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This picture was taken during sunset at Lak Lake, Lac Thien town - situated somewhere along Highway 27, between Dalat and Buon Ma Thuot (BMT) of Vietnam's Central Highlands. Isn't it gorgeous? I have to admire my own photographic skills, considering this was only taken with a compact digicam, and minimal natural lighting. (^__^)

More on Vietnam to come!

Vietnam: Last (live)Update!

So... it's my last night here in Vietnam. And I've mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I'd terribly missed the good friends I had made here, esp those biker dudes in Dalat (miss you guys!). And I still feel that there's so much more to Vietnam that I've yet to see... Muine, north of Central Highlands, Northwest of Vietnam (Sapa, etc)... But on the other hand, have to say I'm quite looking forward to just go back home.

I'm tired. Hanoi exhausts me. The city is chaotic at best, and horrifying at its worst, and I don't think I have the energy to keep looking where I'm walking every step of the way. Keep getting harrassed by xe om drivers at every corner of the street, keep getting myself lost in the streets of the Old Quarters (ok... that's my fault) and everytime I take out my cash, I feel like I'm being cheated off my money. Hanoi is not a city I would like to return to. Phnom Penh and Bangkok... yes. But not here. Not again. If I'd known things would be as it is today, I would've skip it entirely and spend the day elsewhere and just come back in the morning to make sure I make that flight home.


But I can never regret taking this trip. It's an eye-opener, and it showed me what I am capable of doing, even when I doubt myself. And all the experiences and new friends I had gained will only enriched me further, and at this point, I can't be thankful enough. So... Mr Bin, Mr Vu, fellow biker dudes, Mrs Quyen, Bao... thank you for your hospitality and friendship. I will definitely come back to see you guys!

Vietnam: Update 2!

Hey good people! I'm in Hoi An!! Mr Bin had delivered me on his promise and he had gotten me here in plenty of time. We went through the Central Highlands for the past 2 days... and it was amazing. My words are insufficient to describe it at this moment, so maybe once I get back and have time to properly write, I'll tell all about it.

Yesterday was our final leg of the bike tour, and he was trying to rush me along so that I'd be able to catch the overnight bus to Danang. And at the bus station, I can't believe that I'd get soo emotional having to part ways with Mr Bin. It's only been 2 days, but he has been nothing but a great guide and a fantastic friend. I miss him and his crew of biker friends already. =(

The 14 hours bus ride, was surprisingly not so bad - except for that damn perv sitting next to me. While we were trying to make a conversation (as he speaks very little english), he tried to kiss me!! and who knows the horrors I'd faced when I was trying to sleep. Everytime I scold him, he'd sit still for awhile, pretended to sleep and went at it again. Let's just say I was so glad when the bus finally pulled in to Danang at 6am.

I hopped on a motorbike almost straight after getting my backpack and some haggling with the drivers. The english-speaking ones were asking for VND200.000 for an-almost-hour drive to Hoi An. I haggled with this one fella (non-english speaking) for VND80.000. I'm not sure if I should still feel cheated (a local bus would get me here for VND10.000) or if I was cheating him out of perfectly hard-earned money. But.. oh well...

I'd gotten a hotel, right next to the Confusious Temple, but there's no room available yet until afternoon and My Son's tourbus will only get here in another 10minutes. So I had the time to clean-up a bit, changed clothes and ... tada!! Here I am!

Am gonna have another rushed few days. Imagine: PACKED. I'll be back from My Son in the aftternoon, walk around town for the rest of the day. If I have time, I'd most probably rent a bicycle and cycle out to the beach. Tomorrow morning, am off to Hue for 1.5 days, and after that, will be taking a night train to Hanoi. Then HOME!

At this point... not really looking forward to going home. Well... at least, not yet. I feel like going back to the Central Highlands and join Bin, Vu and the boys go further up north. Ahh... next time? Perhaps?

Vietnam: Update 1!!

Finally! Internet!! Yup... am writing this all the way from Vietnam!! And guess what? I'm still in one piece! And even better news, I'm absolutely enjoying my solo travel here so far! I've finally shaken off my jelly legs, and embraced this trip as it is.

I'm in Dalat at the moment, a hilly resort town set at the southern tip of the Central Highlands. It's cold and I'm trying to survive with only a cardigan. It's been a hectic trip up to this point. Arrived HCMC at night (yet another delay with AA), and following my tightly planned itinerary, I only had one entire day in the city before moving up north. So... yeah... still managed to squeeze in Cu Chi Tunnel, 8 city landmarks, Indian fare for dinner, Fanny for ice-cream and tons of walking all and around the city streets - all in one day. So yeah... you could imagine my exhaustion when coming back to the guesthouse last night.

And all bright and early this morning, had board on an opentour bus to Dalat. What was promised to be a 6hrs bus ride ended up to be an 8hrs nightmare. The seat was narrow, roads were bumpy and my butts were getting numb. By the time I reached Dalat, it was 4pm, I have yet to see anything as listed on the Lonely Planets and I am suppose to headout to Nha Trang first thing tomorrow morning. And to make matters worse, its the school holidays here in Vietnam, and Dalat being such a popular attraction, almost all the hotels I went to are either full, or just wont accept a single traveller like me.

But... it's the people that I meet - the locals mostly - in the restaurant, on the streets, in the hotel, that are slowly changing my trip day by day. I am so lucky to have met Mr Bin this evening. After hearing out my predicament, he took me up on his motorbike and we went straight to the waterfalls, the lake, the Buddhist Monastery and the Crazy House. It was getting dark by the time I came out of the Crazy House (yes... the owner is crazy) and it had just started raining. So we pulled to a side cafe, he treated me to hot local coffee... and he pulled out his briefcase. Ahh... always the salesman.

We started talking, and he showed me some of the places that he took his 'customers' too and their testimonials (3 notebooks full). And I have to admit that it is way, way more interesting than the places that I had planned on going. Travelling throught the Central Highlands on motorbike? Visiting the minority ethnicities? Sleeping in longhouses? Trekking through the National Park, and taking a dip under the waterfalls? Tell me you're not as swayed by this idea as I am. And I was so so tempted to take him up to his offer. But... I have another problem.

As you well know, I had planned my trip on a very tight itinerary. And this itinerary allows me to sufficiently discover Hoi An and Hue, yet still able to get me back to Hanoi by the 17th so that I can actually catch my flight back home. So I showed him my crazy-assed itinerary. And he showed me an alternative. Skip Nha Trang (which will be infested by tourists anyway), and he promised me that he'll get me to Hoi An by 14th, and I will still be able to enjoy a fullfilling trip there. Hmmmm.... this is getting tough. We went back and forth negotiating the price, and before you know it, we were shaking hands and signing contract!

But really... Mr Bin is such a lovely character, and he had been nothing but gracious to me the whole night. He even got me a perfectly decent room for $7!! Dude!

Ok. Shop is closing and I'm being kicked-out. Will try to update if the opportunity comes. Wish me luck!!

A Logistic Nightmare

So here's a dilemma: I'm flying out to Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday. What was supposed to be an afternoon flight has now become an evening flight, which basically means that my half-day in the city is gone! Which means that my one-day excursion to Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple have to be compromised... somewhat (to what extent, I'm still unsure). And I just realised that I'm flying back to KL via Hanoi on the morning of 18th. Which basically means that I've to be in Hanoi, AT ALL COST, by 17th. The cities that I planned to cover are: HCMC, Dalat, Nha Trang, Hoi An and Hue. If I plan to cover all of them sufficiently, I'd have one hell of a packed itinerary.

To ease myself a bit with the time management, there's the option of travelling by train and airplane. I'm alright with the train bit, but I'm worried that if press comes to shove and I have to get a domestic flight to connect between the cities, I'd blow my budget.

And here's a breakdown of my budget: USD500. I'm estimating roughly USD10 per nite at a hostel (although I found out that there's not much dorm rooms in Vietnam). I want to try and get a night train for either my Nha Trang - Hoi An (via Danang) leg or Hue - Hanoi leg where I can save on accommodation expense. Train travel is estimated at roughly USD40 from HCMC to Hanoi. I'm gonna throw in USD20 for bus travel as well. I expect the food to be dirt cheap... so that's roughly USD50. Err... shopping?... USD50? Out of city excursions? another USD50? Okay... I'm just gonna throw some numbers here but the bottom line is USD500. AND... I need to allocate roughly USD60 just in case I need to board an emergency domestic flight in order for me to go home!

So... amidst all these logistical nightmares... I found my solution in this:

A pair of brand-spanking (on sale) new loafers!

(Err... is that the sound of my travel budget shrinking?)

I spied these at Isetan while innocently window-shopping in the afternoon. Of course, I've been meaning to get me a pair once I'd realised that I've outgrown my sneakers. Well... more like the world forced me to outgrow them. Apparently I can't be taken seriously anymore if I'm walking around in Nike sneakers (people would assume I'm a school kid). So... yes... I'm trying on a more 'mature' ... outlook(?)... and these babies are my first step into... The Mid-20s Club! Now... the next step would be to try on dresses/skirts. (OMG!)

PS: Okay... okay... I've decided to throw caution to the wind and not worry myself too much on the logistics. Time and place will unravel itself in unexpected ways and the point of this trip is to challenge myself, and to create my own unique experiences. This is a time to enjoy, and relax, and chill-out and take things as they come. I figured... worse comes to worse... I'll just get a later flight home. =)

Unveiling: Vietnam!

I think it's high time I tell-all on my June trip that I've been keeping hush-hush for the past few months. Well... *drumroll*... I'll be going off to Vietnam on 9th June, the day after my final exam paper, for 10 days! I know this news is pretty anti-climatic since I'm sure most people who knows me are aware of this. BUT... the big deal about this trip is that it'll be my first solo travel!

I've been trying to keep this piece of information under the wraps for few reasons.

#1. I absolutely do not want to jinx this plan. Travelling solo have been something that I've wanted to do for awhile, just never had the courage to take that leap. So what made me jump? I'm not sure... but I think it was a hard-shoved push off the cliff, rather than me willingly jump. Backpacking through Vietnam has been on my mind for awhile, eversince I watched Amazing Race Asia and found out about the beautiful lost city of Hue. But the prospect of travelling solo is scary, yet I know it'll be a good experience as well as a worthy challenge. So... when AirAsia had a promotion last February, I just... closed my eyes and bought a one way ticket. Yes. One way. Because I know that once I've bought that ticket, there is no turning back. I have to go through with this. So... here I am!

#2. I am unprepared. The trip is 2 weeks away and I have yet to do any solid research. I may have a rough idea of where I plan on going. Will be flying into Ho Chi Minh (aka Saigon), spend 2 nights there, before travelling northwards. I've been to Hanoi, so that'll be my final pit-stop, as I want to end this leg of the travel someplace familiar. Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An are a few places in between that I intend to go to, either by train or by local flight. And I am travelling on a budget. The thing is, I know I need to buck up and start preparations. But... I suddenly feel like I've miscalculated my timing. Going off right after exams? I don't think that's a good idea, especially since I still need time to study. Maybe getting myself a travel guide will be a good start?

#3. I haven't been completely honest with my parents in regards to my travel plans. They know I'm going to Vietnam, and they know I'll be off for 10 days. BUT... they don't know that I'll be going solo. Heh. I think my mum have an inkling of my plans, but I trust that she knows I'll be able to take care of myself since I've been travelling with her a few times now. But it's my dad. He can get overprotective at times, and I'm pretty sure that if he have any idea about this, he'll put a stop to it. (He had already pulled the brake for my Bangkok trip) So I'm easing him to the idea slowly. Do a bit of sweet talking... smile a lot more... maybe pull off my puppy-dog eyes...

I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. I'm not sure if I can survive 10 days with my own company. I had a dry-run of travelling solo to Singapore before, for 2 days and a night, and I thought that was okay. But... Singapore is too familiar. Vietnam will be a different matter entirely. Different cities, different language, different culture... but that's where the fun is, right?