The more I travel around Vietnam the more I see how much of a tourism giant this country could become. There are so many places that have yet to realise their potential, and Hue is one of those underachievers. While Danang and Nha Trang are now booming as beach destinations, Hue could easily position itself […]
Experience the Phong Nha Caves and rural life in Vietnam
Phong Nha is in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam in Quang Binh Province. The area is home to the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which is often referred to as the Phong Nha Caves. For reference here it is on the map. [Map of Phong Nha – Vietnam] This national park was listed […]
Where I’m At: October, 2019 – Saigon edition
Greetings from Saigon and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. This month features that time I met Bruce Dickinson, the hazepocalypse of Southeast Asia, and riding new railways of Indonesia. Where I’ve Been I began the previous month in Saigon, where I base myself […]
Visiting the world’s largest Starbucks in Tokyo
Here at Nomadic Notes I like to make lists of cool independent cafes to visit in cities of Asia. I’m not against visiting chain cafes either, so when I saw that the world’s largest Starbucks store opened in Tokyo I had to pay a visit. Before this visit I had been to what was at […]
Notes on Kyoto – temple hopping and urban wanders
Kyoto is one of the most popular destinations in Japan, to the point that it has become a global symbol of the overtourism phenomenon. I’ve been to Japan a few times now but had not visited Kyoto. The thought of fighting my way through crowds wan’t appealing, but I knew I had to see for […]
Notes on Kaohsiung – an underrated city for when you have the #overtourism blues
Kaohsiung is the second largest city in Taiwan, at the southern end of the island. Being in the travel business I know a number of people that have been and raved about it. Overall though it’s not a city that features on the international travel radar. There are direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City […]
Where I’m At: September, 2019 – Saigon edition
Greetings from Saigon and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve Been This is a brief summary of where I’ve been, and I usually blog about visited places a month or so later. At my current rate of blogging I’m about six weeks […]
Taroko National Park – highlights, and how to visit on a day trip from Taipei
Taroko National Park is one of the highlights of Taiwan, with the Taroko Gorge ranking among the great natural wonders of Asia. When I was planning my trip most of the information I found was from travel agents selling tours. If you are in Taipei on a short visit it is possible to visit Taroko […]
Hanoi Train Street – An infrastructure anomaly that’s become an Instagram sensation
One of the more unusual tourist attractions to emerge in Hanoi is the Hanoi train street. This “street” is more of a passageway that has a single railway line passing through it. There are houses on either side with barely enough room for the train to pass through. The railway is not fenced off, so […]
Hanoi to Haiphong by train
The Hanoi-Haiphong railway is one of the few railway lines in Vietnam that is not part of the main north-south railway. Originally this line was part of the Yunnan-Haiphong Railway that was built by France between 1904–1910. Haiphong is the closest seaport to Hanoi so it’s always been an important access point for Hanoi. Haiphong […]
