It just occurred to me I didn’t do a blog post for the rest of our summer trip, so as the summer winds down, let’s continue from where we left off in northern Vietnam.
We spent a day in Ninh Bình and went on a really fun boat ride where we went through these really low cave tunnels. Some Spiritbeads were in order, along with a couple of Pandora Petite Facets.
Continuing on from Ninh Bình our next scenic stop was Ha Long Bay, which is pretty much the reason I wanted to visit Vietnam in the first place. We did an overnight boat trip and it really was quite magical. The colour of the water was so gorgeous!
The Trollbeads Labradorite almost matched the water! The other two glass beads are Rainbow Bridges.
I didn’t mean to make a bangle to match the yummy drinks, but anyway…
I love how the peachy tones of Coral Wave look against the green.
As the sun was setting there was a fun cooking challenge of rolling up spring rolls. My husband (front) came in second! LOL!!!!
Now let’s move on to Ho Chi Minh City. Here’s my 14 year old in one of the Cu Chi Tunnels.
The post office is quite pretty and I wanted to take a photo with the True Beadz BeadMail bead!
One evening in Saigon, I had the pleasure of meeting Trixie of @kulbeads. She took me to a Japanese department store that had a Trollbeads counter. By complete coincidence, it was the launching day for the Asian LE Weaver Girl! Trixie has an amazing eye for details on beads and helped me choose one for myself, plus I was being a Troll Fairy for two friends. After I made the purchase we had a lovely time chatting over drinks. How wonderful it is to travel to the other side of the world and get to meet someone and chat about a common interest!
The Weaver Girl looks really nice with the unique I bought in Singapore. This was on a tour of the Mekong Delta.
Now onto Australia, where we spent a week in Sydney. We stayed at a hostel which had an amazing view from its rooftop terrace. The Sydney Opera House bead from Ohm Beads was fun to wear.
Here is what the Sydney Opera House looks like inside. We went to hear the orchestra play Mahler 6.
We did a coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Clovelly Beach. Oh my goodness, it was soooo beautiful. Every turn brought on a new beach and gorgeous view. The Trollbeads Barrier Reef and Aboriginal Rock Art beads were so fun to wear there!
But, Australia is also where I was about to meet the designer of Redbalifrog beads, so I had a bangle ready to go in my purse with Trollbeads glass and Redbalifrog silver.
The next day, James and I took a ferry boat over to Manly and met up with Amanda and her husband. Here is beads n’ coffee, Redbalifrog style!
We had a really nice visit and they drove us up the coast to Palm Beach where we met Amanda’s daughter and grandson for lunch. Her daughter has a business called kollector, selling silver and gold jewelry for children, although adults can wear it too. She kindly gave me a Picasso Sun necklace. I love the clamshell packaging!
We also saw dolphins in the distance at Palm Beach!
Because it was ‘winter’ in Australia (although you can still wear shorts!), I loaded up with stacks of silver, as it wasn’t humid at all unlike in Singapore and Vietnam.
We went to museums, the zoo and yet another lovely beach.
I found this sea glass and thought the colours were super pretty.
One last photo from Australia…
…then we headed back to Singapore with another visit to Gardens by the Bay. Have you seen Crazy Rich Asians yet?
And that’s the end! It has taken my husband and I over a week to recover from the trip home. I think we are getting too old for this kind of trip! Many thanks to my Instagram and Facebook followers for all the fun comments on my photos. It’s so nice to connect with people from around the world and even more fun to meet in person! Also thanks to the Trollbeads and Ohm Beads companies for providing product samples for photos in these countries.
I always enjoy your travel posts so much, Martha. I had a lot of vicarious fun following your trip on Instagram, so thanks for posting so many amazing pictures. And now thanks to you I’m adding Vietnam to my bucket list, because your photos were absolutely magical. Glad you picked up a few nice beads too, and well as meeting up with bead friends on the other side of the globe! And as amazing as the trip was. I’m sure you’re happy to be home and sleeping in your own bed again too. 😊
LikeLike
Hi Kim! Yes, we are definitely happy to be home. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos and have put Vietnam on your list. I didn’t even get into how amazing the food was!
LikeLike
Martha thank you so much for posting these beautiful pictures I’ve really enjoyed your post. Your beads are beautiful too 😍
LikeLike
My pleasure, Maryrose! I’m always happy to provide a little armchair travel and the beads are a great way to do that. 😅
LikeLike
What a fantastic trip! I also love seeing your travel posts and the beads that are lucky enough to join you. Trixie sounds amazing! How fun to be able to meet a bead sister from across the globe. (I am going to watch Crazy Rich Asians this weekend. 😙)
LikeLike
Ooo…you’ll have to let me know if you like the movie. It really was fun to meet 3 bead friends this trip! It sometimes seems like we live in a small world. (But not when you’re sitting in economy for a 17 hour flight. 😖)
LikeLiked by 1 person
17 hours!? Oh my!!! Yes, I will let you know on Monday morning what I think (seeing it on Sunday evening.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay. Is there anything cuter than a koala butt? Just had to say what we were all thinking.
You know, I first started following you on your last big trip–when you went to Indonesia and whatnot. All I could think of was, “How does she come up with all those cool combinations with what has to be very few beads?” And I was hooked on your photos. 🙂
But you’re so right about how cool it is to meet other bead people. It’s a connection that we can share no matter our language or background. Beads make the world just a little bit nicer.
LikeLike
Ha ha, that koala definitely has a cute butt! Doesn’t the fur look so soft? I’ve never touched a koala bear before though, so maybe it isn’t actually soft. 🤷🏻♀️ Isn’t it so interesting how the internet has changed how we look at the world. I’m old enough that I still marvel that I can go to a place like Vietnam and sit and chat about the bead world with someone. Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
Martha,
Your scenic photography is beautiful and your baubles, bangles, and beads are an added bonus. Vietnam is exquisite and for this American baby boomer, seeing your photos, especially your son in the tunnel entrance, is poignant. Thank you for taking us on your world trip.
LikeLike
Oh, the whole tunnels tour, the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ tour and the War Remnants Museum were quite something. A lot of the trip was very somber and with the passing of John McCain yesterday I find myself thinking about it again. I’m glad you enjoyed the blog post and thanks for commenting!
LikeLike