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- Episode 89
Vietnam Boutique Hotel Hanoi
Harald Baldr - S4 - E89
HANOI, VIETNAM: Vietnam's capital is fast catching up to the other mega cities of South-East Asia like Bangkok, Manilla and Saigon in when it comes to economic growth. Case in point, the city's skyline is now littered with flashy new hotels sporting roof top terraces giving international tourists a taste of the high-life few of them could afford back home. (Myself included!) Only having been modestly satisfied with the hotel I stayed in the last time I was in Hanoi, I decided to pay a little extra to see what you'd get in the 4 star hotel range. Did O'Gallery Classy hotel & Spa downtown Hanoi live up to her promise? And how well do the locals speak English in Hanoi these days? That and more in this first video from Vietnam.
Harald Baldr: Season 4 - 101 Episode s
4x39 - Life as a Filipino coconut harvester
May 24, 2019
PHILIPPINES, LEYTE: Fresh coconut juice is one of the most delicious beverages in the world. Little did I know however the amount of labor that goes into harvesting these delicious fruits. In the Philippines I was lucky enough to be invited to see this process with my own eyes.
4x40 - Inside Filipino village home
May 25, 2019
PHILIPPINES, LEYTE: What is life like in a Filipino village? What do people’s houses look like? And how many people live in one house? This and many more questions are answered in today’s episode which takes you inside on a grand tour of a Filipino family’s home in a picturesque amazing little beach front village on the island of Leyte.
4x41 - Philippines Sim cards are a joke!
May 26, 2019
PHILIPPINES, LEYTE: Nothing has caused me a bigger headache in the Philippines thus far than SIM cards. Move from one island to the next and your old SIM card stops working. So just buy a new one you say? Well it's not that easy...
4x42 - Secret Beach of Leyte Philippines
May 26, 2019
PHILIPPINES, LEYTE: Given that the Philippines consists of 7641 islands there are naturally going to be tons of epic beaches in this tropical nation. So which is my favorite thus far? The secret beach of Leyte which only Tim The Great knows how to find.
4x43 - 'Hi Baby!' - Mindanao Philippines Roadtrip
May 28, 2019
PHILIPPINES, MINDANAO: Whilst moving from one Filipino island to the next is always an incredibly arduous endeavor, it is also wildly entertaining. Case in point, the boat from Leyte to Mindanao. From crazy diver hunting for coins on the ocean floor to the karaoke at the back of the boat. There was never a dull moment. Then we hit Mindanao and things got even more interesting....
4x44 - Pork Party Mindanao - Philippines Street Food
May 30, 2019
PHILIPPINES, MINDANAO: After a long hard day of traveling it was time for an epic pork chop hunt. This being the Philippines though, I didn’t have to hunt for long. In fact I just crossed the toad and I was in lechon heaven!!! But which stall to choose? There were so many...
4x45 - Philippines Beach Hunt: Siargao Rock Pools
May 31, 2019
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: The coolest island in the Philippines right now, or so I've been told, is Siargao. A true surfer's paradise it's also got a lot to offer for pork chop hunters and connoisseurs of exotic swimming locations like c'est moi. Therefore I set out at 6AM with Progressive Shannon to tour the whole island in a single day by motorbike to find the best secluded beaches Sairgao has to offer. First stop, Magpupungko beach, famous for its rock pools...
4x46 - Filipina Kitchen Invasion
June 1, 2019
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: After riding for a good 6 hours we were running critically low on fuel. Seeing as we had not yet eaten breakfast either energy was running low. In other words it was already waaaay past pork o'clock! This being the Philippines though a luscious juicy looking pork meal is never too hard to locate.....
4x47 - You Won't Believe How They Live
June 3, 2019
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: Nothing beats seeing how people live. NOTHING! Whilst touring Vietnam I often rode past little communities of houses standing on stilts out in rivers and swamps. I just never got around to visiting one. When I was touring Siargao, an island in the Philippines with Tim Shannon, I once again rode past such a community. Sadly we were on a deserted beach hunt and Shannon had already ridden way ahead. This wasn't the day for a 'Harald Invades'. I thus made a mental note of where these houses were and decided to try and backtrack here another day. The next day I set out in the blazing sun to once again find this incredible looking swamp that for some reason people have decided to turn into a home. After an hour of being roasted in the scorching heat i found it. I parked my bike and started to roll tape. This is what ensued.....
4x48 - Squid BBQ - Philippines Beach Food
June 4, 2019
PHILIPPINES, DAKU ISLAND: After an incredibly disappointing island hopping tour we came to what was our final destination: Daku Island. Luckily this fantastic little gem of a beach made up for the lame experience we had at the other two. The claim to fame of this little beach seemed to be the seafood. There were 3-4 little straw huts with 5-6 chefs working frying up your food of choice inside on a wood fired grill. There were pork chops. There were blue marlin. There were squids. And the was beef! Having never eaten squid before I opted for the unknown. But how is squid even prepared? And how do you eat it? The learning curve was steep.....
4x49 - Apartment Philippines (extreme rip-off)
June 10, 2019
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: Finding a reasonable apartment or hotel room to rent can be a difficult task when traveling to the Philippines. There's one exception. At the high end price range you seem to pay slightly less than you would in other Asian holiday destinations. At the budget level or mid-range however prices in the Philippines can be outrageous. Case in point this tiny little studio I rented fro per day (!) on Siargao island.
4x50 - Nutella Banana Waffles Philippines
June 13, 2019
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: Of all the food I thought I'd find in the Philippines, waffles with banana and Nutella was about the last thing I'd ever expected. But as I've said in countless videos on this country... in the Philippines expect the unexpected. After the Nutella Waffle I embarked on a walk back to my hotel. On the way there I ran into some interesting people and and witnessed the amazing beauty that is Siargao island once the sun has fully come up.
4x51 - Deleted Scenes: Philippines
June 14, 2019
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: A lot of the scenes I film don't make it into my videos. Here are some of the scenes that didn't make the cut from my recent Philippines adventure.
4x52 - Luxury Hotel Sri Lanka - Mövenpick Colombo
June 27, 2019
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: Despite traveling my whole adult life I've never stayed in a five star hotel. I thus decided to treat myself before I go touring in the remote areas of Sri Lanka to some five star luxury in the capital city of Colombo. As far as online reviews are to believed, there's no hotel in Colombo better than the Movenpick Resort. So join me as I tour the buffet, the King suite and rooftop swimming pool.
4x53 - Sri Lanka Market Spree: Cheaper than India?
June 28, 2019
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: The cheapest market I've ever been to was the old bazaar in New Delhi. And in all honesty I never thought I'd find a market anywhere in the world with lower prices. That was until I discovered Pettah market in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo. So what do you think about the prices? Is Indian markets pricier or cheaper than those in Sri Lanka?
4x54 - Avoid this man in Sri Lanka!
June 29, 2019
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: "Be careful he is a bad man", they kept repeating as I wandered around a vegetable market on the outskirts of Colombo. Then 'the accused' told me that the people who told me to avoid him were bad themselves. Who was I to believe? Intent on not making a hasty decision I decided to wait it out and see as this was a unique market experience unlike no other.
4x55 - Sri Lanka Street Food Night Rally
June 30, 2019
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: After only 3 hours in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo I stumbled across the country's signature dish; Kottu. Whilst in the process of devouring said dish I also ran into a long term viewer of this channel named Jeremy. As with pretty much everyone I run into wherever I travel, he knows a lot more about food than I ever will. So when Jeremy suggested we do tour of a famous beach front street food area in Colombo I grabbed my camera and hailed the nearest Rickshaw.
4x56 - How I Became Sri Lanka's Greatest Rickshaw Driver
July 1, 2019
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: My 2nd day in Colombo I ran into a great Tuk-Tuk driver who upon driving me around for a few said he'd be happy to show me his family and home. This was an opportunity I could not miss. His house turned out to be about two hours drive outside of Colombo though. To make the time go faster he suggested I try some local Sri Lankan lemon rum.....
4x57 - Inside Sri Lankan Village Home
July 2, 2019
SRI LANKA, NEGOMBO: After a grueling two and a half hour Tuk-Tuk ride we finally arrived at my driver's village home. Before we even entered the house it was quite adamant that this house has huge potential but was still under construction. He still has loans on both the property and the Rickshaw so it is a tedious work on progress. He saves up money, invests then takes time off to build. Once the money runs out he repeats. So what did the house look like as of right now and how long has it been under construction? And how many people are already living here plus how many will move in in the future?
4x58 - Surprise for Rickshaw Sri Lanka
July 4, 2019
SRI LANKA, NEGOMBO: The sun was about to set and it was looking bleak for my visit to the beach during daylight hours. So Sri Lanka's 2nd greatest rickshaw driver made an executive decision and drove by his daughter's house in a village near Negombo for a surprise visit. The stage was now set for another unique look into the life of a Sri Lankan family. This second house though was somewhat dimly lit but at least I got a feel for what it was like to live there. It looked like a very tight nit community and a happy place to live. After a visit to Negombo beach where it seemed the whole city had decided to go for an evening swim we drove back to Colombo. I was dead tired and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel. Then it dawned on me that all I had done was be a passenger whereas Aurun had been driving all day and still had another 2 hours ahead of him before he'd be back to his house. What a work ethic! This deserved a reward....
4x59 - Hotel Kandy Sri Lanka
July 5, 2019
SRI LANKA, KANDY: After a 4 hour Uber ride I check-in to a budget hotel in Kandy. A city in the mountains of central Sri Lanka. But first I had to find the place which was easier said than done. Luckily Sri Lankans speak English very well and I ran into some people on the way who were more than happy to help me out.
4x60 - Sri Lanka's Worst Market Scammer
July 6, 2019
SRI LANKA, KANDY: Whenever I'm in a new city I like to check out the local markets to see what goods are for sale and how much they cost. I generally don't care much for the price (whether I overpay or not) on these occasions as I'm happy to help out the local vendors who toil there day in and day out. But even I have my limits. After buying some socks at a pretty decent price at at the first market stall I entered I decided to go on a little shopping spree. It was then that I ran into the biggest con artist I've ever meet in any market worldwide!
4x61 - .80 Sri Lankan Noodles Kandy
July 8, 2019
SRI LANKA, KANDY: After procuring a motorbike I decided to search for a local gym to do some progressive reps. Whilst on my way to one on the outskirts fo Kandy I saw a neon sign blinking which read NOODLES! So after U-turn I sat down for a highly entertaining bowl of Sri Lankan noodles.