Jenia Ustinova
-
They Might Be Giants in Phonsavan, Laos
Once upon a time – many, many centuries ago – there was a land known as Hills of Paradise. It was perched high in the mountaintops of what is modern-day Xieng Khuang province of Laos. Towering pine trees dominated the rolling hills, rivers and waterfalls irrigated and nourished the bountiful land, flowers bloomed year round…
-
Cabin Weekend: Lost River, WV
For the foreseeable future we are based out of Washington DC, but still intend to travel far and wide, explore closer to home, and pretty much engage any and all wanderlust opportunities that come our way. We recently went away for a cabin weekend, that quintessential American retreat, and it was wonderful. There is something…
-
A Shock to the System: Luang Prabang
Having been in Laos for a few weeks, our arrival in Luang Prabang – the country’s most famous and most visited city – was a shock to the system. We had heard about the bougie cafes serving wine in proper glasses accompanied by cheese, the charming cobblestone streets dotted with flowering frangipani trees and ornate…
-
Wanderlust Friday
You guys, it’s Friday! And that means its definitely a great time to daydream, plan, or just take off on your next travel adventure. Just go on, get in the car, maybe to the train station, or even an airport and just go. For our part, we are stoked to leave on Sunday for a trip…
-
A Stroke of Luck in Vang Vieng
We weren’t really sure of what to expect of Vang Vieng. For a while it was the infamous party destination in Southeast Asia, second maybe only to Ko Pha-Ngan with its monthly full moon throw down. In fact, when I first read blog recounts of Vang Vieng, I was sort of enticed. Tubing down a…
-
Wanderlust Friday
Uff, hello Friday, we’ve missed you so. This week was a whirlwind of busy, busy, busy. And there is no better antidote to that than some inspiring travel stuff: news, links, and inspiration. First, let’s get some news out of the way: after next week we are off to Southwest Florida for a bit – we are…
-
Big city living in VIENTIANE
Ok, you might have heard that Vientiane, Laos is unremarkable, boring, skippable, meh of a town in the middle of Laos. It’s true to a degree – Vientiane doesn’t quite have the buzzing energy and hipster cafes of Hanoi, nor the shiny skyscrapers, skyline trains, and crazy nightlife of Bangkok. There is no great shopping…
-
Interview with Mike and Anne Howard of HoneyTrek
Welcome to Wanderlust Friday! Today we have an interview with Mike and Anne Howard of HoneyTrek.com. We started to read their blog way before we left on our own adventure and were truly inspired by them. Even more neat, when we signed up for HousetoLaos twitter account and clicked “follow” HoneyTrek button, we actually got…
-
Thakhek Loop Guide
So – if you’ve read out account of Day 1 and Day 2 & 3 of Thakhek Loop, you know that we had an awesome time exploring the caves, riding the scooter, and swimming in the Lagoon. Even considering the poor road conditions on the few stretches of the Loop, we would wholeheartedly recommend this…
-
Wanderlust Friday: Travel and Adventure Show
Hi friends, welcome to Wanderlust Friday! Have you ever been to a Travel Show? We had no idea about these until we saw a tweet from Rick Steves, with a behind-the-scenes vlog preview of a Travel and Adventure Show. Turns out it’s not so much for the industry people – but for us, travelers. Hanging…
-
Thakhek Loop: Day 2 & 3
This is a second installment of a 3-part series about Thakhek Loop in Laos. If you are curious about how our first Day of the Loop went down, have a look here. And stay tuned for the last part in the series explaining logistics of doing the Loop!~ The neat thing about guesthouses on the…
-
Wanderlust Friday
Welcome to Friday, friends! It’s been a fantastic week here in Washington D.C. – spring is here, plenty of sunshine, soon everything will be in bloom, and the prettiest season of all will be here. Cherry Blossoms! It’s absolutely my favorite time of year in D.C. You should come visit! March 2015 Snowstorm in Washington…