Where I’m At: September, 2014 – Ho Chi Minh City

[Temple in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam.]

Where I’m At; a monthly update of what I’ve been up to, site news, and where I’m going next.

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City. My three month visa expires in a few days so rather than extending it I will be getting back on the road. While it’s easy enough to extend your Vietnamese visa without having to leave the country, I use the three month time frame as a sign to go and travel.

When I am about to leave a place that I’ve been in for a while (and by while, 3 months counts as a while for me) I start doing the rounds of some of my favourite eateries before I go.

[Classic Chicken Pho – southern style.]

Travel plans

On Sunday I will be flying to Taipei, which will be my first visit to Taiwan. I’ve heard lots of good things about the city so I will be spending two weeks to explore and visit as many cafes as humanly possible.

From Taipei my next stop is Hong Kong where I will spend two days. I’ve been there a number of times and it’s a city I always enjoy returning to whenever I can. I have no plan there other than to eat and go on wanders. I still haven’t found a place in Hong Kong that ranks as my “first meal back” so I will be trying out new eateries. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

From Hong Kong I fly to London for my annual visit to one of my favourite cities in the world. I’ll be there for the first week of October catching up with friends and enjoying a break from the tropics, though I might regret that enjoyment when I remember what cold feels like. I’m still finalising my itinerary for the rest of October but so far it looks like I will be visiting two new countries. More on that once it is confirmed.

I wasn’t planning to be in Europe so late in the season but I wanted to go to Taiwan and I got a good deal with my frequent flyer points that allowed me to stop in Hong Kong for the same amount of points. As a result I will most likely be in London for the World Travel Market Conference. That takes me up to early November, which is far too deep in the year to be spending in London for someone who doesn’t have winter clothes, so I will be heading back “home” to Vietnam after that.

[A temple on my street all decked out for the Mid-Autumn Festival.]

Office Of The Week

[The Workshop – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.]

OK, I’ve said it before but I am going to have to say it again; Saigon is full of amazing cafes. I’ve just added 10 more cafes to the cafe list with the newest one being The Workshop. Nice place to work from and excellent coffee as well.