Honeymoon: Bali & Vietnam
Trip 1: Densapar, Bali
Bali was an absolute DREAM! Pinch me, we still can't believe we were able to make our dreams come true. Bali was beautiful, relaxing, and immersed in culture.
We stayed at a villa with our own private pool so almost every morning we took a swim before breakfast. Our resort overlooked endless rice terraces and provided much needed peace and tranquility.
Our eat, pray, love mantra was utilized every day and we even made friends with a local who drove us around and gave us recommendations. We also hiked to a waterfall, road ATVs through waterfalls and rice fields, visited a coffee plantation, took pictures on the infamous Bali swings, gawked in the monkey forest, went to a cultural dance show, and explored many temples. Here are a few pictures to document our Bali trip!
Trip 2: Saigon, Vietnam > Da Nang, Vietnam > Ha Noi, Vietnam > Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Vietnam was the quickest part of our trip! We traveled to all 3 regions and experienced all the different dialects, food styles, and explored.
Saigon is where Michelle's family is from so we started our trip there. We met with cousins, uncles and aunts, and grandparent's siblings. They took us to eat crickets, snails, frog legs, chicken feet, and more! The most interesting thing Ricky ate was a black chicken - it directly translates to "wicked chicken." We karaoked, walked the popular Bui Vien street, and spent some quality time with extended family before heading off to Da Nang.
Da Nang had a severe flood 2 days before we arrived so the weather was very rainy. We made the most of it and still booked the presidential suite with a stellar ocean view and went to Ba Na Hills by night. We took pictures on the famous "Golden hands of God" bridge, Ricky participated in a beer drinking contest, and we explored all the fun things the amusement park had to offer. The food here was distinct to central Vietnam and we had lots of seafood before heading to Ha Noi.
Ha Noi started with a long drive to Ha Long Bay. We took a 2 day 1 night cruise which had an amazing view of emerald mountains, the bluest serene waters, and intense fresh air. Pictures will NOT do it justice. We kayaked, swam, and had amazing seafood while on the bay. One memorable dish was a jellyfish salad - very crunchy! When we got back to Ha Noi, we explored some busy streets filled with clothing vendors, food vendors, and souvenior vendors. The food here was the most different than what either of us are accustomed to, and dialect here was the hardest for Michelle to understand. We met a local gal who recommended us a STELLAR bun bo hue place and it did not disappoint!
