Visiting Vietnam: Ho Chi Min City

My last stop on my epic 2 week holiday in Vietnam was in the city of Ho Chi Min, formerly known as Saigon which I think is a much cooler sounding name - anywho politics (you can read about my other stops in Vietnam here, here and here).

Like South Africa, every stop we made was distinctly different from the others - in cuisine, atmosphere and culture of the region. This was surprising for me as I always attributed the diversity of my country to the various race groups and 11 official languages. But Vietnam is quite a homogeneous society in comparison - Vietnamese people, Vietnamese Language. I expected it to be all the same but was pleasantly surprised to learn I was wrong. Ho Chi Min was far more cosmopolitan - tall buildings, traffic on the streets, global brands and franchised shops - even though it's not the official capital of the country (Hanoi is) I'm guessing Ho Chi Min City is the economic capital of the country.


Although I enjoyed my stay in Ho Chi Min - 2 unfortunate incidences took place here which attempted to dampen my spirits.
1. I almost got scammed into parting with a lot of cash. You see with countries whose currencies have way too many zero's - a lot of tricks can be played on unsuspecting tourists. Vendors conveniently "mispronouncing" 50 000 thousand with 15 000 for example, in any currency, that means you can end up paying more than 3 times the price you thought you were agreeing on. I experienced something similar one morning when I took a cylco ride by myself to explore the town and neighbouring markets. But after over a week in the country - I was pretty familiar with the value of things and got into a heated argument with the guy. I can understand people trying to make an honest living and I can even accept the higher prices that tourists are charged compared to locals - but being scammed, that I am not cool with!
2. My friends bag got snatched by a motorcyclist riding by. Inside was her camera, phone and bank cards of course - not inside, thank goodness - her passport. We had felt relatively safe whilst in Hanoi and Hoi An, but with Ho chi min being a global city -  things such as a crime are more likely to happen as with any world city. It's a shame really. Despite this incident, we still agree that Vietnam is a beautiful country - our positive attitude probably comes from the fact that in South Africa we do have problems with crime in a backdrop of a gorgeous country that we don't want people to miss out on seeing :(

Except all this bad news of scams and muggings I still managed to have a pretty good time in the city. The highlight being a highly recommended VESPA tour by Vespa adventures. We chose the Saigon by Dark tour and loved every moment. Had we had more time, we would have shelved out for one of their other day tours too - it was that amazing. Motorbikes are already the preferred way to get around the city - but a vespa is a charming little thing, you almost feel like you are in a set of a movie. Having just learned to ride a bicycle this year, I was not yet ready to steer my own. So my friend and I held on for dear lives behind our trusted drivers. But it wasn't long before we felt safe and secure as the skilled drivers manouvered the streets they know so well - we were ready to whip out our cameras and were enchanted by the city of SAIGON.

The tour was so colourful, starting with drinks and light snacks at the Zoom cafe. We then headed for our first stop where I faced my fears - sampling the likes of frogs legs which tasted like chewy chicken. They really didn't taste bad, in fact my companion was enjoying them very much, I could barely shake my fear of it coming back to life - they creep me out. We tasted Vietnamese beer (I am not a fan of beer but tried anyway) and other flavour full seafood delicacies.

my face when I realise what's on the menu for dinner

Its not chicken

Our next stop - to eat more. I remember having a type of Vietnamese savoury pancake which we had learned how to make in the cooking class in Hoi An but this one was much bigger. It was delicious and went down well with my coconut drink (crossed off drinking from a coconut from my list).

Then the tempo switched completely; above what is a motorbike wash by day, is a hidden gem of Saigon. A small cafe type place which has open mic sessions. We sipped on delicious coffee and listened to fine local talent  in the candle lit space. It was truly magical.

Next, we zipped through the streets and found ourselves at a place with live rock band type music, listening to tunes while sipping on delicious Mojitos - I just love the fresh minty taste in that cocktail :)

It was an amazing night and definitely the highlight of my time in Ho Chi Min and one of  favourite experiences in Vietnam as a whole.

our sweet tour guide

Dipalesa and her driver

me and my driver 

We also managed to do a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels, a harrowing experience indeed. I didn't know this about myself but I do get a little claustrophobic and was haunted by the thought of people living underground in these tunnels for weeks on end, just to survive. When it came down to it, I could n't bring myself to walking through the crammed up tunnel, despite that as a tourist attraction, the section is now well lit and paved. I just couldn't do it!!! In fact when I saw people going underground, tears starting running down my face. When it was brought to my attention that it was not compulsory to go under - and not going underground doesn't make me any less of a person, I breathed a sigh of relief, realising how silly I was being.

watch out: booby trap

my big smile right before bursting into tears

My overall stay in Ho Chi Min was more than pleasant with a number of highlights but Hanoi old quarter was quickly calling me back and I was happy to return there for our last 2 days before flying back home.

Tips 
1. Even in relatively safe countries, as a tourist you are more likely to be a target for petty crime than a local. Have your wits about you. Carrying a sling bag like in the picture above is better because its hard to snatch it. Back packs are also quite sturdy but I am still uncomfortable with them because people who pick pocket are quiet and can easily come from behind you and remove your valuables without you realizing.
2. Leave your passport in the safe of your hotel room (not just on the bedside table) unless its required on your particular tour for identification. Losing your passport in a foreign country I can imagine is not fun. Embassies have very limited working hours, the service in 3rd world countries can be notoriously poor :( and getting a police report in a foreign language is such a task!!!
3. Please be super careful with currencies with many zeros. I usually do a quick conversion (not precise) to my currency at home and assign each note a value using the colour. For example in Korea the green note of 10 000 won is worth R80 but I see it as a R100 note in South Africa and 5000 won note as R50 even though its worth R40, it just gives me a number I am familiar with so I have an idea of how much I am spending without doing some heavy maths - its not precise but it works for me.
4. When negotiating a price and it sounds too good to be true - get the vendor to write the number down with all the relevant zeros. If you are not sure, you can show the amount and make sure you are in agreement- if there is any confusion this can get ugly people!
5. Do the vespa tour! It was amazing! Saigon by dark one was like a crash course of what the city has to offer after sunset. The food is wonderful and the places we went to, I don't think I would have found them as a tourist on my own even if I had stayed in the city longer - definitely hidden gems.  If I had more time I probably would have done a day tour too. Such value for money :)

the hotel room of a good holiday should look like this :)

Final Thoughts
Vietnam is an incredible country and the most affordable destination I have visited so far - your money goes a long way - you will live like a queen. Thank you for reading about my adventures in Vietnam and I hope you get to visit it soon.

Visiting Vietnam: Hoi An

Hoi An is the cutest little town I have ever laid eyes on; its history and heritage are so well preserved that Unesco made the whole town an official Unesco Heritage site (this is also where I bought the most postcards). My previous post I shared my favourite pictures of this gem but now I want to tell you why I simply adore this town.

It's small.
I could picture knowing everyone by name or being a regular at a particular coffee shop, having my morning cappuccino ready for pick up everyday, same time. Because of its size, you can walk around most of down town, browsing through shops, sampling delicious ice-cream and buying pretty jewellery. You can also rent a bicycle from your hotel and dash to town in an eco-friendly manner, plus its good exercise, a win for you and your environment.

It's colourful
The bright yellow townhouse type buildings of downtown will give you the feeling of warm sunshine even on a cloudy day. The people are just as colourful too. Mainly a tourist destination for clothing, art and all sorts of tailor made goodies, the locals have become rather creative with their sales pitch to get you to see their shops and place an order or two. side-note: I think they have an eye of spotting the new comers in town.

Its a shoppers paradise 
Even if you are no shopaholic or keen on bargain  hunting, the town, its people and all the pretty things on offer lure you into their web. Bring a picture of a designer dress you want, custom make a leather jacket, pimp out your all-stars with bling or even copy your favourite leather sandals that are about to go bust - you name it they can do it and at very irresistible prices too.

Glorious Food
This has to have been my favourite part of my time spent in Hoi An. After a recommendation from a good friend and further reiterated by my favourite travel blogger, I found the cooking class of my dreams. Housed upstairs of the best restaurant in the town, is the Morning Glory cooking school. We opted for the "Herb garden cycle tour and cooking class" which saw us being educated about the herbs used in vietnamese dishes too. We also made a stop at a "house factory" that produces the famous cao lau noodles, unique to the town of Hoi An. After watering the vegetable gardens, we returned to school to begin the hands-on cooking class. The instructor, who also happens to be the owner of the said restaurant, shared some of her childhood stories which gave us great insight into the History of Vietnam from a culinary perspective. We watched, emulated and enjoyed the feast of our hard (ok not really hard) work :)

We came back later that evening and dined at this fine restaurant and the excellent reviews they receive are no lie. I savoured every bite and had we spent more time in Hoi An, we would have eaten every meal of the day at this establishment for the rest of our time there - its that good.

The people
As with the rest of Vietnam, the people of Hoi An are extremely friendly. Despite all the sales pitches, I didn't feel harassed at all (there was far more of that in Cambodia).

But my biggest weakness are the kids - I mean just look at them....

Tips
1. Go to Hoi An! You simply must.
2. There is no airport in this little town, but you can fly/train into the neighbouring town/city of Danang and take a taxi from the airport straight to Hoi An (less than an hour).
3. We stayed in a hotel with a pool which didn't really cost more than other hotels which didn't have a pool. It really helped with cooling down after a day of cycling/walking in the heat to take a dip in the pool before dinner.
4. Unless you are literally passing through, say for one day, I would not advise buying anything on the first day you are there - although very tempting. Spend the initial time browsing, comparing prices, and deciding how much you can spend in this town while considering how much time you still intend on spending in the country. This is vital because, the prices for big ticket items like leather jackets or bags are far cheaper than what I would pay back home, making it an ideal opportunity to stock up. But if you didn't budget to buy a leather jacket on your trip this will very quickly deplete your funds, making for an unpleasant you, for the rest of the trip. You can't have it all, so sleep on it and come back the next day and you will be more rational with your spending.
5. If you decide to have something tailor made, you will need at least 24 hours in the town. But be fair in your request. We spent 3 nights in this precious town. We spent the first afternoon just browsing and maybe purchasing a few small and affordable items. The next day we got an early start and went to place orders for our tailor made goodies. The factory had the rest of the day and the full day the next day to work on our items. Although our flight was later in the evening of the 4th day, we went back to collect our goodies around in the morning to make sure we were happy with them and that they would have time to make quick alterations if necessary. They were surprisingly very quick with our orders and very honest as to how much time they needed and so everything was ready on time for us to head to the airport comfortably.
6. There are many cooking classes on offer in the town through various establishments and although probably much cheaper than the one we went on, the Morning Glory cooking class was worth every penny spent - and the cook book on sale makes for a great reference for when you get back home or an awesome gift for your kitchen savvy sister - autographed by the author herself.

Final thoughts
Hoi An is so small but stole my heart in a big big way. It's worth the effort of getting there - which surprisingly was n't that difficult either. Have a super time in Hoi An :)

Last insert coming soon: Visiting Vietnam:Ho Chi Min City (Saigon)

Post cards from... everywhere

I have been so blessed in the last 18 months with all the travel opportunities afforded to me, local and international. My first international trip was only 3 years ago - I spent every penny I had in savings to visit the United Kingdom for my 25th birthday, where my friend was studying in Bath University and another living in London.  I ran out of money a few days before returning home (my dad to the rescue here) but gosh I had just the best time ever - like a kid in a candy store they say.

Second to buying mugs and fridge magnets, anyone who has traveled with me will know my dedication and absolute obsession with sending post cards. I try to send to as many addresses as I have jotted down and really put effort into personalizing every message with a memory I share with that person - there is nothing worse than a generic message in my opinion.

I do it because of the joy I feel from receiving a post card and want to someone far far away to feel the same, and when they least expect it.  And having been away from home for so long, I appreciate the gesture now even more. Not only does it say you thought of me whilst on an epic journey but a part of me feels like I was kind of there too - living vicariously  :) As a result I have traveled to more places than my passport leads on.  I have kept every single post card I have ever received, I have from all continents- except Australia :( any takers. I am hoping one day to come up (or copy) an awesome crafty project using them - I really do treasure them so a big thank you to everyone who has ever sent me one. Its so refreshing to sift through a mail box full of bills to pay then see a postcard with an awesome landmark - it really puts a smile on my face ;)

Final thoughts
Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer - unknown

Looking forward to....

1. Tonight, I am off to watch a Swan Lake with my awesome friends - love theatre night even more than movie night.
2. Finally received my kindle :) and loving it - as I prepare to return home its nice to know I can invest in books and not worry about the cost of shipping all of them back with me.
3. China Visa approved - so I can finally say I am going to China next weekend - Fireworks!

the great wall of china

4. Students will be writing mid-term tests next week which means free time for teacher :)
5. Getting back on to a proper eating and exercise plan - the holidays really took it out of me, been struggling  to get back on the horse ever since- but with some moral support I'll get there.

Final thoughts
Are there any books you can highly recommend to help me and my new kindle to become better acquainted?

Photo courtesy of http://weheartit.com/

18 month itch

So I have just crossed over the 18 month mark living as an expat in Korea with just under 6 months left of my 2 year contract here. And if I can be honest, it's not always roses and peaches as my Facebook pictures might allude. Surprised? I didn't think so. It's no mystery that life has its challenges, its no different when living as an expat either. You go through immense periods of joy that you cannot contain. But then a week or 2 later you can be feeling the extreme opposite and it doesn't take a lot to trigger that emotion either.

sweet chariot - Inchoen International Airport, Korea

Homesickness, like jet-lag and seasickness, is very real. We all experience it differently and cope with it very differently. For some people it is a few months into their new life where the melt down occurs and for some it can be towards the end of their time away where the longing for home knocks hard on one's front door. Solution: a skype call home, dinner with friends down town or an epic weekend away can, for some, do the trick. For others it can mean booking an expensive plane ticket home to spend merely a short crazy week with the family. Not forgetting the midnight runner, who decides that this is just way too much for them and without notice disappears during the night. I mean literally pack anything they fit in their suitcase - and head to the airport and purchase a one-way ticket home - it sounds extreme, and it is, but it happens more often than we know.

Hyeopjae Beach, Jeju Island Korea

I have been completely grateful for the opportunity to be in Korea, have a good job, pay no rent (that's my favourite part) and all the travel experiences afforded to me in this past 18 months. But the longing for my motherland is on the increase. My friends at home battling with home mortgages, car insurance and little vacation time will probably think I am so ungrateful right now. But it's true. There is still no place like home. Sure there are many unknowns and things I dread upon my return. I am not 100% about the job situation when I get back, the public transport system is not so great which would mean agonizing over the ever increasing petrol price and insurance for a car. I don't miss the politics (every country has politics but at least here I don't understand what they are saying), and certainly not looking forward to 21 days of leave a year compared to the awesome long holidays you get here as a school teacher. And apparently there is something called reverse culture shock too, go figure.

school holidays spent in Vietnam

But there is also a ton of things I miss that make me genuinely excited to come home.  I miss the BF a lot. Skyping has been great but I miss going on a good old fashion date - you know lunch and then movies, sharing popcorn, the stuff chick flicks are made of.  My family - yes  we drive each other insane, but right now I wouldn't mind driving a few kilometres out of town for lunch with the parental unit so mom can show off her latest hidden discovery or pulling an all nighter with the sister with loads of girl talk. I could settle to watching the younger brother win a rugby game or brave being a passenger at his driving lesson. Or follow the older brother (turned 30 on Saturday - wooo hooo) around with his cool arty friends, listening to their conversations trying to figure out how the creative process works or getting free entrances to gigs to watch awesome bands like The Arrows because he is cool and connected like that. Oh and my nephew, the cutest thing you ever laid eyes on. 

Proudly South African - World Athletics Championships, Daegu

I'm looking forward to going to a regular supermarket and know the aisles and what they stock. Doing my own banking (I am a nerd for admin), sorting out my own cellphone contract and not concern myself with immigration offices and visa runs (although traveling has been awesome). It will be great to know about upcoming events because the websites (and the grapevine) will be English, and of course I won't worry about walking into a movie only to find that it has Korean dubbing or is in French with Korean subtitles - yes this happened to my friends! And although I can decipher Hangul (Korean characters), most of the time I don't know what I am reading; I miss being able to read signs, menus and labels on food. I miss being able to just speak and not strain myself to fill in the missing blanks of sentences or have an adult conversation turn into a game of charades. Oh and I miss my mother tongue (hmm I wonder if I can still speak it LOL), you know that expression, feeling, emotion or even joke that can not be translated, its so liberating to be able to just say it and people get it. 

hiking  - not sure which direction to go :(

But it wont be long my sweet friends (who I miss too) - I have already missed baby showers and missing 2 weddings in November :( heartbreaking stuff I tell you! But what can a girl do? So instead of agonizing and longing for home I have made a commitment to myself to be present where I am now, that my last few months abroad will be anything but boring. I have tons to look forward to, including 2 international trips (destination to be revealed soon hahaha you can guess in the meanwhile) and 2 lovely ladies coming to visit me from South Africa, they arrive the day before Christmas - I cant believe how spoiled blessed I am. I am still in awe at God's provision in my life. 

I think it's time I start working on my Korea bucket list - things I want to do, see or eat before I leave Korea. That should keep me occupied - as the saying goes time flies when you are having fun, I so hope that's true.

Final thoughts

How do you cope with homesickness? And what things should I add to my Korean bucket list?

loving lomo: Hoi An

I finally got around to developing some photos I took with my little plastic camera while I was recently on holiday in Vietnam and I must tell you I am in love with the results...Thanks Che, for the inspiration - especially because I am not gifted in the area of photo editing. Hoi An is just gorgeous and a must see stop while visiting Vietnam - its no wonder the whole town is a Unesco Heritage Site, its truly a treasure (full post coming soon).

streets of Hoi An

View from hotel window

herb garden tour before amazing cooking class

favourite picture of the whole trip :) - Dipalesa

I own these streets :)

Final thoughts
Hoi An - simply beautiful

Visiting Vietnam: Halong Bay

On my very ambitious list of things to do over the next months was to visit more of the 7 wonders of nature and the world. Coming from South Africa :) and currently living in Korea, I managed to score with 2 on the list - Table Mountain and Jeju island (post to follow) respectively. I still have more to see of course but have subsequently decided that I don't think anyone can even pay me to visit Komodo Islands - have you seen that Komodo dragon lizzard looking thing?! Not going anywhere near it - thank you very much.

Halong Bay, Vietnam's gigantic limestone karsts and isles, left me awe. There are literally thousands of them -hence making the cut as one of the 7 wonders of nature. Ever so popular, you can imagine there are  hundreds of tour groups offering to take you to see the majestic Halong bay - decisions decisions. Since we had opted to stay in hotels for the duration of our stay, I thought it would be great to branch out and go on a tour with some young people our age - you know meet and mingle with peers, get some travel tips for our onward journey etc. I took some advice of a trusted travel blog and went with Hanoi Backpackers - and although I am still a fan of the blog, this tour was the BIGGEST regret of my entire time in Vietnam. Don't worry this will not turn into a name calling venting session about the tour company, suffice it to say, I did not feel I got 1. value for money@200 USD for 2 days (in Vietnam this kind of money goes a very very long way) 2. the best fit for me - as in, I don't think I was the target audience they had in mind anyway.

The tour was 2 nights (3 days) on a castaway island - our tour group was the only one on the island. We stayed in, i think people call bungalows, to me it was just a wooden structure with a thatched roof over my head and a mosquito net as cover. Although not requiring a tan myself, I did spend plenty of time catching the sun- enjoyed some kayaking and tried my hand at tubing. Needless to say I wiped out twice, struggled to hoist myself back onto the tube much to the delight of the French guys I was sharing the tube with. But in my defense the first wipe out was a matter of urgency. The speed we were going at was so fast that we found ourselves airborne at some points. The pressure of the water was so great that I could literally feel my pants coming off (later I heard I wasn't the only one).  I had to decide between letting go of the tube to keep my pants - or to hang on and arrive back to shore half naked - the latter was not really an option if you think about it. I got a good laugh out of it myself.

We survived the rest of the tour deciding to opt out of the drinking games which I am guessing resemble somewhat of a Spring Break in the US. Enough words - lets see some pictures :

1. Fiesta time 2. lunch on the boat 3&4. majestic Halong Bay 5. bungalows (with cold shower) 6. Castaway island - survivor style

Tips

1. With any popular tourist attraction - some people are bound to be underwhelmed, what, with all that anticipation and excitement. I was quite blown away by Halong Bay myself, the sheer number of them and how they ended up there. My travel companion on the other hand, not so much. She still liked them, but was not convinced by the 7 wonder of nature in the world part and thats okay. My advice, if it's at all possible, try to lower expectations of any place you visit. I happen to be a somewhat easy person to please but a lot of people are not thus leaving disappointed.

2. When booking for your tour double check that the information provided on the website is what they are still offering. On the website, I had read that we would sleep on the boat on the first night and then in the bungalows the second night. This was however not the case and apparently has not been for a while. Although I have no way of knowing whether sleeping on the boat would have been better or worse than the bungalows, I was not given what I was promised.

3. There is tons of travel advice out there, its overwhelming - from the hotel front desk to tour agents and websites - it can all be too much leaving you even more confused on how to spend your hard earned penny and precious time. I've recently become a travel-blog convert, taking a lot of advice from travel bloggers. However travel bloggers must also earn a living and some of the recommendations they give have been sponsored. Despite that I do still believe that the one's I read have integrity and do disclose any kickbacks they get from recommending a certain tour option. That was not the problem. My problem came in from ignoring who I truly am. I knew that they would be party animals in the relatively young crowd but ignored that and painted myself a different picture ignoring the fact that in reality I can be quite an old soul. Although  I was probably of average age with my tour companions, within in the first 2 hours together, I could see that we probably spend our weekends very differently back home and have opposing ideas of what fun is.

4. Travel blogs are a great source of information and I will continue to use them in the future. But before taking any recommendation - I will scrutinize the blogger more in their travel style, look more into what locations they have traveled to before, what activities they enjoy and ask myself is that something I would do and enjoy. This was really a learning curve for me. In Saigon I followed advice of another blogger and thoroughly enjoyed myself and retrospect I can see that our travel styles are very similar.

Final thoughts

If you have the chance do visit Halong Bay :)  please do. If I got the chance to go back I would - but I would want to be the youngest person on the boat - even if it means spending 2 nights with old married couples well into their retirement, I think their stories and wisdom will be far more interesting to me than drinking games.

Visiting Vietnam: Hoi An coming soon

Everland - never too old for roller coasters

Before heading out to Vietnam, I made a quick stop in the very populated Korean capital, Seoul, to hang out with some friends and it was fun. Remember when I said you are never too old for rollercoasters or amusement parks in general - I haven't changed my mind. We spent a magical and sunny day in Everland amusement park going on cable cars, posing with Tigers (okay they were behind the fence) and eating ice cream. The highlight - I got to ride on the steepest dip on a wooden roller coaster in the world - The T express. Yes you read right! Wooden. It's not as terrifying as it sounds - the structure looks pretty solid and good looking if its at all possible for roller coasters to be good looking - probably have the Germans to thank for that.

 
 

Isn't she a beauty?

I really had an awesome time with the girls - felt like a kid again :)

Final thoughts
Want to reverse the signs of ageing? Visit amusement parks often :) keeps you feeling young -  I swear by it.