Vietnam - Halong Bay

Recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, the Halong Bay has thousands of natural islands peaking out of the sea.  It was truly the most scenic place we have visited so far in Asia.

The Halong Bay also signaled our first time on a cruise ship!  We were both very excited (although watching Titanic the week before the trip was probably a poor choice). 

Vietnam - Hanoi

For the Christmas holiday, Jim and I started our exploration of Vietnam.  We started in Hanoi, which is in northern Vietnam.  When we landed in Hanoi, we were stunned by the chilly weather and chaotic traffic.  It was complete departure from our typical beach vacations, which we both grew to love.

Christmas Time

Since the 90 degree weather made it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit, we splurged and ordered the 6 foot, 400 branch tree from a local Singapore grocery store. Obviously, we opted for delivery since we knew we would have trouble getting a tree that size in a cab.  We both cleared out schedules and got ready for a night at home to celebrate Christmas. 

Hen and Stag Parties

Jim and I have been very fortunate to have stumbled upon some amazing friends in Singapore. One of the couples we have met is getting married, so naturally - we celebrating their union in true expat fashion .. Hen and Stag TRIPS!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary! Jim and I escaped to Bintan, Indonesia again for a quick celebratory weekend getaway. We left straight from work and headed to paradise.   Bintan is a quick 50 minute ferry ride away (although thanks to the man getting sick very loudly on the boat – it seemed more like hours).

Thankfully, we arrived with our stomachs intact and quickly grabbed some Bintang beer for the 15 minute car ride to the resort.  We decided to treat ourselves this time – and stayed at a more luxury hotel – the Banyan Tree. 

Gobble! Gobble!

Gobble Gobble!

Happy Turkey Day from Singapore!

I am so happy we went home last week because it makes celebrating our first holiday abroad slightly easier.  While we were still homesick, we did find some pumpkin ale at Level33 (view above) and take-away (called Tapow here) to celebrate Thanksgiving!

Chicago

Jim and I made it home for a quick visit last week to Chicago.   It had been 6 months since we have seen our family and friends, and it was great to spend time with them.

Personally, I enjoyed the cooler weather  - boots, jackets, gloves and hats!  It was great to get all bundled up for a week (but I am extremely happy to be wearing shorts and tshirt right now).