One Week in Vietnam: Last stop... Hoi An!

Okay, first thing's first.  Can we take a moment to appreciate the above photo?  The colours, the dark silhouettes, the glow of floating lanterns among the rowboats.... just wow.  This photo is unedited except for the addition of the "Hoi An" title.  It was literally a picture perfect moment.  And the funny part is, minutes before this, Zack and I were having an argument.  A particularly stupid one actually.  As we bickered and pushed through the riverside crowds in old town Hoi An, we stopped in our tracks when we saw this scene in front of us.  It was so beautiful that we both decided right then and there that this argument wasn't worth our time.  It was so beautiful.  It was magical. 

One Week in Vietnam: Ninh Binh... A Beautiful Detour

After a few days in Hanoi, we were desperately seeking nature and a break from the heat.  That is why I was SO excited for the next part of my "surprise adventure": Halong Bay (Ninh Binh was actually not at all in the plan at all at this point!).  As we were packing our bags for our planned boat cruise along Halong Bay, a typhoon was rapidly heading our way.  By the time we were ready to go, the winds and rain had picked up so much that all trips out into the bay had been cancelled last minute.  Not only did Zack feel bad that his "surprise plans" had fallen through, I forced him to tell me all the details about the rest of the trip in order to help him plan the rest of the week.  We hadn't realized that we were visiting Vietnam in typhoon season..... oops.

One Week in Vietnam: The Streets of Hanoi

As I boarded a plane to Vietnam, I knew nothing more about the country other than that the people had endured years of war and that it was the home of some tasty noodle soup named Pho. I also had zero idea of where in Vietnam I was headed.  Zack planned out this entire trip; partially because I was preoccupied with other things at home and partially because he naturally is the itinerary planner out of the two of us.  As he planned, he decided to keep the itinerary a secret from me as a fun way to celebrate my birthday.  It wasn't until I had my boarding pass in hand at the airport, that I was aware of where we were headed first.  So basically, he "whisked me away" to Vietnam!  I know what you're thinking... Zack is the sweetest husband ever and this is just way too romantic.  Well, the first part of that is absolutely true... he is the sweetest.  And the second, well... if you consider being whisked across some of the craziest streets in the world, dodging motorbikes left and right (hoping you come out alive) and dripping with sweat as make your way through dusty street vendors, than yes, how romantic. :)

A Life Update

You may have noticed that I have been a bit absent from this site lately.  There has been a lot going on in my life these past couple of months- from being in Canada, moving into a new house in Thailand, from teaching English and to finding out some devastating family news.  I don't really know where to start, so I might as well start with the worst of it.

May at Sarah Reimer Designs: Preparing for my first Handmade Market!!

Trekking Mount Rinjani: Lombok, Indonesia

I knew the morning would come too soon as I tossed and turned in my damp sleeping bag. It was only 9pm but when you are up in the clouds of the mountains, 9pm feels like the middle of the night. I went over in my head that everything was prepared for when we woke… head lamps: check… gloves and extra sweater: check… camera with extra battery: check. I hoped that my shoes would stay dry from the dew or moisture in the air. I was already sick of those gross wafer chocolate bars that we stocked up on before we left, but I stocked my jacket pockets anyways. It had only been one day of hiking so far and I was eating those as if they were going out of style (I guess you could say I'm a bit paranoid on hikes like this after what happened in Norway.). I continued to toss and turn, trying to get comfortable between the lumps in the ground that seemed to be so inconveniently placed. It wasn't before long, that I heard some stirring outside our tent. It was our Indonesian porters, who were in charge of setting up/tearing down camp as well as cooking our meals. 2am ...it was time to hit the trail.

Gili Air, Indonesia... an island of dreams.

After a few amazing days in Ubud, we said goodbye to beautiful Bali....  and said hello to the island of Gili Air- a whole new kind of beautiful.  When writing a title for this post, the phrase "island of dreams" seemed pretty accurate.  No motorized vehicles- only bicycles and horse and buggy, the most beautiful turquoise water, beautiful beaches, fresh coconuts... this place was pure bliss.  We found our accommodations through Airbnb once again, which turned out to be a small group of bungalows owned by a guy from Spain.  We lounged in the pool, walked around the island (which only takes about an hour to walk around), and thoroughly enjoyed the food.  We also went out snorkeling one afternoon to find a wild sea turtle, which was pretty exciting!  (I'll post a video at the end of this post).