Author: Cassandra Lee
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Laos: Our Last SEA Stop
We really feel like Laos didn’t get the attention it deserved. It became the casualty of our trip for two reasons: it got squeezed into the shortest itinerary (thanks again to Cambodia), and we were absolutely knackered after Vietnam. What was once a three-week itinerary was slashed to just six days, four nights in Luang…
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Northern Vietnam
Underwhelming Cát Bà We eventually made it to Cát Bà because we hadn’t quite grasped how much of a mission it was to get there. We flew from Đà Nẵng to Hải Phòng (the closest airport to the island), then caught a taxi and a ferry before finally setting foot on solid ground. At this…
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Southern + Central Vietnam
Hồ Chí Minh City Returning to Vietnam since our debut in 2023 felt like a home-away-from-home and way overdue. We’d sadly pushed back and shortened our itinerary after overstaying in Cambodia, but we were determined to make the most of our Vietnamese Adventure 2.0. Sadly, Hồ Chí Minh City (HCMC) became the neglected child again,…
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Chaotic Cambodia
I know it might seem like a long time, because trust me, it felt like a long time (at the time), but our 30 days in Cambodia started and ended in the blink of an eye. It all began in Siem Reap back on 10 April, after we travelled on a long day bus from…
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Exploring Khao Sok National Park
After a much more comfortable bus ride, we arrived at Khao Sok Riverside Cottages on 27 March for a much-needed slower and quieter stay. Khao Sok National Park, located in southern Thailand, wasn’t a far trip for us from Phuket. We wanted to explore the vast rainforest–its wildlife, tranquility, and natural beauty. Our accommodation was…
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A Week in Southern Thailand: Krabi + Phuket
We arrived in Thailand four-ish weeks ago, which (writing this now with the power of hindsight) has been our favourite country, by far. We made it to Krabi Town in Thailand’s south determined to do one extremely important thing first: go to 7/11. Thailand’s 7/11s are notoriously incredible. They have an unlimited array of snacks,…
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Five Days in Penang: Culture, Curry, and Colonial Charm
After a much nicer bus ride from Cameron Highlands, we arrived in the historic colonial town, and UNESCO World Heritage Site, George Town on a sunny and humid Tuesday afternoon. We settled into our sauna at Aayu Melayu which was a lovely guesthouse apart from its unwavering desire to make us sweat. First things first,…
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Our Week in KL
We originally planned to spend four nights in Kuala Lumpur, but after a rough bout of sickness (sorry, Pat (again)), we decided to extend our stay to seven nights. We figured the extra time would give me a chance to recover and allow us enough time to explore the city’s sights without rushing. We arrived…
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Uluwatu, Bali: Beaches, Rain and Food
We landed late in Denpasar after our flight from Sydney and made our way to The Room Padang Padang in Uluwatu, arriving just in time to grab dinner and crash for the night. Day 1: Beaches, Rain and Eating The next morning, we started the day with a very late breakfast at our hotel–pancakes, coffee,…
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It’s Official: BackPat and SuitCass are on their own!
Ubud, Bali And just like that, we’re alone and officially traveling the world together. It’s been awfully quiet without Nic and Jake, so we spent most of our time in Ubud debating whether or not they’d enjoy it here. Verdict? Absolutely, yes. We landed in Denpasar just after midnight on 3 February. After an hour-ish…
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Last But Not Least: Bohol
Bohol was our last stop in the Philippines, and much needed respite from the Siquijor Shenanigans. With Nic and Jake only joining us for two short nights (but really only one full day) before jetting back to Sydney, we wanted to make the most of Bohol. We were staying in separate accommodation–Pat and I in…
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Siquijor Island
We arrived in San Juan, Siquijor Island for our four-night stay after a very long trip via (1) tuk-tuk, (2) bus, (3) tuk-tuk, (4) ferry, (5) tuk-tuk, (6) ferry, (7) tuk-tuk. Siquijor—in all its beauty—was our hardest location to get to in the Philippines. In hindsight, we wouldn’t do it that way again. We checked…
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Moalboal Memories
We spent four beautiful nights in Moalboal, Cebu, and we loved every second. After a rather toasty bus ride from Cebu City to Moalboal, we checked in to the most amazing ho(s)tel, Chief Mau, located in the centre, surrounded by beautiful beaches, restaurants, and sights. We (as in Pat) hired motorbikes for ₱375 per day…
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Coron Chronicles & Cebu City Scenes
Day 1: Arriving in Coron Coron City, with its turquoise waters, limestone cliffs, and laid-back vibe, delivered an unforgettable few days in the Philippines. After our traumatic ferry ride (see previous blog), we all settled on very easy dishes for lunch, and lots and lots of water. After checking into Blue Waters Inn in the…
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Starting with a BANG: El Nido!
After an emotional goodbye with our families at Sydney International Airport, and taking the scenic (read: long) route to the Philippines, we finally met up with Nicola and Jake in El Nido, Palawan, late on Tuesday, 14 January 2025. We made it! We had an action-packed three nights in El Nido, which stole all our…
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Final Stop: 30 hours in Ho Chi Minh City
We were lucky enough to be placed on the earliest flight from Phú Quốc Island to Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday morning. We arrived at Alagon D’Antique Hotel and Spa in District 1 of the city at about 10:00am. We quickly ate breakfast (pumpkin soup, for me) and Pat went for a hot stone…
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Our 5 (instead of 4) nights on Phú Quốc Island
On 16 January, we flew from Da Nang to Phú Quốc Island, which is Vietnam’s largest island located just off the coast of Cambodia. It was very hot on our arrival! 32° and sunny! Amazing! This part of our trip was primarily to relax, enjoy food, visit the night markets, sip on a cocktail at…
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And… Goodbye, Hội An
On Wednesday, we enjoyed a small sleep-in before our motorbike tour around Hội An. We filled ourselves with buffet breakfast (yet again) and met our tour guide for the day, Mini T. I was so scared to get on the back of a motorbike, especially given the chaotic driving of Vietnam streets, but after the…
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Chào from the beautiful Hội An
Our first day and a half in Hội An was very relaxing (well deserved after our cave tour). We arrived in Hội An on Monday afternoon by taking a 6-hour train from Đồng Hới to Da Nang, and then a taxi to Hội An. We checked into the Hội An Historic Hotel located in the…
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Our trip to Hạ Long Bay
Yesterday, we departed Hanoi for an overnight cruise in Hạ Long Bay. We were collected from our hotel and joined the bus with people from Los Angeles and Mexico City. Once we arrived at the port at the entrance to the bay, we were collected by a tender boat for a 40 minute trip to…
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Day 3 in Ninh Bình
We left Hanoi for Day 3 to take a day trip to the first capital of Vietnam. Our bus driver, Hai and our tour guide, Duc collected us from our hotel at 7:30am and drove us 2 hours from Hanoi to the province of Ninh Bình in northern Vietnam. We were seated in a multicultural…
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Hanoi Day 2
We discussed our action plan for our second day in Hanoi over breakfast at the hotel – we decided to fill our day with site seeing and 23,000 steps. But first, coffee! We visited Lounge 16 Cafè in Lý Thái Tổ for traditional Vietnamese coffee – “normal” coffee for me this time, and a cocoa…
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Xin chào from Hanoi!
Day 1 in Hanoi was fascinating. For anyone travelling to Vietnam for the first time, overwhelmed is probably the most prominent initial emotion. However, after 24 hours, it’s safe to say that Hanoi is a crazy and chaotic, but beautiful city. We started the day with an egg coffee at the famous Cafè Giâng. We…
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Introducing Our Journey
On 1 January 2023, we will set out on our first adventure as a couple – exploring Vietnam. We will update this blog, so our family and friends can travel with us, vicariously. If you would like to read our posts in-depth, click the link on the post title, and read away. See you in…
Cassandra's Travel Blog 