Ho Chi Minh City - The First Day

Leaving Hanoi was so hard since we want to drown more into the sights and enjoy the laidback feel of the town. As they say though... Good-Byes are always bitter-sweet ;)

Our flight (via Jetstar again) to HCMC was leaving early morning. One thing you should be aware of traveling JETSTAR was that it is really patronized by the locals, which means that you would encounter loud chattering of groups in a language you don't understand, men even women putting their feet up removing their footwears and just comfortably putting their feet atop any reachable ledge (try not to stare with big ?!? eyes), and a distinct but not so pungent smell (yes, body odor).

We arrived HCMC with our body really spent out tired but our spirit still energized to see what the city has in store for us. FIRST stop is the Hotel - we were billeted at one of the most popular backpacker hotel in town named Saigon Mini Hotel :)

We were famished already by this time and our legs were so wobbly it might break (hahaha kidding!) we asked the recep-girl and she recommended "highly" a nearby korean restaurant to us. Hay... all the salivating and excitement were zap out since the resto was a big disappointment - the wait staff were not friendly, not helpful, and the food were like wtf?! Don't go to this restaurant, please. I won't say more since it is not worth extra space in this blog.


Our itinerary idea for Day 1 was to visit the museums and historical spots. But due to the surprising rain, it was really hard to "walk the streets" and we had to take cabs everywhere. We were supposed to go to a War Museum of some sort but the cab driver brought us to the Independence Palace (hahaha! we realized this after exiting the palace hahaha!). Forgive me, I'm not a fan of museum+history+statues overload and usually this activity is located somewhere at the bottom of my to-do-list everytime I travel UNLESS there is really a good reason to visit.


It was still raining so we opted to stay indoors by going to the malls in HCMC. Generally, the malls here (Philippines) can easily rate 10/10 compared to the malls in Vietnam so in this aspect there is really 0 wow factor. We've seen though some local cuisine and local shops but there is nothing much to see and do inside the mall.




After "walking the malls" to say the least that we are tired would be another understatement... It was cold, we were damp from the continuing drizzle, and we didn't get to shop something ;( So we decided to have a good relaxed warm place for dinner - Cafe Terrace! Ooooh, this was really the highlight for the day for me. Good ambiance, poshy but comfy, good food, good dessert, good coffee (authentic!) plus best of all they hack & crack (and I don't know what else) and found a way to provide their guest with Facebook access! Weeeeeeee :D


I love vietnamese coffee. It has a distinct roasty smell that makes you lick your tongue before taking the first sip into the dark liquid. The process of preparing it also enhances its appeal and uniqueness. What better way to enjoy a rainy evening that having a nice cuppa! <3


Tomorrow: Mekong River Cruise

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This is our ride for the entire day! :) Check out the wide spaces and wooden body that provides maximum cooling while we enjoy cruising along the river. We passed by a lot of bigger rigs that carries variety of wholesale goods - coconut, rice, clothing, etc. Apparently, the "river market" in the Cai Be area is for wholesale only - the retail river market is another 2-3 hours away.



Our tour guide explained that these wholesale boats sells usually to the town market vendors and not the the households. We cruise through the open river until we made a turn into the "swampy" area where the opening is more narrow and with water hyacinths directing the way. These water hyacinths are very similar to the water lilies concept. They populate the river area to a certain extent to protect baby fishes and to prevent erosion.



We got off for Lunch and checked out local production of local delicacies and also saw very creative and abstract oil paintings. It was FREE TIME for a couple of hours and so I gave it a shot to bike (ha-ha-ha, good luck to me, the bike seat was sooo high!)





There were lots of hammocks around the area we stayed. I didn't realize these cloth tied to the post shift beds are quite comfy and snuggle-perfect. I want to get one! :)))


On the way back to the "BUS" we were treated to a 30-minute row-boat-ride :) It was most serene and calm ride ever. The lady-rower was very efficient and balanced (she was standing the whole time!)


Bus Ride back to HCMC. Ate at a "Ship-Restaurant" along the port, not recommended and terribly overpriced. Had coffee & dessert at Tous Les Jour, one of the recommended French cafe. For me, it was average and there are more options for the French Experience :)



Up Next! Cu Chi Tunnel. Where to FB in HCMC? (yes, FB is banned in Vietnam!)


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Rise and Shine for Day Two in Hanoi was easy as we list down (and plan ahead) what we intend to do for that day. The friendly reception at Serenity was super helpful in planning out our last day in Hanoi. We agreed to visit the BIGGER and more Luxurious (supposedly) hotel down north (outside Old Quarter-OQ) in the morning then to attack the streets again by night (since the glaring sun was adamant in joining us that day). We got ourselves a cab going to Vincom City Tower which was around 30 minutes away from OQ. It did not disappoint much as it was similar to KLCC in Malaysia - an office tower with commercial spaces below.


We browsed through each floor and finally sense a decent normalcy with the brands that they house and the set-up they had (comfort zone!). We made our way to the top most floor where all the food was *wink* and our tummies started growling with anticipation of the feast that was to come :D There were a number of choices and it took us quite a while to choose one. We even saw this restaurant where the conveyer line serve shabu-shabu entries instead of the usual japanese fare you see on these belts :)


We settled in comfortably amidst the mad lunch rush hour inside Seoul Garden where there is eat-all-you-can yakiniku and shabu-shabu! Best of both worlds indeed!*bUrp*



After a filling lunch (imagine our wide grin by this time), we took our sweet time strolling around the mall. There were admirably a variety of shops inside the mall catering to kids, young adults, and parents (?) hahaha! We did not buy anything though since everything was a bit on the high side ;) Since the sun was still high and up, we decided to lounge around more before heading out. Good thing there's Highland's Coffee inside the mall! An interesting trivia you should know about Vietnam is that they grow their own local coffee and promote & protect this industry by not allowing the giant killer Starbucks Coffee to enter its territory (clap! clap! clap!). Highland's Coffee is one popular chain of local coffee brand in Vietnam :) I got my usual dripped coffee and opted to reserve my vietnamese coffee experience where it is more authentic ;))) We also got slices of cakes to along with our drinks. By the time we emerged out of Vincom Tower, a near-perfect breezy weather greeted us a we begin to walk.


Walking in Hanoi except for the security risk in crossing the streets is very pleasant. The unpredictable and surprising good shop finds from block to block elicits smiles from us as we shoo away our body's insistent call for a cab. By walking also, you get to immerse your senses fully to your surroundings - sight, smell, noise, feel - and also witness local peculiarities such as... :)

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Part of a striving-to-be backpacker's must trip is the richly cultured country of Vietnam. There was no definite plan this year to visit but this country has been always in my travel list. Due to the surge of excitement brought about by an airline's seat sale, I found myself on a plane to Ho Chi Minh City more easily referred to as HCMC six months after booking my ticket.

This begins an exciting exploration and adventure to a country much frequented by backpackers from US, UK, and Australia. Those that I swapped stories with told me that it is usually a trio of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos with a must stopover in Bangkok. So greatly fascinated was I with this bunch of travel nomads that in the midst of our discussion I was dumbfounded to learn that they usually travel for a period of 2 months and more. I spoke to a UK guy, Ken, who was already on his fourth month (out of six!) in Asia free flowing moving from one country to the next. No fixed itineraries, no deadlines, no pressure, JUST free & easy adventure and exploration on each soil he steps in (*sigh*). There were also the Canadian girls duo who even shared an overnight in an unknown bus station somewhere in the provinces of Bangkok. Some US travelers also manages to squeeze in 6 countries in their one month Asia visit. HOW can they manage to "get out" - apparently some are in between jobs and some have a (very lucky!) mobile role allowing them to travel and work anywhere (!!!).

Check out my stories for both Hanoi and HCMC on the two blogs that follows :) Enjoy!


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