So, I turned 28 on October 28th. I celebrated it with different people on different days. đ First was a barbecue party with my former teammates from my last job. Second was with my former co-workers from my first ever job in 2007 who are still my good friends until now. Third was with my…
Getting something done in the Philippines can be a pain in the butt. Everything is just slow and there are processes that just don’t make sense…to me! To my surprise, I got my passport renewed without hassle. On October 9th, I went online to get my appointment and the earliest I got was for October…
After a week in the north of Thailand, I had to cut my trip short to help my American friend in the Philippines on some legal issues. Yesterday, I took a flight from Chiang Mai, Thailand via AirAsia. I had a connecting flight in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and my layover was 7 freaking hours! Since…
Jenny and I were roommates at Empire Hostel in Singapore and got to reunite in Thailand. We decided to take a photo of us with the names of the two Indians who were with us in Singapore hostel as well to tease them on FB. On my first day, Jenny and her two other Thai…
Prior to coming to Thailand, I contacted some people through helpx.net because I wanted to try volunteer work so I can be useful while I’m traveling. I chose the Canadian and Thai couple Patrick Waters and Yanat “Nong” Wauters. Patrick is starting a french learning center called youtopia. He wants volunteers to help him so…
I did not want to have too much dilemma while crossing the border so I bought a bus ticket from Luang Prabang Laos to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Khounsavan Guesthouse is offering the fare for 330,000 KIP. I went to town first to check prices and they were more expensive which surprised me so I bought…
Read more I crossed the border from Houay Xay, Laos to Chiang Khong, Thailand.
Out of curiosity, I took a boat from Nong Khiaw which cost 25,000 KIP to get to this tiny riverside village in Northern Laos named Muang Ngoi Neua. There are only two boat trips daily which depart at 11AM and 2PM. Since the tourists from Luang Prabang usually catch the 2PM boat I chose the…
Backpacking is not very common to Filipinos. I know there are few backpacker bloggers from the Philippines but only few. I literally have one backpack with me weighing about 8 kg the last time I checked. I only have a week worth of clothes so I just keep washing them. I avoid buying anything I…
I had such a good sleep last night. I woke up around 6AM and did a little walk. I then headed to Chennai Restaurant for breakfast. I miss Dosai and last night I already decided that this is what I’m going to have for breakfast. Oh it was so good with Indian masala tea! I…
The van dropped us off a kilometer away to where the guesthouses are. I decided to walk instead of taking tuktuk for 5,000 KIP. I had to cross this bridge and while the kids are passing by on their bicycle, they were smiling at me so I said Sabaidee which means hello and they all…
I immediately liked the laid back impression of this little town. No people to sell me stuff. No people asking me to avail tour packages. I stayed two nights at Khounsavan Guesthouse for $5/night including simple breakfast. The hostel has a whole bunch of backpackers but it has a good vibe. I guess the garden…
I paid $22 for a bus ticket from Sapa, Vietnam to Muang Khua, Laos. The bus left at 7PM from Lao Cai to Dien Bien Phu on Saturday. There were 3 other foreigners on the bus but the sleeping bus was overloaded with locals. There were people laying on the floor and some were just…
I have been looking forward to be in Sapa. I heard nothing but good things about it. After about 10 hours travel from Hanoi to Sapa, a whole bunch of local people were waiting for us to get off the bus near the lake. All of them wanted us to do homestay with them for…
Read more Disappointment in Sapa, Vietnam despite breathtaking views!
My bus ticket was VND 340,000 for another 18 hours bus ride from Hoi An to Hanoi. I walked about an hour to get to Hanoi Lucky Guesthouse 2 from where the bus dropped us off. I was so tired but my room was not yet ready. One of the guys asked me where I…
My travel time from Dalat to Hoi An took 18 hours including couple hours stop in Nha Trang. I paid VND 350,000 for bus ticket. I chose Hoa Binh Hotel for $8/night including breakfast. They picked me up from the bus stop and I got a 3-bed room which was nice. Their buffet breakfast was…
I chose this hostel because of the good reviews I saw and the fact that it’s only $4 per night including breakfast. Shortly after I booked my reservation through hostelworld.com, I got a text from Win Le of Dalat Smile Hostel asking my bus information to Dalat from Saigon. He offered to pick me up…
I just planned to be in Dalat for 2 nights but I ended up staying for 4 nights. I spent my last night with Zohar from Israel. She was my roommate. We walked to the market and had dinner at Cafe 13 which has a very relaxing ambiance. I love the cold weather in Dalat.…
Everybody in the hostel was talking about this canyoning tour so I decided to do it. Dalat Smile Hostel arranged it through Highland Sport Travel for me with the 4 German guys I met in Saigon who came to Dalat as well . Our tour guide, Dao picked us up at the hostel around 8:30AM. It…
I wanted to see the flower farm and and coffee farm so I hired Ling, one of the guys in the hostel to take me to places. He charged me $20 for the motorbike tour. He first took me to flower farm which was beautiful. It started to rain when we were in the flower…
I met a Vietnamese girl named Yuli. She took me to a Crazy House. The entrance fee is VND 40,000. It was pretty cool because when she told the personnel that she just wants to show me the place, she did not have to pay an entrance fee. Well, I got nothing much to say…
I woke up at 4AM to take the what they call sleeping bus to Dalat with 4 guys from Germany. I’ve never been to this kind of bus and I find this really cool. Comfy and perfect for me. Of course, this bus is made for asian people so the guys were not as comfortable…
Since it’s our last night in Ho Chi Minh City, Ashley and 2 of her Vietnamese friends took me and the 4 German guys she introduced to me (Stephan, Stefan, Philipp and Dmitrij) to District 7. We ate dinner then headed our way to Anh Sao Bridge which is one of the famous dating place…
Read more A romantic night in Saigon with 3 Vietnamese and 4 Germans
Today, I am back in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. My Vietnamese friend picked me up at the airport with her motorbike. She took me to my hostel to check in then we went for lunch with her other friend. Each ordered noodles and shared fried spring roll. Our bill was VND 108,000 (around $5…
Who would have thought there is such place like this in Singapore? Last August, I wanted to visit this place but I couldn’t get anybody to go with me. The people I know have been here already so I wanted to go with someone who hasn’t seen the place. Finally, I found one. I met…
I decided to do backpacking with so little money in hand. I only wanted to go back to Vietnam so SG is not in my budget but when I was searching for flights, a one way flight from Manila to Singapore and a one way flight from Singapore to Vietnam is way cheaper than a…
I arrived in the Philippines 25 days ago. Now, I’m sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to Singapore again with nothing but a backpack. I will then head back to Vietnam on Tuesday, the 9th. I just had to go back to where I left my heart. This time, I plan to explore…
My 17 days in Mindoro came to an end. I surely had fun with my friend and her family. It was such a simple life living in the province and I certainly prefer it more than living in the city. Eating fresh seafood, coconut juice and vegetables everyday surely made my skin healthier. Here, I…
I have been restless since I got back home from my vacation. For some reason, the comfortable place, the access to all my stuff, the malls around me, the nice restaurants and whatever life I have back here in the city don’t seem to be what I like anymore. But hey, we don’t always get…
I jumped in the shower right when I got home today. Boy, it was so nice to take a shower without having to take your stuff out of your bag and put it back after. I got plenty of clothes and shoes to choose from and I’m now again able to charge my 2 mobile…
So, I’m back in the Lion City. I’ll be here for 4 days before I return to the Philippines. I’m still thinking of Saigon though. I can still taste the Vietnamese food. I can still hear the Vietnamese people. I want to go back to Vietnam and live in different parts of the country. I…
We decided to do Cu Chi Tunnels on my last day in Vietnam. The hostel was offering a tour for 130,000 VND/person excluding the entrance fee of 90,000 VND/person. We took a bus instead which cost us 26,000 VND/person round trip. That was way cheaper than the tour package. The first bus took us one…
I was going back to Cambodia to spend my last 3 days of vacation in Siem Reap before I head back to Singapore. I suddenly got a message from my Vietnamese friend telling me that the guys from Gibraltar that we met in Singapore are coming to Vietnam and that we should have dinner together.…
It is too early to sleep so I decided to go to the coffee shop nearby my hostel to relax and to also catch up on my blog. I was watching youtube videos and exchanging messages with my friends as well. I then realized that I’ll have to leave Vietnam soon. I’ll have to go…
I woke up today feeling better and so was Ellen. We planned on going to the War Museum. They said it takes about 30 minutes walk from our hostel. We had lunch first then started walking. Since the War Museum will not open again until 1:30PM, we decided to go to Independence Palace which is just…
My 7th day in Vietnam was a lazy day. The last few days were tiring and I needed to get some rest. The girl from California (Ellen) was not fully recovered yet so we just went out to have lunch. Then, it was raining for the rest of the day. On my 8th day, Ellen…
I decided to walk around to see the city today. I was down in the lobby around 8:30 in the morning. I bought my mango smoothie first then I went back to the hostel to get online a little bit. It was just me and the receptionist then after about 5 minutes of sitting on…
I haven’t seen much of Ho Chi Minh yet and I have been running around since I got here. I am so tired so I decided that today, I will just stay in the hostel or chill in the coffee shop nearby. I slept a lot which made me feel refreshed. I didn’t get out…
Lam, the guy I met in Singapore invited me for a dinner which I was so excited about. When we were in Singapore, I did tell him and his family that I have been wanting to visit Vietnam for food. Ashley and I attended the “Talking With The Tourists Group” in the park for couple…
So we went to the park which is just 2 blocks away from my hostel. I got to meet a lot of Vietnamese people. Most of them are in college. The “Talking With The Tourists Group” literally means they are talking with the tourists to practice their English. Since these students cannot afford to pay…
Read more Vietnam 2014 (Day 3 with “Talking With The Tourists Group”)
On my second day, a girl from Germany named Julie checked in in the room where I’m at. We talked and laughed within the first 30 minutes. She asked me if I’d like to go out for the night and of course I said yes. She wanted to have a drink so we went to…
They said the best bus to Vietnam from Phnom Penh is Giant Ibis so I took it for $18. We left around 8AM and I arrived in Ho Chi Minh around 2PM. It took us 6 hours and the whole trip went smoothly from the time we departed, going through immigration and my arrival in Saigon…
I found a round trip ticket through Jetstar from Singapore to Phnom Penh for S$127.00. Without knowing anyone and with the hope of getting a job as English teacher, I decided to fly to Cambodia on July 21, 2014. I chose to stay in Lovely Jubbly Place. I paid US$10.00 for 3 nights for the 12-bed…
So here’s my review about the first ever hostel I stayed at. A lot of bad reviews I’ve read online. This was one of cheapest hostel I found though and was my last option. The review through hostelworld is limited to characters so I couldn’t write these all. I’m hoping travellers will see this and…
I met a lot of different people from different country by staying in the hostel. I first met the two awesome young guys from India named Tushar and Ankit. They are Engineering students doing internship at Nanyang Technological University. It was their last weekend though when I arrived. They wanted to go out to take…
I quit my job in the Philippines on June 10, 2014. After two weeks of being jobless, I decided to go to Singapore to find a job. I flew to Singapore on the night of July 03, 2014. I was supposed to arrive SG around 12 midnight but my flight from the Philippines was delayed…
I Am Ryshel 
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