 30 and made our way to the race site an hour outside of Seoul.
There were soooo many people. I couldn’t believe that everyone wanted to endure physical torture just like me. Our race time was at noon so we spent time just walking around. (I was actually just trying to calm my nerves.) We would be doing the shorter version of the Spartan race, called the Spartan sprint. I was under the impression that it would only be about a 5k and 20 obstacles. BOY WAS I WRONG.
The race started out with 3 obstacles back-to-back. A set of walls to climb over under and through followed by a barbed wire crawl on the ground straight into a cargo wall. Whew…ok I was prepared for those so it actually wasn’t too bad. Next came what seemed like an eternal run on a path built over a really pretty lake. (thank God the scenery was beautiful because I would have quit LOL. Just kidding) After this LONG run came another set of obstacles….a rope climb that I had to opt out of and do burpees, a set of high hurdles to jump, a heavy atlas stone carry, then 3-4 different sets of monkey bars that I also had to opt out of and do burpees. (it all became a blur after this) The burpees were grueling since it was super hot out that day too!
Next came a VERY STEEP trail climb up a mountain that lasted about 30 minutes alone. Everytime I thought I was at the top, I had to go up even more. However, the race creators failed to keep one thing in mind…we all had to come down this steep mountain. There ended up being a long backup of race goers trying to get down the steep and narrow path. This added at least 30-45 minutes to everyone’s race time.
After we finally got out of the woods and off of that mountain we had to carry heavy buckets of rocks around a mini obstacle course and then go through a series of puddles of mud. The last “puddle” was actually a mini pool of muddy water that we had to swim under a wall to get out of. UGHHHHHHHH. From there it was another wall and more running. The last few obstacles included carrying heavy sandbags around a stadium, crawling under more barbed wire but in sand while being sprayed with water, a tall cargo wall, and finishing by jumping over a small fire pit.
WHEW!!! The total distance of the race ended up being well over 8 KM or around 5-6 miles. While it doesn’t sound like a lot distance wise, when you add in the obstacles it becomes pretty hard. Just think, people were out doing a 12 KM version. More power to them!
I was so proud of myself for even finishing. I wanted to stop several times but I just kept pushing and giving myself pep talks along the way. I was rewarded with a NICE medal and a t-shirt that says Spartan Race FINISHER! Yayyyy.
I’m sure after reading this, you think I have lost my everlasting mind. But I actually encourage you to try something out of your comfort zone. If you do, or if you have, share it in the comments section. I want to see how awesome (and crazy) you are too!
As always, thanks for reading! Happy traveling.
Hi folks:
So the weather is finally breaking here in Korea and that means I’m back out exploring as much as I can.
My friends and I decided to head out to Seoul to check out a few rooftop cafes that we heard about. The first stop of the day was to a small but very picturesq place called Seoulism. It was initially a little hard to find especially since there is a lot of construction going on aroung it. I took the subway to the Songpa stop (exit 2) and then had to catch a cab from there. You can also walk. (it was about a 20 minute walk but it was so hot) The sign on the front just says coffee and it’s mixed in a small strip of other businesses along a main road. (Address Songpa-gu, Songpa-dong, 48-7, Seoul)
There is usually a small wait since the rootop area is very small. They let people up as other people come out. In order to have access to the rooftop you have to first purchase a beverage. The beverages are a little pricey as far as cafe drinks go. (6,500-8,000 won) I purchased an iced caramel macchiato, my friends had the berry ade and the cookies and cream smoothie. The berry ade was really good so I highly recommend that. Once you are given your drinks you are allowed to take the elevator up to the 6th floor.
When you get upstairs, you think that you are in the wrong place. But once you walk throught he curtain to the left you are taken to the small terrace like area to enjoy your drink. You can then walk up another set of stairs to find the gorgeous photo spot with the lotte world tower in the background. To make your photos even better, there is a really cute “SEOUL” backdrop and even a chair to sit in. Luckily the photo area wasn’t crowded when we were there, but then again it’s not that big anyway.
We literally only spent our time taking photos and then we left.
Out next stop was on the opposite side of Seoul so we had about a 30-40 minute subway ride to Hongdae.
We made our way to the Sangsu stop (exit 1) to get to Contoyner cafe. It was about a 5 minute walk from the station to the cafe. Just like most cafes in Hongdae, it was a little hard to find since it is in one of the smaller alley ways. (Thanks to my friend’s naver app we didn’t get lost)
Contoyner is a super cute cafe that sells all types of trinkets and memorabilia from your childhood. In addition to this, they have a really adorable rooftop as well. Just like with Seoulism, you have to purchase a drink to get access to the rooftop. The drinks here are a little more reasonable in price. This time I had the lemon ade, my friends had the grapefruit ade and a green grape smoothie.
We made our way to the rooftop and WOW!! It was a rush of pastel colors and cute props perfect for a photoshoot with friends. We could barely stop to enjoy our drinks before we started taking photos. Again, there wasn’t a crowd when we went so we were able to take lots of pictures.
We spent about an hour or so here just taking pics and coming up with random ideas for new poses. I highly suggest this place for the photo opps alone.
We worked up quite an appetite after this, so we made our way back toward the Sangsu station and stopped at a cupcake shop called Chikalicious. We stumbled upon it on our way to the cafe, so we had to make our way back. They had a large assortment of cupcakes from salted caramel, red velvet, and even earl grey. They also serve banana pudding. We sat at the small bar and enjoyed a cupcake and the banana pudding. It was probably one of the best desserts I’ve had in Korea especially since Korean dessserts aren’t usually prepared the same as Western desserts.
Even with our cupcake tasting, we still needed to eat real food. Just like the cupcake place we stumbled on the Hongdae location of Nekkid wings. I had never been to the Itaewon location, but according to my friends this location has more options on the menu.
I decided the nuggets as my meal. The nuggets come with a choice of two dipping sauces. I had the smokehouse BBQ and classic buffalo sauce. We all were really impressed with the tastes. Getting actual Western flavor is very hard in Korea since they love to put their own spin on most things and it tends to mess it up. But this place reminded me of an upscale chick-fil-a! My taste buds were very happy.
As you can see we had quite an adventurous day. I have about 7 weeks left here in Korea before I return to the states. I plan to explore as much as I can between now and then. There is still so much to see before I leave so stay tuned.
Thanks for reading and Happy Traveling!
Hello folks:
Here is the continuation to my last post. As I mentioned before, I decided on a 2 day 1 night excursion out on Ha Long Bay.
There are several companies that offer tours to Ha Long Bay. They range from day tours, 2 day-1 night tours, and even 3 day-2 nights. In my opinion, the 2 day 1 night option is perfect. I used the boating company that my hotel (Hanoi Cristina Hotel) recommended. The hotel also served as a small travel agency. I emailed them ahead of time to ask for the prices of the tours. They offered three boats which ranged in luxury. The higher end boat was the Viola Cruise which was $160, then the Diamond cruise which was $150, and the boat I took was the Lemon cruise for $125. These initial prices were for double occupancy (two people). Since I was traveling alone, the prices were slightly higher: $210, $190, and $150 respectively. That’s one of the downfalls of solo travel.
You can also wait until you are in Hanoi and visit any of the many travel agencies in the Old Quarter to seek their prices. I saw signs for pricing that was much lower, but I am not sure of the quality of the boats.
Now, about my tour.
The host was the one who came to get me from the hotel around 8am of day 1. There ended up being only 5 other people on the tour with me which was perfect. We set out on the 4 hour ride from Hanoi to Ha Long. We stopped midway for a bathroom and snack break. All of the buses stop at this same place, which also sells souvenirs. We spent about 30 minutes there before finishing out the journey.
When we arrived at the port, we had to transport our bags from the bus to a smaller boat (our tender boat). Some of the higher end boats had carts to help you transfer your luggage, but the walk was less than 2 minutes to the boat. We took the smaller boat out to meet our larger boat since it could not dock directly at the port.
Once on the boat, we were assigned our rooms and given our keys. We were told to check our rooms for any issues and to report back around 1:45 for lunch. The room that I was assigned to was pretty simple. It had a comfy double bed and it’s on bathroom with shower. There were no T.V.s but there was air con. ( It only worked for a portion of the trip due to the small generator on the boat)
At 1:45 we met for our first meal on the main deck of the boat. The staff made more than enough for the six of us on board so you had the option to have more.
After lunch, we prepared to head out to our main excursion for that day. First we would kayak through the Bay and a small floating village. We kayaked for about 45 minutes. The scenary was very beautiful. Our boat was the only boat out kayaking at the time, so it was also very peaceful. We got pretty wet, so be prepared for that.
After kayaking, we went to a local pearl farm which was very close to the entry point for kayaking. The pearl farm was very small and not that interesting. (Hey I’m honest)
From there we loaded up again on our tender boat to head out to a beach on one of the over 2,000 small islands that make up Ha Long Bay. Initially we were one of the only boats there, but halfway through our time several other tour boats came to the small beach. The beach was cute and you also had the option to play some volleyball. (I played and had fun.) We spent about an hour there before getting back on the tender boat and heading out the the large boat.
Once on the large boat, we had some down time until our dinner. Our dinner that night was a large spread of various meats served on the large bamboo plate which is customary in Vietnam. We had a few side dishes such as rice, salad, and some vegetables. Fresh fruit was always served after each meal as dessert. On the boat, drinks were not included in the tour price, but the drinks were very cheap. (they also had a small bar on the boat if you wanted to order alcohol. Beer was about $2 and cocktails were $5)
We were scheduled to do some night fishing but it began to rain. I was pretty tired, so I headed in to my room for the night.
Day 2:
The morning started very early. Breakfast was served at 7am. Breakfast was pretty simple: toast, eggs, and fruit.
Our tour that morning was to a cave. The cave wasn’t very big and all of the boats came at the same time, so it was a bit crowded. After going through the cave, our host gave us some time on a small beach next to the cave for pictures.
We loaded up onto the tender boat one more time and then on to the large boat. At this point we started the check out process and closed out any drink tabs. We were making our way back to the main port. I simply took in the scenary on the way back just like I did on the way there. Around 11:30 am we had lunch which was another assortment of various Vietnamese dishes and noodles. We made it back to the port right around noon and set back out to Hanoi the same way we came. (with the same stop at the midway point.)
All in all, the cruise was great. The price was a little steep for a single person, but again you may be able to get cheaper prices once you actually get into Hanoi. The scenary was absolutely breathtaking so I don’t regret it one bit. You actually do alot in the short 2 day period. The food was always hot and fresh and there was always plenty. The crew was very friendly and willing to help with anything you needed. As I mentioned before, I highly recommend an overnight cruise versus just going there and back in a day. The four-hour ride each way isn’t worth it for just a day trip. If you are already closer to Ha Long, you may be able to do the day tour on your own, but coming from Hanoi overnight is best.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. As always, thanks for reading and happy traveling!
Hello folks:
I’m back with another (YES ANOTHER) travel review. This time I had the opportunity to visit Hanoi, Vietnam during an extended weekend holiday here in Korea.
First: The Visa process
If you are an American passport holder (Some other countries as well so please check) you will need a visa to enter Vietnam. The Vietnam visa process is two-fold. You have to first get a letter of approval from an official company or person. I simply googled Vietnam visa on arrival and read a few sites before choosing one. The prices range from $10-$25. The company I went with charged $10 for a one-month single entry. The site is pretty self-explanatory from there. (https://www.vietnam-evisa.org/apply-visa.html) It took about a day and a half for them to email the letter to me. Do not be alarmed if your letter has other people’s name on it with yours. This is pretty standard for the company’s that issue letters. You can pay a fee to have a letter with only your name, but it honestly doesn’t matter. You will need your travel dates before applying for the letter. They can possibly deny entry on your dates so that’s why it’s important. You will also need to complete the visa-on-arrival form to accompany your letter. The company I used sent a link for me to do the form ahead of time. The form will also be available at the airport.
Once I arrived at Hanoi’s airport, I went to the visa on arrival counter before going through immigration. You hand the agent your letter, passport (take off any covers), and the visa application. You then wait in queue for them to approve and issue your visa. Once they are done, you passport picture will pop up on a TV screen and you go to the second agent to pay the visa fee of $25. They only accept cash, so have it available. You should also have a passport sized photo, or you can do like me, and pay $2 for them to take the picture on site. (it’s cheaper that way honestly)
From there you are given a receipt and your passport and you are now able to go through immigration and customs. The process took all of 30 minutes total.
Second: My Hotel
Hotels in the Old Quarter of Hanoi are very inexpensive and are in abundance. They are mostly smaller boutique hotels but are clean, comfortable, and cute. At the recommendation of a friend who travelled a few weeks before, I booked my room with the Hanoi Cristina Hotel. I booked a double room at $25 per night, including a decent breakfast, for 3 nights. I did the book now, pay later option on booking.com which is standard for most hotels in Hanoi. Tip: To avoid a 3% surcharge for using your debit card, bring cash to cover the balance. The hotel instantly sent a follow-up message to let me know they could book tours or even airport transfers for me in advance. I decided a day or two before my trip that I wanted to do an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay during my 3 night stay. The hotel was more than accommodating in cancelling one of my nights in order for me to do this without extra charge. I decided not to use them for the airport transfer since they charged $16, which is pretty expensive compared to other options. (I’ll explain soon)
The hotel turned out to be in a great location, although a little hard to find initially. They gave me a map specifically designed for them which helped me to get around during my entire trip. (I didn’t even get lost. The map was very accurate)
Now, the GOOD STUFF…
I arrived in Hanoi around 9am on a Friday. I had read in advance that there was a local bus that goes from the airport into Hanoi city. The bus is the Express 86 bus. The stop is located just across from the #2 taxi stand once you exit the airport. There will be an attendant on site to ask where you are going and who will tell you which stop to get off. (He speaks fast so I honestly didn’t hear him) The bus comes every 30 minutes or so. Once you are on and settled, the attendant will then come and collect the fee. The ride is 30,000VND or roughly $1.15. Try to exchange a little money to be prepared for this. He will in turn give you a receipt. The ride was about 30 minutes even with a few stops. I still didn’t know which stop I needed but luckily the attendant came around one more time to tell everyone again. ( I think it’s more so because we all looked lost)
The bus drops you along the main street, so it won’t go into the heart of the Old Quarter. You will need to ask the locals to point you in the direction of your accommodation or have a SIM card and map handy.
Once I arrived at the hotel, my room wasn’t ready. They allowed me to leave my luggage while I went out to exchange more money and to find food. This is when I was given my new BFF, the map. The receptionist told me where to go for food and where to find good money exchangers.
It was super hot but I expected it to be.
I first found a money exchange place which was also in a jewelry store. The average rate was $1 = 22,000VND. As I was walking to find food, I was approached by several “city tour” guys on the pedal bikes. One was very “persistent” so I agreed to a tour at 4pm that afternoon. In turn, he suggested a pretty good (and popular) food spot.
I went to New Day restaurant and had the beef with pineapple and an iced strawberry tea. (Strawberry tea is soooo good) My meal was hot and about $5.
After eating, I walked around using my map to get my bearings. (and to kill more time) I finally headed back to the hotel to check in, nap, and shower.
Right at 4pm, I headed back out to meet the tour guide. Before getting into the cart, I asked for a price. He quoted 300,000 ($13) for an hour-long tour around the city. I’m sure I could have bargained but I was honestly tired of him (LOL) He took me all around the main part of Hanoi Old Quarter. He even stopped at times to take pictures of me if I needed or for me to get out and take pictures as well. It did begin to rain while on the tour, but he was prepared with coverings so I didn’t get wet. The tour went for exactly an hour at which point he tried to get me to extend to another part of the city, but I declined. I got out and decided to do more site seeing on foot.
Luckily my tour stopped right near Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s a small lake with a cute red bridge that leads to a temple. The bridge is a popular picture spot. There is a fee to enter the actual temple as well. Most people, including me, just walk the bridge and take pics from the outside.
Just across from Hoan Kiem is a very busy intersection that is seen is most pictures for Hanoi. There were no traffic lights and traffic literally went however people decided to go. It was pure madness but somehow no one crashed. I stood (safely) on a sidewalk and just watched in amazement. From there I continued my journey on foot, going down random roads to see what was there. I eventually stopped at a cute coffee shop to try some of Hanoi’s infamous “egg coffee.” It’s sounds weird, but it was really good. The coffee was around $2 (40,000 VND)
I continued on my walk and stopped to pick up a few souvenirs including some banana pants. (yes pants with bananas all over them!) I eventually stopped at a restaurant to have some fresh spring rolls and chicken pho. I mean who goes to Vietnam and doesn’t eat Pho. The Pho was around $2 and the spring rolls were about $2.50.
Since it was the start of the weekend, there was a large night market taking place a few blocks from my hotel. I decided to go check it out. The market stretched for several blocks and vendors sold almost everything you could imagine. I only picked up some cute shades and tried some passion fruit juice. I was pretty tired by this point, so I made my way back to the hotel. I knew I had an early start the next day.
I woke up pretty early to get breakfast before heading out for my overnight trip along Ha Long bay. Breakfast was served in the neighboring hotel. The options were pretty good. They offered Western breakfast as well as Vietnamese dishes such as noodle soup. From there, I checked out of my first room and waited for the tour guide to come pick me up.
(I’m going to do a separate post on the tour so I will skip over that day and finish up with my last day in Hanoi)
Day 3:
My Ha Long tour bus took me back to my hotel in Hanoi around 4pm. I checked back in to a new room, put my bags down, and set back out to explore. On the list, was to try Banh Mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich that is similar to a Panini. I went to a more popular shop in the heart of the old quarter. Just like most other Vietnamese food shops, the shop had the small plastic stools and low tables inside and along the sidewalk. The sandwich was about $1.13. (25,000 VND) I had the chicken sandwich and it was pretty good. I could have almost eaten two.
I spent the rest of my afternoon just doing more site seeing. I even caught a ride on a motorbike to see the popular Train Street. Train Street is an actual residential area that has a train track going through it. There is a train that passes through the narrow alley three times a day. When I walked the tracks, there were families outside going on about their everyday life. Kids playing, women prepping dinner, and people just hanging out and talking. I wish I could have seen the train actually pass through because the alley is really not that big so I can only imagine how these families have to prepare each time.
My flight left around 1am. I booked a taxi through one of the travel agents in the Old Quarter. The trip was $10 compared to the $16 at my hotel. I would have taken the same bus back but it stops running around 10pm.
All in all, my trip to Hanoi was fun. The hustle and bustle of Hanoi was quite a site to see. Everything was super cheap and someone like myself definitely appreciated that!
As always, thanks for reading and Happy Traveling!
Hey folks:
I am back with a new review of my recent trip to Tokyo, Japan. Since I’ve been here in Korea, I’ve been wanting to get there but the flights were never cheap enough for me. (Obviously they are still much cheaper than flying from the States though.) I lucked up in early March and picked a random weekend to go for about $200.
Once my flight was all squared away, I started looking for somewhere to stay. I first had to research the different areas of Tokyo to see exactly where I wanted to visit. Since I was limited on time, I needed to be in a location that was central to the most attractions. I knew for a fact that I wanted to see Harajuku and Shibuya crossing. I typed in both areas on search engines to find accommodations. I came across a pod hotel in the heart of Shibuya. At the time, the hotel had not opened so I was hesitant not having reviews to read first. I knew that staying in a pod or capsule hotel was something that was on my Tokyo bucket list, so I went with my gut and booked.
I then had to research my transportation options into Tokyo since I would be arriving on a really late/early morning flight. At this time, all trains would have stopped. I found info on an airport bus company (Keiyu Bus Co.) that had a bus into Shibuya during late night hours. The bus was around $16 compared to taking a taxi at that time for around $80. I had a few friends in Japan call for me to inquire as well. Although I wasn’t able to reserve a seat in advance, I still decided to wait and try my luck.
Everything went smooth and I made it to the hotel. When I walked into The Milleanials Shibuya, I was blown away. It was brand spanking new and the location was perfect. Upon check in, I was given my own iPod touch that would serve as the control for my pod and the building elevators. Once I arrived at my pod, a really nice souvenir toiletry bag was waiting for me with towels, slippers, a toothbrush, cotton pads, and ear plugs.
I set my alarm using the iPod touch. You also control your bed position, the lights in the pod, and the theater system with it. After playing around with all of the functions, I finally decided to head to bed. (I was too excited.)
I opted for late check out since I arrived so late. I wanted to give myself a little more time to sleep and then prepare for a non stop day, afterall I literally only had one day.
I checked out of my pod and stored my bag with the hotel and set out. I asked the front desk attendant for a pancake restaurant recommendation. To my surprise, there was one just steps away.
I arrived right when they opened at 11am so I didn’t have a wait. I ordered the strawberry banana pancakes with orange juice. I had missed homemade pancakes since Western style pancakes are hard to find in Korea. The breakfast total was around $14.
After breakfast, I set out to see the infamous Shibuya crossing. Shibuya crossing is known as the world’s busiest intersection. It was amazing to see all of the people crossing from 3 different ways. I wandered around Shibuya for a bit and stumbled upon another famous site, Hachiko statue. Hachiko was a dog that would come to Shibuya train station to greet his owner after work every day. The dog even continued this after his owner died for several years. ( Now that’s loyalty) A statue was erected in the dog’s honor.
After watching the chaos of the crossing a few more times, I set out toward Harajuku. Luckily it was also in walking distance (about 15 minutes) Harajuku is the area that I picture when I think of Tokyo. Here you find all of the girls and guys dressed in Kawaii costumes as well as stores that sell the clothes as well. Harajuku is also home to lots of retail stores and cool restaurants. In the heart of Harajuku is a really cool escalator with a kaleidoscope like mirror.
The only thing I was in search of while in Tokyo was sneakers. Korea doesn’t always get the best selection and if they do, they tend to charge more. Let’s just say Tokyo is a sneaker lovers dream. I browsed in several stores, going down different streets just to see what was out there. I wanted to think my decision through carefully so I waited to purchase until I was able to truly compare the options.
That afternoon, I had reservations at the Kawaii Monster Cafe. I have been eyeing this place since I came to Korea. Kawaii Monster cafe is a restaurant that, as one person describes, is a child’s dream on acid. You are escorted into the doors and you instantly say WOW!!! The colors! The lights! The crazy merry-go-round in the very middle! It’s a sensory overload. I didn’t know which way to look first. Since I was alone, I was able to get a small table that was literally in the middle of all the action. (SWEET!) At this restaurant, you can either pay for the $5 admission in advance online (which I did) or pay in person. (Just be mindful you will have to wait until people with reservations are seated first if you pay in person) Once you enter you must then purchase one food and one drink item from the menu. There are also pre paid menu packages you can opt for. I ordered fries and a coke. (cheapest things on the menu) The fries came with an assortment of colored dips to mimic the theme of the cafe. Other menu items include: colorful pastas, crazy shakes, and desserts. Every hour and a half the “Monster girls” do a live dance show and get guests involved too. It was super cute and the kids loved it. (SO DID I!) After watching the show, eating my fries, and closing out my bill I headed back out to continue my sneaker hunt.
I eventually made my way to Takeshita street in the heart of Harajuku. This is the most popular street in the area filled with street food, restaurants, vintage clothing stores, and souvenir shops. After reading several blogs, I found that crepes and gigantic rainbow cotton candy were must try things. I wasn’t in the mood for that much cotton candy on my own so I chose to try a crepe. I had an apple cinnamon crepe. It was only OK. I also decided to try peach coke from one of the 1 million vending machines found on the street. It reminded me of cherry coke a lot but was still pretty good.
My last mission, outside of my sneakers, was to find as many of the crazy Kit Kat candy bar flavors. Tokyo has been known to produce unique flavors of the candy. I found a small assortment pack in a random souvenir shop. The pack had: strawberry cheesecake, apple, purple sweet potato, matcha green tea, matcha almond, strawberry, and a few other flavors. (I ended up also finding a melon flavor in the airport. I’ve tried a few so far and they are really good)
I finally made my sneaker decision after consulting some friends via text and went to make my purchase. (I did great!)
By this time the sun was setting and I was a little hungry since I had only had light meals all day. Another Tokyo bucket list item was to have ramen from Ichiran. This is a small ramen shop that always has a wait outisde. You first stop at the “vending machine” outside to place your basic order and pay. (cash only) You are then seated at a personal cubby where you are given a checklist on how you want your ramen to taste. Your ramen is then served through the small window at your cubby and the window flap closed once you receive it. You have a small water tap and cups at your cubby as well so you can truly eat in peace. The ramen was around $8.
After enjoying my delicious ramen I started to make my way back toward Shibuya to check on my bags and rest my legs a bit. Although I was checked out, the hotel allowed me to relax in the lobby area. I charged my phone up a bit and decided I had one last must-do…SUSHI IN JAPAN!
I once again asked for a recommendation from the front desk. The initial place that was recommended had a crazy line and I was short on time. I decided to just walk around Shibuya some more to see it come alive at night. I was able to see a flash dance performance, street rappers, and even people racing in the human Mario Kart. I eventually came across another sushi place (Genki Sushi) that looked really fun. I only had one hour left to get in, eat, and get out. There was a short wait but I made it in just in time.
This place was SOOOOOO COOL. Once again you are seated at a personal stool in front of a small tablet. You order your food via the tablet and it is whisked directly to your seat on a conveyor belt that goes around the whole restaurant. You then notify the belt that you have your food by tablet, and the mini cart is sent back to the kitchen. You can order however you want but you have a 45 minute limit to ensure other guests can get in and eat too. The sushi was really fresh and pretty inexpensive too. I was happy to have stumbled upon that place.
After chowing down, I made my way back to the hotel one more time to grab my bags. My full day in Tokyo was coming to a close and I needed to catch the subway to the airport.
The station was only a 5-7 minutes walk from the hotel. ( I literally didn’t have to pay for transportation that day except to and from the airport. Once I arrived at Shibuya station, I had to ask several people to point me in the right direction for the airport train. There are so many different lines so it was kinda confusing. However, I made my way to the airport with time to spare!
As you can see I had a fun and busy day in Tokyo. It’s a somewhat expensive city compared to other Asian cities. (But about the same as a major city in the USA) It is such a cool vibe and I saw people of all races there too. I didn’t get the weird stares that I expected from an Asian city. I could see myself living in Tokyo if the cost of living wasn’t so high. Hopefully I can get back one more time before I leave this side of the world. There is still so much for me to see!
Thanks for reading and happy traveling.
Broke And Abroad 