✈️ Rise of the Ascending Dragon.
Vietnam opens its border to tourists.
👨✈️ The Briefing Room:
Notes and open topics from the editor’s desk.
Welcome Departures. The place to be for where to go and what to see. This week, in our continuing deep dive into France, we go to the oldest cafe in Paris and for our Bucket List, we travel deep into the jungle to discover one of Vietnam’s best kept secrets!
So now without further ado, let’s take it away!
Alvin
📰 This Week in Travel:
A TLDR approach to some of the week’s most important headlines.
Effective today and among a sea of confusion, Vietnam is officially open for tourism. As announced las month by the government, the country would lift most restriction effective March 15th provided travelers presented proof of vaccination or recovery with a 72 hour negative Covid-19 test and self isolate for 24 hours upon arrival. Hardly the doors wide open approach some western countries have adopted in recent weeks but a great move in the right direction nonetheless. Official sources were still being updated as of this writing leaving quite a bit of room for ambiguity, so always contact your airline for the latest requirements before booking.
Starting March 16th, face coverings will no longer be required at Heathrow International Airport. National carriers British Airways and Virgin Atlantic announced they would also would lift mask mandated aboard their aircraft as their destinations allowed. This follows Boris Johnson’s announcement last month to drop all remaining covid restrictions in the country.
A wage dispute in Germany caused a cascade of flight disruptions as security staff went on strike. Only transit passenger were allowed to board connecting flights at Düsseldorf, Cologne, Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg.
📸 Destination Deep Dive:
Comprehensive multipart series on a single destination.
France Part 05
Last week on Destination Deep Dive: France Part 04 we browsed the most famous bookstore in Paris, Shakespeare & Company. This week we visit the city’s oldest café:
Café Le Procope 13 Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, 75006 Paris
Almost a century before the United States was even founded, Italian native François Procope established Café Le Procope in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. In operation since 1686, it was the hub for the artistic and literary community of the 18th and 19th century. It is said Marie Antoinette and Napoleon both frequented the restaurant.
Now both the oldest café and brasserie in the entire city, serves a selection of traditional French dishes and wines. It opens at noon everyday so it will definitely be a bit more suited for lunch or dinner.
For full menu and reservations:
If you are looking for something a bit more casual, with as much heritage and open in time for breakfast, check out Les Deux Magots just a few blocks away.
Les Deux Magots 6 Pl. Saint-Germain des Prés, 75006 Paris
Another artist hotspot that has seen the patronage of the likes of Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and James Baldwin. The famous café and restaurant is considered by many to be one of the best places to catch the morning sun. It’s also been featured in multiple novels, films and television throughout its over 130 year history.
With operating hours from 7:30a - 1:00a it is a great place for both early risers and night owls alike. I particularly like their holiday champagne brunch very much.
For full menu and reservations:
Next week on Destination Deep Dive: France Part 06 we go on a scenic walk on the banks of the Seine River and around one of my favorite spots for picnic!
About Destination Deep Dives
Destination Deep Dives offer a more immersive look at one particular destination in a recurring format over a several editions of the newsletter. It is where I give myself room to explore a broader set of points of interests, for all travel styles and budgets. Think of them as small parts of a larger travel guide. Even though I will be publishing them all together as one guide at the end of the series, you may access them all as individual articles inside their corresponding Departures edition here:
🗺 Bucket List:
Short highlight of a dream destination.
Elephant Springs (Suối Voi)
Really had to go digging for this one. Definitely worth it though as this has to be one of Vietnam’s best kept secrets. Located on the Phu Loc district of the Thua Thien Hue Province, the falls and water park is right between Hoi An and Hue. As you can see from the maps and photos, it is a very secluded and unspoiled. As someone who enjoys little rustic treasures like this, it is one of my favorite places to go when ever I am in the area. From Da Nang its about a 40km ride. Very doable by motor bike. For all but the most adventurous though I would recommend booking a day tour with a local guide. Specially if visiting for the first time as cellphone signal is very limited and it can be quite easy to get lost.
Once you make it to the park you will be greeted by several pools, smaller water falls and some very rustic accommodations. As the world keeps getting smaller, it has become increasingly harder to find places so quaint and undiscovered like the Elephant Springs. It is the polar opposite of the lush beach resort accommodations found on the coast. But it is in this simplicity that I find that unique connection with nature that is just so hard to come by anywhere in or around any city.
According to the website, there are big commercial plans in the works for the area. So I don’t know how long the river will remain off the beaten path. But in the meantime it continues to be a little treasure to add to your bucket list. You can get more info here:
🧳 Carry-on Only:
Travel experience, tech and accessory reviews.
I have been a carry-on only traveller for many years. One of the ways that I have been able to keep the size and weight of my baggage to a minimum is by constantly replacing larger items with smaller ones or replacing several items with one that serves multiple functions. One of the companies I have relied on for this over the years has been Anker. All the products that I have used so far have still not let me down and the Anker Nano has been one of the most I’ve traveled with. At 70% the size of my laptop’s power brick, it is not much over a hair bigger than the small 5 watt phone charger. But at 30 watts it replaces and fast charges both the phone and the laptop. Get the US version direct from Anker here:
Or search for the model number at your favorite online electronics retailer on your side of the world to make sure you get the correct one for your country.
💰 Deal of the Week:
Special sales and offers from all over the web.
What is the absolute cheapest way to go the furthest? Try one way from Los Angeles to Tokyo for $145 with 2 checked bags included! The 17 hour adventure also includes 2 layovers but for that price I think you can afford to spend a little more time in the air. If you can splurge a little, check out second place for Los Angeles direct to Tokyo for $290.
But I am in the east coast you say? Check out this deal from Newark. Cross country via Spirit and across the pond with United. At $348 one way, not bad at all for a mid May getaway.
🛠 Hack of the Week:
Tips and tricks for better travel quality of life.
The Open-Jaw Itinerary
This is one travel hack that not a lot of people use or are even aware off but can be an extremely convenient way to visit multiple cities or countries. It is basically an itinerary where your destination and/or origin are not the same in both directions. I first came across this many years ago when cruising around the Asia, where I flew in to Shanghai to board my cruise and flew back home out of Singapore. Since then I’ve used the technique to book multi-city itineraries between countries while saving a lot of time and money in the process. It is very effective in Europe where there are so many transportation options between countries.
🛫 About Us:
Departures is a free newsletter about photography, travel & lifestyle. To find out more about what this is, who I am and why should you be here, visit our dedicated about page here:
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