Funny Backpacking Attempt in Ho Chi Minh

My teaching in college cannot even be remotely compared to my hotel income. But since I wanted a higher education-travel-higher education-travel life, I had to forget that I don't have enough disposable income for my wanderlust. So I raised the backpacking notion thinking I could save on expenditures by trying the South East Asia cross-border tour.  I booked the cheapest flight I could get for two via Cebu Pacific-Philippine's second flag carrier. My friend and I was very excited on the idea of Backpacking and spending with extreme parsimony------but Vietnam left us dependent on riding taxis.

DAY 1

Departure 10:50 PM

Manila to HCMC

NAIA Terminal 3

 As agreed, me and my best friend met up afterlunch time to run errands and buy dollars for our travel that night. We finished early and decided to kill time at the airport. Had coffee at Bo's for more than 2 hours haha and had our japanese dinner before the flight.

Arrival12:20 AM

Tan Son Nhat T2

Since 'twas our first time in Saigon and our arrival time was a little late we availed Min Chau Hotel's Airport Pick up to be safe and to avoid midnight taxi charges.

-Airport pick up by Minh Chau hotel 18 USD

-check-in @ Minh Chau Hotel (2N 22USD/night)

Min Chau Hotel is not a Backpacker's place. It is located in District 3 far from District 1 where the backpacker hotels are situated. It was my friend who wanted to stay here pacified by the good reviews online- this is how being a hotelier affects you. The rates are a little expensive compared to hotels in District 3, but the hotel manager Ms. Pho Nguyen was very hospitable and good in english, she was willing to help us most of the time, especially on arranging our itinerary which made our stay comfortable-fair enough!

Our room was very spacious, we had our own kitchen with microwave, own bathtub and sitting area.

DAY 2

-Breakfast at the hotel

Breakfast is not an inclusive in the room rate, and their simple menu offers are not cheap. But 'twas fun to eat french style with Vietnamese coffee in a classic cafetiere. 

-Day tour: 

We asked for the direction where we could get a bus to District 1, the hotel staff gave us a sketch which we thought was clear and near. We walked and walked in circles for an hour and the station was nowhere to be found. The streets of Ho Chi Minh were a total maze we decided to go back to the hotel. We asked for a clearer and concise direction and once again tried, but it was a complete failure. The roads were wide and dangerous with hundreds of motorbike  and without stoplights, we experienced the horror of cross at your own risk setup. In the end, we just hauled a taxi and asked to be dropped off at Benh Than Market.

Nothing so great here, just the joy of knowing what Vietnam smells like compared to other countries and the crowd of different tourists milling around. We bought cashew nuts, slippers and clothes at a very expensive rate just for the sake of buying something in Benh Than!

 On our way we met 2 Cyclos' drivers offering us a tour ride for what sounds like 20,000 dong (1USD). We grabbed the offer since the route is going to Notre Dame and Post Office. But I've noticed how they were suggesting other tourist spots and stops, something was fishy... that ride couldn't just be that cheap. So I told them, take us to Notre Dame for our first and last stop. But the two were intent on convincing us to try other shopping and tourist place. Something wasn't really right so I conversed with my friend in Tagalog to warn her.

 They dropped us off here, saying this is the Notre Dame and the Post Office is close. We were so confused 'cause based on our research the Notre Dame is supposed to be reddish in color and classically vintage looking. Since we were already there we shrugged off our confusion and just took photos.

My friend taking a selfie on what she thought was Notre Dame, haha!

Worst, the cyclos' drivers wouldn't accept 20,000 Dong, they were as clear as sky asking for 2,000,000 Dong already. But we're not complete stupid to give in. We gave them 5 dollars and walked away.

Thereafter, we headed to find where Pam Ngu Lao street is where we're supposed to purchase our Mekong Express ticket. Failure stroke again, nobody was conversant in english not even the taxi drivers. We decided to eat first and found a cozy Pho restaurant where we had an awesome late lunch. The day was a complete failure and we realized we were tired already to pursue the search for Pam Ngu Lao Street and Tricolore Restaurant, which is said to be the best tourist resto in Saigon. So we used the restaurant's local phone to call Pho Nguyen. I asked her to book us a Mekong Express ticket to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and we'll pay her once we get back to the hotel. The restaurant staff was nice enough not to charge me for the call I made.

We obviously didn't know how to get back to the hotel so we took a taxi again, and again the driver overcharged us. Back at the hotel, we had some rest, changed clothes and went out for dinner.

Nearby, we found an eatery and were surprised at the cheapness of their menu! We could have saved dollars had we known its cheap to eat outside.

Back at the hotel, the wifi signal in our room was too low so we stayed at the lobby. My friend was browsing the net and analyzing why the Notre Dame looks red in the pictures. I stupidly told her, maybe its only red on an aerial view. She couldn't control  her curiosity so she approached Pho Nguyen, and our questions were answered. We got Notre DAMN it! instead of the real Notre Dame and it was already dark outside to go to the place. But Pho Nguyen said the real one is just near and she could call us a taxi that could take us there and bring us back to the hotel.

Our private taxi

 The real Notre Dame

 The Post office designed by Gustav Eiffel-same French!

Our last night in Ho Chi Minh

Many thanks to our Fairy God Mother, Ms. Pho Nguyen

Fried Pigeon

Arya

I've always been a fan of middle eastern food, and it is very painful that none of my friends prefer the cuisine. They are always in disagreement with me everytime I propose the idea of eating or going persian, indian or arabian. Most Filipinos don't like the strong smell of the food which I really enjoy eating. From the tales of my father who stayed years in middle east to the story of princess jasmine and Aladdin i got very hooked up with the culture and the authentic persian and arabic food. One saturday, we got out early from graduate class and i dragged my classmate to watch a movie with me, since we were an hour early we decided to while away our time by having an early dinner. I asked her if we could try Arya and she instantly acknowledged my suggestion.

Arya is a term frequently used in Buddhism that can be translated as "noble", "not ordinary", "valuable", "precious", "pure", etc. but anyways, Arya is a restaurant in Robinsons Mall Ermita that serves Persian cuisine. The owner according to my research is Filipino-Iranian chef. (I thought Iranians are strict when it comes to interracial marriage/relationship?)

My favorite Humus and pita bread, (i love Mediterranean humus)

While chatting away, I discovered that she also likes these foods. Perfect!

Sheikh Kebab

Their Biryani Rice is so simple and cheap hehe, no one can replace Hussein's biryani in my heart.

Me on a magic carpet ride holding my magic bottle! :P

24 with TGI Friday's

TGI Friday's has always been a favorite place for parties, group gatherings and celebrations. Now living away from manila, it occurred to me how I've  missed the lively environment and the happy crowd of friends I've got. Sadly, them friends are all busy with their own lives. Good thing, I was able to cajole one of my partners in crime for a catch up afternoon and post celebration of my 24th birthday at TGI which reminds me of our fun times.

Me and Sexyren

A happy birthday greetings

Cajun Pasta

They are famous for their steaks, but their pastas are must try!

Oreo icecream cake

Happy Birthday to me!

D&D Inn best of khao san

D&D Inn is truly worth writing home about. Countless times I've experienced how my perfect travel was ruined by my choice of accommodation, but this time I got lucky choosing this hidden gem for a stay in khao san.

Khao san just like the first time still amazes me of how lively and touristy the place is. Though the overland travel from Siem Reap to BKK had left me terminally head awhirl, 'twas replaced with ecstatic feeling upon setting afoot on the city again. From afar, the sign board of  D&D is already visible but one still has to enter a  hallway of shops to reach the hotel's lobby entrance.

The cheapest rate with Western Type Amenities and best inclusions one could get.

Guests have free access to the swimming pool area

The lobby looks small, you would think that the establishment is small scale. But behold! the minute we traveled our way to our room, we discovered how big the hotel is. There were a lot of rooms and the other side of the hotel is still in maintenance.

My room facing the busy street of khao san

Included on the hotel price is free breakfast at dang derm which is across in front of the hotel. They serve Western Style Buffet-It was a Steal! 

I wanted to swim for the  night, but there were too many foreigners enjoying the pool. Too bad I only had one night in Bangkok.

Pho Hoa

Vietnamese cuisine is continuously gaining popularity among Filipinos, as a result the before empty vietnamese restaurants are now crowded by foodies. One of my favorite is Pho Hoa which has a small branch in Robinsons Mall Ermita.

Phở or pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, linguine-shaped rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat. Pho is a popular street food in Vietnam and the specialty of a number of restaurant chains around the world.

It makes me feel better looking at how green my food is, its a nice escape from eating too much meat all the time.

I love deep fried vietnamese pork spring rolls, this one didn't trigger joy on my taste buds. And I just wonder why instead of peanut sauce they used chocolate sauce when as far as I know vietnamese peple don't like too much sweets.

Vietnamese Spring Roll,summer roll, or salad roll, is a Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese bánh tráng.

Pho vs. Faux

 During my recent trip to Vietnam, I was able to experience slurping a Pho. But even before I was already excited to taste a real vietnam noodle along with my basic tourist knowledge about it.

Pho means noodle

Ga chicken

Bo beef

But its a shame I never got curious about the correct pronunciation of the word Pho. Countless times I've eaten it not knowing I am making a culturally insensitive act of pronouncing it as 'FOE'. So I thought its not yet too late, I should thus exert an effort now of spreading that the word Pho is pronounced as 'FUH". 

The noodle comes with salad of herbs and vegetables piled in a separate plate and the others floating atop the broth, noodles and cuts of meat. 

 Made with pristine white rice flour noodles that are made daily and sold in markets.  A good pho broth is crystal clear, like a French consommé. The broth alone has a magical taste which I've never tasted anywhere else. I loved the mint leaves and the green lime. The play between the greens and the sweet-and-sour broth, with noodles playing their key role, is a total magic.

In pho, cinnamon and star anise lead the charge, with assists from cloves and cardamom. 

In Vietnam they will charge you extra for using wet tissue.

Mann Hann

Mann Hann was derived from an ancient Chinese legend that the owners love to tell their children. The romance involved Mann or Manchurian and a descendant from an old Han Dynasty and how the emperor's opulence showed when entertaining foreign dignitaries by ordering “Mann Hann” Menu which consist of 200 delectable varieties. These feasts usually took them weeks to consume. Nobody knows for sure how the story ended but somehow synonymous with authentic Chinese Cuisine

Me and Lhuvz during our day off, we decided to take a break from chaotic work and eat somewhere we missed

Garlic Fried Rice

Honey Lemon Juice

Lechon Macau

I love Mann Hann, I celebrated by 18th bday in this resto and until now it never failed to serve us its delectable chinese menu.

Fish fillet with mushroom

Punaw (a kind of clam shell)  in Chinese sauce