Walking around the Old Quarters

Thursday, April 5, 2012

After a very long layover in KL I arrived at my hostel in The Old Quarters sometime past 10am. I rode the airport shuttle bus for 40,000 dong ($2) where we got dropped off at the Vietnam Airlines Office in the Old Quarters. From there I took a xe om to my hostel for 30,000 dong.

Once you get out of the airport turn right. The shuttle buses are at the far end.

I originally planned to just sleep first after my shower but came across a chatty roommate who was on the last day of his 9 month backpacking trip. He was on his way back to Seattle the next day. We had a pretty long chat which ended only because his Polish friend picked him up to have lunch.

After a quick nap I went out and headed to this famous bun cha stall somewhere in the Old Quarters. It was somewhat of a challenge finding the right street since the map couldn't really do much if streets suddenly disappear or sprout out of nowhere. I found the stall after about 20 mins of walking.

I didn't know what to expect or how to order so when I sat down I just signaled "one" and the lady started placing bowls of soup, meat, veggies, vermicelli noodles and spring rolls in front of me. I mimicked the local in front of me as I had no idea how to eat bun cha properly. The grilled pork was pretty good but the pork buns which were kind of like hamburger buns but oddly shaped were really good! I wish I had rice though but I had to settle for the noodles and the sweet sour soup that you're supposed to dunk it in. The place seems very popular especially among the locals. If you're not a stickler for cleanliness/hygiene I'm sure you'll enjoy the place.

Just sit down and you get all that.

Yummy pork patties.

After lunch, I walked towards Hoan Kiem Lake where I had ca phe sua at one of the rooftop cafes fronting the lake. It was a good place to relax and just to people watch. I especially liked watching xe oms, cyclos and pedestrians cross crossing the street below in an organized chaos that was captivating to watch.

Temple by the Hoan Kiem Lake

Ca Phe Sua at the Cityview Cafe. (You are better off at the Avalon Cafe. cheaper and waaay better view and ambience)

 

CityView is at the 5th floor. Avalon cafe is the white thing on the top right of the picture. My favorite cafe by the lake.

The chaos that is Hanoi.

Spot the guy on the phone.

I went back to my hostel for a nap which was aborted because my roommate was back in the room. I didn't mind because I like talking to other travelers. It doesn't happen often since I'm generally shy and will not start any conversations. After a few hours though he eventually focused on his laptop and I was able to sneak in a few hours of sleep.

Dinner was at Xuan Xuan restaurant along Ma May street. My hostel was on Hang Vai street. In true Old Quarter fashion of confusing street layouts, I just had to walk down my street and wait for the street name to change 3 times and voila I'm on Ma May already! No turning corners whatsoever. Amazing right?

Xuan Xuan serves BBQ meats which you grill on your table. It was tasty although I think it would have tasted better with the chili salt that came with it. I managed to get ahead of the dinner crowd and I was just finishing up when families started arriving.

All that for less than P

I had just enough time to buy some groceries, pack my bags and freshen up before I got picked up by the agent where I bought my train tickets from.

The train station was about 10mins away. We had to wait for 45mins outside our train before we were allowed to board since we arrived early. I shared my berth with an Indonesian man who got separated from his 4 other friends and an elderly couple who couldn't stop complaining. Good thing I didn't have problems sleeping. In less than 9 hours we will be at the Lao Cai train station. I can't wait for Sapa!

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	Soft sleeper which I paid $40 for.

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Sent from my iPhone by My Vacation app (http://www.myvacationapp.com/)

The sun is shining high in Sun City.

So our plan to go white water rafting on the Chico River had to be cancelled because the river's water level is not high enough ergo the end of the rafting season. Bummer! This was supposed to be the "highlight" of our trip.

To make up for this, we decided to make the most out of our resort instead. According to the itinerary we would practically just be sleeping in the resort but because of the change of plans, we get an entire afternoon of just bumming around.

Cheapskates that we are, we didn't rent a van to take us to Sta. Ana, Cagayan. We took a traysi to the Don Domingo market (P50) where the public vans plying the Tuguegarao-Sta. Ana route can be found. Fare in a non-aircon van to Sta. Ana is P180 per person. Fortunately, we found someone who had an air conditioned van charging P200/head. There were 7 of us and the driver said that if we're willing to pay for 10 people then we can get the entire van to ourselves. Sold! Van rentals cost somewhere between 4500-5000 including gas. We got the same service for less than half the price. Score!

The ride to Sta. Ana was an uneventful 2hrs 45mins. If we took public transportation the ride would have been between 3-4hrs.

Somewhere in the middle of a relatively barren area stood this huge white complex called Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort or more popularly known as Sun City. The grandeur of this place somewhat stuck out like a sore thumb amid the corn fields and wooden roadside shacks. Previously Sun City was only open to the mostly Chinese foreigners who frequent the resort for its casino. Sometime last year, the resort became open to the Filipinos. It's about time!

Sun City Reception Area

The place looked exactly like the pictures I've seen. Check-in was relatively quick. The Pinoy receptionist just had to ask the Chinese receptionist if we should be charged for the 7th companion since the villa we got was only good for 6. Good thing, we weren't. Full payment had to be made plus a deposit equivalent to one night. After that, a golf cart was dispatched to bring us to our villa.

Fancy the use of a speedboat for your island hopping?

Villas and your the primary mode of transportation to go around the resort.

Tuguegarao: Callao Caves and Pinacanauan River

We landed at the Tuguegarao Airport after a delayed (surprise surprise!) Cebu Pacific flight. In the same flight were some congressional spouses who were on a Lakbay Aral tour. Little did we know that we would be encountering more of them in the next few days.

We planned to just take a traysi (local tricycle) to our hotel in the city center but after asking a female guard at the airport where to get one, she told us that our hotel actually has a shuttle service we could use even if we didn't book transfers. Another airport staff, upon hearing the conversation, confirmed that we can ride the hotel's shuttle and took it upon himself to go out and inform the hotel's shuttle van driver that there were more hotel guests inside. We were approached by the hotel's staff and told us to wait since he had to call for another van to accommodate us. Barely five minutes in Tugueguarao and I am already bombarded with local hospitality. Seems like a good start!

A few minutes after the congressional spouses left, our ride arrived. We were picked up by a spanking white and practically brand new Ford E-150. High rollers!

Trying my hand at Balinese cooking in charming Ubud

I've never joined a cooking class before. For this trip I really wanted to try learning basic Balinese cooking. Lobong Cooking Class came highly recommended by Tripadvisor and touted by some as their best experience in Bali.

Reservations were made through email and Sang Made was very patient in answering all my questions. They only accept a maximum of 8 participants per class so you can be assured of individual attention.

I chose the morning class which included a trip to the local market. We were picked up at our hotel by a uniformed driver in a new Toyota Innova. We passed by one other participant then went straight to the local market where we were met by Sang Made and two other participants.

The local market was small and not much different from our small palengkes here but I guess for foreigners it can be an informative experience.

We didn't really buy anything in the market. Sang Made just brought us around to explain the different vegetables and fruits, their origins and uses.

Random images from the local market trip

After the market tour we went to Sang Made's family's compound where we will have our cooking class.

Kuta Sights and Shops

Since this was supposed to be a steady relaxed trip, I really just wanted to stay in Ubud. However, because we arrive in Bali late at night, it might not be such a good idea to travel for over an hour to get to Ubud. So we decided to give Kuta 2 nights and one full day.

Original plan was to walk around Kuta then hire a cab to go to Uluwatu for Sunset then Jimbaran for dinner. But due to some unfortunate events and too many surf shop bargains, we just ditched our plan. So the day was spent walking down Jalan Legian and this alone can take up hours of your time if you’re not careful. Roxy. Billabong. Rip Curl. Quicksilver. Ralph Lauren. Keep repeating until the end of the street.

We stopped by the Bali Memorial which is dedicated to the 202 people who died in the Bali bombing of 2002. It was built on the site of the original Paddy’s Pub which was destroyed by the terrorist attack. The memorial lists the names and nationalities of all those killed in the attack. It is a beautiful reminder of lives that were unnecessarily lost.

Bali Bombing Memorial

Names and nationalities of the victims

Bali: Touchdown and First Impressions

Our Jetstar flight to Bali from Singapore landed past 9p.m..  The Ngurah Rai International Airport is relatively small and reminded me of some of our own domestic airports because of all the wooden panels and local carvings. As you line up at the immigration you may notice a small holding cell to your right with metal bars covering a small window. It was somewhat disconcerting especially when you remember the very traumatic experience of two Filipinas just a few months back. Anyway, we just distracted ourselves from any negative thoughts by checking out the numerous maps and flyers for Bali tours and rentals that were in abundance near the immigration counters.

Fixed airport taxi counter

My Pulag Packing List

I can't remember how many hours I spent scouring the internet for packing lists for a trek to Mt. Pulag. It was my first time and I was beyond excited. Plus I wanted to make sure that I had everything I need to survive the whole thing.

I didn't have any mountaineering gear so most of my stuff I got from R.O.X. or from Park Square (Johnyee Campsite, Coleman and True Value). These are great places to get camping/travelling/mountaineering gear.

Majestic Mt. Pulag

I crossed one off my 2012 bucket list last January 14-15, 2012: Climb a mountain.

I've always wanted to climb an mountain and go camping ever since I was a young kid. I finally did it. Granted that it wasn't as "roughing it" as real campers would consider but still.

Thanks to my adventurous and always game set of friends, next thing I knew I was already signed up to climb the third highest peak in the Philippines, and the highest in Luzon. (if you're going to do it might as well go all out right?)

For weeks I could not think of anything else but the trip. I read countless blogs of people who have gone before me, researched and re-researched packing lists, went on frequent shopping trips to R.O.X. and Park Square and packed and re-packed my backpack. No, I was actually dreading this trip and was totally unprepared for it. No, really. You see it was only after I signed up and paid for the trip that it hit me that I haven't even completed rehab on my knee which underwent ACL reconstruction surgery. I'm not even 50% done with therapy. So what the hell was I thinking planning on climbing a mountain?! I wasn't. All I knew was I wanted to do it, bahala na how. So for a little peace of mind, I "prepared" for the climb by taking the stairs to my 7th floor office everyday for two weeks. I do at least 2 round trip climbs every day. That was it. Oh and I stopped smoking the day we left for Baguio. (not much help there)

We had a quick breakfast stop near the DENR station. This was where we left our clothes for Baguio too. A short briefing at the DENR station and then we were off to the ranger station - a very bumpy 1.5hrs away by jeep. When we got to the Ranger station it started drizzling but nothing serious. And then we were off. This is it!