THE DATE: April 21, 2012 – May 2, 2012
EXCHANGE RATE:
ITINERARY RECAP:
Accommodation in Vietnam: Tram Anh Hotel
DATE STAYED: April 22, 2012 – April 24, 2012 (3d/2n)
THE RATE: 10 USD/day (For consistency’s sake, 1 USD is 43 PHP)
Accommodation in Vietnam: Hoang Linh Hotel
DATE STAYED: April 21, 2012 – April 22, 2012 (2d/2n)
THE RATE: 15 USD/day (For consistency’s sake, 1 USD is 43 PHP)
Continue reading “Accommodation in Vietnam: Hoang Linh Hotel”
Day 3, Vietnam
THE DATE: April 23, 2012
THE TRIP
08:30-10:00 Around 8:15 AM, Divimom and I were already inside the office of Sinh Tourist for our My Tho – Ben Tre 1 day tour. I was quite excited for this tour because this is the Mekong Delta tour where you will ride a small rowing boat along a mangrove palm creek. After 1 1/2 hours, the bus stopped at a small restaurant/stopover and we walked until we reached a makeshift pier at the end. We boarded a motorized boat that took us to our first destination – a rice paper factory. Tour: 12.47 USD each.
Day 2, Vietnam
THE DATE: April 22, 2012
THE TRIP
08:00-09:00 We checked out from our hotel since we’re going to transfer to a cheaper one and brought our bags with us on our Cu Chi tour. 
So, Divimom and I went on a 1/2 day tour to Cu Chi tunnels c/o Sinh Tourist Cafe. I availed their services last year for my Cu Chi and Mekong tours and was satisfied so I decided to book our Cu Chi tour and Mekong Delta tours with them again. I also purchased tickets from HCMC to Phnom Penh and Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from them. I reserved tickets from their agent thru email and paid for them in their office in De Tham. Since plans may change (ie move tour date, stay for a shorter period), I prefer to pay all transactions when we get to the agency or hotel. I also think that DIY doesn’t necessarily mean to DIY everything. It is possible, of course. But I’m not that hardcore 🙂 If booking travel agencies will make life easier, do so. Especially if it’s your first time in that place or if you have companions that are not as ‘physically fit’ as you are. Accommodation: 15 USD; Tour: 6.27 USD each Continue reading “Day 2, Vietnam”
Day 1, Vietnam
THE DATE: April 21, 2012
THE TRIP
00:30 Divimom and I arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Before we left the airport, we had 50 USD exchanged to VND. There were two currency exchange stations open – one was owned by a bank and the other used the Saigon Taxi stall as their stall. The former (which is an official exchange station) was offering 20,600 VND for 1 USD while the latter was offering 21,100 VND for 1 USD. I hesitated for a while but decided to exchange 50 USD with the latter. BAD DECISION. I didn’t notice that they have commissions. So I received 20,000 VND for every USD. The other one was not charging anything and I would have gotten a better deal out of my money. Continue reading “Day 1, Vietnam”
12 Days: Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand
Since the succeeding posts are about my 12-day, 3-country DIY trip, I decided to have a separate post entirely dedicated to the ‘preparation’ part of my travel.
If you are a DIY person like me, preparing is usually an easy, if not enjoyable, task. You most likely know how to use the search engine efficiently so as to filter the sites that are useful for your trip. You may also have read several books that offer relevant information and details that are more extensive than online blogs and forums. For me, the internet is my most helpful tool as I am not the kind that will digest a place’s culture or history or way of life in a couple of days’ stay. But it doesn’t mean that I am not interested in their part of the world. So long as I can taste a little bit of their culture or know a little bit of their history or experience a little bit their way of life, I am more than satisfied with that. Continue reading “12 Days: Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand”