HANG SON DOONG: THE WORLD'S LARGEST CAVE

So far unlucky with my 2021 travel plans due to COVID-19 outbreaks in certain Northern provinces of Vietnam - and with very little time left before my relocation to Indonesia - I decided to attempt an in extremis expedition to a bucket list item for adventure seekers and trekking lovers: an expedition to Hang Sơn Đoòng - The world's largest cave. The initial intent was to visit the cave with a few close friends. We reached out to Oxalis Adventure - the expedition's adventure company - through their Facebook Page. Out of luck, their tours were fully booked until June 2021. For the sake of preservation, Oxalis limits their amount of expeditions to one hundred (100) groups per year. They only operate during the dry season, defined in the Quang Binh province, between January and August. Outside of this window, the site becomes inoperable due to heavy water accumulation in the rainy season, sometimes reaching 180 millimetres per day, 28 days per month.

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FIVE (5) THINGS TO KNOW WHEN TRAVELING DURING THE COVID-19 OMICRON VARIANT OUTBREAK

We are all aware of the changes the Omicron variant has brought to our lives over the past few weeks, especially if you are a seasoned traveller. I am far from being a travel expert, but I have recently gone through a frustrating travel experience as I was flying back from my holiday vacation in Canada. Five (5) years have passed since the last time I have visited my hometown, so I decided to take advantage of the pre-Omicron thaw to spend some quality time with my family. With this trip, I had finally completed my loop around the world (sorry-not-sorry for the flat-earthers). It took me five (5) years to complete, and I indeed made up for it as I spent loads of time at home with my parents, thanks to a restaurant and bars lockdown as well as a curfew implemented across the Province of Quebec since Boxing Day.

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DAK NONG: TET HOLIDAY 2021 (THE YEAR OF THE OX)

In a typical year, I take advantage of the long holiday that Tết offers to travel abroad. But, life has been everything but ordinary since the COVID-19 breakout in Wuhan and its halo effect around South East Asia. Especially in Vietnam, as the Government took early actions and closed the borders in February 2020. Since then, no one could get in or out of the country. As you expected, this year, it was impossible. Considering the travel restrictions currently applied, I planned to travel domestically and explore more of my country of residence. My first attempt to plan my holiday involved a week-long motorbike trip to Ha Giang - in the extreme North of Vietnam, near the Chinese border - along with eight (8) friends. But, this plain got ditched with serious complications involving a scam from a tourist agency in Hanoi (post coming soon…).

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THAI NGUYEN: THE VIETNAMESE WEDDING

Among the experiences one could have to understand the local culture, weddings are pretty much at the top of the list. Though, in nearly three (3) years living in Vietnam, I still haven’t had the chance to attend a Vietnamese wedding. It’s not for lack of opportunity. I remember You-Know-Who (or She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) had a few invitations during our time together - opportunities to which she had judged appropriate not to include a plus-one. What else is new! Typically, January to May is known as the wedding season in Vietnam. It’s more or less kicked off right after New Year’s Day and dragging all the way to the Summer - where it’s too hot in the North and rainy in the South - with an intermission marked by Têt Holiday, the holiday of holidays.

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SAPA: THE CITY IN THE CLOUDS

Sapa is a small town in the Province of Lao Cai, a mountainous area located about 350 km northwest of Hanoi, near the Chinese border. This quiet Vietnamese town is home to different ethnic tribal groups (e.g. Hmong, Dao, Tay, Giay and Xa Pho). It is said that Sapa was first occupied by the first four groups since the Vietnamese from the lowlands (better known as the Kinh) did not colonize the highest valleys. Nowadays, Sapa became increasingly touristy and welcomes a diverse range of visitors, attracted by the highland tribes, iconic rice paddies and forest treks. The whole area is blessed with awe-inspiring natural beauty.

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HANOI: NEW YEAR'S EVE IN THE OLD QUARTER

While most of my friends in Canada and Germany made fun of my Instagram stories for wearing a beanie at 14 degrees Celsius, Nayan - Dutch friend who also flew to Hanoi for a couple of days - was still hesitant on joining my trip to Sapa for not having enough warm clothes with him. He even sent me a picture of his skinny jeans, no-show socks and sneakers to make his case. I must have told him a hundred times that he could buy all the necessary gear while in Sapa if he needed to, but he wouldn’t budge.

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MOC CHAU: THE PLUM BLOSSOM

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”. Generally speaking (sorry, Philippines), Christmas is not a thing in Asia... but, it still kind of is. Walking around the city and crossing so many shopping malls with crowds queueing up to take a photo with the beautiful Christmas display strategically placed there by the vendors in the attempt of making it up for their very poor performance of 2020 - thanks to COVID-19. I even saw a Christmas Buddha for crying out loud! The Asian Fusion concept brought to the next level.

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CEBU: THE MUSICAL

As far as holidays go, the Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday in Asia. While Christmas holidays are skipped, everyone in Vietnam, China, and other countries benefit from 5 working days off at the end of January. Typically, these days bridge over two weeks. This year, Anita and I decided to spend our extended break in the Philippines. For the occasion, we were meeting up with my sister and her partner, as they were escaping the Canadian winter to enjoy the South East Asian tropical weather. They have flown all the way from Ottawa to meet us here in Cebu to join the adventure.

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FOUR (4) SEASONS OF DRINKING IN GERMANY

With Oktoberfest being right around the corner, now is certainly not the time to lay off on your drinking game. In fact, it will be very difficult to take too much time off with so many awesome festivals year-round. Every three months, Germany hits us with an out-of-this-world drinking extravaganza. So here is my ultimate 'not to miss' list of festivals in four seasons.

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JUTLAND: FOR THE FLAT EARTHERS

I apologize in advance for the click-bait toward the conspiracy theory aficionados of this world, as this is not a post about Flat Earth Theory. I just so happen to travel across one of the flattest piece of land on the oblate spheroid planet. Jutland (Danish: Jylland) is a large peninsula stretching northwards towards Scandinavia, and is the only part of Denmark, connected to the European continent, and hence sometimes know as mainland Denmark. But, most importantly, this is the region Anita is from… and it is F-L-A-T! Remember that comparison I made with Simba’s morning lesson? Well, it is even more true in this part of the Kingdom.

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COPENHAGEN: THE MERCHANT’S HARBOR

We finally landed in Copenhagen after 16 hours on a red-eye. Although Anita and I travel quite regularly, it has been about a year since the last time I was on a plane for more than just a few hours. I am now back in Europe for a two-week vacation thanks to my lovely better half. This trip to Denmark marks not only my first visit to any Scandinavian country, but also the first leg out of three to what I consider to be the pilgrimage and foundation to a promising adventure. Right off the plane, the blue sky and fresh air reminded me of what it was like to live in Europe for three years.

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TAIPEI: NEW YEAR'S EVE AT #PARTY101

If there is one place you want to be to celebrate the new year in Asia, it is definitely Taipei. Who has never seen the famous Taipei 101, the mighty skyscraper depicting Taiwan's capital city, light up with fireworks when the countdown gets to zero? On my first NYE since my relocation to Asia, and no plans to fly back home this year, I had to fly to Taipei and join #party101 celebration!

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SIEM REAP: A GATEWAY TO AN ANCIENT WORLD

What better reason to travel than raising funds for a good cause? Last weekend, Anita and I flew to Siem Reap to take part to the 23rd Angkor Wat International Half-Marathon. Since 1996, this internationally recognized half-marathon raises relief for the victims of antipersonnel mines in Cambodia. In addition to its charitable vocation, what makes this great international race so special is that it takes place inside the ruins of Angkor Wat, a World Heritage Site.

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BANGKOK: RAIDERS IN BANGERS

Almost exactly one year later, I am back in Bangkok. My first visit was in a professional context, as I have flown from Nuremberg on what would be my last business trip with my team before relocating to Vietnam. That trip was memorable for different reasons, but mostly because I made it a cultural trip while avoiding everything Bangkok is reputed for. This time, it was a totally different story. This time, football brought me here, and it drifted me all the way to the other end of the spectrum.

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GUANGZHOU: TRADITIONAL MODERNISM

I flew to Guangzhou for a week-long of meetings for the 2018 Product Creation Technologies Summit. As usual, I decided to extend my stay over the weekend to explore China a bit further (as if I hadn't explored it enough already, but it's such a vast country!). Only this time, I have decided to stay in Guangzhou and see what the Cantonese megalopolis has to offer. Believe it or not, despite countless business trips there, I have never paid Guangzhou the proper visit it deserved.

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PHU QUOC: PEACE WITHIN AN ARM'S REACH

In the blink of an eye, I found myself in Phu Quoc. Indeed, the flight from HCMC to Phu Quoc is only 40 minutes. We barely had time to get comfortable into our seats that the captain announced the cabin crew to prepare for landing. Such a short flight makes it convenient for a weekend getaway on what is reputed to be Vietnam's paradise island.

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BEIJING: OFF THE WALL

One of the greatest joys of living abroad is the ability to meet friends around the world. That's precisely what happened on this particular weekend, as my friend Wanwan asked if I'd join her on a weekend trip to Beijing. As you know, I never miss out on an opportunity for travelling to China. So I accepted the offer with a lot of excitement! Having already been to Beijing a year ago, there were both new areas I was yet to explore, and ones that I've visited already that were worth a second look. Only this time, with a little help of an insider's.

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SINGAPORE: CRAZY RICH ASIANS

This post is not about the recently released blockbuster rom-com titled ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, but about the city where the movie took place: Singapore. The Island of Singapore is one of the Tigers of Asia with great financial success on the international scene. Consequently, does not enter who wants in this extra-clean larger than life sovereign city-state, as everything is extremely expensive! You have to be of a certain class if you want to sustain a descent standard of living in the Republic. A social class I have conveniently named after the coinciding movie: “Crazy Rich Asians”.

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YANGSHUO: THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

Coming back from Nuremberg for a short four-day trip, I barely had time to touch base for 12 hours in Ho Chi Minh City that I had to head back to the airport for a business trip to Guangzhou, China. It’s funny how every time I plan vacation, there is always a business trip that places itself right after. Some might find it exhausting, but I actually enjoy flying and am always happy to travel. What gave it away, right? Besides, I haven’t set foot in China since last year’s short term assignment. I was quite excited to reconnect with the country that hosted me for three months in 2017. Despite all the beautiful places I had visited last year, there was still one on my list I had yet to discover.

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MOSCOW: THE '2018 FIFA WORLD CUP' FINAL

As the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia is approaching its end, this also means the most watched sporting event around the globe will soon reach its climax and crown champion the federation that will win it all. Over a full month, 32 teams and 736 played several matches. In the fashion of a traditional Kalinka, the tension kept amplifying round after round, eliminating teams one after the other until there were only two. The golden ticket to the final match will give the two federations a title shot to the almighty FIFA World Cup Trophy (as per its official name). For this occasion, I am could not miss this chance of attending to the ultimate experience for any true lovers of the beautiful game. This was my second time to attend to a FIFA World Cup.

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