halong bay, hanoi alone

halong bay

Rhona just left to catch the bus to the airport. i grabbed the map of hanoi and decided to get lost for a couple of hours. i always made sure i know where i am on the map, but it takes a while. the streets in hanoi keep changing names every couple of blocks. i covered the entire old quarter area by 9pm. dog tired but excited to continue my adventure on my own.

The following morning I went to Halong Bay for a day trip- $16- free lunch, bus and boat included. it was i think 3 hrs fr hanoi. slept most of the way but i did manage to see a few temples along the countryside, and verdant rice paddies. it was beautiful.

From the pier, we boarded a junk. and off we sailed to Halong Bay.

I haven't been to our very own version of Halong Bay in Palawan yet, so my perspective on this trip is fresh and untainted. From the hustle and bustle of hanoi, the solace and the grandeur of the place were a welcoming change. chillax lang. the vast cliffs rising fr the water look like dragons swimming. a couple of cliffs looked liked cocks fighting at one point, then as we moved it became a giant turtle. we stopped by a floating market where you can buy fish and fruits. i bought my favorite fruit, atis, or na in vietnamese, and practiced my haggling skills.

Lunch was eaten family style; we are grouped w other passengers, an excellent way of meeting people. in my table there was a german travelling alone, the rest were vietnamese. the viet family was very friendly. gave us pomelo, and put food on our plates- fried tilapia, squid in a delicious sauce, kangkong in garlic, etc. 

After lunch we headed out to see a cave that will lead us inside the cliff mountain, revealing a big outdoor pool  guarded by cliff walls, ala "The Beach". to get there, we either had to ride a  smaller motor boat or we could kayak. The viet family of 3 wanted to kayak, and invited me to be the fourth person. I wasn't very eager to-I haven't done it in a long while, i don't know how far it was, and if there's current it would be more difficult. I finally called it quits when i found out that i will be partnered w the 50-something mom, while the siblings will get another kayak. I don't want and cannot paddle for the both of us. I wriggled out of it by saying i don't have money for the rental and want to ride the motor boat instead and suggested that the mom come w me. we were both happy to do it. The cave tunnel was short, and the view inside is marvelous. it would've been nice to camp there for a couple of days.

We also went inside a cave system, w vast stalactites and stalagmites, brilliantly lit purple, blue, red. it's about 3-storey high. The harbor outside is lovely too, w numerous junks parked, lit by bright sun w a bright blue sky.

The trip home is just as long, but much more happy. 

A couple of days in Hanoi... what to do, what to do. I decided to explore the French Quarter, which has beautiful French architecture, wide tree-lined streets and quaint stores. A far cry from the Old Town, like Quiapo and Paris. Ate more pho at the sidewalk. saw the Opera House. went in the History Museum. most interesting is the Hao Lo Prison Museum (Maison Centrale) or "Hanoi Hilton" for the Americans who were locked up there during WWII. It was built to detain vietnamese dissidents rising against the French. The guillotine is still there. the quarters cramped, evidence that conditions of the prisoners there were horrible. I bought a green cap w the red star to commemmorate.

The next day i went to picturesque Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, where their scholars studied Confucius and other disciples. The compound held several courtyards, traditional buildings and tranquil gardens w lotus pools. Then across the road was the Fine Arts Museum. Fell in love w lacquer paintings.

street of my guesthouse

halong bay

floating fruit stall

through a cave

one of the oldest bldgs in the French Quarter

Hanoi Opera House

book made of gold!

hao lo prison

temple of literature

After an afternoon w Luu Van Sin, Nguyen Sang and other vietnamese artworks, i hurriedly went back to the guesthouse to catch my flight to Luang Prabang.

luang prabang

luang prabang

this is the most special place i've ever been to in this trip. it's small enough to bike in a day. to see all the wats, to climb up a small hill overlooking the town, to catch a sunset by the mekong river.nami-miss ko na magsalita ng tagalog kaya tagalog ko isusulat itong entry ko. pasensiya na lang sa mga hindi makakaintindi.

spiritwal kasi ung lugar. parang bawal mag-ingay. chillax lahat ng tao.ang maiingay lang dun ung mga falang, o mga dayo tulad ko.lahat ng makita ko dun, matingkad ang kulay, ang mga labas ng templo nila, puro kulay ginto. at nagkalat ang mga monks, mga teenager na lalaki, nag-aaral at tumutulong i-maintain ang wat.

ang mga memorable na moments sa kin dun ay nung nakakita ako ng mga monks na tumugtog sa malalaking drum sa templo. astig! at makilaro ng football sa mga bata sa templo. san ka pa di ba? :)

nagsawa ako sa inihaw na isda, chorizo at manok, at maaanghang na ensalada.

naubos ang kip ko sa kabibili ng mga tinda nila sa night market.

nag-mountain bike ako sa pangalawang araw ko, lumabas ako ng town, nami-miss ko na kasing magbisikleta. nakakita ako ng pupuntahan, may falls na malapit. cute lang. tapos may isa pa pala, pero medyo malayo, 25 km fr edge of town. inisip ko, tutal ala-una ng hapon pa lang naman, kaya ko siguro ito. so pumadyak naman ako papuntang kuang si falls.

e kaso, matarik! bundok pala ang papuntang falls. tapos, ayaw kumagat sa granny nung bike! bandang gitna na ako nakakita ng repair shop. padyak na naman. maganda ang scenery, puro bundok at palayan. pero 230pm, 3 km na lang nasa falls na ko, pinasya ko ng bumalik.dahil baka abutin ako ng dilim, at di na kayanin ng powers ko pumadyak, mag-cramps pa ko, e liblib yung lugar. ang pinaka-importante, baka di ko abutan ang bus ko papuntang vientiane ng 630pm. hay sayang. mas mabilis naman pabalik, may nakuha pang bagong lakas. sakto lang para maligo at magbihis tapos sinundo na ko sa bahay.

sunset sa mekong river

night market

mosaic on their temple walls, made of glass

monks

gumagawa ng boat

dapat papunta akong nong khai sa thailand, tapos bangkok. pero pupunta muna akong pakse, sa southern part ng laos.

HCMC, Hoi An, Hanoi

Ho chi Minh City was like a dream, mainly because i was still full of happy pizza. I vaguely remember Jeigh Santarina, another friend from the disc community, thoughtfully meeting us at the bus stop, ushering us to our hotel room wc he booked for us, and treating us to a delicious fare of local vietnamese cuisine. they all tasted sumptuous, and of course i was having the munchies, so i just ate everything!  thanks a lot jeigh! an added bonus-it's hanoi's 1000th anniversay, and HCMC is also celebrating. we passed by a huge stage filled w costumed performers. i would've loved to watch but i can hardly keep my eyes open. rhona and jeigh had a night cap at a nearby bar fr our hotel. i turned in early.

i woke up and was alarmed to see sunlight pouring in our window. we were aupposed to fly at 645am to danang, to hoi an. woke up rhona. it turns out that our flight got cancelled and we were moved to a 1245pm flight later that day. so i contacted another friend fr UP Samaskom, and we met for brunch. Faye Torres and husband Paolo had us taste mouth-watering pho, and very strong vietnamese coffee. gave us a quick tour of the city before we flew to danang.

Hoi-an was cozy, small and charming, with its old french facade still intact, some ancient vietnamese houses were open for a tour. Here, we enjoyed the laid-backed atmosphere, although we tried to soak as much as possible on our first day (we arrived late afternoon). we toured the entire Old Town in a couple of hours. ate rice wafer w herbs while strolling. dinner was by the river.cheap beer and cocktails!

The next morning we went to My Son, a ruin fr the Cham empire at sunrise.free breakfast of baguette w butter and jam, and lettuce, eggs, cucumber and tomatoes; and coffee. In the afternoon, we rented bikes and rode to Cua Dai Beach.got lost for a bit, poor rhona.we biked for an hour straight.the beach had a bit of a surf, rhona wished she brought her board.went back home, returned bikes, and did a bit of shopping. what i really loved abt hoi an are the artworks. there are just so many-watercolors, acrylic, silk embroidery, lacquer and w different styles at that.i bought rhona a late birthday present, a watercolor of hoi an, also as a reward for her "hard work" haha!

Our last morning, the day we had to leave for hanoi, i went to Sunday market and took pictures of the local market scene.ate pho at the sidewalk w the rest of them.

Hoi an was such a peaceful place, so much that Hanoi's boisterous birthday just shocked us. swarms of people wearing red bands over their heads. like People Power.and the motorbikes.arg.

bike commuter ako.sanay akong nabubusinahan, and i obligingly keep to my side or hug the gutter even more to make space for the bigger vehicle.pero dito- ang OA sa paggamit ng busina! at ang volume ng busina ng motorbikes nila, pang-kotse. at ang kotse, pang-bus! kaya stressed out ako nung unang araw na un, dahil kung saan saan sila galing!at walang sidewalk, kaya sa kalye talaga ang lakad namin.

buti na lang bumabawi ang hanoi sa sarap ng food.di kami umuulit ng putahe.pero namayat si rhona sa byahe na to,kasi wala kami sa oras kumain, tapos di mashado madami. parati nga kami napapa-extra rice.kaya ata payat mga vietnamese ay dahil cute lang sila kumain ng kanin. aside sa food, masarap din ang foot massage, reflexology ata ang kanilang method.and we saw the water puppet show, with traditional instruments playing alongside.

hanoi's HCM museum

we went to Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex. had pictures with the Golden Girls, a bunch of vietnamese geriatrics dressed in their traditional outfits. shopped a bit more, then rhona left for HCMC. she flies back to manila tomorrow.

saigon

hoi an lamps

to My Son

hoi an

w greg and anna at phnom penh

hoi an house

fishing at mekong

bamboo bike! eng, look!

My Son ruins

Golden Girls

Me-i had a dilemma.i was apprehensive about going to laos alone, bec of the scams going on at the borders, and the border crossings fr vietnam to laos is just plain difficult at any point of entry. with good advice fr greg, i decided to book a flight fr hanoi to luang prabang. the earliest day i could fly isn't till thursday early evening. so tomorrow i'm going to halong bay for a day.still deciding what to do in hanoi on wed and thurs.


si lola (sorry di pa ko marunong mag-crop)



Patikim ng "P" niya

P-for Phnom Penh. we're supposed to skip it,bec we booked a night bus straight fr siem reap to ho chi minh. turns out we got a bit scammed. Paramount Angkor bus company dropped us off us at phnom penh bus station at 630am.the transfer bus is at 130pm.no choice but to wait.no other bus travel at our preferred time. we decided to text greg bloom,our friend fr ultimate who's based there.meanwhile we walk.then we saw a park....

P-for Penis. rhona decided to rest on a bench, while i walk around the park.saw temple. and monkeys playing.i decided to video them playing.when i finished and turned around to walk up the steps,two meters away fr me is a young man, with his penis hanging out his pants! it took me awhile to realize it. my thought was "malinaw ba ang mga mata ko? bakit parang pututoy ung nakikita ko ng ganitong kaaga? dedma lang ung lalaki e, baka toy penis lang... tang ina! pututoy nga!!!" then i screamed for help.soon enough some people came, then the park guard. i was mimicking that he opened his pants and showed his penis at me.deny pa yung guy.pinagmumura ko tuloy ng tagalog. "tangina mo! wag kang sinungaling! fuck you!!!" eventually they took him away to the police station. it all happened in half an hour.

we called greg and had him pick us up pronto at the bus station. he brought anna w him, his "almost 5-yr old" daughter. they took us to their house to freshen up. bless them for taking care of us.house was huge and pretty. had lunch at FCC.tookus to have pics at the Royal Palace. then had...

P-for Pizza. as in Happy Pizza. greg encouraged me to eat a pizza laced w "tekpi" before leaving the station. ate half, yummy, thin crust w pepperoni. then BHAM! i'm out the rest of the trip. as in wasted. crashed. bagsak.hilong-hilo buong byahe,from 130-830pm.i was well enough to bring my bag by then.

wala ng time to upload picks.

biking around siem reap

1st time mag-bike ni rhona since high school-she learned to mount, bike straight, turn, merge w traffic, cross bridges. saw more pagodas. spoke to a true monk, who's actually good looking haha! rhona and i had to have bikes repaired on the road, we could hardly pedal.

temple gate

rhona on 1st bike ride in decades

angkor wat

day 0, october 3, sunday night

this is the first time i traveled in another time zone.we left manila at 930pm, and arrived at bangkok 1145pm bangkok time, it actually took 3 hours to get there.

my travel buddy rhona and i had a short episode like Tom Hanks' movie "The Terminal," because we had several hours to kill before we leave the airport.we now have a mental map of the place. :)

all i can say about our 1st day is that the travel was  epic.18 hours! bus rides fr the airport to mochit bus station then to aranyaprathet.border crossing was a bit overwhelming. the cambodian officials warning us of scams.we met a russian couple Yuna and Demetri to share a taxi to siem reap.we arrived dusk at Red Lodge, with a bit of rain.

the town center did not disappoint. think boracay without the beach, albeit smaller.our 1st real meal (dinner na) for the day is Hot Pot.

day 1, october 4, tuesday

5am-tuktuk picked us up and brought us to angkor archaeological park. one day pass 20usd. saw sun rise in angkor wat. teeming w tourists, but managed to take decent photos.cloudy, which was great weather to walk around the temples.took us 2 hrs to tour angkor wat alone.each temple has different character.can't stop taking pictures! we managed to see all major temples in a day, eventhough the park was huge!

there is a serenity in walking these temples, some has altars where you can offer incense.it would've been nice just to sit there and enjoy the quiet.sometimes it made me think of UP, with the vibrant green lawn surrounding the temples.visited ta prohm, where Tomb Raider was filmed.we got lost inside Preah Kahn-exited another gate; didn't know it had 3 exits.Bayon was beautiful.Pre Rup is made of red stones, makes for pretty pictures.my last temple at sunset, it was only me inside.i didn't dare to make a turn in fear of getting lost and no one to help me get out.

the cambodian people are the friendliest.their voice has a soft singing tone to it, ang lambing! tuloy, lahat ng nagbebenta sa kin, lalo na bata, gusto kong bilhan. if i don't, i feel like i'm breaking their hearts.i end up giving them candy.

lunch was khmer dish amok, fish and vegetables cooked in light coconut soup.

we went home at dusk tired but happy.

we had an oil massage, but personally i didn't find it very good. parang mas okay sila kung dry massage,they use a towel and vigorously rub you.

cambodian border

angkor wat

Pre Rup

mukhang tanga lang :)

nakatira sa temple

lokals

we danced at temple bar, the only good dancing place there. margaritas are only P80.