Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam

Maybe it's because 2014 is coming to a close, but I feel like there is no better time than to share pictures from my travels this year (well...six months ago would have been best). Anyway, here's a few pictures from my trip to Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam, in April. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and where they filmed the James Bong flicks Tomorrow Never Dies and The Man with the Golden Gun. Enjoy! 

We started our adventure in Ha Long Bay off with

a four-hour bus ride from Hanoi. On the way back, I'm happy to say

I spent the entire time turned around chatting with fellow travelers from 

Norway and the UK. My sore neck was absolutely worth it.

Our fearless captain.

None of my blog entries are complete without

a picture of a flag.

We were shown how the locals fish for oysters,

and eventually turn them into jewelry!

I spent one night on the first house - bungalow - on the left. 

I ran out of water for the evening before I finished my shower. Woops.

When I think about the places I visit, the people I met

always come to mind first. Enjoying lunch with fellow travelers

from France and the United States.

Cat Ba Island

Not the greatest electrical work I've seen,

but I guess it gets the job done. 

I wouldn't spend the night here.

Propaganda fascinates me.

Not something you see every day on the side of a busy street.

I don't know why kindergarten-sized plastic chairs are 

so ubiquitous, but I saw these everywhere in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the pictures! 

Auschwitz

As I updated my last blog post, I realized I still have a ton pictures from other places I've visited in 2014 that I still haven't posted, including Ukraine, Poland, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cuba. I try to share my best photographs to take you there. Traveling is a lot of fun, but it certainly comes with headaches: long flights, expensive tickets, travel sickness...my goal is to make you feel like you were there yourself, minus the headaches. I hope I can capture the emotion and history that each location has to offer.

This post features pictures from a place that needs no introduction.

Double electrified fences. 

This is where they decided who lived and died: left or right. 

My guide said she once gave a tour to someone who recognized his suitcase.

So many faces. Too many faces.

These canisters contained the gas.

Looking up at where the Nazis dropped the gas canisters.

A Day in Chile - Yes, it was Chilly!

The city of El Calafate, tucked away into the southwestern pocket of Argentina’s Santa Cruz Province, overlooks the wonderfully-blue “Lago Argentino,” or “Argentine Lake.” The quaint tourist town is a gateway to beautiful glaciers, endless Patagonian steppes, and stunning Andean mountain peaks. 

Argentina’s Santa Cruz Province sits farther south than both Australia and New Zealand. It isn’t quite the “End of the World,” as the bordering “Tierra del Fuego” Province officially holds that title, but it’s close enough. During a recent trip to Argentina, I jumped at the opportunity to take a day trip to neighboring Chile. The destination was Torres del Paine National Park, a short three-plus hours from my home base in El Calafate. 

I love maps. Thank goodness they had a "You Are Here" sign at Argentine customs.

This is facing Argentina.

At Argentine customs – the hill in the distance is Chilean territory. Before that? No man’s land. I’m sure there are specific GPS coordinates with the exact line of where Argentina’s territory ends and Chile’s begins, but it is about a 5 minute drive *that way* to Chilean immigration.  

We made it -- Chile! 

Our first stop in the Torres del Paine National Park. The "Torres" (towers) are

in the background.

I thought it was interesting to see "Pare" in Chile. In Mexico, "Stop" is written "Alto."

I apologize for the false advertising: I've never been to the Philippines, 

so I can't say if it is actually more fun there. Probably warmer, though.

Back home: my hostel had some of the best views in El Calafate.

Thanks for reading!