HANOI, VIETNAM

It's been more than 2 months since I've written any post which I am sorry about. I had simply nothing to write about since I mostly focus on the traveling posts now. My last blog post was from the beginning of December when I was in Cape Town, I mostly had no new destinations since then. 

Anyway, I celebrated Christmas in Dubai with my mum and friends which made me so happy and also celebrated New Year's Eve on board flying from Johannesburg back to Dubai. On New Year's Eve, it was my 1 year flying anniversary. In January, I managed to get couple of days off and went home where I haven't been for more than one day since August. Time flies. I spent very nice time with my family and friends and before I knew it, it was time to go back to Dubai. 

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Today's post is about my trip to Hanoi, Vietnam though. I requested this flight and I was so happy when I saw it on my roster. Hanoi is not that far from Dubai and the layover is 34h which is a decent time to see the city and do some stuff. 

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa has always had a special place in my heart since I first visited it. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban ... I have been loving all these places, the local food, the nature, the people. It was already my second time in Cape Town, but since I haven't done much during my first visit because of the bad weather, I was very happy to go there again. It is summer there now, which means nice sunny weather and a day light till late hours which is perfect for exploring any new place. 

There are certain activities that every crew does at each destination. So if it is your first time, you already know where you can go and enjoy your time. In Cape Town particularly, crew goes to hike up the Table Mountain, they go see the penguins, the visit the Cape Point or just have local wine and some delicious steak. 

ENJOYING DAYS OFF IN DUBAI

At the end of November, my mum came to Dubai for couple of days. It was right after my annual exams which we have to take every year (obviously) to be able to fly again for another year. I successfully passed all of them so I could enjoy the days with my mum to the fullest. 

Since it was my mum's third time in Dubai, it becomes harder and harder to come up with a list of activities and sights for her. It was also uncertain whether she would make it on board the plane or not because her ticket was waitlisted so I couldn't really plan anything in advance. Almost at last minute, she was accepted on board and it made me so happy that we wouldn't loose a day together. 

MALTA

Most of the destinations that I fly to are the ones that I have never visited before. Malta is a place where I wasn't supposed to fly at all, my initial destination was Dublin. When I got a swap for a Malta flight, I accepted straight away. Spending the last day of October at Malta? Yes, please. 

YINCHUAN, CHINA

Yinchuan is the capital city of Ningxia Autonomous Region, located on the Yellow River. It's possible that you have never heard of it. Before this trip, I was among the people who had never heard about this place either. 

My friend travels to this place quite often and refers to it as a "mini vacation" because this trip lasts from anywhere from 4-7 days. So it's really like a mini holiday. Mine was for almost 5 days in total including the short flight in between.