TDM
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Digital Nomads: A Week in Ninh Hoa (Vietnam)
In 2022, during our stay in Vietnam, we decided to settle in Ninh Hoa, a fishing village 1.5 hours from Nha Trang. I had been following on Facebook for a long time a Vietnamese entrepreneurs’ club and one of the club’s members had a hotel particularly suited to digital nomads, with half-board facing the ocean. The hotel sent a driver to pick us up at Nha Trang airport. It’s actually closer to Cam Ranh than to Nha Trang, and it took us 2 hours to get to Ninh Hoa. The flight was incredible—Nha Trang has many more mountains than I remembered, and I got to see Cam Ranh from above.…
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[STORY TIME] Stranded on the Eurostar and hounded by a Europe 1 journalist
On November 20, 2014, I’m doing a round trip between Paris and London in a single day for work. Even though the schedule isn’t exactly thrilling, back then my trips outside France were few and far between, so I’m pretty excited. The workday goes well and it’s already time to head back. No time for a quick sightseeing stop, but I would have had a little time to wander around the city. Interesting, but frustrating not to stay longer. We take the 7:01 PM Eurostar, which is due to arrive at Paris’s Gare du Nord at 10:17 PM. The journey goes smoothly… until a double overhead line failure, an “extremely…
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My Current Favorites [July 2022]: Luxury and Design
I finally found time to do some reading. Here are my new favorites: Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas (€13.46, Amazon link) The author is a journalist. Everything she writes about in this book is documented. I searched for and read this book because I was wondering why I was becoming more and more interested in luxury. I’m very sensitive to marketing messages and easily get swept up in them, so I wanted to gain a bit of distance and see the mechanism behind it (so I don’t fall for it anymore – it’ll be better for my wallet). In this book, all the big brands are…
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JB had emergency surgery in Nha Trang (Vietnam)
5/8/2022 JB wakes up in the middle of the night with excruciating stomach pain. Our doctor friend Vincent confirms over the phone that we need to go to the emergency room. He’s taken to the ER of an international hospital, a 1.5-hour drive away, before being transferred to Khanh Hoa Regional Hospital (Vietnam) for emergency surgery. His gallstone is causing him excruciating pain. After a successful operation by an excellent Vietnamese surgeon (recommended by my aunt), and 3 nights in the hospital, he was discharged on the 8th and is currently recovering. Thankfully, all this happened in Vietnam, not in a country where we don’t speak the language. My parents…
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[story time] Emergency operation in Nha Trang (Vietnam)
August 5, 2022 JB’s update : While I’ve been feeling totally fine these past few days—went for a run on the beach two days ago, went on a motorbike excursion yesterday—I wake up with excruciating stomach pain and nausea. At first, I think it’s food poisoning, because we’ve been eating really local for a few days and I’m not a huge fan. But I can’t throw up, and the pain is so intense that I tell myself we’ll have to go to the hospital if it doesn’t subside quickly. 1 AM: I’m asleep when JB wakes me up. He’s been in horrible pain for an hour and asks for my…
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[Review] Foreo Luna Mini 3: For Clean and Smooth Skin
After several months in Asia, my skin is severely congested (thanks to pollution and sweat!), and I have to face the facts: I need a device to wash my face, my hands are not enough. This isn’t the first time I’ve used a facial cleansing device. I had a Clarisonic, then several Foreo Luna Play Plus which gave up the ghost after a year because the battery compartment wasn’t waterproof enough. I need a device with a waterproof USB port, not a battery: I opted for the Foreo Luna Mini 3, a fairly simple cleansing device. Compact and easy to carry, LUNA™ Mini 3 is designed to give you instantly fresh…
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[Practical Guide] Bali – Nusa Penida by boat: how to get there? How much does it cost?
Are you in Bali and want to visit Nusa Penida? Here’s how to make the boat trip. Booking tickets online The travel agency Civitatis offers online tickets for the Bali – Nusa Penida route. Here are the rates Ticket type Price One-way 30 € Round-trip 60 € Children under 3 travel for free. It’s very expensive, I agree! It’s better to buy on-site. Buying a ticket on-site Ferries depart from Sanur port (Google Map link). On-site, you’ll find ticket booths for numerous companies where you can buy your tickets. It’s hard to choose, I think the service is almost identical regardless of the company. We chose the company Axe Stone…
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Bali (Indonesia): Taman Ayun Temple, Ulun Danu Beratan Temple & Leke Leke Waterfall
We take advantage of our Ubud – Lovina drive to make a few stops along the way. We’re going with the driver who took us to Mount Batur, but 20 minutes before departure, he calls to say another driver will replace him. The reason: a member of the community has passed away. In Asia, you don’t lie about deaths because it brings bad luck, so we take his word for it, but he could have let us know the day before instead of dropping it on us at the last minute. Luckily, the new driver is friendly and drives carefully. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel…
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My review of the American Express Business Gold card (+ referral)
To get a referral link for the American Express Business Gold card, click here then click on “See all cards” to choose the Business Gold and the referral benefits that come with it. American Express: what is it? “Do you take Amex?”: you may have already heard this question in a store or restaurant. But do you know what American Express is? Very popular in the United States and Canada, this company is much less so in France. American Express is a company that offers payment cards, like Visa and Mastercard do. The subtlety with Amex is that you can order an Amex card regardless of your current bank. The…
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My review of the American Express Business Green card (with referral)
American Express: what is it? You’ve probably already heard the name “American Express” but might not know exactly what it is. This isn’t surprising because unlike North America, credit cards aren’t very common in France. American Express is a company that offers credit card solutions. Amex isn’t a bank; it only issues payment methods, offering various types of benefits that vary depending on the card. The general principle is very simple: when you join Amex, you provide them with authorization to debit your account (so you don’t switch banks). Once you receive your card, you can use it; American Express gives you credit (free of charge) and will debit your…
