Soi Cowboy is the crazy street in Thailand known for strip clubs and prostitutes, but there are no ping-pong shows here! We visited the street just to people watch and it was quite a show. We saw women aggressively dragging single men into the clubs and offering all sorts of services.
Soi Cowboy is the crazy street in Thailand known for strip clubs and prostitutes, but there are no ping-pong shows here! We visited the street just to people watch and it was quite a show. We saw women aggressively dragging single men into the clubs and offering all sorts of services. They also had a great happy hour deals which I enjoyed and it was an interesting place to visit. Of course, you couldn’t film inside and I only went in quickly to use the bathroom!
Check it out:
Govinda, a vegan restaurant in Ao Nang, Thailand was delicious and the staff was incredibly kind!
Govinda, a vegan restaurant in Ao Nang, Thailand was delicious and the staff was incredibly kind! We arrived over half an hour before opening and sat downstairs waiting. It was pouring and miserable, the owner noticed us waiting and invited us in, carrying our heavy luggage in. It was awesome. We spent and ate way too much but it was worth it!
From the moment we set foot in Da Lat, all that we heard other tourists talking about was the Maze Bar also know as 100 Roofs Bar/100 Rooftop Bar – supposedly, the coolest bar in all of Vietnam!
From the moment we set foot in Da Lat, all that we heard other tourists talking about was the Maze Bar also know as 100 Roofs Bar/100 Rooftop Bar – supposedly, the coolest bar in all of Vietnam! We decided to investigate, but as an old married couple we went as soon as it opened.
To be fair, it was a long day full of walking around the lake, paddle boating and hunting for an avocado smoothie at the market. We had also heard from one girl that when she was at the bar at night, it was extremely crowded. So we were excited to have a little bit of breathing room, but we did not expect to be the only people there!
The Maze Bar is designed by the same architect as the Crazy House. It is colorful, crazy and there are secret passages/short cuts everywhere. You can climb through a hole in the wall and end up on a different floor! Some of the spaces felt claustrophobic enough while the place was empty. I can’t even imagine it full of crowded drunk people. Luckily, or maybe unfortunately… safety regulations are much lower in Vietnam!
Compared to regular Vietnam prices, this place is a bit pricey. You have to get a drink to go inside and it is really hard to find a trash can once you’re in the maze. Even though we were the first people to visit for the day, we found lots of discarded cups from the night before. I can’t even imagine what cleaning the place must be like so I wasn’t too bothered by it.
I definitely recommend that all Da Lat tourists visit the Maze Bar at some point on their trip. I’d recommend coming super early and seeing it empty to explore properly but also visiting when it’s a little more exciting. If you’re not a paranoid or claustrophobic person, then maybe stay until it’s packed to the brim! Just don’t drink too much because it might take you a while to find a bathroom. Even the bathrooms are beautiful by the way, so find one even if you don’t need to go!
If you’re here and have the need to come up for some fresh air, go to the very top – unfortunately I can’t give you directions. There is a nice balcony overlooking the street and an entire outdoor area perfect for a breather before you descend back into the madness.
While you’re visiting this crazy place, make sure to find the underwater-themed room. The beautiful sea creatures and vibrant colors were my favorite part of the entire bar. Don’t miss out on it! The reason I’m so insistent that you visit when it’s empty, is so that you can actually see everything the Maze Bar has to offer – there might be people blocking off your passages in and out of some of the coolest spots.
Photo from a great blog post about Vietnam, Two Wandering Soles: 6 Adventurous Things To Do in Da Lat, Vietnam
One of travel traditions is going on paddle boats in as many countries as possible. As soon as we saw the Swan Boats on Xuan Huong Lake in Da Lat, we knew we had to go! For just $2 per boat for an hour, you can paddle around the lake and enjoy some beautiful views.
One of travel traditions is going on paddle boats in as many countries as possible. As soon as we saw the Swan Boats on Xuan Huong Lake in Da Lat, we knew we had to go! For just $2 per boat for an hour, you can paddle around the lake and enjoy some beautiful views.
The lake is quite large and has a surprisingly strong current so we had to keep paddling! If you’re here in July, like we were, don’t forget to put on sunscreen because the sun is strong. In case you enjoy drinking wine or beer while paddle boating as much as we do, Vietnam doesn’t seem to have any laws against it. You can get some pretty great photos from the boat so don’t forget to bring your camera.
Two months ago we visited Niagara Falls and I haven’t had a chance to write about it yet. It was an exciting trip full of little adventures all wrapped up in one amazing experience!
Two months ago we visited Niagara Falls and I haven’t had a chance to write about it yet. It was an exciting trip full of little adventures all wrapped up in one amazing experience! Check out the highlights below, I will write a proper blog post about it ASAP! Stay tuned.
On my 26th birthday I got to make my helicopter flying dream come true! On August 6th, we took a trip to one of my bucket list locations, Niagara Falls, and we did an amazing 12-minute flight over one of the worlds most spectacular waterfalls!
On my 26th birthday I got to make my helicopter flying dream come true! On August 6th, we took a trip to one of my bucket list locations, Niagara Falls, and we did an amazing 12-minute flight over one of the worlds most spectacular waterfalls! I was nervous until the moment we took off. The noise and windiness felt from outside the helicopter were gone once we were inside, and we didn’t even need headphones for the smooth, exhilarating ride! Check out our experience in the video below:
One World Trade offers a unique view of New York’s spectacular waterfront. While you can see both the Hudson and East rivers in the distance from Top of the Rock, One World is right on the water. You can both rivers clearly merging into the Upper Bay and watch the sunset over New Jersey…
Everyone always debates between going up the Rockefeller Center‘s Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building to see the best views of New York City. My advice? Go to the One World Trade Observatory (Freedom Tower) instead.
Isaac and I travel a lot and one of the highlights of any trip that we take is going up the highest point. Nothing beats seeing a place you’ve been exploring from a new vantage point and we always try to schedule our trip around sunset to experience the city going from day to night.
Although we still haven’t seen the view from the Empire State Building, we’re confident that nothing will beat One World Trade and here are the reasons why:
One World Trade offers a unique view of New York’s spectacular waterfront. While you can see both the Hudson and East rivers shimmering in the distance from Top of the Rock, One World is right on the water. You can both rivers clearly merging into the Upper Bay and watch the sunset over New Jersey.
New York’s most iconic bridge, the first steel-wire suspension bridge ever constructed and finished by a woman is one of the highlights of the city. One World offers a beautiful view of not only the Brooklyn Bridge but also the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. Seeing the bridges light up at dusk was magical and not possible from Top of the Rock.
Construction is not an issue at night because the lights of the city drown out the many cranes. However, on our last visit to Top of the Rock during the day, the view was quite obstructed by construction – we couldn’t really see Central Park because at least three buildings are coming up in front of the park. On the other side, right next the Empire State Building, surprise, surprise, there’s more construction!
Since One World Trade is so much taller than all of the buildings surrounding it so there’s no cranes in view. The construction happening uptown is too far to interfere. Unfortunately you can’t see Central Park from the One World observatory at all, but the Top of the Rock isn’t a good place to see it anymore either.
Both One World Trade and Top of the Rock offer great opportunities for photos. On our visit to Top of the Rock we saw a couple getting their wedding photos taken. There are a few big differences between the views. Top of the Rock offers the best possible close-up shot of the Empire State Building and you can even take a selfie with it.
From the One World Trade observatory, you can see Empire State but from a distance. You can take beautiful shots of the entire city with Empire State, Top of the Rock and all of the other iconic sky scrapers all lined up in the distance. Seeing the entire city like that was spectacular, but you couldn’t make out any of the buildings clearly in a selfie. Enjoying a great view should be a bigger priority than the perfect selfie, but to each their own…
When you’re standing up against the floor-length windows in the One World Trade tower, you can see all the way down and feel like you’re flying above the city. With so many people touching the glass and leaning their greasy foreheads against the windows (like I did) create unsightly smudges and reflections that interfere with the view and with photos. But having windows also makes it weatherproof, which gets me to #6….
Top of the Rock is outside which is great on a breezy sunny day, but I’ve been there twice in the middle of winter which was less pleasant. Sure, there’s something to be said about the crisp night air, but if it’s raining a lot or if there’s a storm, the observatory is closed. You can visit One World Trade whenever you want and enjoy a (slightly too strongly) air-conditioned space.
Size doesn’t matter, but when it comes to views, height makes a difference. One World Trade is significantly taller than Top of the Rock and was actually the tallest building in the USA (if you count the height of the antenna). As I previously mentioned, it’s height puts it over ugly construction on nearby buildings and it just makes it more excited to be as high off the ground as possible.
This might be an unfair category since the Top of the Rock was built almost a hundred years ago and opened to the public in 1933… but I can’t not mention the cool extras that the One World Trade Center offered that made the experience more special. The elevator that took us up took only 45 seconds and shows us a video of New York as it changed (and grew) in the past 300+ years. It was unexpected and beautiful!
Next we were waiting in line watching yet another movie about the building. It wasn’t boring but staring at screens gets old when you’re itching to see the real thing. The video ended with the screens lifting to reveal our first glance of the bay from (almost) the top of the building! Everyone was so genuinely surprised that we wowed and clapped. Sorry for spoiling the surprise…
The two buildings offer completely different view of the city. If you can only do one, I’d say go to One World Trade. If you get the chance to do both, it’s definitely worth going to Top of the Rock too. They charge you extra for going around sunset so if you do both, go to Top of the Rock during the day and then do One World Trade for sunset to save a few dollars. Or get the New York Sightseeing Pass and save a lot of money on visiting various attractions in New York.
Both buildings have a fascinating history – if you do One World Trade I’d recommend visiting the 9/11 Memorial first to truly appreciate what a symbol of hope the Freedom Tower was in the light of the terrible attack on the Twin Towers. It’s a somber experience that made sure to emphasize the One World Trade Center’s part in New York’s healing process.
I have been to the Top of the Rock Observatory three times now. The first time I went was in February 2014. I don’t remember the day of the week but I know it was about an hour before it closed at 11 PM and it wasn’t too crowded. It was my first time in New York and I thoroughly enjoyed the view of endless lights made only more magical by a sprinkle of snow on the freezing night that I was grossly underdressed for…
I have been to the Top of the Rock Observatory three times now. The first time I went was in February 2014. I don’t remember the day of the week but I know it was about an hour before it closed at 11 PM and it wasn’t too crowded. It was my first time in New York and I thoroughly enjoyed the view of endless lights made only more magical by a sprinkle of snow on the freezing night that I was grossly underdressed for.
My second visit to the Rockefeller‘s famous viewpoint was unfortunately also in the middle of winter, around 8 PM on Friday, December 22nd, 2017. It took an entire hour from me getting in line to buy a ticket using my New York Explorer Pass to stepping out onto the observation deck. It would have taken longer if one of the guards hadn’t taken pity on me.
I must have looked quite pathetic squatting on the cold floor, my feet aching after four consecutive days of non-stop walking. He looked at my ticket, winked and let me in half an hour earlier than my allotted time that stood out on the glossy paper in bold.
Getting in the elevator was the first step of a grueling wait. There was an obnoxiously long line to get through security, picture people taking off all their winter layers and stray scarves getting stuck in the conveyor belt in between overflowing trays. Next came another line to get photos taken that few people would actually end up spending the price of lunch for two on. Then came another elevator before we finally reached the top deck where I had to wait patiently for people to take the perfect selfie before clearing a tiny gap for me to look out at the city through.
Once again, the view was spectacular! I didn’t recognize much except for the Empire State Building, the ball that would be dropped in just nine days in Times Square and of course, the darkness in between the lights that was Central Park. It was beautiful but meaningless unless you know the city… and the journey out of the building was an adventure of it’s own that took another hour.
Less than a week ago on an only slightly too warm Sunday afternoon, I visited Top of the Rock for a third time. This time I could actually see the buildings clearly and I wasn’t overwhelmed by the myriad of neon lights. Maybe it was because I knew the city a little better this time or because I was sharing the experience with Isaac, but it was by far the best my three visits.
We spent ages looking up the buildings we were looking at, reading up on them (download the official app) and taking photos. There were essentially no lines going up (or down) and there were few tourists to obstruct the views. There was even a couple taking wedding photos because it was just that empty! We walked around leisurely, soaked up the views and sat down on a bench overlooking the Empire State building to eat lunch that we brought along from home. #zerowaste #vegan #newyorkonabudget
If you only have one opportunity to go up to the observation deck, I recommend doing it during the day. Not just because of the crowds, but you really get to appreciate the city if you can recognize the buildings in between green parks and sparkling rivers. You can enjoy the city lit up from the ground – specifically Dumbo in Brooklyn or from atop Manhattan bridge.
We do plan on going up the Empire State building at night and we’ll let you know how the views compare so stay tuned! The reason that so many people go to Top of the Rock at night is to specifically see the Empire State building lit up in all it’s glory. So when you go depends on what you want to see. But personally, I think it’s just as beautiful, if not more, during the day!
Thailand is a beautiful place and offers breathtaking views from land, boat and plane. This time, we got to experience it’s beauty from a unique angle – birds-eye view via our DJI Mavic Air drone. Thailand remains one of the few countries where droning in public areas is still legal and not regulated. Check out the shots and make sure to turn sound on for the full experience!
Thailand is a beautiful place and offers breathtaking views from land, boat and plane. This time, we got to experience it’s beauty from a unique angle – birds-eye view via our DJI Mavic Air drone. Thailand remains one of the few countries where droning in public areas is still legal and not regulated. Check out the shots and make sure to turn sound on for the full experience!
We did a lot of research before our trip to Singapore to figure out the best place to stay and enjoy an infinity pool: Hotel Jen Orchardgateway won hands down! Find out why…
We did a lot of research before our trip to Singapore to figure out the best place to stay and enjoy an infinity pool: Hotel Jen Orchardgateway won hands down! Find out why:
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