Travel by Baughman

  • Australia & Aotearoa (New Zealand) Days 4-6: Cairns

    5-8 February 2025 Hi everyone, We’ve had a great time in Cairns! We weren’t quite sure what to expect – parts of Cairns’ county, Queensland, was damaged by flooding last weekend. The worst, it turns out, was just south of Cairns and it eased up before we got there. Our time there way quite lovely.…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Australia & Aotearoa (New Zealand) Days 2 & 3: Sydney

    3 & 4 February 2025 We started Tuesday with a walking tour. It was over three hours but very enjoyable and well worth it. Our guide, Steve, sought out shade at pretty much every stop and occasionally found places where we could sit. In the gardens we learned that the white ibises we saw are…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Australia & Aotearoa (New Zealand) Day 1: Sydney

    2 February 2025 After over 24 hours of travel, we arrived in Sydney via Singapore Sunday night. We managed to sleep alright, despite the 11-hour time difference, and started our first day with a delicious breakfast at our hotel. Our room has a wonderful view of the Sydney Harbor, with both the bridge and the…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Tour Day 17 & 18: Siem Reap/Farewell

    12 & 13 February, 2024 Hi everyone, Yesterday we got up at 4:30 AM to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. It was incredibly beautiful. We had reasonably clear skies, with some haze on the horizon that made for lots of color during first light before the sun came up. The temple seemed to materialize…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Tour Day 15 & 16: Siem Reap

    10 & 11 February, 2024 Hi everyone, Saturday was predominantly a long bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, but we made a few stops along the way. First, we paused in a village that is known for cooking tarantulas. Our guide bought one for folks to try, and Sarah had a tiny piece…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Tour Days 13 & 14: Phnom Penh

    8 & 9 February, 2024 Suor Sdey everyone (Hello, in Cambodian), Yesterday, we were able to sleep in with no morning activities before heading to the airport in Saigon and flying to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. We got to the hotel in the evening and went to dinner with the tour group for…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Tour Day 12: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

    7 Feburary, 2024 Hi everyone, Today we got an early start to get to the Cu Chi tunnels, a network of underground tunnels created and used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, which is known as the American war in Vietnam. The tunnels provided a space to hide or mount surprise attacks during…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Tour Day 11: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

    6 Feburary, 2024 Chuc Mung Nam Moi! (Happy New Year)! Tet is right around the corner and everywhere you look are decorations and people preparing for the New Year. Our tour guide says we hit Vietnam at just the right time as we get to see all of the great decor and experience some of…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Tour Day 9 & 10: Ha Long Bay/Hanoi

    4 and 5 February, 2024 Hello everyone, We started Sunday heading to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh’s body remains embalmed and open to the public. Lots of Vietnamese go to see him and at times the wait can be up to two hours even though the line keeps moving (they don’t…

    Sarah Baughman

  • Tour Day 8: Luang Prabang/Hanoi

    3 February, 2024 Xin chào everyone, (hello in Vietnamese), We spent our last morning in Laos taking a silk weaving class at the Ock Pop Tok Center. “Ock Pop Tok” means “East meets West” and it was founded in 2000 by a woman from Laos and a woman from England. It started with five weavers,…

    Sarah Baughman