Addie's Blog

Oh, man. It's been a minute since I've written a blog post. Well, not a minute. But you know what I mean... 

By now, the cat’s out of the bag— I’m home in Maine! For good. For now… ha! I’m glad, though. I miss my students and all the wonderful people I met in Thailand, of course, but I’m happy to be home.

Life in Korat as been crazy busy. Between finishing end of term grades and reports, two weeks of English summer camps, a brief holiday, and starting a new term, I haven't had much free time to update my blog. When Justin and I aren't at school, we've been spending our time on a new venture: volunteering at animal shelters in our city. Read on to find out why this is so important, to us and to Thailand, and how you can help. 

If you know much about travel destinations in Vietnam, you know that Ha Long Bay is usually at the top of most people's must-see lists. Aside from the bay being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's also one of the most visited places in Southeast Asia. Despite all the hype, we opted out of visiting Ha Long Bay and, instead, traveled to Cat Ba Island. Why? Read on to find out... 

After we spent our first evening in Hanoi stuffing our faces with street food, we woke up early the next morning for a day trip to the Ninh Binh province, about two hours south of Hanoi. Ancient temples, spooky caves, beautiful mountainous scenery, and even a few mountain goats awaited us... 

Our week in Vietnam began in the Northern capital of Hanoi. Despite the constant horn honking, we grew to love the narrow, winding streets and the cheap, delicious street food. Continue reading to find out more about our favorite highlights...