Ilefthome

Tonight, we're trying to teach our rescue bat how to fly again... so far it looks more like crawling than flying but "Batman" is getting there...

After two months in Hanoi I've decided to write a little love letter to the Vietnamese capital.
Hanoi, you’re not perfect, you keep trying to kill me, and you sometimes upset me like no other city can… but I love you nevertheless!

We rescued this poor guy from our gym's pool this morning and did our best to get it dry (he's well now, sleeping in a box, we'll try to release him soon)

This guy was trying to learn how to swim by himself... felt like he needed my help ;)
Dried him, warmed him up, he's now chilling in a box, waiting for night time.

Door of the day on 1001-doors.com...

HELP!
Kristina has just entered an Instagram contest, and she'd love your support. She is involved in an all girl's travel group that now have the chance to win tickets with Air New Zealand!
If you have Instagram, please show some love - like her entry, share her post, and help her win!
Here is the photo she's entered:

Kristina has contributed to Take Me With You's tips for solo female travel! Check out the post and see what she and other female travel bloggers have shared on how to keep it real while travelling solo!

Stay safe - but stay open to new and exciting experiences :)

I have a problem: I’m obsessed with doors!
Maybe it’s the geometry that inspires me, maybe the similarities and all the differences, the colors, the trace of time in the wood, the paint peeling on the sidewalks.
Anyway, I kept it to myself for years –it used to be that thing that I was doing between two "real" photography jobs- but lately I've decided to start sharing my doors from all over the world. I've decided to embrace my condition: my name is Gaspard, and I’m door addicted !

It took us a week, but here it comes: Everything you need to know about diving!
From your first fin strokes in the sea all the way to the Instructor level!
How to start, where to dive, should you be scared of sharks? This guide should answer all the questions you might have and if it doesn’t, then just send us a message!

Hanoi's street market under a stormy sky.

Food market along the wet sidewalks of Hanoi...

I first visited Hoi An back in 2002. Since then, I’ve been back a few times. When I hear backpackers and travelers talk about this little town, they make it sound like there’s nothing left to see. Because Hoi An has changed so much, some people seem to believe that it’s not worth visiting anymore. But all the things that made Hoi An so great in the “old days” are still there: The atmosphere, the food, the lanterns, the old Chinese houses along the river.

Places don’t stop being great just because they’ve become touristy. There is always a way to look beyond the crowd.
As usual the best advice is: go see for yourself!

We've been featured on Two Drifters' "When Love Meets Travels" series! Check out our contribution, the series, and all the fantastic work on their blog. Thank you Amy and Nathan :)

A dark twisted version of Disneyland, a night in Saigon's backpacker's area, a short video full of life lessons... a must watch.

Don't forget to check the 5 things we don't like about Vietnam (a country that we mostly love)

There are so many blog posts out there that only show you the glamorous side of traveling. I’m tired of it! Just like anything else, traveling has its low points, and there will be moments that I won’t enjoy.
I have my bad days, I have things that annoy me. Travel doesn’t change that.
I LOVE Vietnam… but here are a few things that I don’t enjoy about this country.
What do you think? Are there things about Vietnam that get on your nerves?

We've been mentioned on Girls LOVE Travel and our "Why we chose to move to Hanoi" has been featured. How fantastic! Be sure to check out their page for more amazing posts!

"I step outside. The house is like a twisted organic tower, a gigantic concrete plant, hiding the first lights of a shy morning, casting tortured shadows on the cold ground.
There is no logic, no reason, just the weird impression that I got stuck in someone else’s dream, that I passed through the looking glass and that I’m now trapped in a place where nothing makes sense…"

The Overstay was a special place and the Suk11 is probably one of the most interesting hostels I’ve ever stayed in, but Dalat's Crazy House has to be the weirdest hotel I've ever visited. Probably the strangest in Vietnam, if not the world.