The Road Is Life

American graduate student studying development practice, currently in Nairobi

[mallorystclaire]

I am Mother of Silkworms, my babies will devour the world. #hoian #vietnam #travel (at Hoi An Silk Village Resort & Spa) https://www.instagram.com/p/B146h_dnVIe/?igshid=1gvdtp5olzjaa

[mallorystclaire]

Scheming ways to permanently move to Sapa and farm rice on the side of a mountain and drink egg coffee every day for the rest of my life. #sapa #vietnam #travel (at SaPa - Lào Cai) https://www.instagram.com/p/B12C6Ofn--W/?igshid=1v4zh3600h68c

[mallorystclaire]

Thinking about beautiful Hoi An today...I could have walked around there for days! 💞💕 #hoian #vietnam #lanterns #travel #southeastasia (at Hoi An Old Quarter - Phố cổ Hội An) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1oN04MnTFF/?igshid=ipsvn2cbvoek

[mallorystclaire]

Taking advantage of my layover for some k-beauty shopping and a visit to the royal palace. #seoul #korea #travel (at Gyeongbokgung) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1SjT91HMtx/?igshid=7y73rzcbu1yj

[mallorystclaire]

Last meal in Vietnam 😩😩😭 I don't wanna leave! Bun cha and egg coffee ... I will look for this back home 😁 (at Hanoi, Vietnam) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Q_LhmHUzQ/?igshid=3i8r2mgdq00y

[mallorystclaire]

...not bad. #halongbay #vietnam #travel (at Ha Long Bay) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Nr7Z9nPKL/?igshid=1euywcuvao5e7

[mallorystclaire]

Street food tour in Hanoi: check! I think the Vietnamese have street food absolutely on lock. Fast, fresh, tasty, and clean too. I think my faves are beef salad and bun cha -- BBQ pork with vermicelli noodles. 😍😍🇻🇳 (at Old Quarter) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1JQpK5Hsu6/?igshid=1l3ai3fq24qec

[mallorystclaire]

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Is anybody interested in some...horse meat hot pot for lunch?!?? #sapa #vietnam (at Thắng Cố A Quỳnh - 15 Thạch Sơn, Sapa) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1F9wOUHkJ4/?igshid=166fh41m3ip90

[mallorystclaire]

Not a bad view for breakfast...I could stay here forever 💚💚 #sapa #vietnam (at Go Sapa Hostel) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1FhhLgneYr/?igshid=n2sqiqyzatzh

[mallorystclaire]

Picture this -- you roll off your night train in Sapa, Vietnam and you are sweaty, smell bad, a bit tired, and honestly kind of disoriented. Your room isn't ready at your hostel so you shower really quick and change clothes, then scoot into town for your trek. Your breakfast: a bowl of beef pho and Vietnamese coffee that costs $2.60, super fresh and hot in the chilly mountain air. This LITERALLY brought me back to life and is one of the best meals I have ever had. 🙏🙏🙏🥰🥰😍 🍜🇻🇳 (at Sapa Vietnam) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1D4hKCHxzH/?igshid=1toj4r48snfw3

[mallorystclaire]

Wow...Hoi An at night time #hoian #vietnam (at Hội An) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0_cgZGn4qR/?igshid=1444bdcvjghil

[mallorystclaire]

FOOD 🌸DAY 🌸2 🌸 Hoi An is sooo beautiful and I'vr been able to try all the famous local dishes...like cao lau, "white rose" dumplings, banh xeo, herbal mot drink, banh dap, egg coffee...and even got to try (badly) to make some of my own rice pancakes... (at Hoi An Night Market - Chợ đêm Hội An) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0_cNBEnqSW/?igshid=qph1kzq93r5a

[mallorystclaire]

Today I rode a bike for the first time in 16 years through the Vietnamese countryside! Contrary to the saying...you CAN kind of forget how to ride a bike. It definitely took a few tries to get going and I got really freaked out. But the tour guide at #grasshoppertours was super kind and patient and this British couple talked to me as we rode along, and we wound up covering 18 kilometers of the countryside outside Hoi An. My butt hurts tho...how do you prevent butt bike pain? (at Hội An) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0-9LYoHKZN/?igshid=e8gdxlkn41eo

[mallorystclaire]

First ✨day✨food✨ I've been sitting in airports a lot since a delayed flight jacked up my travel schedule but I am finaaallly in Vietnam! I got to have Vietnamese coconut milk coffee and banh mi, plus something called penang assam laksa that I got to try in the Kuala Lumpur airport. I was covertly trying to sneak looks around at how Vietnamese folks were eating their banh mi...but I still think I did it wrong. 🤷 #vietnam #food https://www.instagram.com/p/B08XjyHHRaH/?igshid=hh6z62qevi9d

[mallorystclaire]

Newest saree -- Bangladeshi muslin and applique 🐅🇧🇩🇧🇩 (at Dhaka, Bangladesh) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yL8CIH0ym/?igshid=1bz8ymwcsbicg

[mallorystclaire]

Night market anyone?? Shout out if you love markets too...they are so much fun to see and photograph (at New Market Dhaka) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0r7TG2nSX5/?igshid=gd1f2yo5mfif

[mallorystclaire]

Breaking news -- I love wearing sarees. Cheers to amazing new and old friends and our adoptive mom and cool wine aunt who made us look so amazing. It was actually my first time wearing a cotton saree and I'm so obsessed...it was incredibly comfy and the color was amazing!! ❤️💚❤️ (at Gulshan-1) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0fjxgMHrnl/?igshid=11tq9jl4p2v8m