Adventure to Asia: Philippines, Pt. 3

Saturday, August 2: Dumaguete City

After paying for an extra bag we walked to our gate. Our flight ended up being delayed an hour! This wouldn't have been a problem, but we had to catch another plane in Manila. When we landed in Manila we had to wait for our checked bag which is exactly the reason we didn't want to check any bags. We had about 30 minutes to get to our gate. I just told Jillian I would try to get our tickets without her there. When I got to the counter I explained pretty impatiently that my sister was waiting for a bag and we had a flight with the same airline. She hesitantly gave me both tickets and I ran to wait for my sister. Of course cell phone service was terrible and literally at the time we needed to be at the gate Jillian finally came up but there was a family that couldn't decided what they wanted to do and I was just yelling at Jillian to ask if she could cut in front of them. Then we ran through security and to our gate with all our bags. Luckily, we made it on time. I don't know how but God was looking out for us. I tried to sleep on the flight, but I couldn't.

When we go to Dumaguete we went to a hostel owned by someone my sister knows. We ate breakfast and then went to her apartment. When we got there there were so many roosters tied up that my sister had never seen before. We figured they were being used for fights. We both showered and then took a nap. We left her apartment around 5 and she took me to a coffee shop called Scooby's where she had me try Halo Halo. It's this purple ice cream (I can't remember the name) and they put lots of different toppings on it and it all sits on some ice. We both forgot our phones so Jillian went back to get them while I waited for the food. It came while she was still gone and I felt bad starting to eat it before she came back.

A little bit before 7 we headed to a place called Pasta King where I met some more of my sister's friends. After we ate I really wanted caffeine. Jillian and I walked to a coffee shop but they didn't have to go cups. I just gave up. After we ate some of us went to vidaoke. It's like karaoke but with videos. It's big in the Philippines and my sister wanted me to experience it.

Sunday: August 3: Dumaguete City

On Sunday Jillian, her two friends, and I went to Dauin to go swimming. It took a while to get there, but it was a really nice spot and there weren't many people around. We stayed there for a long part of the day but it was really windy!

Afterwards, we decided we were going to have dinner together so we went to a market and super market called Lee Plaza. Lee Plaza was strange because there were so many check points and security to get through. I bought a buko shake because Jillian wanted me to try it and it was SO GOOD! It tasted like a vanilla milkshake. Outside of the super market two guys were with a little puppy and it was so cute, but then they tried selling it to us and we declined. We then headed our separate ways to shower before dinner.

Around 6 we headed to the one girls apartment. She made us iced coffees and when the other girl arrived they made guacamole. We ate so much guacamole that by the time we made the pasta we weren't too hungry. We finished the night watching 50/50.

Monday, August 4: Cebu City

In the morning I packed up all my stuff and we went to where my sister works. I dropped my stuff off and then we walked to a coffee shop where I got some tea and food. Jillian had to leave to go to a meeting so I finished everything myself. I almost started crying because I get really emotional when things end, plus I was sad to be leaving my sister. We had our arguments while on our 3 week trip together, but it was still really sad to be leaving. After I ate I walked to a little souvenir shop and bought last minute gifts. I walked back to my sisters work and met some of her co-workers. Then she took me to the airport.

We said good-bye and I went to check in. When I got to the counter they had to weigh me and all my stuff. I was waiting to be charged for an extra bag again but it turned out they only need the weight because it was a propeller plane. When I got on the plane a woman was sitting in my seat and I just let her have it because she was with her husband. I got a seat the faced everyone and it was really weird to be sitting that way. So, there is a stereotype that Filipina women date old white men and that stereotype rang true on this flight. The first three rows in front of me and 2 out of the 3 rows on the other side were Filipina women with these really old white men.

The airport was a lot smaller than I was expecting and I spent 10 hours at this coffee shop with no food. I met a guy named Ferdie and we talked for most of his shift. He was really nice. Then he left and I still had so much time before my flight. I just journaled for most of the time. Finally about 10 pm I was able to check in and wait for my flight.

Adventure to Asia: Vietnam Pt. 3

Friday, August 1: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

On our last day in Vietnam we decided to walk around the city since our flight didn't leave until 12 am and we had to check out of our hostel by noon. We left our luggage at the hostel and marked places we wanted to see before we left. We first walked to the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace but both were closing for lunch so we decided to eat at another restaurant our hostel suggested. As we were leaving to go to the restaurant a group of about 10-15 students came up to us and asked if they could take our picture. I felt like a celebrity. ;) We ate at NGON Restaurant, and it was pretty expensive compared to other places we stayed at but the food was delicious.

After lunch we still had time before the other two places opened. We walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the National Post Office to take pictures. They were really close to the restaurant so it worked out really well. The Cathedral and post office were beautiful!

We walked back to the Reunification Palace and realized it was actually really boring, but we decided to trudge on after the first floor. It was hot that day and the roof had a really nice breeze. There were rooms on the top floor for guests and I think I liked that part the most because it reminded me of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. We went to the basement last and we were so hot that we just sat in some room playing a documentary in Vietnamese to cool off because it was the only place with air conditioning. As we were leaving the Palace there was a group of soldiers playing on kids toys. I tried to get a picture of it but they didn't turn our very well. It was funny though because this little girl wanted to get on but she couldn't.

When we go to the War Remnants Museum this guy with no hands and one eye came up to me. He asked where I was from and I was just waiting for him to tell me "Your country did this to me." It turns out he just wanted to sell me some books. I felt bad, but I politely declined. The museum was very sad, but it is something you should definitely see if you are ever in Ho Chi Mihn. I didn't even take any pictures inside because it didn't feel right. You could tell the museum was Anti-American, pro-communism though. It was blatant throughout the whole thing.

We decided to get some coffee so we walked to a coffee art shop that was kind of pricey. We both got Vietnamese iced coffees (because we were obsessed with it and the Thai teas). We sat and talked or a while. Then we walked across the street to the Chợ Bến Thành market. Every thing was so over priced and we were trying to remember how much stuff was at the store we had went to a few nights earlier. Luckily, we stuck to our guns and only bought a few items which we managed to get for the same price or slightly cheaper than the store. My sister wanted to buy something and the lady almost started crying when my sister said the price she wanted, but she ended up giving it to her for the price. When we went to the other store and saw that it was sold there for the same price she got it at the market she didn't feel bad anymore.

Since we were in a shopping mood and it was getting late we decided to go back to the souvenir store to buy our last minute gifts. Google maps kept messing up though and we got lost. I was getting really frustrated but I ended up just taking a street and it took us to where we needed to be. It was our goal to spend most of our Vietnamese Dong so we didn't have to exchange it later.

After we went to the shop we were both craving fish and chips so we went to a restaurant nearby. We sat and ate for a while because we still had a lot of time to kill. We paid our bill but the guy was taking forever to give us our change. When my sister finally asked about it he acted like he forgot, but he was looking at us the whole time so we knew that wasn't the case. Plus, we were the only ones in there. We were planning on going to this famous bar for some drinks but neither of us had any money left and we didn't want to go to the ATM just to take out money for a drink.

We decided to just go back to the hostel to hang out until our taxi came. We met another traveler whose name was Andrew, and he sat and talked with us until we had to go. This started a night of everything going wrong. First, the taxi forgot us and had to come back and then when we got to the airport they charged us $25 for an extra bag which we never had to do. I was so mad at that point. The problems continued, but I will talk them in my next post!

Adventure to Asia: Vietnam Pt. 2

Thursday, July 31: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

We took a tour of the Mekong River Delta with the same travel agency that took us to the Cu Chi Tunnels. It was about an hour bus ride to the river and our first stop was at a rest area where Jillian and I got Vietnamese iced coffees and she played with this dog a short leash. The second stop as at a temple, and if I remember correctly it's the largest temple in the area. I could be completely wrong about that.

Our final stop was at the river. We walked down to the docks and hopped in. We rode for about 20 minutes then we took our first lunch stop off the river. We sat with an American guy and 3 Polish guys. One of the Polish guys looked like Ralphie from A Christmas Story! They had bought a meal with a large fish, and it looked so gross. Apparently it tasted as bad as it looked.

Our next river stop was at a candy making plantation. It was a family run business that made coconut candies. They showed us how it was made and let us taste them. If any of you were lucky enough to try some of the candy that I brought back that is where I bought it! They also made honey and we drank some tea with it. It was good but there were so many bees flying around and I have a huge fear of being stung by bees, which is weird because I've been stung by bees before.

Afterwards we got into small canoes and they took us down the river a bit more. We got off at a stone path and walking through to the main path was so pretty. It felt like I was walking through a town on water because there were so many streams running through it. Our final stop was at a place where we ate lots of local fruits and listened to regional music.

We were pretty quiet on our way back just because we were so tired. Later that night we went to a restaurant called Món Huê. It was the first time I was out that night in Vietnam because I was always afraid of being robbed. I was surprised how busy it was and it made me feel more at ease that there were so many people around. I ordered some weird rice dish and the server knew I didn't know how to eat it so she had to show me. I felt like an ignorant American.

Adventure to Asia: Vietnam Pt. 1

Tuesday, July 29: Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon)

Most of the day was spent taking a bus from Phonm Pehn to Vietnam. The border crossing was really confusing, and it felt like we were standing for a long time while they had our passports. However, it was not as scary or brutal as crossing into Cambodia from Thailand! We were really confused on where to go when we finally got to Ho Chi Mihn. We stayed on with other foreigners because we had no idea where our stop was. Finally, someone asked in English where we were going and we told them what District. We talked with the others with us and finally they just let us out on the street. Luckily, we had a map and our hostel was just a minute walk.

We were placed in one room for the night because our other room was taken. We would move to another room the next day for the remainder of our stay. It was a 6 person room but we had it to ourselves because we paid for a two person room. It was a cute room. The hostel family was SO nice. They made you feel at home and watched out for you like you were there own. The girl who took care of us showed us a map and highlighted places we should see on our visit. 

After we dropped off our stuff we headed to the ATM, and then we ate at a place that served pho that she recommended. Plus, you have to eat pho while you're in Vietnam! We walked around a bit and then we headed back. I ended up taking a nap for a while. I had a fear of going out at night because I heard so many stories of people being pick-pocketed. Unfortunately, that kept me from enjoying Vietnam a bit.

Wednesday, July 30: Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon)
Jillian and I went on a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels. We were picked up by our tour guide, and we were placed on a bus with others taking the tour. Our tour guide was so funny and we were cracking up at his jokes. The Cu Chi Tunnels were dug by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War so the tour was basically showing some of the tunnels and different traps they would use. We got to walk through one of the tunnels which was made larger for the purpose of tours. It was scary though and definitely not something you want to do if you are claustrophobic! I got out before the part that got really tight and made you crawl on your stomach. I couldn't do it! After the tour we stopped and ate raw tapioca and drank tea like they would do in the tunnels. Did you know tapioca is a root like potatoes? I did not, and I love tapioca pudding!

After the tour we headed to our room for a little bit then when we got hungry we headed back out. After two weeks of what felt like nonstop travel we needed to rest. We went to another restaurant that our hostel recommended called Kim Restaurant. Then we decided to kill some time by going to the art museum. We got lost trying to find it because our map was a little different than the streets. I stopped and asked a security guard at a McDonalds. He didn't speak English, but he was able to help us find the museum. The museum itself was very pretty, but my favorite part was the view of the city from the windows. I'm a sucker for a good city view.

We got to the museum late so we just managed to see all of the main art work, but we didn't have time to go to the other buildings. We decided to get some bubble tea on our way back. When we sat down there was an older foreign man talking to three young girls. We kept an eye on him because my sister said the situation seemed like one where he would try to get them back into his hotel room. The whole situation was creepy because there was no need for him to talk to these young girls who had to be about 13 or 14. I think he knew we were watching him because he kept looking back at us and smiling. When the girls got up to leave he left with them and Jillian and I followed. We lost track of him, but we are pretty sure the girls were safe.