like what i've told you. imma be telling you all about the traveling i did with my fam & friends late last year. lemme start of this travel/laboy blog by giving it an apt nickname.. lets call it my "traveloy" diary.. travel na may kasamang bonggang laboy... ahahaha....
so there.. its settled then.. lets go on with my first traveloy entry.
country: Vietnam
dates: nov. 14-17, 2009
honestly, this out-of-the-country escapade was not planned.. i was not thinking of going anywhere.. especially since i did not have enough leave credits from work to do so. but my cousin.. who i only get the chance to see rarely asked me to go with them.. i couldnt say no. it was almost 6 years after i first went out of the country and its good to be able to experience it all again. and lets say.. its also the kind of break i need from the stresses of both personal and work related nature. if you know what i mean...
and so, everything was settled. tickets were bought. bags were packed. itinerary checked.. we went on to board our plane. travel time was fast. it only took 1.50 hours from manila to ho chi minh city.. our hotel accomodation have been pre-book so we already had someone to pick us up at the airport. off we go..
my first impression about vietnam is that.. it almost seemed like i didnt leave home. though there were no tall buildings like ours here in manila, the surroundings and the people.. oddly felt the same. but not quite. thing is, you'll feel their reserved personality around foreigners. though we look like locals, coz of the skin color and features.. at exactly the time they know you're not from there, they kinda hold back on something.. but its understandable.. you see, they value their history so much that up until now, they have this feeling of remorse over the thought of 'one certain' country invading their shores.. so when they see new people.. they really fold as if thinking history might repeat itself or something. but s'all good.. they were friendly enough to open their country to other people.. so thats good.. very good indeed..
after checking our bags and getting some rest at the hotel.. which by the way is just a meager hotel.. not the extravagant one.. we went straight out and explored the city. --oh btw.. before i forget.. i was a millionaire in vietnam.. can you believe?.. i cant... hahaha.. i brought US dollars with me when i went there.. universal currency and all.. so we had our money changed at the airport for local bills. and guess what.. my money, amounted to a whopping 2.8 million dong.. and i was so freaking happy that my cousin and i joked that we can stay in vietnam forever and still be millionaires.. hahahah.. but thats just the first of alot of fun stuff..-- ok.. so the walk around the city was fun.. if we have jeepney in the philippines as our most basic mode of transportation, theirs is the motorcycle. i mean, motors were the king of the road. a single stop light instance accumulates dozens of motors.. and its sooo cool.. change of traffic view.. hehehe.. and so, our vietnam sojourn went on for four days. we spent one whole day exploring their revered mekong delta channel. then theres the exploration of the cu-chi tunnels where the viet guerillas camped during the us invasion. we even got the chance to experience going into the tunnel. if you are claustrophobic, then that activity is not for you. 50 meters and you'll want to get out.. but that was what made the tunnel so cool.. it was really something. we ended our stay by going to the cao-dai temple. viets are mostly buddhist. it was only proper to end our trip by going to the house of God, whatever religion, to thank Him for a blessed and safe trip. so after everything, we packed our bags.. several weights heavier.. pasalubong and stuff.. and headed back home..
all in all.. i would really recommend going to vietnam and experincing the country and its culture. it was one nice traveloy and i hope to do it again.. so just tell me if you have plans going there.. who knows.. i might join you..
-end of first traveloy log..
