My Wanderings: May 2020

What would usually come into your mind when the country "Vietnam" is uttered by someone else?
Well to me, it will usually awaken some kind of plain curiosity.

Growing up, I heard about "Viet Cong" which seemed to have a negative connotation at first. My impression of this word was that this is something about a fighter. I've heard about the war, Vietnam War, but it was kind of vague because it happened before I was born.

Sadly, it occur to me now, how unfortunate if as a human being, when all you hear about a certain place or word connotes negativity. After college, I bought a book by Danielle Steel entitled "Message from Nam". This made me curious about Vietnam once again. I started checking about Vietnam and US war. And eventually forgot about it :)

The third time that Vietnam is back in my mind was when I started visiting our Microfinance Branch in Palawan. Everybody seemed to suggest to give their food a try, saying it can only be found there. It is called CHAO LONG. As a foodie, I checked its history and found out that this dish was Vietnamese-influenced. The reason? Vietnamese refugees, during the war, ended up staying in Palawan and introduced their food to the local people.

So there.

Yet, it was only until 2015 that I finally met a Vietnamese person, a volunteer worker in our company, sent by one of our funding partner based in the US. And I find it exciting that there is someone I meet who's from this country.

Together with my three other colleagues we visited Vietnam in June of 2018. Kendy, Omin and Michelle were with me during this trip. Since there was no direct flight to Ho Chi Minh from Cebu (or was there?), we opted for Manila to Ho Chi Minh for our flight via a promo fare from Air Asia.

We were excited. It was my first time to go with others on a trip as I usually go solo. I felt like a mother with little chicks in tow. I have this feeling that I'm responsible for them since I was the one who influenced them to join in the first place, LOL! :D

Vietnam is almost like the Philippines but also different. We arrived at around 1:00AM, as most promo fares are at night. We were so tired and wanted to sleep right away. We took a taxi to our Airbnb accommodation with the help of the Airport taxi assistance service. Since I am with three more lives, I decided to play safe all the time. Even while at the taxi, we noticed how part of the highway was so like parts of Manila too.

Our hostel was a four-storey building. We kept on banging the door for a long time and saying something to hopefully wake up the staff. To no avail. Eventually, we noticed the doorbell and press. Staff came out. We all laughed. The staff was helpful and he assisted in carrying our luggage up to the fourth floor since there was no elevator. We were so tired so we just slept and have no care of the world.

The highlights of our stay in Vietnam were the following:
We were able to see the Reunification Palace
Visit the War Remnants Museum
Experience the Cu chi tunnel
Ate Pho
Vietnam's coffee
And being hosted for two nights as Couchsurfers

Reunification Palace

What I like best was the tour at the War Remnants Museum. From the moment we entered, we were given a small piece of sticker, a circle one that we can stick on our shirt with a drawing of a DOVE on it, representing peace. That was a moving moment for me. That we should learn from history, and if we can, CHOOSE PEACE. The Museum speaks so many things that I was not aware of, at first. It was painful to read all the stories. If you are not careful, you will come out of the place feeling depressed. I like Museums, even if it always make me feel that way. We can only understand a country and its people if we are willing to see and learn about their past. And Museum is the best place for me to learn. I like how the airplanes outside the building looked so well-kept and shiny. As if the war ended only two years ago. If you are the kind of person who likes history, Vietnam is one of the places that you should need to visit. It is so rich in history and strife in the past.

Vietnam is one of the affordable countries to visit in Asia. Their food is delicious too. I remember hosting someone from Chile and his main complaint in Bohol was the lack of vegetable dishes. He explained that coming from Vietnam and having lived there for more than a year he has become used to their healthy veggies which Bohol sorely lacked.

During my visit in Vietnam, I finally understood him. Yes, their food is delish. I cannot say the same thing for my three travel buddies, LOL :D I believed they detested the smell of some herbs, especially that moment when we had our Pho ;)

Condiments for Pho - according to your tastebuds.

Basil and I don't know what else.

Pho - looking so yum!

Lemon and chili.

Looking colorful and fresh.

How lovely is this? ;)

Mouth-watering :)

Even the food presentation looks delish, no food is bland.

You must include in your list the coffee in Vietnam. You can give it a try during breakfast. At first, I didn't understand. But, the server was patient enough to explain. Coffee was good for us Filipinos. Maybe not for some Westerners. It was more sweet than bitter, typical for coffee of people from the West. I noticed how they like it black and bitter. But more than that, it was the waiting and stirring and doing it so slowly like playing that make the experience memorable. Or maybe, I'm just shallow :)

I even find their service to be impeccably done too. A buko (young coconut) being served like this is something I so admire from their vendor. For me, this takes a lot of work. I admire how they think so highly of their customer to present it like this :)

Almost tempted to give a server a tip.

Accommodation in Vietnam is affordable and their standard service is commendable too, putting ours here in Philippines to shame. Now I understand the feedback of our volunteer staff in terms of our incomplete hostels service (no free toiletries and electric iron, toilet curtains, etc). Vietnam has it at a very affordable price, and it is really clean too. During our travel, the options for hostel was even at this range Php200-Php450 per bunk bed at dormitory-type. It was also easy to find a room for Php1500 for a night that can accommodate 4. Our toilet was complete with complimentary shampoo, soap, bidet and of course toilet shower ;)

Hostel toilet.

Complimentary toiletries.

Room for four Boholana Travelers.

Yours truly - at Reunification Palace.

At the entrance of Reunification Palace.

Naks, Kendy and Michelle were anticipating a scary virus nearby? :) Bus stop at Ho Chi Minh.

Ho Chi Minh, as one of Vietnam's busiest City is not that easy to navigate as well. Since most people don't speak English, asking where the terminal for buses and you'll receive a blank look or shaking of their heads or pointing somewhere you can't fully understand.

The four of us have been asking for the bus terminal and a few locals pointed to us a specific place - and they meant BUS STOP!

Okay, so we got it, bus would just pick us up from this place and we don't have to go to the terminal.

That's pre-covid days by the way, but Kendy and Michelle were face mask-ready.

With our Couchsurfing host. We stayed at his place for two nights.

As a Couchsurfing host myself, I wanted my colleague to understand how it works. This experience also will allow them to see the kindness of strangers and that meeting them should not mean danger. It was all worth it.

A place to stroll once you exit Cu Chi tunnel.

One of the places to see when in Ho Chi Minh is to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. It can also include experiencing it yourself, squeezing inside the tunnels and coming out the other way. It is scary for claustrophobic people like me, (I almost cried and had panic attacks) but it can be very adventurous for YOU if you really want to feel all that Vietnam can offer.

Michelle can't hide her excitement for this experience at Cu Chi tunnel.

You will see how the patriotic Vietnamese fought the war with Americans using these tunnels. It pays to listen to the orientation prior to experiencing the tunnels yourself. Once you focus on listening and understanding what they did to resist, you will have a new respect for these people. They indeed fought well. And this part of their history, I guess, is what contributes to their feeling victorious and being "fierce" as they say :D

Omin was temple hopping-ready.

After the Cu Chi tunnel experience, we were given an afternoon snack or a treat. It was composed of a boiled cassava and it can go with a grated coconut with sugar and sesame seeds. As the guide explained, it was the staple food of the fighters during those times. After we exit the place, we can also choose to check on a park that has many palaces. Or was it temples?

RICE for Filipinas!

As Filipina women, we long for rice. Yes, rice is LIFE! How we were so relieved after finding this place :)

Vietnam is also a place to feel like a MILLIONAIRE. From the food that we had, we paid 751,3000 Vietnamese Dong. Yes, for us this is something, something to laugh too ;)
How this country made us feel so rich! :D

And on to this bus one morning, for our travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for 8 hours (when they said five) ;)

Wait for it :)

Carpe Diem!

The original plan was to visit Brunei ONLY. However, upon checking the map, KK or Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia was very near too. Upon doing research on what to see in Brunei, many travelers mentioned a two day or three day is the most for this small country. But alas, we have more than a week for this vacation.

So at the last minute, we have decided to include KK for our trip.
I was with my cousin Marlou and colleague Kendy for this escapade. So after staying two days and three nights in Brunei, we took a bus to KK.

I always love taking bus rides, instead of flying. With it, I felt like there is no rush.
So from Brunei Darussalam, we took a bus to KK for almost eight hours through Sipitang Express. For that particular ride, it seems like it was only a four-hour equivalent of a bus ride if we were in the Philippines. The bus was kind of very slow ;) It was not just my observation. Even the other Filipinos on the bus said the same thing, and we all laugh. Or maybe because drivers from Malaysia and Brunei are just very careful and responsible ones.

We arrived at KK, late in the afternoon :) Enough time so we can unpack and look for a place to dine on our first night. And we were never disappointed for our first night there. We were advised to go to the Filipino night market. If we have to be sarcastic about it, we would wonder if there is a necessity to go to a place full of Filipinos. But, it turned out to be a must-see place for me. The place itself is full of seafoods. I have never seen a place like that in my whole life. Most of the restaurant owners are actually Filipinos. I was delighted and overwhelmed with what I saw. We ordered food, filling dinner actually. I was so full, my tummy feels like bursting :) We bought some souvenir items and decided to start walking back to our hotel - Masada Bed and Breakfast.
As novice and naive as we can be with our gadgets, data-wise, we got lost along the way. It took us a long time to find our way back :D

I know what lies ahead. The next day would be a hectic one, the only remaining day strolling and exploring of KK. To add to the excitement was my toothache. Wow, why Lord? Why now? :D

The day was almost the best except for my toothache. It can hardly eat properly.
Our morning of Nov 4, was spent on different places such as Muzium Sabah, Sabah State Mosque and The City Mosque or The Blue Mosque.

We also spent a moment by the sea, observing sunset.
It was also the moment when we try to find ways to ask someone to help us book a Grab taxi to go back to our hotel.

A word of caution: If you are in Malaysia, make sure to have a mobile data to book your Grab taxi or you will be miserable. If not, then make sure to find a place with free wifi so you can book a Grab taxi for your next destination. Taking a regular taxi will be very expensive for you.

We waited and we waited until we decided to just walk, for a long time, until eventually, we found a bus that took us back to a mall close to our hotel. It was tiring, yes, but it was worth it.

What was exciting about the decision to come to Kota Kinabalu is the fact that by going there, through a bus, it would mean that I can have a total of 16 stamps on my passport. As a third world country passport-holder, passport stamps is LIFE!

The next morning, we headed back to Brunei for our flight at night back to Manila.

It was such a quick trip to KK.

How I wish I can have more days in Kota Kinabalu.