Video: DIY Tour of Ho Chi Minh

Ditch the guided tour and brace the streets of Vietnam! It was particularly hot that afternoon so we decided to cancel our tour and just walked around th city. With an easy to read map on hand, we were able to visit some of the nice sites. The good part? Lots of stop overs (aircon please!!)

 

At one point, my friends "ditched" me and went back to the hotel so I ended up walking around on my own. It was at my own pace so it was awesome! I was sweating really bad by the time I got back to the hotel but it was all worth it. Here are some clips taken from that adventure:

Back of the Bike Tour, Vietnam

I can't stress this enough - the Back of the Bike Food Tour is a MUST if you find yourself in Ho Chi Minh. You get to go around the city, pass through different districts, get a glimpse of how the locals live, experience the motorcycle exodus first hand, and eat a lot of delicious food!

 

Each tourist is assigned a well trained guide who speaks English and knows his/her stuff. I was fortunate enough to get a very spirited guide who not only gave me information but was also interested in where I came from. He drives really well and can multi task on the road. It was a bit unnerving at times (especially when he does hand gestures while driving), but I got used to it and relaxed.

 

And did I mention the food? Hahaha. Check out our video and prepare to be amazed.

Video: Weasel Coffee At Trung Nguyen

They say that this place serves the best coffee in Vietnam. I simply had to try the weasel coffee. Relatively cheap at 150,000 Dong. 

 

The barista patiently explained how to properly enjoy their coffee. I wanted to try it hot but I was already sweating like crazy because of the long walks we took. Ergo, iced coffee! Take a look!

Video: Mekong River Tour, Vietnam

I wouldn't go as far as saying that it's a "must," but it's a good way to see some of the sights in Vietnam. Not a lot to see (aside from food!) if you stay in the city so it was a good adventure for us. A bit long and tiring though.

 

The Pagoda was a good stop over. We just loved seeing the huge Buddhas and the nice temples. Some areas are still under construction so the place would probably look better in a year of so.

 

One "downside:" they sold a lot of stuff during the tour. And the tourists were a captive audience. Some items were interesting, the others not so.

 

And we were so hungry by the time lunch was served that we didn't care much about the food. 

 

If you are ready for more, check out our video:

Gossip Cafe & Pub, Vietnam

Near the Norte Dame Church of Ho Chi Minh is a cool cafe with an interesting name - Gossip. It makes me wonder if people just want to come here for gossip? Whatever the case may be, it's located right next to a park with huge trees so it's a refreshing break from the heat of Saigon.

The orange umbrellas may be an eyesore for some, but it can certainly catch the attention of passersby.

 

That's not an expensive alcoholic drink- that's free iced tea (not the sweet kind - more like service tea on ice). Refreshing!

 

That colorful drink is also quite yummy. Forgot what it's called, sorry. Not a lot on the menu, but there are some coffee and tea based drinks. Perfect while gossiping about other people. Lol.

 

This cafe is a short work from some of the tourist attractions in District 1. As I mentioned, it's right across the Notre Dame Church and the Reunification Palace. There's a mall in the vicinity, and you can also walk to the War Remnants Museum.

Hai Lua Food Countryside

Ben Thanh Market transforms into a night street market after sunset, and it's a great place for people who love to bargain. I'm not much of a fan of bargaining but as it turns out I have the skills. It's amazing how I thrived in this environment. Even my friends turn to me for some bargaining help. Go figure.

 

The Hai Lua food court, however, is probably my favorite part. It's a small strip covered in makeshift tents and furnished with plastic tables and chairs. But getting a table can be a challenge because of the number of customers. It's not a surprise, actually, because the food is really cheap and very delicious!!

 

This barbecue dish was actually more than enough to make us full, and we did not expect "one order" to be so much. It reminded me of Pinoy style BBQ, but with a twist!

 

Spring rolls wrapped in lettuce is love! I can't get enough of this dish :)

 

And this is how "rice" looks like. It just HAS to be covered in greens and some meat. Who am I to complain?

I can only wish I had more time and/or space in my tummy to get a taste of all the other dishes here. Even strangers who are just walking down the street can't help but recommend the place (yep, a couple of tourists from Australia probably thought it was their civic duty to recommend the place to us).

Ngon 138 Restaurant, Ho Chi Minh

We stumbled across this gem of a restaurant on our morning stroll to the Reunification Palace. It looks a bit I timidating from the outside, but the prices were actually quite reasonable. The food was also awesome, and there we so so many options!

 

There were mini stalls inside, somewhat reminding me of the "market style" Ichiba restaurant in Resorts World. Due to the communication gap, we just opted to get a menu and point to the dishes that we wanted to eat.

 

There weren't too many patrons when we got there, but it wasn't lunch time so that's probably why. There were a lot of tourists but there were local customers, too.

 

We had to try the Papaya salad - seems like a staple in Vietnamese cuisine. It was good, but I still prefer the one sold by the "Papaya Lady." 

 

These Vietnamese "cakes" were also good, but I wouldn't say that hey made it to my favorite list. There are just way too many other dishes that are better tasting.

 

Forgot what this one is called, so I'll settle for "beef dish." Super yummy and really went well with the other dishes we ordered. Even the bread was delicious.

 

And then there's the crab meat fried rice. See how huge those crab chunks are? Yum!

 

I love this place. Will definitely come back if I get the chance to visit Ho Chi Minh again. 

 

What To Eat In Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Food is probably the best thing about Ho Chi Minh. With everything so affordable and delicious, it is unimaginable for someone not to be full all the time. I literally had to force myself to eat just so I could try the yummy food the streets of Vietnam had to offer. 

 

Check out this video. It summarizes a good portion of my food adventure in Ho Chi Minh. I say "a good portion" because we actually got to eat much MUCH more in our 7 days there.

1. Street Food Market near Ben Thanh Market
2. Ngoc Suong Saigon
3. Street Vendors
4. Night Market
5. OMG Rooftop Bar
6. Pho Le
7. Huynh Hoa Banh Mi

And here are some links (my review and some photos) to other restaurants that we visited. All yummy, all reasonably priced. You gotta love it in Vietnam!

Gossip Cafe & Pub

Hai Lua Food Countryside

Ngon 138 Restaurant

Mom and Dad's Anniversary @ Canyon Cove

Mom and Dad wanted some quality family time for their 40th anniversary, so they brought the entire gang to Manila just so we can be complete on this momentous occasion. There was no clear plan, but we eventually decided to go on a road trip of sorts. There was a really strong storm in Luzon, but that didn't keep us from going for it.

 

Here's a video of how things went during our stay at Canyon Cove.

13 Things To Do In Boracay (Aside From Swimming)

I've been to Boracay a couple of times but didn't realize until my last trip that there are a LOT of things to do in this paradise island. With a couple of friends, I explored but a fraction of these activities and ended up with a really full 5-day itinerary.



So here are 13 things to do when you are in Boracay!

1. Start the day right by eating a hearty breakfast at your hotel. My friends and I had a great buffet breakfast selection from Astoria Boracay, although the bacon does get a little old if you eat it every single day.

Real Coffee is also another good breakfast alternative. The omelettes are really good but a bit expensive (P300 for eggs???). They are also famous for their Calamansi muffins and (duh) their coffee.

2. Pig out at D Talipapa. If you love eating "dampa style," then you will definitely love the D Talipapa experience. Buy your fresh seafoods from the nearby market and have one of the restaurants cook your meals for you. WARNING: It's so good that you will likely leave the place with a really full stomach. Try to burn some of that food off by walking around the beach area or shopping aroung D Mall.

3. People always rave about Jonah's, but I find Jony's Fruit Shake a nice alternative. Astoria hotel's beach front is really crowded (all the sailboats are parked there), so we had little choice but to walk a short distance to find a less dense area. We just got a table from Jony's, ordered a couple of shakes, and went to the ocean in between sips.

 

4. Paddle Boat @ White Beach. I used to think that I had great balance. I was wrong, so wrong. Paddle boating looks so easy when you see other people do it. I was wrong, so wrong. I'll probably get the hang of it on my 10th attempt.

5. Island Hopping - Cliff Diving @ Aron's Magic Island. Everybody does it, so it must be super easy, right? Well, don't knock it til you've tried it. You will need to muster all your courage to step up the 10-meter high beam, and even more courage to jump. Go for the highest jump off point - it is, after, the same fear that will paralyze you.

6. Island Hopping  - Crocodile Island Snorkeling and Fish Feeding. I really REALLY wish I brought my full face snorkeling gear with me, but I could not find where yaya hid it. Nevertheless, I had a great time snorkeling in the middle of the ocean and watching the fishes eat the bread that we brought with us. They should open up a floating bakery in the area - there is not enough bread to make you want to stop.

7. Drink buko juice in the middle of the ocean. Yes, there was this buko vendor who sold fresh buko right where we were snorkeling. How cool is that? And yeah, the juice was refreshing.



8. Lunch @ Nami Restaurant. If you want to experience the best view of Boracay, this is where you should go. You can ride a tricycle going to Diniwid beach, walk for a few minutes, climb steep stairs, and finally ride a makeshift elevator to get to this place. The view is fantastic, but the food was (sadly) over hyped. It was still good food though, but the view was the scene stealer.

9. Swimming @ Diniwid Beach. This area is one of the more "tranquil" spots in the island. If you don't want to swim with too many tourists, then this is the place to be.



10. Experience Boracay at night. You should not leave the island without having dinner by the beach - this always makes the dining experience extra special even if the food itself is just average. Afterwards, you can go around and watch the fire dancers, go shopping, play beer pong and drink to your heart's content. And of course, one of the best parts of your day: heading back to your comfortable hotel room and getting some sleep!

11. Try new restaurants. The paella at La Cozina was decent, and the churros was also good. I had fun watching how kuya made everything from scratch. We also tried the food at Pamana and everything we ordered was absolutely yummy!



12. Eat at Smoke Restaurant - they are famous for their bulalo steak. We initially went to the original branch but it was fully booked. The waitress suggested that we try the Bulabog branch (with free shuttle) and it was one of the best decisions of the night!

13. Get a hair braid or a henna tattoo. The place is crawling with people offering these services. You can also get a massage - quite relaxing and a great way to cap the day.

Vitalis Villas - The Santorini of the North

Picture perfect!

Vitalis Villas is known as the "Santorini of the North," and this is precisely why the gang was tempted to go in the first place. From the website, the place looks amazing - blue and white structures nestled on an island that truly reflects the well know destination in Greece. It's relatively new, so we were aware that some parts are still under construction. But from the reviews, the place is functional enough to ensure a nice and relaxing vacation.

The Santorini of the North

But first, a warning. When we were looking for a good deal for this place, we found a really REALLY cheap rate from a reputable booking site (I don't remember if it was Agoda or Booking.com). I immediately grabbed the opportunity, booked a room, and thanked the heavens. As it turns out, I should have spent some more time researching because I unknowingly booked a room from another hotel. Now I know - Vitalis Resort and Spa, while owned by the same people, is not the same as Vitalis Villas. Lesson learned: If it's too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

Vitalis Resort's Pool Area - nothing special about it except for the view.

While it was an OK hotel, we did not drive all the way to the north to visit a hotel like Vitalis Resort and Spa. The pool was normal/average (water was a bit painful to the eyes), the beach was not swimmable (at least for my standards - and I didn't see anybody else swimming while we were there), and the building a bit old. The room we got was spacious and had two double beds, but there was a leak in the bathroom. The view of the other side, however, was fantastic. You can see Vitalis Villas in its full glory from here.

From a distance...

We ended up booking a second night (hurray for not booking everything in advance!!) and got the right hotel this time. It was a bit expensive but we just had to try it out. We didn't want to waste hours of travel and miss out what the North had to offer. The room came with a free zipline ride and access to the resort zoo which we decided to forego. We just wanted to relax, take a dip at the pools, and enjoy the company of friends.

Blinding whiteness.

Look at all this space!

Whatever is this rock for?

As you can see from the pics, the Villa was huge (and this was only the 1-bedroom unit). 2 queen beds, a full dining area (complete with a large rock in case you want to bang your head into it or something), a living room (which can actually serve as a sleeping area for a couple of other people), and 2 bathrooms. The main bathroom had a high tech toilet bowl - and I never got to figure out what all the buttons were for. Our booking also included 3 meals, which kept us full the whole time we were there.

We could stay here all day!

Nothing much to do in this hotel though, except to sleep, eat, relax and swim in the pool. And sleep, eat, relax and swim we did. No stress, no pressure, no schedules. We slept when we wanted to, worked when we could, and swam even when the rain was pouring. The entire island (if you can call it that) is picturesque, and we were shameless in taking photos in every corner (without violating the privacy of other guests, of course). The pool had a semi-submerged bar and it was fun drinking while taking a dip. Hans took some underwater shots using his new camera. Mommy Ann also had her selfie stick with her, so we spent a few minutes toying with that too.

There's always time for work.

If I were the type of traveler who wanted to take a break from life and just go to a nice place to relax, then this would be where you would find me. But I'm the opposite - I look for a place relaxing enough so I can work in peace. Either way, the place is perfect.

*** Disclaimer - actual travel dates were last May 2016

Ocean Vida Beach & Dive Resort - A Pleasant Stay!

Forgot to make an entry about the hotel we stayed in when we went to Malapascua, so here goes a "short" review.

Funny story - "Angry Backpacker" was a bit stressed out about booking a hotel that she thought would "fit her companions' status." She didn't want to get a room that's too small or too basic, thinking that we only inhabit high end hotels (the rumors are not true people - I just need the basics: aircon, a decent bed and a bidet). So we ended up in what the locals described as the "most expensive hotel in the island," or something close to that: The Ocean Vida.

We loved sitting on those beach side couches.

Problem number 1: There are 4 of us in the group (5 if you include the 3 year old kid) and we only got to book one room. We were all fine about sharing it and just getting an extra bed, but we got into a little friendly discussion with the front desk officer when we got to the hotel. Apparently, they can only "technically" fit 3 adults in a room. We had "no choice" but to book another room, but not on the first night since they were fully booked that day. See what she did there? Pag fully booked, okay lang? We had to consider getting another room from another hotel, or getting a second room for P4,700 (Angry Backpacker not happy at all). In the meantime, we settled with getting 2 extra mattresses that actually fit the room comfortably (there was a lot of space).

Can't resist a good (yet poorly lit) selfie on this giant mirror.

Over dinner, we were told that the current setup can be accommodated as per approval by the owner. In other words, we all get to share a room. Wow, that was a very good gesture and we asked the front desk officer to thank the owner for us. We got to meet him during breakfast the following day (I wish I could remember his name - my attention was on the bacon) and he was indeed a very nice guy (German, I believe - I should really pay attention to these things more). That, for me, is great customer service and we ended up throwing out all our grievances out of the window.

Take 2! I got my shirt upside down!

Our room was located at the second floor and had a huge balcony (the four of us can actually party there, and have space left for guests). The ocean view was great, and I loved seeing it first thing in the morning. Except for a few mosquitos, the seats were also comfortable enough to get some work done before breakfast. The only downside - it was designed so that you can see the neighboring room's balcony. And I got a surprise when an old caucasian guy with nothing but his underwear on stepped out of his room to hang his towel.

Dinner was good overall, but we ended up ordering too much. The server told us that the dishes were "good for one person only" and we were shocked to see that they were actually portioned for sharing. If that wasn't a shot at our "healthy bodies," then I don't know what it was. (Let it go, Sam). They also have Happy Hour from 4PM to 6PM (with a little extension if you use your charm), and you can get cocktails at buy 1 take 1. Not bad!

Sad that there was no mint for the Mojitos, so I ended up ordering something else.

It's a diver's island, and there were a lot of divers in the area. Foreign divers. Half naked guys and scantily clad women. I wish Lyn and Mami Ann were with us during this trip - they would have loved all the blue eyes and the other exposed body parts. The entire island had a "chill" vibe, making it a great place to just kick back, relax and leave the rest of the world behind. I wish I can transcend my laziness and hatred of long travel time and muster the will to come back to this place someday.

Malapascua Island - Not for the Weak

I've often heard about the "awesome beaches" of Cebu, but never really got to go beyond the borders of Cebu City in the past. When the opportunity to go to Malapascua presented itself, I grabbed the opportunity despite the arduous trip ahead.

And arduous it was. From Cebu City, it took us around 4 hours to get to Maya port, and another 30-40 minutes via a slow moving boat (I swear, I can probably swim faster than that thing). The van ride cost 200 per head, but we were literally packed like sardines. One person was even standing up the whole trip - if you can believe that. I wish I took a photo, but I was too cramped in my own little corner and unable to do much.

A nice spot in Malapascua - not a photo of the docks though.

When we finally arrived, it wasn't exactly a sight to behold. It looked like Puerto Galera with all the hotels and the boats, and I didn't see a lot of people swimming. It looked like the place had a wide wide variety of options for tourists - places that provide basic amenities for backpackers, and the "high end-ish" resorts for the altas. There were restaurants all over the place (yahoo! We won't starve!), and the area was crawling with foreigners (mostly European, I think). It looked like a place where divers converge, so I should probably consider getting some diving lessons soon. We ended up booking with Ocean Vida, but more on that on a separate post.

The highlight of the Malapascua trip (aside from the Kalanggaman Island tour of course) was the 3 hour snorkeling tour around the island. You can rent a boat for 1500 (1200 with excellent haggling skills) and have a guide bring you around the island. Yet another opportunity for me to test my new full face snorkeling gear. Yay!

This kid is just like me - born to go to the beach!

The plan was simple: go around the island, take some photos, make a couple of stops, and swim/snorkel for a little bit. The tour was slated to last for 2-3 hours, which gave us enough time between early morning work and a noon time check out. The sales pitch was exciting and I was looking forward to spending a few hours with my underwater buddies. The weather was cooperative, so I was ready for some fun and excitement!

I wonder what lurks within the scary cave.

One of the first things we saw (aside from the crystal clear waters and some floating seaweeds) was an islet with a cave. No, we did not dare get too close as the waves may force us to the rocks. But my imagination has gotten the better of me, and my mind was thinking about Blake Lively, a buoy, and her friendly neighborhood shark. Fun fact - at least 50% of the people in the boat were more terrified of sharks than me, so you can imagine how many shark jokes were thrown here and there.

Trivia - there used to be more hotels on the island. Then came Yolanda.

Next stop was a diving spot with a ship wreck. It was in a wavy part of the island, so I was thinking long and hard as to whether I wanted to jump in - I had my share of stressful snorkeling in the past and I know how painful my body would be in the next few days. My friends dove in, and within a few minutes one of them came back screaming. Okay, maybe screaming is a strong word, but she was in excruciating pain. Apparently, tiny jellyfish got to her sensitive skin, and she was itching like crazy. She was begging me to pee on her (haha!), but luckily the neighboring boat had a bottle of vinegar. That helped a bit, but we all decided to move on to the next spot - the coral garden.

Don't let the smiles fool you! The "invisible" jellyfish are lurking.

Expectation vs reality. Expectation: since it's named "coral garden," there must be a loooot of fish and a looooot of pretty corals. Exciting! Reality: the water was crystal clear...and that's about it. There were some fish and some corals, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. The swimming was fun though - the waves were pretty steady and the dip was relaxing. We got about 20 minutes of fun until the jellyfish started attacking. I got some Oh well, it was almost time to check out anyway.

We took a less stressful route on the way back to the city. First off, we took a private boat (of sorts) going back to Maya port. It cost us 1200 (and some violent reactions from the resident backpacker) but we got to the port within 20 minutes or so. We also arranged for a private van to take us back to the city for P3000. It was super relaxing, but again, resident backpacker went nuts.

Can you tell from this photo who "backpacker" is?

On a sad note, beware of scammers. First, we found out that the boatman who offered to find us a private van got a kickback of Php700. We probably would have gotten a better deal if we just went straight to the port and looked for our own van. Then, the van driver tried to extort more money from us because he "was told" that the drop off point is SM Cebu and not Mactan (we were told that the van can drop us off anywhere in the city). I will leave how the argument went to your imagination. Let's just say that they ended up dropping us off where we wanted to be dropped off. Don't mess with the Angry Backpacker and the Stingy Maartourist.