My house/cat-sit was about to begin in Australia. The homeowner, Carolyn, showed me how to compost food scraps in her worm farm. It was a lot easier than I thought. She also showed me the clotheslines in her backyard. I was surprised to learn that many Australians don’t have a clothes dryer. I asked CarolynContinue reading “Days 287-293: House and Cat-Sitting”
Category Archives: Travel
Day 286: Attack the Argument, Not the Person
Ballarat, Australia, is four hours ahead of Vietnam, so the jet lag set in, making it hard to wake up in the morning. After sleeping in a bit, I made myself a bagel for breakfast. Carolyn, the homeowner of the house I was about to watch, looked surprised. She said, “Americans really do like bagels,Continue reading “Day 286: Attack the Argument, Not the Person”
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Days 284-285: My First House and Cat Sit in Australia
Singapore airport was beautiful, clean, and efficient. I stopped at 7-11 before heading towards the gate for my flight to buy some snacks, a sandwich, and a bottle of water. Scoot Airlines doesn’t provide any complimentary drinks or snacks. At the register, the man behind the counter told me that I wouldn’t be able toContinue reading “Days 284-285: My First House and Cat Sit in Australia”
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Traveling During a Travel Ban and World Pandemic
When I flew from the U.S. to Switzerland on March 4th, 2020, to start my fifth house and cat sit from TrustedHousesitters, the Corona-virus was not yet a world Pandemic. I was a little nervous flying into Geneva, which is just 60 miles from Northern Italy. At that time, Northern Italy was under quarantine. IContinue reading “Traveling During a Travel Ban and World Pandemic”
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24 Hours in Singapore (Day 283)
After a two-hour flight from Vietnam, I arrived in Singapore for a 24-hour layover. I was en route to Melbourne, Australia, and booked the ticket because it was cheap. I didn’t mind the delay because arriving and departing at 11:00 am would allow me to see a new country. I packed my carry-on backpack withContinue reading “24 Hours in Singapore (Day 283)”
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Travel Tips to Thailand and Vietnam (Day 283)
The hotel that I was staying at in Ho Chi Minh City, GK Central Hotel, packed a thoughtful takeaway breakfast for me because their restaurant didn’t open before I had to leave for the airport. I had many bad experiences flying with Air Asia and VietJet Airlines from excess, unknown baggage fees to rude employees.Continue reading “Travel Tips to Thailand and Vietnam (Day 283)”
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Day 282: My Last Day in Vietnam and An Urgent Note to Tourists
I signed up for a full-day tour during my last day in Vietnam. The van picked me up at my hotel at 7:45 am. It was similar to the VIP vans I had been on before and I was lucky enough to get one of the individual front seats that reclined. When the door opened,Continue reading “Day 282: My Last Day in Vietnam and An Urgent Note to Tourists”
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Day 281: Stomach and Post Office Problems
After a quick breakfast, I took a taxi to the airport. I was leaving the island of Phu Quoc and flying to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (formerly known as Saigon). I checked in at Vietjet Air and the combined weight of my suitcase and backpack were 34.4 kilos (75 lbs). They only allow 20Continue reading “Day 281: Stomach and Post Office Problems”
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Day 280: Stabbed by a Sea Urchin
I signed up for scuba diving, but because my hotel was too far from the city center, I had to meet at the dive shop in the early morning and then get on the bus from there. Grab (like Uber) isn’t on the island, so I asked the front desk to call me a taxi.Continue reading “Day 280: Stabbed by a Sea Urchin”
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Days 278-279: Island Relaxation
I arranged for a car to pick me up from my hotel and take me to the airport in Da Nang. The driver showed up early and had to wait on me for a few minutes. He angrily pointed at his watch, which I blew off since he was early. On the 45-minute drive, IContinue reading “Days 278-279: Island Relaxation”
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Days 276-277: Friends When You Need Them
I continued to fight a cold and wanted to sleep in because I didn’t fall asleep until 12:30 am. At 7:40 am, there was a knock on my door. It was the front desk woman reminding me that I had a tour that day at 8:00 am. This was the second hotel in Vietnam whereContinue reading “Days 276-277: Friends When You Need Them”
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Day 275: Alone in the Most Romantic City
I went to the small indoor/outdoor cafe that was at the hotel to eat breakfast. I asked the woman at the front desk (who also took my breakfast order) about the hot water because I couldn’t shower the night before without it. She explained that they don’t have a water heater and the pipes areContinue reading “Day 275: Alone in the Most Romantic City”
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Day 274: Catching up with Old/New Friends in Da Nang
When I woke up, I could feel that my throat was swollen and I was feeling tired. I ate breakfast at the hotel since it was included with my room. The modern hotel was large and offered a wide spread of breakfast items. I was excited to eat some westernized food like eggs and toast.Continue reading “Day 274: Catching up with Old/New Friends in Da Nang”
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Day 273: International Politics at a Vietnamese Amusement Park
I quickly ate breakfast at my hotel and was in the lobby ready for a tour of Ba Na Hills. A woman in her 30s arrived to pick me up and explained that we needed to walk a little bit to the bus because traffic prevented them from getting to my hotel. I noticed thatContinue reading “Day 273: International Politics at a Vietnamese Amusement Park”
