Ninh Binh is someplace I’ve wanted to go since the last trip to Vietnam. As is typical, it all started with a picture. Ninh Binh is stunning. It is called the Ha Long Bay on land and that is an accurate description. Ninh Binh is located south east of Ha Noi (Hanoi) near where the…
Author: Jason Andrews
Racing a Sailboat to Hawaii – Part 1
Part 1 – The Journey to Transpac We are all about adventures. In the world of sailboat racing, participating in a Transpac (Trans Pacific) yacht race from Long Beach, CA to Oahu, Hawaii is one of the ultimate adventures. The bi-annual race covers 2260 miles of distance and attracts the biggest boats and most accomplished…
Nusa Penida, Bali Indonesia
The Penida Islands are clustered southeast of Bali about 30 km (20 miles) offshore and are comprised of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida, which is the largest. The islands were very sleepy and undeveloped until Instagram made Kelingking Beach, which is located on the southwest side of Nusa Penida, famous. Since then tourists…
Ballooning Over Bagan, Myanmar
I suppose everyone needs to fly in a hot air balloon once in their life. It might as well be over Bagan. It was expensive – let’s just get that out of the way. And it’s not a long flight – around 45 minutes. I had buyers remorse for a day or two. However, those…
Bagan, Myanmar
Bagan is a magical place. We have not been to the valley of the pyramids, or Machu Pichu, or Angkor Wat (we skipped it to go to Bagan). But Bagan has to rank among the ancient marvels still remaining on this planet. It’s incredibly photogenic – we have more content from Bagan than some countries…
Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An is (was?) a quaint fishing village located at the mouth of the Thu Bon river. In historic times (around 1000 years ago) it was an important port for the Cham people who controlled the spice trade in the region. It later became a local center for the production of rice and silk. It’s…
Bai Tu Long Bay, Vietnam
When visiting Hanoi or northern Vietnam, Ha Long Bay is on everyone’s bucket list. It’s lesser known cousin is Bai Tu Long Bay, which is the group of islands just to the east. They share the same stunning limestone massifs that rise from the blue green water, but they seem to be a little quieter…
Hanoi, Vietnam
We traveled 10 hours via van, airplane and taxi from remote northern Laos to the choreographed chaos of Hanoi, Vietnam. We love this city. Old Town Hanoi is a tectonic collision between old world and new. It still retains it’s gritty charm where every family is fighting to use their petite shop, scrap of sidewalk,…
Volunteering in Oudomxay, Laos
If you are asking: where is Oudomxay? Then you are asking the same question we had for several months. The answer is: it’s where very few tourists go. Oudomxay is a province in northern Laos centered approximately around the city of Muang Xai, which is 55 miles northwest of Luang Prabang near the border of…
Luang Prabang, Laos
Laos is the hidden jem of South East Asia located a little further up the road or river from Thailand and Vietnam. It was once nearly impossible to get to, but that is changing fast. We spent two days motoring down the Mekong River from Thailand to reach Luang Prabang and traveled under partially completed…