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The Mai Chau Lodge, our host for two days, provides a good description of this town on its website and brochures:
Mai Chau is located 135 km south-west of Hanoi in the Northern province of Hoa Binh which is bordered by Son La in the West, Phu [...]
Archive for the ‘Travel Journal’ Category
Vietnamese Heaven!
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal, tagged Mai Chau, Travel, Vietnam on April 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Studying Down Under…Again!
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal, tagged Adelaide, Australia, Flinders University, Glenelg, Travel on April 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
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Since I enjoyed my Master’s program at the University of Sydney so much, I decided to embark upon the distinction of attempting to earn a doctoral degree from Flinders University of South Australia. I love Sydney, there’s no doubt about that, but Adelaide offered two very [...]
Enjoying the Tet Holiday in South East Asia
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal on March 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
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Why stay in gloomy, cold, cloudy Hanoi for Tet when we can immerse ourselves in tropical warmth by taking a 3 hour flight to Singapore? Chadi and me decided to spend our 7-day Tet holiday in a warmer part of the region: Singapore and Malaysia’s Langkawi [...]
Back to New York City
Posted in North America, Travel Journal, tagged B&B, bed and breakfast, friends, lodging, New York City on December 9, 2008 | 1 Comment »
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One bitterly cold early November morning, two old girlfriends from college (Jen and me) rushed through the Embassy Circle Guest House (just about the best B&B in DC), followed by the dear, sweet owner who had gone out earlier than usual to bring us back some [...]
The Many Faces of India
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal, tagged India, Travel on September 11, 2008 | 4 Comments »
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Many friends warned me about traveling to India; yet, there was the occasional acquaintance that raved about how amazing the Indian sub-continent was. My mom and I have had India on our “to visit” list for years, and we finally decided it was time to see [...]
On Safari in Uganda
Posted in Africa, Travel Journal on July 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
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After a 25-hour journey from Ha Noi, Viet Nam to Kampala, Uganda (three layovers later), four colleagues and I traveled eight hours by land to one of Uganda’s most well known reserves, Murchison Falls National Park. The ride was rough, mainly on red earth that had [...]
Ha Long and Hoi An
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal on June 29, 2008 | 1 Comment »
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Two of the world’s new seven world wonders (as voted by the global population) are in Viet Nam. Lucky us! We had the opportunity to visit one of those two world wonders in May, with the excuse that my parents were coming to visit and of [...]
Bali: Island of the Gods
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blogroll on February 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
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Ever wonder why Bali is referred to as the Island of the Gods? It’s quite simple. In Bali, there is a Hindu temple every 10 meters. There are more temples in Bali than people, it seems. Community temples, large and magnificent, as well as smaller, more [...]
Weekend in Thailand
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal on January 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
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Although we only traveled to Bangkok to renew our Vietnamese business visas, we made it a point to enjoy our time in old Siam. As many of you know, Bangkok is truly a city that never sleeps. Chadi and I chose to stay right in the [...]
“Retreating” in Danang
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blogroll, Travel Journal on November 17, 2007 | 4 Comments »
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After spending two and a half weeks settling down in Ha Noi, Chadi and I had the opportunity to spend 10 days in the resort town of Danang, just an our flight south of Ha Noi. Unfortunately, as CNN reported, the town of Danang and neighboring [...]
Making a New Home in Ha Noi
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal on November 5, 2007 | 1 Comment »
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Chadi and I arrived jet lagged and exhausted, but we were quickly welcomed by the staff at Ha Noi Tower who escorted us to our lovely two bedroom serviced apartment. Although it still feels like a hotel, we are finally starting to feel a bit settled.
We [...]
The Great Wall and Beyond…
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal on May 30, 2007 | 3 Comments »
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A nation of more than 5,000 years of cultural evolution…wow! Words do not give justice to the visual beauty of China’s capital, Beijing, or the country’s main fluvial artery (the Yangtze River), the wondrous Terra Cotta Warriors in X’ian, or even the mega-metropolis of Shanghai. Although [...]
War and Peace
Posted in Mid East, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
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When Love Meets War
by Erika Williams
A wedding celebration is something most couples plan down to the last perfectly executed detail. Things were no different for Chadi, from Lebanon, and Macarena Sarraf of Argentina — until the bombing began.
Chadi and Macarena met in Nigeria while [...]
On a Lebanese Night
Posted in Mid East, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | 1 Comment »
In order to preserve the cultural traditions of my husband, Chadi and I decided to celebrate a church wedding in an old cloister up on a beautiful bluff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea located in Northern Lebanon. We chose July 8th as our wedding date, and went full speed ahead with the plans. Thanks to Chadi’s [...]
In the Holy Land
Posted in Mid East, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
| View Show | Create Your OwnBefore celebrating my church wedding in Northern Lebanon on July 8th 2006, my parents and I decided to take a brief holiday in Jordan. It has been a dream of theirs to travel to Jordan and visit the lost city of Petra, featured so prominently in [...]
Argentine Wedding
Posted in South America, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
Although I never thought it would happen, and much less take place during my whirl wind 20’s, on December 28th 2005 I was married in Buenos Aires, Argentina to an adorable (and very handsome) young man who I met (of all places) in Abuja, Nigeria. I hate to sound so cliché, and all of those [...]
East African Safari
Posted in Africa, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
After spending just over one year working in Nigeria as an HIV/AIDS Program Manager with Catholic Relief Services, I was ready to experience the Africa of my past. Years ago, I worked in East Africa and Southern Africa, two regions of Africa with an emphasis on conservation and protected areas. Unfortunately, Nigeria has experienced such [...]
The Land of the Phoenicians
Posted in Mid East, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
In the fall of 1999, fourteen University students from the California Sate Polytechnic University in Pomona were selected to represent the University at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. Half of the individuals selected had already served on the 1998 team which received honored recognition for its work at the Conference. [...]
Posted to Nigeria
Posted in Africa, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
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Many of those who have received news from me during my time in Nigeria know just how challenging this country can be. On many occasions I have complained, whined, and just flat out resigned myself over e-mail to many of my good friends (thanks for listening!). [...]
Adventures in South East Asia
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Travel Journal on November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
I have always been fascinated by South East Asia, one of the most diverse regions of the world. During my studies at the University of Sydney, I had the opportunity to go on an adventure tour to South East Asia during the winter semester break. On my own, I prepared my 55 liter backpack and [...]
