Taipei, Taiwan

What can I say about Taipei? Perhaps if the Airbnb we rented offered some heat in the coldest week in January I’d have a few more fond memories of Taiwan, but alas… Mornings were frigid and we were not prepared for such cold weather. Nevertheless, temperatures rose in the afternoons and we were able to concentrate on this unique city that featured both urban landscapes and gorgeous natural wonders. Since the city was preparing for Chinese New Year, many of the restaurants and shops were operating at odd hours. We did manage to find a few tour companies that were willing to show us around Vietnam.

Get $20 off your first trip when you book through Airbnb!

Vietnam had no shortage of street food. Some outdoor food markets offered up grilled sugar cane!

One of our favorite places near Taipei was Yehliu Geological Park. An area naturally eroded by the wind and seawater to create unique rock formations like this one.

Another rock formation at Yehliu Geological Park, formed by the constant water ebbing throughout the years. Notice the formation of the far left, aptly named the “flip flop” in Mandarin.

The Golden Falls. The color comes naturally from rainfall and heavy metal elements deposited into the river.

On one tour, we built our own paper lantern to set loose into the sky. This picture was snapped while a group of girls posed with their decorated lantern for another camera.

A scene in an old city in Taiwan named Jiufen.

And, of course, 101 Taipei, the tallest building in Taiwan with, reportedly, the world’s fastest elevator. Our ears clogged from pressure immediately on the way down!

Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, is absolutely teeming with motorbikes. It’s cheaper for a family to purchase a bike as opposed to a car, and believe me, you’ll see families on these tiny bikes. The most I’ve seen on 1 bike was 5: 2 adults and 3 children. 5 people! I’m still upset I didn’t have my camera ready to capture that. Seeing 3-4 people on a bike was a regular thing for us. Kids would sit in front of the bike, standing, looking downright bored. It’s understandable, though, if I grew up on a bike, I wouldn’t be fazed by it either.

The celebration of Chinese New Year, or “tet,” meant the streets were lined with red and gold decorations. It was beautiful.

We were much more interested in the unique landscape of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bai. We cruised along its neighboring bay, Bai Tu Long to see some gorgeous vistas.

We were graced with this sunset while admiring the protruding scales of land, after which the bays got their names. Translated into English, Ha Long Bai and Bai Tu Long mean “sleeping dragon” and “offspring of the dragon”. One bay is said to house a sleeping dragon, and what we see as vertical islands are actually part of the dragon’s spine.

Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, was the complete opposite of Hanoi. While Hanoi was a sprawling, bustling, tradition city full of colorful people, Ho Chi Minh City was downright trendy. It reminded us of New York! The buildings were shiny, modern and tall, many of them with roof top decks, bars and clubs. To our surprise, the Airbnb we booked turned out to be in a landmark building, Ben Thanh Tower, across the street from the famous Ben Thanh Market. Ben Thanh Tower sported 2 clubs and a pool on the roof and from our modern, newly renovated apartment, we enjoyed a view of a helipad on a neighboring building.

Unfortunately, we only got to spend a few days in Ho Chi Minh City, but will definitely return to explore more city hotspots!

Fun fact: there are 7.43 million motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City alone! To put that into perspective, there are only 8.43 million people living there.

Here’s a long exposure shot of the view from our balcony in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Across the street from us you can see the famous Ben Thanh Market.

A swanky rooftop bar during sunset in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Our final destination during our 6-month trip was Chiang Mai. After a half year of constant exploration, tours, bus rides, plane tortures and illnesses, we were exhausted – mentally and physically. It turns out, ending our journey in Chiang Mai could not have been a better idea. Unlike Bangkok and Phuket, Chiang Mai was a haven for tourists, providing the right amount of excitement and relaxation. It was a slower paced city with an ideal climate and an abundance of cafes, shops and restaurants. The food was amazing, a guarantee anywhere in Thailand, and you couldn’t walk down the street without seeing dozens of young tourists. The low cost of living and high quality of life makes this city a must-visit for many American, European and Australian citizens. We met lots of people along the way as well as some incredible elephants we won’t soon forget!

My biggest recommendation (besides meeting the elephants) is to dine at David’s Kitchen. Voted Asia’s #1 Restaurant by TripAdvisor.com in 2016. Across the entire continent of Asia, this restaurant came out on top. We had the best dining experience of our lives there, twice! Yes, we couldn’t leave Asia without a second taste of their food. There’s a slight Asian twist to some menu items. You’ll find wagyu beef cheek and tuna tartar, lots of steaks and seafood options to fit anyone’s tastes. Some of the recipes were actually adapted from David’s aunt, who insisted those dishes be named in her honor. The desserts were extra phenomenal.

Here’s one of our new elephant friends at the Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Ascending the steps to a popular attraction, we saw some adorable girls taking a break from posing with tourists. You were expected to pay a fee to take pictures with the girls who were dressed in traditional Thai costumes. I snuck a free photo in anyway.

I loved the symmetry of this tree atop a hill we found by the Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

A shot inside the Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

During the annual Parade of Flowers, I managed to get a good shot of one of the girls in procession, wearing a gorgeous dress and orchids in her hair. She was one of hundreds adorned in flowers. Massive, towering floats were made of flowers as well.

And so concludes this 3-part “From the Archives” series I decided to post. Photos in this series were all taken before photography became a more serious hobby of mine. Make sure to read parts 1 and 2 of the series, Rome, Florence, Malta, Barcelona and Bangkok, Bali, Phuket.

All images shot with a Canon Rebel SL1 and a Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens (with the occasional Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM for close up shots).