Cebu Philippines

Travel dates: March 12-18, 2016
Our first Asia trip together was to Cebu, Philippines. We stayed at the Shangri-La and it was amazing. We booked a deal through Cathay Pacific's website as they have package deals that change pretty much weekly. Included with our package was a breakfast buffet every day, snorkel gear, and 1 massage each.

 The resort had a private beach that was perfect for snorkeling. Even the little ones could try it because it was shallow and calm in the cove.

 Sunset the first night.

 Day 2 we spent nearly the whole day at the resort beach. We snorkeled and caught some rays.

 Day 3 - We tried a little golf. The Shangri-La has a little par 3 course but it did cost a little extra. The course was not in great shape either, but we were excited to play since we don't get the chance to much living in Hong Kong.

 Day 4 - We got up early for a Bohol tour. We booked this outside the hotel and looked on tripadvisor for a good one. The hotel wanted about double the price for the same tour. We did have to get our own taxi to the pier to go to the island of Bohol, however. And it was a little confusing as to where we needed to be. (Pictured, sunrise from the infinity pool at the resort.)

 It was about an hour ferry ride to the neighboring island of Bohol. Once we arrived, it was easy to find our tour bus and we started out. The first stop was Baclayon church. It was being put back together after an earthquake in 2013. Today, I believe this church has been completely restored.

 Below, another beautiful Catholic church on the island.

 Next stop was the area for seeing the Tarsier monkeys. These little guys are nocturnal so we had to be quiet so we didn't disturb them. The used to let people hold them until they figured out it was causing the Tarsiers stress. They measure about 3-6" tall.

 Around lunchtime, was the riverboat cruise. They had a nice buffet lunch and it was relaxing to get off the bus for a while.

 After lunch, we headed for the Chocolate Hills. Spoiler alert: they are not actually made of chocolate.

 The Chocolate Hills turn brown during the dry season. There are around 1300 of them.

 After the Chocolate Hills, they drove us back to the ferry pier and we returned to Cebu.
The last day, we spent snorkeling and we also visited the nearby mall. There were several restaurants we haven't seen since we left the US.

 The water was really clear this day.

Well, that's it from our Cebu trip! If you want a beach vacation that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, check out Cebu.

Hoi An Vietnam

So, I went on an amazing, 4-day girls' trip at the end of February, 2016. There were 10 of us and I am doubtful that another trip could easily be re-created, as hard as we may try! We flew in to Da Nang from Hong Kong. At this time, we had to get visas in Hong Kong at the Vietnam consulate. US Passport holders can now (as of 2018) get a visa on arrival, but you need to go to the Vietnam consulate website and fill out a form and receive a letter. Print the letter and bring it with you.

Anyway, we stayed at the Sunrise Resort http://sunrisehoian.vn. It was very nice and most of us were very comfortable 2 to a room. They had shuttle service and they also called taxis for us when we asked. Taxis are super cheap there. The food is cheap there. In all honesty, Asia has spoiled me as you cannot find such great accommodations for the same price in the US.

 We tried the food at the hotel... Well, we tried the western restaurant and it wasn't that good at all. Do yourself a favor and go pretty much anywhere else to eat as every meal we had was delicious in Hoi An. The breakfast that was included with our room was really good and the coffee excellent.

 The beach was a short walk. The hotel is ocean-front, but there is a sea wall so you can't exactly get to the ocean without walking a little to the beach. Not a biggie, since it was chilly while we were there and didn't spend much time lounging in our swimmers.

Most hours of the day, the town of Hoi An is closed to motorized vehicles so you can walk around without getting ran over. There are over 200 tailors there and they all are ready to make you a great deal. You can negotiate prices for almost everything you buy there. But, be careful, their currency has a lot of zeros! It helps to familiarize yourself with the currency a bit before getting there. (This currency converter works, even in airplane mode!)

 So, you can get about anything you want made overnight. I saw a pair of sandals on Pinterest that I couldn't seem to find anywhere. I showed them a photo, they measured and the next day, my sandals were ready. They were about $30 USD and they still needed some adjusting. After I got them home, I realized the soles were quite thin and I could feel every pebble I stepped on. So, obviously some places offer better quality than others. A couple of us went to Friendly Shoe shop (see reviews here: https://en.tripadvisor.com.hk/Attraction_Review-g298082-d2067067-Reviews-Friendly_Shoe_Shop-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html) But, another gal got a pair made at our hotel leather shop for about the same price and the soles where much thicker. They seemed like they were better quality.

 Food! Do yourself a favor and go to Morning Glory restaurant. So delicious and cheap too. 10 of us ordered lots of dishes to share and paid $10 US each after drinks and everything. We also took a cooking class and I highly recommend doing that! It was a lot of fun and we got to keep the recipe. I believe that was $20 US for the class and we basically cooked ourselves dinner.

For $1 US you can have this delicious Banh Mi sandwich. yummy French bread with all sorts of deliciousness! https://en.tripadvisor.com.hk/Restaurant_Review-g298082-d4308916-Reviews-Madam_Khanh_The_Banh_Mi_Queen-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html 

I would also recommend going to Marble Mountain. It was really interesting and the hotel organized our van ride to and from. Expect to spend about 3 hours there, easily.

The other thing we did was a bicycle tour. It was called an eco tour and we got to try to paddle in the little, round basket boats. It included lunch and a great guide that knew so much about the plants and bamboo. It was very interesting to see the country-side and the rice fields. We also got to ride a water buffalo, which I have sworn not to show photos of. The cost was about $30 US.

That's all we did on our trip... Well, besides massages and more shopping! You don't want to see pics of that tho! Libby didn't appreciate her souvenir.

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Living in Hong Kong

Welcome to my travel blog! If you've come across this blog, it may be because you are researching trips to take, places to stay, Asia or all of the above! My husband, myself and our dog live in Hong Kong for my husbands' job. So far, we have traveled to Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, Thailand, and Bali. I will write about each one and then continue on with the rest of our Asia travels as they come up.

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