travel – C&V

Cat Ba Adventure

June 17, 2017 by Veronica Leave a Comment

In the middle of our mostly-city experience of Vietnam, we managed to steal away for a couple of days to go up north and explore some of the nation's more natural sites. Out of Saigon, we hopped on a plane to Hai Phong and, via ferry and bus, found ourselves on Cat Ba. This island is the largest in all Ha Long Bay. It was a long and tiring journey to this place but when we finally got there, we were greeted with cool refreshing winds. We wanted to look around the island and explore so we rented a motorbike, which appeared to be pretty much the only resonably priced way to get around. Read More

Handmade In Vietnam

May 6, 2017 by Veronica Leave a Comment

Our trip to Vietnam over a month ago was not just all vacation. It was also meant for learning. Kayo devoted a lot of time exploring coffee, spaces and shop culture while I tried to find makers and crafters to connect with and learn new things from. OVERLAND CLUB While planning our itinerary and hit lists, I searched online for workshops I could attend in HCMC and one of the first things that popped up on my screen was Overland Club Pottery Studio. After having seen their site and services, I almost immediately reserved a slot because they are very reasonably priced, they hold regular Read More

30 Hours in Hanoi – (Part 1 of 2)

April 30, 2017 by Carlos Leave a Comment

How rich our experience was in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a testament to how dense the town is. Here are our key tips and things we discovered in our altogether too short visit to Hanoi. Go to the Cultural Exchange Museum first. This museum is not that popular. In fact, we walked right past it, and the lights were off when we first stepped in. Some sort of guard came out of a security office and turned everything on when he noticed us. We actually stumbled upon it on google maps, where in icon that said “Culture” indicated that some sort of museum or historical site was there. Without Read More

Turning 33 In Saigon

April 7, 2017 by Veronica 2 Comments

It's a beautiful sunny morning. We step out of the hostel, adjust our back pack straps then start walking towards our first stop of the day. Everything is unfamiliar but we know exactly where we are. Thanks to Google Maps. Motorcycles loaded with boxes, sometimes baskets, of produce, whiz past us as we halt every few minutes to check the phone for directions. We reach a street called Calmette and we keep walking. The place should be near. To our left are rows of shophouses — key duplicators, motorcycle shops, cafes — ready to accommodate customers. To our right was a temporary wall enclosing a Read More

Rainbows and Unicorns, Jo Turns Three!

Jo, my youngest, is a very willful, vibrant and fun-loving girl. Her stubborness drives me crazy, but her humor and silly antics, which she often uses to supress my anger, is simply irresistable. Unfortunately, she really knows how to play me and many others who have fallen under her magic spell. Oh my Jo. How Read More

A Little Bit Of Everything

So the last month that I had not been blogging has been quite eventful and very memorable. I have been learning a lot about pacing myself and designing my own breaks. I have also been enjoying being busy — which is not always the case, so I’m both surprised and thankful. I think I’m enjoying Read More

Blocleaf Cafe in Malate. — Quick thoughts.

Solid cafe in the touristy area of Malate. It’s a good place to hang for a few minutes, but a little hard to get work done because the tables and chairs are all wobbly! Coffee was pretty spot on though. Solid espresso calibration of the Kalsada’s Filipino single origins.