Apr 17, 2016
Noi Bai Airport, Terminal 1 Sleeping Pods
I couldn’t stand the idea of lounging around the departure lounge for 11 hours in the wee of the night so I decided to try Noi Bai Airport's new Sleeping Pods. Prior to booking the pods, I considered the possibility of getting a normal hotel room outside of the airport since they were much more affordable, bigger and had all the proper facilities. But the reviews made me a little scared and I didn’t want to risk missing my flight, so I went with a sleeping Pod instead.
I arrived at Terminal 2 but rented a pod at Terminal 1 because Terminal 2 only had Twin beds and I didn’t want to waste my money renting an extra bed hehee.
Apr 15, 2016
Noi Bai Airport Terminal 2, Departure Lounge
For my Spring Korea trip, I flew with Vietnam Airlines and spend more than 17 hours in Noi Bai Airport. For my first layover of 6 hours 40 minutes, I choose to stay within the Departure/transit zone because it was a little too late to venture out. Coupled with the fact that I had to rush back to the airport to check in for my connecting flight meant I only had less than 4 hours to do any sort of touring. Check out my review of Vietnam Airlines here!
Noi Bair AIrport has 2 Terminals. Terminal 1 is older and as of current, only serves domestic flights. Terminal 2 has just been opened in January 2015, is spanking new and serves international flights. If you are coming into or flying out of Hanoi, it’s likely you will be going to the newly opened Terminal 2. Which is good, because Terminal 2 is so much better!
I wanted to write this entry to share my experience at the Noi Bai Airport Terminal 2 Departure/Transit zone because when I did my own travel research, the lack of information online was so frustrating. So here’s the low down!
Noi Bai Airport Website: http://noibaiairport.vn/HOME/Default.aspx
Apr 14, 2016
My Vietnam Airlines Experience
For my recent blizzard Korea trip (blizzard because I was crazy enough to decide and then buy the plane tickets 2 days before flying. It was my most frivolous trip yet haha) , I flew with Vietnamese Airlines and had more than 17 hours of layover in total, in Noi Bai Airport.
Being the Budget conscious traveller I am and having bought my tickets this late meant I had little flight choices. I went with the cheapest flight from Vietnam Airline. It cost me $496.03, tax and booking fee included.
Vietnamese airline offers a wide range of flight timings to Seoul and Busan. However, they pretty much all have layovers in Hanoi Airport. check out my short write up of my time at the Hanoi Airport transit/departure area.
Having layovers twice meant I took 4 different air planes. And I'm here with a short entry about my experience with Vietnam airline.
Mar 24, 2016
How to dye your hair Pink with Food Dye
And so for the past month or so, I've been sporting a vibrant head of peachy pink. I bleached my hair 3 times with Gatsby's EX Hi-Bleach, giving myself a couple of days in between to rest my scalp.
Mar 11, 2016
10 tips to travelling Japan for Cheap!
And take note that within those 15 days, I did not starve. There were even days that I even splurged on restaurants (Korean Barbeque and Japanese Sukiyaki, yums!) and presents for my family and friends back home. So I'm here to share a few tips on how to travel Japan for cheap.
Mar 9, 2016
Tips to packing light for travel!
Just to let you know, I went to Europe for 6 weeks and did the Trans-siberian for 7 weeks all with just a carry on baggage. The key is to prepare even before you open up your suitcase!
There is too much travel packing tips to share so this blog entry shall focus only on tips that directly decreases your travel load.
Mar 5, 2016
Data sim card vending machines in Narita Airport
LIke the new Data sim card option in Kansai, Data sim card vending machines are available in Tokyo. I’ve been able to acquire them in both Narita Airport Terminal 1 and 2 last year without fail. When I was there, I found 2 different vending machines carrying a different brand of Data sim card.
Mar 4, 2016
Italian Alps: 3 days at the Dolomites
When I was planning my europe trip, i found myself lost and uncertain of where to go. Everywhere seemed great and everywhere was worth a go. I soon came to the realisation that i was never going to be able to finish everything and the only thing I can do is focus on one objective. So I turned to Rick Steve's website and referenced his Alpine itinerary because enjoying the great outdoor was what I prefer. Since i have more time at my disposal, i slotted Cologne and Prague into my itinerary and then moved to the highlands afterwards.
Feb 25, 2016
6 days in the Mongolian Gobi Desert!
After some intensive online research, I decided to stay 8 nights in Sunpath Mongolia. Other than its tourist friendly website, the fact that they do a lot of tours was the main reason I decided to stay with them.
Mu friends were surprised when I told them I joined a tour group in Mongolia. After all, I'm known to be a free spirited DIY traveller that couldn't care less for a rigid schedule. If you are Travelling to Mongolia, here's my tip; get a guide/driver or join a travel group. Because there is NO WAY you can enjoy the Mongolian wilderness by yourself without public transport or experience in outdoor camping and navigation. Another thing to be afraid of is being robbed when you are camping alone in the vast wilderness so no, don't go alone.
Since I was there for only 8 nights, I settled on a 6 days tour to the Gobi Desert . This blog entry shall document my experience of those 6 days.