• Asia,  Others,  Travel Journal

    Test & review of the sento Minatoyu in Tokyo (Japan)

    To find out how a session in an Onsen takes place, it’s this way.We continue to explore the sentos near our Airbnb in Tokyo.This time we are testing the sento Minatoyu.As usual we take off our shoes and leave them in a locker (no room needed).No automatic machine, we buy our tickets at the counter: 460 yens, shampoo and soap are included in the price.A 100 yen coin is needed to close the lockers in the locker room.The sento is all clean, all modern but it is small, every square meter is exploited, we are in Tokyo šŸ™‚In spite of a certain promiscuity, the sento Minatoyu is quite pleasant.It is…

  • Asia,  Others

    Test & review of the sento Ginza-yu in Tokyo (Japan)

    To find out how a session in an Onsen takes place, it’s this way.The neighborhood sento closest to our airbnb is the first one I tested in Tokyo.As usual, we take off our shoes and put them in a locker before entering (no need for a locker room).Admission costs 460 yen to buy at the ATM (no cash machine).Little misunderstanding with the host lady when I explain to her that I want to buy a soap and shampoo by showing her the ones on her desk. I finally understand that they are available for free in the baths.We climb a few steps to reach the checkroom and then the baths.…

  • Asia,  Japan,  Travel Journal

    Discover Japanese Netflix

    As soon as you arrive in a new country, I look forward to discovering the movies available for that country on Netflix. Before, I only had Japanese incomprehensible movies in mind, but thanks to Netflix, I was able to make some discoveries. When you are in Japan, most of the movies in Japanese are subtitled only in Japanese and Korean. As a result, despite a wider choice than in France, I couldn’t really enjoy the more “local” films šŸ™ Therefore, I could only watch movies or series subtitled in English or French, namely : The many faces of Ito The story is hyper original (adapted from a book) and I…

  • Asia,  TDM,  Travel Journal,  Vietnam

    Sapa (Vietnam): Rice Terraces and Minority Ethnic Groups (travel book + guide)

    We continue to discover Vietnam through the photos of my trip in 2010 with JB. With the Ha Long Bay, Sapa is a must-see destination in the North of Vietnam. For this trip of 3 days 3 nights (including two in the train), we went through one of the many tourist agencies. Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 1: Departure from Hanoi By reserving the tour, our agency gives us two train tickets and we manage to go to the station and take the SP3 train which leaves for Lao Cai at 9:55 pm. No meal is proposed, the train is comfortable (and…

  • Around the world,  Asia,  TDM,  Tips,  Vietnam

    Introduction to Vietnamese Language: Alphabet, Intonation and Writing

    Today, I will give you some fun facts about Vietnamese. This isn’t necessarily to encourage you to learn it, but at least to learn more about my language and writing. To read one of my articles written in Vietnamese (and see what it looks like), click here Most people are surprised to discover that Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet. This writing system (phonetic transcription based on the Latin alphabet) called“chį»Æ quį»‘c ngį»Æ” (national script) was developed by a French Jesuit priest: Alexandre de Rhodes. Before this system, during 1000 years of Chinese domination, we used Chinese characters (“chį»Æ hĆ”n“). Once we got rid of this $Ć¹%#0Ƨ!! enemy of several centuries…

  • Asia,  TDM,  Travel Journal,  Vietnam

    Ha Long Bay (Vietnam): A Wonder of Nature (travel book + guide)

    I am asked questions about Ha Long Bay and Sapa Bay, while my blog does not contain any article about these two top destinations… I feel a little guilty šŸ˜€ while I am Vietnamese and well placed to give you some advice to enjoy your trip in my country Let’s say I visited these destinations before the creation of this blog. So, I bring you to Ha Long Bay from 2010, which I visited with JB. The agency programs still haven’t changed, so this article is still useful if you travel in 2018/2019 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary For this trip, we opted…

  • Digital nomad,  TDM

    Internet connection speed/rate in several countries of the world

    As digital nomads, we have total geographical freedom on one condition: to have a proper internet connection.This is especially true for us who have a business that requires large file downloads and uploads, regular calls or video-conferences with our customers.It isn’t always easy to find reliable information on flows in some countries.So I got into the habit of regularly measuring the performance of our internet connections with the android Speed Test application.Here are the results of the readings. Click on the country you are interested in to get the details.Disclaimer These aren’t “scientific” tests, the connection speed depends on many factors (distance from the wifi terminal / relay antenna, number…

  • Asia,  Others,  Vietnam

    Speed / internet connection speed in Vietnam (Hanoi, Hoi An)

    To learn more about these surveys, click here. Date of measurement Type of connection Location Donwload speed Upload speed Ping speed 03/02/2018 4G Hanoi 34 30 14 04/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 8 10 18 07/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 23 12 4 09/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 32 11 16 10/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 2 2 593 11/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 0,01 0,01 42 11/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 2 5 32 13/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 0,02 0,08 16 14/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 5 4 26 15/02/2018 Wifi Hanoi 38 5 7 24/02/2018 Wifi Hoi An 4 8 4 24/02/2018 Wifi Hoi An 2 7 2 25/02/2018 Wifi Hoi An 19 39 8 25/02/2018 Wifi Hoi An 9 34 6 25/02/2018…

  • Cambodia,  Others

    Speed / internet connection speed in Cambodia (Siem Reap)

    To learn more about these surveys, click here. Date of measurement Type of connection Location Donwload speed Upload speed Ping speed 07/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 2 2 6 07/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 15 17 7 07/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 13 3 8 08/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 2 1 11 09/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 12 6 8 09/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 9 12 7 13/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 3 0,43 11 13/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 10 2 9 14/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 2 0,19 9 14/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 16 0,49 8 15/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 4 0,19 16 15/12/2017 4G Siem Reap 36 46 52 18/12/2017 Wifi Siem Reap 4…