Wendy’s love of travel was ignited at a very early age, when her grandparents brought back treasures and tales from India and Thailand. Her family took extensive trips throughout the United States, and as a young woman, she lived for two years in a Bavarian village a stone’s throw from the East German border. To finance her travels, she has worked as a bookkeeper, then as a business owner, as a registered nurse, and finally as the Director of Professional Services with a hospice in central California. She took an early retirement at the age of 51. In 2005, she and her husband, David, left the U.S. for Asia, achieving her dream of discovering new places, seeking out new adventures, and immersing herself in new cultures. Since that time, she has also fulfilled a life-long dream of being a writer. She has been writing for International Living since 2016, first as the Vietnam Correspondent, then as the Southeast Asia Correspondent, and most recently, as International Living’s Mexico Correspondent. After living in Southeast Asia for 16 years, Wendy now resides in the Spanish colonial city of Querétaro in the highlands of central Mexico.
In 2005, she and her husband David left the U.S. for Asia, fulfilling her dream of discovering new places, seeking out new adventures, and immersing herself in new cultures. Since that time, she has also fulfilled a life-long dream of becoming a writer. Wendy and David now live in Hanoi and are enjoying exploring the beaches, mountains, and restaurants in their new adopted home in Vietnam.
Stone jars of all sizes were scattered among the low hills, rice paddies, and forest. Many were almost six-and-a-half feet high, others barely came up to our knees. How they got here is anybody’s guess; their origins and purpose are shrouded in mystery, though they are thought to have been crafted more than 2,000 years ago.
It’s a sunny day and I just can’t tear myself away from the patio adjoining my room at the B&B where I’ve been staying. The air is a crisp 66 F and I’m wearing my fleece pullover, gazing out over pine-forested mountains. Splashes...
As someone who travels extensively—especially in East Asia—I usually have a pretty good idea of what to expect when I arrive in a new country. But Taipei took me by surprise. I expected to see an island version of the China that I've visited many...
You could spend weeks or months exploring historic Hanoi. I spent five years living at the heart of Vietnam’s capital, and discoveries large and small were a daily affair. Day trips offer you even more excitement and adventure.
When I was a kid growing up along the South Jersey shore, I spent the entire summer on the beach. Da Nang reminds me of that, and the beach here is just incredible. I love the weather, too—beautiful summers and winters with highs in the 60s F."...
John Pearce knew he wanted to live in Dalat, in Vietnam’s central highlands, from the very first time he visited the town. “It’s the closest place that I’ve found in Vietnam to the Pacific Northwest. It’s why I moved here,” he says.
The breeze carries the scent of flowers from the frangipani trees. A wisp of incense floats your way from the little canang sari offering baskets that your housekeeper has placed to invite balance and harmony into your home. Kites fly lazily in the brilliant blue sky, while the ocean in front of you is calm and inviting.
Expat Judith Gold, 68, never runs out of places to explore on the tropical island of Bali. “I love to go to all the different waterfalls. It seems to be never-ending. I hear about new ones all the time,” she says. “You’re hiking through the jungle through papaya and mango trees, and your guide is handing you leaves that are every type of spice that you can imagine."
Ron Piltzer’s house has a perfectly manicured front yard and patio. The 1,200-square-foot house has two large bedrooms, a large, Western-style kitchen, a gorgeous tiled bathroom, and a large living room and dining room. The attractive, high-quality furnishings are rich with tropical hardwoods. The backyard comes with a swimming pool and lounge area, and it’s surrounded by trees and a privacy wall.
A well-worn tourist path in Vietnam starts in Hanoi and continues south for almost 1,200 miles to Saigon. Along that path, busloads of visitors travel to popular destinations such as Halong Bay, Sapa, and Dalat.