This past weekend, we headed to Yongpyong (home of the 2018 Winter Olypmics!) for two days of skiing and snowboarding. I hadn't gone skiing in a few years so I was thrilled that it came back to me quite quickly! The group of us rented a pension and had a pretty swell time. Truthfully, I didn't get that many great photos of the weekend as we ate a lot of potato chips, wrestled, drank wine from paper cups and played about ten rounds of inReverse (not the stuff of great photos). But here are a few, just to remember. 

On our second full day in Coron, we explored the town for the afternoon, hiked up Mount Tapyas for the sunset and then headed to the Manquit Hot Springs. In my books, that's the perfect way to end the day. However, Mike was actually pretty stoked when our trike driver started blasting some 90s rap on our ride home. We have some hilarious (blackmail-worthy) video of the moment! ;)

*Check out the guest post we did on the Traveling Triplets blog! Thanks Kylie!

Over the Lunar New Year (Seolnal - 설날), we went to the Philippines for a quick five day trip. We were a little overwhelmed with the 7000 islands to choose from, but thankfully Gemma from Line x Shape x Colour pointed us in the direction of the province of Palawan. We could not be more grateful. Coron, Palawan was a stunning spot and perfect for a short amount of time.  

There aren't any beaches right on the island but there are some breathtaking ones that are just a boat ride away. We visited: Bulungan beach, Hidden Lagoons, Kayangan Lake, Twin Peaks Reef, CVC islands, Malcapuya Island, Banana Island, and Isla Bulog. The beaches were just pristine. I have never swam in such clear water! What a treat.

Next: some photos of Coron town and Mount Tapyas.

A few years ago, some of our friends visited Halong Bay. I remember being just blown away by their photos. It was quickly added to my my "must-see" list. So when we were planning this trip, it was a given that we were going to go to Halong Bay. It was just as beautiful as I hoped - although quite a big colder than I imagined! We took hundreds of photos, but here are just a few that reflect the bay's quiet beauty.

Notes:
- We did a three day, two night tour with Vega Travel. While they are not the cheapest option out there, they are highly recommended on tripadvisor and in Lonely Planet. We found the tour to be excellent and the food was delicious. Well worth the money, I think.
- We were (naively) expecting warm temperatures like we experienced in Phu Quoc. It turned out to be about 10°C. I wouldn't normally find that that cold, but it was sure blustery on the boat and we didn't really have proper apparel packed.
- Mike selected and edited these photos since I've been swamped with work the last few days. Thanks love! As per usual, the photos are mix of his and mine.
- A few more photos here.

I'm back and happy to be sharing our photos from Hoi An today. Hoi An is such a bright and beautiful place. It sometimes felt like we were walking around on a movie set because it was just so charming. We got shoes made (mixed results), went on a few boat rides, bought some art, ate the best pizza I've had seen moving to Asia, and drove a scooter to the beach. We also celebrated Christmas. Of course we missed our families, but we couldn't complain too much when we were busy exploring such a pretty town! :)

Next up: Beautiful Halong Bay!

Mike and I spent a day in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I know that's not really long enough to get a feel for the city, but it's just what worked best for our trip. HCMC was a bustling place, and I honestly found it a bit overwhelming. Crossing the street as hundreds of motorcycles and scooters whipped past was no easy feat (Mike enjoyed the challenge immensely!).

We were happy to stumble upon two neat shops during our brief stay:
1. Artbook - a very cool bookstore with a nice selection of art as well. We picked up a photograph and a neat calendar there. 
2. L'usine - a hip little shop/restaurant. We had some lasagna there which was a nice break from typical Asian cuisine! :)

I really agonized about where go for the beach-y part of our trip. Miu Ne? Nha Trang? Koh Rong in Cambodia? We eventually settled on Phu Quoc, a Vietnamese Island that is located in the gulf of Thailand.

It turned out to be a terrific spot. Even though we were there right over Christmas, it wasn't very busy. A new airport  opened just before we flew in, so it apparently will get much busier in the next few years. But for now, we were able to get a little place, just a short walk away from a beautiful beach for a very decent price.

One day, I sat by the water and read a whole book. Another day, we rented a motorcycle and zipped around the island. The rest of the time, we napped, read, restaurant hopped, and swam in the warm water. The only blight on our time in Phu Quoc were nasty mosquitoes, but not much you can do about that.