Hi from Khartoum, Sudan when really I should be consuming countless amounts of pasta and getting fat in Rome… got to love a last minute roster change! But, hey I’m not complaining because as I write this blog, I am reminded of all the fabulous places I travelled to this month and the quality time I spent with some of my favourite humans.
Basically, I spent September everywhere in the world except Qatar. I traveled as crew to Brazil, Kenya, Tunisia, Bali, and finally Sudan plus I also managed to fit in two mini vacations in Vietnam and Turkey.
Hanoi, Vietnam
After receiving my September roster, I discovered that I had 2 days off that I could use to meet my bestfriend Sharni in Hanoi as her and her boyfriend were travelling around Vietnam for 2 weeks. I was umming and ahhing whether or not to go as I knew I would be sacrificing my beloved sleep in order to make the trip, however I decided YOLO and booked my tickets. As I always say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
Three’s a crowd… or is it? #Number1thirdwheel
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think my favourite thing about Vietnam is the food. Every time I travel there, it’s my mission to try as many local dishes as I can and never once have I been disappointed.
You can’t go to Hanoi and not drink their famous egg coffee.
Yummm in my tum!!!!! Vietnamese BBQ, another favourite of mine whenever I am in VietNOM
After a delicious bbq dinner, the three of us decided to experience Hanoi’s nightlight so we headed to the not so crowded Ta Hien “beer street” in the Old Quarter. This place is seriously buzzing and it was a school night. The street is filled with people sitting outside on little plastic chairs, chilling, drinking and inhaling the occasional balloon… yes, you read that correct.
On day 2, I finally made it to The Note Coffee which has been on my list of cafes to visit for quite a while now. I have a thing for all things super cute and I also really love stationary. This cafe is covered in Post-it notes containing messages from visitors from all around the world. I loved spending time here and reading all the notes people left on the walls.
If you’re ever in Hanoi, see if you can find my message…
I was mistaken earlier when I said my favourite thing about Vietnam is food. No, in fact my favourite thing about Vietnam, is without a doubt PHO!! It might be my favourite food, I just can’t get enough of this bowl of deliciousness!
Continuing along the food theme, another highlight was eating Chả Cá, a traditional dish containing grilled fish cooked with fresh dill and turmeric. We ate this yummy meal at a restaurant called Cha Ca Thang Long. The restaurant only serve this one dish and rightfully so as it’s so delicious you shouldn’t be ordering anything else!
Forever one of my favourite countries… can’t wait to see you again, Vietnam!
P.S. trains still operate on this track #sorrymum
Turkey
Now on to the main event – I’ve decided to dedicate the majority of this post to my week vacationing in Turkey. Firstly, because I had the most amazing trip and secondly, I just have so many photos to share (how strange :P)
My holiday began at the amazing high-on-everyone’s-bucketlist Cappadocia where I went on my first ever hot air balloon ride to watch the beautiful sunrise over Göreme.
Being basic and wearing a maxi dress for my pics like every other female tourist💁♀️
Watching the sunrise from the hot air balloon was one of the most magical things my eyes have ever seen, it’s truly breathtaking. The experience is worth worth every penny so if you are traveling to Cappadoccia make sure it’s your number one thing to do there❤️
Lucky me, I had the privilege of traveling with one of my favourite batchmates, Ploy from Thailand. She’s an amazing human and so is the hotel we stayed at…
After our early morning balloon ride, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the hotel, followed by a tour of Göreme to see it’s famous volcanic rock formations.
After a full day of activities, the two of us were craving a drink (or few) so we made our way to Kocabag wine shop, which was recommended by our tour guide for a little wine tasting (or so we thought). In reality, the two of us spent our entire afternoon there sampling ALL the wines and maybe even polishing off a few bottles. The little old man who runs this place is so cute, he didn’t want us to leave so he kept pouring us glass after glass. Perhaps that’s his sales tactic to get customer’s to purchase more wine… we did leave the shop with more bottles than intended. If you are ever traveling through Cappadocia, make sure you pop in to say hi and sample the wines, they are super delicious! I want to come back just to visit this place once again❤️
Our next stop was beautiful Istanbul, a place I feel like I’ll be back to many times in my life, especially while I’m living in Doha (it’s very close by). We only had a short stay here but we managed to eat lots, shop lots and take in a few of the sights.
When in Istanbul, one must drink Turkish coffee and eat baklava ❤️
We planned to go to the blue mosque but it was closed so instead we visited Süleymaniye Mosque which has amazing views of Istanbul❤️
My next stop after Istanbul, was white haven Pamukkale, a place unlike anywhere else I have ever travelled to before. Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey known for it’s natural thermal waters that flow down a white “cotton castle” like hill. It’s situated next-door to Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city.
Enjoying the mineral spas, the water is believed to contain healing properties.
And here we have the well preserved ruins of ancient Roman city, Hierapolis.
After exploring the ruins, I spent the rest of the evening soaking in Cleopatra’s thermal pool. The water was so warm, it was hard to leave!
The next day, I hopped on a bus and travelled 3 hours to the beautiful Bodrum, located on the south coast of Turkey.
A rosé a day, keeps the doctor away…
I took a boat tour around Bodrum bays where I had the opportunity to swim in the clearest blue water I have ever seen – amazing! #nofilter
Bon voyage Turkey! I am already thinking to come back next summer to spend more time sailing around this beautiful coast.
Tunis, Tunisia
Much to my delight, Tunis was one of my first destinations after my vacation – a new city for me to explore, yay!
Before heading into the city, I made a stop at the ruins of ancient Carthage, located just around the corner from my hotel.
After my detour, I finally arrived at the beautiful Sidi Bou Said, a city famous for it’s picturesque white buildings and blue doors.
If anyone has travelled to Santorini, this place reminded me of a mini Oia ❤ 
#watchingsunsetsinsteadofnetflix
October
My roster for the month of October:
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Nairobi, Kenya x2
- London, UK
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Hong Kong
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Anddddd I’ll be ending the month almost back home in Adelaide, Australia
The only new destination for me is Hong Kong, which I am sooooo excited about!!!! However, I am super happy to travel to all my other destinations for a second, third or fourth time now, there are always lots of new things to do and explore in every city! Stay tuned for all my updates.
Until next month! Ciao ciao friends xxxxx
Danielle Murnane 
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