RONNIE & Michelle
Careering OffAfter over 30 years working, Ronnie & Michelle have decided to take the gap year (or two!) that we missed out on at the usual time. We have had stressful careers in Technology and Finance until now including start-ups and self-employment.
Navigate the map
Click on a pin, and then on the title link to read the blog article.About
The kids – Cameron & Daniel – have fled the nest to pursue their own adventures in life, leaving only the cats Tiger and Lexey to tie us down.
Following a health shock and seeing what has happened to many people we know around our age, we decided not to wait until we are in our 60’s and retired before resuming our love of travel and seeing the world. We are in the fortunate position of being able to pause working for a while.
It’s now time to career-off.
THE BLOG
Stepping Out in Sapa
After hectic, haphazard Hanoi we wanted to take a trip North to the mountains and a town called Sapa. We had a luxurious "limousine" mini-bus for the long journey to Sapa. Unfortunately the wheel bearing went on the steep, winding roads up the mountain and they had to...
Hadventures in Hanoi
We spent a few days exploring Hanoi - the capital city of Vietnam. The population is 7 million and there are 5 million scooters! The Old Quarter is where all the bars and restaurants are. It's a maze of narrow streets. There were originally 36 streets where each of...
Spectacular Halong Bay (Lan Ha Bay)
We took an idyllic overnight luxury cruise in Halong Bay to see the famous limestone karsts. Well actually we went to Lan Ha Bay as Halong Bay is now very busy and dirty apparently. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site and must have been the inspiration for some...
Vietnam take 2
After Angkor, we flew to Danang, Vietnam - the airport for Hoi An where we were supposed to go in January when we came home. Hoi An was one of the most important ports in South East Asia at one time. It was a meeting point for traders from China, Japan, India, etc....
Angkor Wat and the Temple sites
We took a two day guided tour of some of the temples. One day was Angkor Wat, Ta Promh (aka "Tomb Raider temple"), and Angkor Thom. At the centre of the Angkor Thom complex is the Bayon "Faces" temple. The other day we did the outer circuit of Pre Rup, Banteay Srei...
Careering Off – press Play
After nine months we have resumed our travelling back in SE Asia. We have prioritised the trip in case we have to come home early again. We restarted in Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat first. We began with a couple of nights in the capital Phnom Penh. Crazy city. We had...
Valencia, Spain
After the funeral, Michelle wanted to get away for a quiet break so we booked a cheap flight to Valencia. Valencia has a great climate. The average temperature is 23 °C. Even in January, the temperature is 17 °C. That's a good summer day in Scotland! It only rains 44...
Careering Off paused
We have returned to the UK as Michelle's dad is seriously ill in hospital in Wales. We will resume as soon as possible.
Good Evening Vietnam
We didn't arrive until later in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). We headed for Ben Thahn market and had some street food. Two meals and a couple of beers for £6. The next day we went for a walking city tour. HCMC has a mix of colonial and modern buildings. The traffic is...
Follow
Our
Travels
All photographs on this site © Ronnie & Michelle