Visiting Vietnam

Vietnam had been on my bucket list for such a long time and I was excited to go with some friends. 

The visa application was online and more straightforward than I imagined it would be. Between the application and the visa being granted, it all happened in a week.

Getting There

As with travelling, a few things did go wrong and I remember saying this was one of my worst trips (the travel part) recently. I don’t remember when last I went on a trip that was this stressful! 

I arrived at the airport and was told that I could not be checked in as the airport I was meant to transit through required me to go through immigration, so I needed a transit visa. I’m not sure how we missed this when the ticket was booked, but I got rerouted on one leg and bought another ticket on the spot, and all this was happening before 6am. I was originally to leave at 6am and arrive at 11:30am, including the lay over, but the trip ended up taking the whole day. I got to my destination around 9pm.

Visiting Greece

Greece is a popular destination in Europe where civilization is said to have started around 1600 BC. The country is full of so many gems, then the islands score a good number of tourists yearly. The capital, Athens, is a good place to start. Walking around on cobble stones, restaurants line the streets in typical European style. The city is full of so much history and it is easy to walk around.

View of Athens

The Acropolis is one of the most popular sites to see in Athens. it is a historical landmark that holds particular significance in the Greek history and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a stone Roman theatre structure

Visiting Mauritania and Riding the Iron Ore Train

Mauritania is a country in Northwest Africa, a country very few get to visit. I've been told that I visit places normal people would hardly think of visiting. My travels take me off the beaten path and I'm happy to keep discovering. 

The Iron Ore Train was the reason I visited Mauritania and it was nice to discover a bit of the country. 

We arrived in Nouakchott, the capital, and we got visas on arrival - the visas cost $60. It is advisable to have cash, it was quick and efficient. As this was an organised group tour, we had a briefing on the evening of our arrival then headed out to dinner.