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My review of the Accor payment card
While in North America, credit cards offer huge benefits if you use them wisely, France has long been (and still is) lagging behind. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, given how rampant abuse can be. If you wanted to enjoy benefits in France through everyday purchases, there was basically only the American Express card. It had the merit of existing, but you can’t say the returns are amazing. That’s gradually changing, and there’s not a month that goes by without a new company launching a new card promising incredible perks. That’s recently been the case with the hotel company Accor, which operates numerous hotel chains: Fairmont, Sofitel, Ibis, Mercure, Formule…
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[story time] Digitizing an Old Book: My New Volunteer Project
Twenty years ago, on a summer day, a book as thick as a brick landed in the living room of my maternal grandmother’s house, 40 To Hien Thanh Street, Hanoi. She used to exchange books with her literate, French-speaking friends. One of her friends, after buying this book fresh off the press, hurried to show it to her. Who was this gentleman? I can’t remember anymore. Even though I was used to seeing new books arrive every week, this was the first time I took an interest. Usually, the books were in French, but this time it was in Vietnamese, huge, impossible to miss. Finally, a book I could understand!…
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Test & Review of the Bose Soundlink Micro Travel Speaker
It’s not necessarily an essential item in a digital nomad’s life, but a Bluetooth speaker is very much appreciated. Laptop and smartphone speakers aren’t known for being top-notch, and even without being an audiophile, the sound quality of an external speaker is a real plus. For several years, we were happy users of the ultimate ears roll 2speaker. When its battery started to wear out, we took advantage of a discount offered by our American Express Fnac card to treat ourselves to the Bose Soundlink Micro (Amazon link). When we bought our first speaker, the Bose Soundlink Micro didn’t exist yet. We had considered getting the Mini version but found…
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Shooting range session in Koh Phangan (Thailand)
Back from a hotel stay for my birthday, we happen to pass by the entrance to the Phangan Yang Yai Shooting Association (link to their Facebook page). Judging by the photos on their Facebook page, this is where the police forces train in shooting. Since I’m still a big kid and shooting a pistol is fun for me, we follow the path without really knowing if the shooting range is open during this covid period. The dirt road is quite long but manageable by scooter, and it’s by hearing several gunshots that we get our answer: it’s open. The range offers many different weapons and the price depends on the…
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Celebrating JB’s birthday at Anantara Rasananda in Koh Phangan (Thailand)
Because of a small Covid wave hitting Koh Phangan island, all the “cool” plans to properly celebrate JB’s birthday fall through. But that’s okay, we decide to spend 1 night at the Anantara Rasananda hotel, which we really liked during our little excursion last time. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal I wanted to go there by boat from Chaloklum, then be brought back to Chaloklum the next day, but that requires two round trips for the fisherman and he gives us a very high rate. What’s the point of taking the boat if the visibility isn’t great and we can’t even go snorkeling? JB…
