Johnny

Boxer, dancer, tech guy...now living free and carefree around the world. I'm not traveling, I'm just going home to a new place.

Hanoi – quick travel guide

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Vietnam’s main northern city…different and contrasting against Saigon (Vietnam’s main southern city).

Totally different culture from the South. As the saying goes, they don’t like each other. Different vibe, different accent, different food, and other cultural differences. Unlike Saigon’s totally busy, chaotic, fast-paced lifestyle…Hanoi is the northern version of that but slightly more relaxed, chill. Still plenty of job opportunities for locals while not being as crazy as the south. Also…the northern Vietnamese accent is considered the official accent, think of it as the “British accent of the Vietnamese”, and they take great pride of their way of speaking Vietnamese (while often mocking how southerners speak).

Foreigners also enjoy Hanoi’s perfect balance of busy and relaxed, along with its centralized proximity to Vietnam’s top tourist destinations (Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Sapa Valley, etc). Spread throughout Hanoi are some lakes, such as Hoan Kiem Lake and West Lake among various other parks where you can relax and slow down a bit. Likewise, the Old Quarters and Hoan Kiem Lake area also closes down car access, allowing people and street vendors to take over the roads…providing for a mini street festival vibe every weekend. Crossing the streets in Hanoi is nowhere near as scary as in HCMC.

2 days is enough to feel like you saw Hanoi (Old Quarters & surrounding highlights), but it’s really worth a couple extra days to enjoy the city life. You’ll easily find activities and places to go. I spent a week and could still have been here longer. It’s a popular expat place for a reason.

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – quick travel guide

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Vietnam’s busiest most crowded city, vibrant and choatic all over.

Most native Vietnamese people, Vietnam tourists, foreigners, and expats will all tell you to pass through HCM/Saigon quickly and head to North Vietnam (where there are many more beautiful places to see). Yet…it is HCM (or still commonly called “Saigon”) where you find the biggest Vietnamese city population and also foreigner/expat population. I consider Saigon “the Buenos Aires of Vietnam”.

Why?

Saigon is lively, vibrant, many things to do and see, many things open all day and all night. Sure, it’s not a beautiful beach city or mountain terrain, but it’s packed with fun and many things to do. I recommend spending at least 2 or 3 days.

Ho Chi Minh vs Hanoi

  • Fun debate. Many say HCM people are friendlier and Hanoi more arrogant or snobby. I think there’s truth in that (especially since northern Vietnamese make fun of southern dialect all the time). But foreigners won’t have issues with this since local Vietnamese generally treat foreigners well anyway.
  • I’d say most foreigners find Hanoi to be more beautiful and walkable, and more “chill” (although still having its own chaos). HCM is more chaotic and to me only makes sense to be there a long time if you like big city life, big skyrise parties, or need to run a business from there.

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Sydney – quick travel guide

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Australia’s largest city and pretty much every visitor’s gateway to Australia.

Beautiful big city surrounded by bodies of water and lots of natural beauty. It’s a very big city with lots to do, and also more metropolitan (more ethnically and culturally diverse). Many people may prefer its more posh big-city vibe. But others (like myself) actually prefer a smaller, chiller, hip city like Melbourne…which feels more relaxed and not like you have to run across big distances to get places.

Between Australia’s biggest cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)…Sydney is considered the better beach destination. But it’s still not comparable to Sydney’s best beach destinations. So you decide…if you really want the best beaches, or you want a mix of beach with city.

Sydney could easily fill a week of your time with activities but 3 days can be enough. 1st day in the CBD and harbour areas (Opera & Harbour bridge). 2nd day at the famous Bondi beach and hip Newtown area. 3rd day in the Blue Mountains.

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Melbourne – quick travel guide

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Small-middle sized hip city in Australia.

In reality, it’s Australia’s 2nd largest city only behind Sydney. But the main central areas are quite compact. At least from the POV of someone from Los Angeles. It’s the classic city with tons of bars and restaurants and shops. And some gardens. Melbourne tends to run cooler than Sydney…which I loved! (Although some Sydney people like to say Melbourne has “shit weather”, but I personally prefer not being sun-roasted all the time.)

I think Melbourne is hipper, cooler, and also a better food scene than Sydney. It’s just more compact and easier to get around and get a feel for things. I imagine also a safer choice for cool restaurants opening up as their rent would be cheaper and there’s better traffic density…whereas Sydney might have more international acclaim but the land is more expensive and people are more spread out. I don’t know for certain, just my feeling about it.

Melbourne can be easily seen in 2 days. But you’ll want an extra day to feel the vibe. It’s a cool, hip place to be.

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Newcastle – quick travel guide

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A small chill quiet beachside town, 115km (2hrs) north from Sydney.

Newcastle is one of those nice-to-live, maybe boring-to-visit kind of places. There isn’t so much to do and see. 1 day is probably enough to see all the highlights and even walk all over town. The usual vibe is beach or waterfront hangout during the day, and then some bar or restaurant at night. It’s similar to a small Italian town in that many places are closed during the day on weekdays.

Newcastle is around the 7th largest city in Australia (population of 500,000). So if this felt too small and uninspiring for you, keep that in mind when you think of visiting other cities. Newcastle is also undergoing lots of renovation and in a couple years will become more and more of a cool place to be.

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Don’t fall for the Holafly unlimited data eSIM scam!

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Don’t be naive like I was. I purchased the unlimited plan and it was fast for only 2 days.

After that, it ran super slow or seemed like the data kept cutting out. I’m very frustrated with it. Completely unusable and certainly makes me realize the cheap price isn’t worth the hassle.

UPDATE on November 23, 2022:

  • After contacting their chat support, I was connected with someone who told me to decrease my speed setting from 5G to 4G, he then did something that required me to reset my phone.
  • And now all is working well!
  • Will leave this post up in case it helps anyone.

Bran Castle (aka Dracula Castle) – quick travel guide

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Tips and recommendations for going to Bran Castle and general info about it.

Bran Castle, along with Transylvania region, is a massive tourist attraction in Romania. Just about anybody going to Bucharest or Romania will probably think of stopping by Brasov (cute town) in the Transylvania region and along with it Bran Castle (aka “Dracula Castle”) and Peles Castle.

Personally…unless you have A LOT of time to spend in Romania, I would absolutely skip this castle. It’s small, lame, not as pretty as Peles Castle…and not worth the time lost that you could have spent in a prettier and more eventful Brasov. I did a day trip to Brasov in late November and would have much rather spent the precious daylight hours walking around Brasov than wasting it getting to and back from Bran Castle. If you got only 3-4 days in Bucharest, and dedicating 1 day for Brasov (and half that day for Bran Castle)…I definitely wouldn’t do it. Spend that day in Brasov instead, or a mountain town somewhere, or go to Peles Castle if you definitely want to see any castle.

But if you insist…here’s how you get to Bran Castle!

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Romania – quick travel guide

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Central eastern Europe’s most “Latin” country. Warm friendly attitudes, diverse terrain, meat-heavy foods.

I think visitors are drawn to Romania for different reasons. For some because they’re already hovering near the east, like in Hungary Poland Slovakia or Croatia…and they figure why not? Others because they want a cheap country. Some are curious about Transylvania and Dracula pop culture things. Others still because of other reasons.

I think you can travel through the main parts in 2 weeks. But to see actual Romanian things (like actual landscapes and not just touristy stuff), you need more like 3-4 weeks.

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Dublin – quick travel guide

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Big city, but Irish. So what do you want to see? Irish things or big city things?

I only spent a day here so I’m no expert. But I did see several things to make note of for next time. Dublin can be done properly in 2-4 days depending on what you want to see.

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Bucharest – quick travel guide

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Chill gritty city in Central Eastern Europe. Something like Belgrade but with more Latin vibes.

The capital city of Romania…chill, mysterious, surrounded by Slavic countries but they are more Latin. Life here seems good, chill, happy, low-cost. It reminds me a lot of Belgrade. Similar dark-polluted buildings and warm people, cozy food. If you like Belgrade, Bucharest feels quite similar.

3 days is enough to see the highlights, add 1 or 2 more to visit other towns and mountain stuff.

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Belgium – quick travel guide

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Belgium is (for me) western Europe’s underrated destination country.

It’s no wonder many people like to talk down about Belgium. It’s not as pretty as France, not as modern as the Netherlands, not as distinct as Germany, nor classy as Switzerland, and doesn’t have cool beaches like Spain, Portugal, or Italy.

Some people think of Belgium as small, boring, uneventful, not beautiful or simply not as cool as its neighbors. And for this reason, it’s considered a highly-skippable place. But I think they’re flat out wrong.

You could definitely see all the main cities in a week. Some of them are easy afternoon trips, not even a full day’s worth of stuff IMO.

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Best Apps for learning a language

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My favorite apps for learning a language.

I’ve now learned 2 languages to a functional level (Spanish & Portuguese), also playing with 2-3 more languages just for fun (French, Italian, Vietnamese). And have definitely tried many methods over the past 2 years.

Below are my favorite language-learning apps and why. 🙂

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Warsaw – quick travel guide

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Poland’s #2 city, less charmy and more of a big city than Krakow.

Warsaw will forever exist as Krakow’s counterpart. Krakow feels like a giant charmy old town whereas Warsaw feels more like a big city (with an old town part). Krakow feels big yet cozy and fun to walk everywhere. Warsaw feels like a really long walkable street (scooter recommended).

Perhaps Krakow would have more unique touristy things but both have value and are enjoyable to stay. Warsaw can be a 2-day stay, more if you like to relax in this calm (but lively) city vibe.

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Cliffs of Moher – quick travel guide

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Ireland’s #1 tourist attraction – beautiful green seaside cliffs on the west coast of Ireland.

Come see why so many tourists flock here. It’s beautiful and honestly not THAT many tourists, not crazy crowded like say the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This guide will help you to get to the cliffs smoothly and get the most of the whole experience. Since many of you don’t know, along the way to the cliffs is several other interesting things to see!

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Ireland – quick travel guide

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Friendly country of drinking, scenic rainy countrysides, and expensive living costs…what else?

Ireland is one of those out-of-the-way destinations that doesn’t appeal to many on paper. It’s got crap weather, worse than England (which is already considered bad)…annnd more expensive than London (again already considered bad). Ouch!

Many people don’t know much about Ireland, myself included. But upon visiting….I’ve come to notice some charms. Irish people are much nicer than the British, or at least London-ers (no offense). And they have more of a distinct culture…especially considering that they have their own language (Irish). Hahaha…I didn’t even know they had their own language until recently. I thought those funny words were old medieval English or something.

Oh and also…Ire

I think to visit Ireland and feel like you’ve seen all the main parts, 2 weeks is a good time. 1 week is enough to see the 3 main cities…Dublin, Galway, Belfast. But 2 weeks lets you do day trips to the small towns nearby. Ireland has beautiful countrysides so doing small trips out is especially rewarding.

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Galway – quick travel guide

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Ireland’s must-see scenic city destination. Beautiful countryside landscapes, limestones, and the country’s #1 tourist attraction…the Cliffs of Moher!

Everyone says a visit to Ireland must absolutely include Galway, this beautiful town on the west coast of Ireland (opposite side of Dublin). But why? I think it’s because it’s cute, compact, lively, and with beautiful tours in the area. You don’t need to look up where to go. Just enter the center of the old town and follow the noise. Restaurants, pubs and shops everywhere. So easy, so condensed. A really easy (and fun) visit.

2 days is enough to feel like you saw everything. But can add extra days for you to check out different puts and visit other nearby towns or tourist things.

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Rio de Janeiro vs Sao Paulo

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Which is better for traveling? Which is more fun, more safe, more Brazilian, or better use of your travel time?

The argument goes on forever between people with different priorities and tastes in lifestyle. So I’ll present a serious comparison full of context and firsthand details between these 2 massively different cities. It can be as simple as knowing whether you’re a beach person or a city person. But still many other nuances to consider.

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London – quick travel guide

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The posh capital of the world full extremely-British culture. Elegant, refined, fancy, and fun!

London is a big city that requires lots of time to digest and public transportation to get around. Yes, it’s walkable but you’ll need metro or buses to efficiently get between neighborhoods. I’ll help you feel at home and bite this big city down to size.

Whether you want to be Parisian-posh or Berlin-style hipster, eating fancy or partying trashy, walking at parks or crawling bars…London has a scene for you. 5-7 days is a good amount of time to see a bunch of things and live the local life a bit. I’ll definitely warn you that London is expensive!

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Napoli (Naples) – quick travel guide

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Authentic southern Italian city with its gritty vibes, compact corridors, endless history (and monuments), and best-in-the-world Napolitan pizza.

In short, Napoli is truly awesome. It’s no surprise that most travelers in western Europe don’t venture that far south into Italy as it’s more convenient to just stay up north. But they don’t know what they’re missing out.

Napoli is a mix of Rome, Florence, and Lisbon. Tons of historical monuments and architecture all in a condensed space, with a bit of hills, also you have water areas. While Napoli isn’t as romantic, elegant and fancy as Florence…it’s more local, youthful and lively, far less touristic.

You can do it in 2 days to feel like you saw the main things, or put 5 days to really see many things. It’s also no surprise to me that I saw many travelers who came here for a week and then stayed for months. If I had to stay in Italy for months, I’d also probably choose Napoli over the more touristy (overly-crowded) Italian cities in the north.

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