Adventures in Sydney: Australiana Pioneer Village

There are moments where I think I have done possibly everything that could be done in Sydney. And then I randomly stumble upon something on the internet and discover a new area to explore!

Canberra

S and I headed down to Canberra over the Queen's birthday long weekend. We stayed at the same hotel as the previous year; perhaps the start of a tradition.

Heathcote National Park: Kingfisher Pools & Lake Tooloma

My last day trip during my "summer break" was to Heathcote National Park, located south of Sydney and close to the Royal National Park. I completed a bushwalk to Kingfisher Pool with a slight detour to Lake Tooloma on the return journey.

Bangkok

In Bangkok, we walked a lot, ate cheap street food and sweated a lot.

Wat Pho

Wat Pho, one of the oldest wats in Bangkok, is known for the 46m reclining Buddha. It was first constructed in the 18th century by King Rama I and underwent a series of expansions and renovations by the subsequent kings.

Pattaya

The next leg of our journey was in Thailand; Pattaya and Bangkok to be specific.

We caught the cheap airport bus to Pattaya, walked in the hot weather for far too long with our luggage (a recurring occurrence on our trip) and finally made it to our nice hotel. Our accommodation up until that point had been on the budget side and it was definitely nice to have a great shower and a comfortable bed.

Hanoi

The main reason for our visit to Vietnam's capital - Hanoi - was to embark on the Ha Long Bay tour. Subsequently, we didn't have much time for the city itself; it was effectively a day combined.

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is one of the most iconic places in Vietnam. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and is also one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is an enormous bay with dark turquoise water and thousands of limestone karsts covered with thick vegetation.

The name means 'descending dragon' and according to legend, the karsts were formed from the dragons who came to protect the Vietnamese people from enemies. They scattered emeralds and jade - which formed the karsts- into the ocean to form a natural barrier and prevent any future invasions.