Into Portugal! We spent a few days in Porto, getting to grips with the Portuguese atmosphere, and checking out various museums, cafes/restaurants and parks/plazas. Central Porto is incredibly beautiful and scenic. On the first day we climbed up an old church spite called Torre dos Clérigos, which looked down onto the surrounding city, with the Atlantic Ocean off in the distance. We checked out the Portuguese Centre of Photography, which is a gallery and museum set in an old prison, and close by is a famous book store called Livraria Lello, and claims to be a source of inspiration for J. K. Rowling when writing Harry Potter. The Soares dos Reis National Museum featured classical paintings and sculptures by Portuguese artists, with a nice courtyard in the centre of the building. After spending the first part of the day there we went to the nearby Garden of the Crystal Palace, and checked out the Museo Romantico, a house museum formerly lived in by Carlos Alberto of Savoy, ...
Our journey through the Lao People's Democratic Republic has been short but sweet. Starting in the capital city of Vientiane, we ventured north to the scenic mountainscape of Vang Vieng, and then onwards to finish up in the former royal capital and UNESCO World Heritage Site Luang Prabang. Vientiane Chilling in the capital was fun, and aside from exploring the Night Market, the main attraction we visited was Buddha Park which was a bit touristy but still good value. Vang Vieng Things got a bit more exciting once we got on the road to Vang Vieng. The ride out there had its rough spots but the views were becoming more and more spectacular the closer we got. The biggest highlight here was a day trip out to the Vang Vieng Elephant Sanctuary, where we hand fed them bananas, walked with them through the shrubland and helped bathe them. Later that evening I went for a hike to find a good viewpoint to enjoy the ...
To kick off the adventure through Vietnam, and make the most of our remaining time before Logan (who has been travelling with me for this past month) returns home to New Zealand, we decided to start things off in the capital city Hanoi, exploring the old town and visiting the Temple of Literature, and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. St. Joseph's Cathedral in the old quarter. Temple of Literature, over the centuries students have rubbed the turtle heads smooth by praying for luck in upcoming exams. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, no photos allowed inside. The next destination was to a smaller city a couple of hours south called Ninh Bình. From here we made a day trip to Trang An where we joined a guided rowboat tour, which weaved around the limestone peaks and through low caves to visit various temples along the way. For our final destination we originally intended to head northeast to the coast and...
The airport looks nice and hope hostel is going well. -Mitchell
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