Backpacking Diary - ThaiCamViet 2018 - Cambodia to Vietnam

Going from point A to point B should be easier by plane but cheaper by land. For some of us, we want to save as much as we can on transportation and indulge more on food, shopping, etc. This was the mindset we had for our Angkor, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam trip. We opted in for a land trip from Angkor to Phnom Phen and finally Ho Chi Minh. During the day. It took us about six hours as compared to an hour or so plane ride. But we were in for the experience!

We had a view of Tonle Sap which is a fresh water lake in Cambodia.

A few stretches here and there and then it was time for another long ride. The ride was not bumpy at all so it was not a problem to sit on the tail of the bus where we met a fellow traveller who was on her way to Phnom Pehn. She knew we were headed to Vietnam and so, since she is a Vietnamese, she has mostly given us tips on what to do and what not to do when we arrive in Ho Chi Minh. As well as Phnom Pehn, actually.

From then on, we had assumed that Phnom Pehn is just like Manila - harsh and familiar (except that it was our first time so there was no familiarity, at all). To be honest, it was the unlikeliest place I have been to. Unfortunately, we did not give this city a chance to be discovered (and hopefully liked) within a few hours of our stay.

We walked around the hotel's neighbourhood and found a Chinese restaurant. The food was amazing! My rice and pork bowl felt like home. Seriously!

We spent a few hours eating and talking about life - in general. We went back to our hotel and since we are not going out anyway, we had another pint. The moon was beautiful that night.

We spent the night away on the rooftop bar of our hotel mostly talking about our future endeavors. Although we may have chosen to stay in, it felt like it was a perfect time to actually sit and wind down after days of being out there. It was the time to stay still as another adventure begins the next day.

Then - we started to think that the hotel room was a bit spooky. Just for fun. And then we snoozed...

Now we are off to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam!

Phnom Pehn, thanks for the easy night!

And then our Vietnam journey begins...

Backpacking Diary - ThaiCamViet 2018 - Cambodia

Siem Reap to me is rich in history. Just like any other city in the world but this one is one of the places I have been to that makes me indulge into reading history books.

It felt to me that it was a must to visit Siem Reap if you are wandering around Asia. Though it was a small city, having only three nights is not enough for me (at least). Sure, you can visit the temples of Angkor in one day but it is not enough to grasp everything there is to see in that compound let alone the whole city. 

I arrived in Siem Reap at night and could not wait to meet my best friend and the adventure that awaits us. The tuktuk ride from the airport to the hostel felt so familiar - the crisp and fresh evening air that brushes against your face, the bragging sound of the motorcycle on a highway as if it was the only vehicle on the road, the open fields in between luxury hotels, and the smell of a bonfire on the front yard of some houses, it felt like it was home. 

Lok Lak - this was the first food I ate in Siem Reap. It was basically just braised (though not sure) pork and rice. I think this was mostly what I ate during our stay in Siem Reap. We stayed a few steps away from Pub Street so basically it was difficult to sleep at night when you are surrounded by loud music everywhere. I remember they played Usher's Yeah but they also played John Denver's Country Roads. So it was not too bad. 

We witnessed the sunrise at Angkor Wat and then visited a couple of temples around Angkor. Here's a list of temples that we visited: Angkor Wat, Bayon, Preah Khan, Ta Som, Pre Rup and Ta Prohm.

We saw a few tourists who carried books around the temple. My best friend told me that some people stay at least five days to see everything and the book might include a history for each temple and some glimpses of the bygone empire. I never really had the chance to read about the temples or even documentaries to explain what happened in such an amazing place before my trip. But after this trip, I drowned myself with some documentaries and therefore I came to know that the whole compound was once a modern town from centuries ago. And some more interesting facts. Such is their water management and irrigation system which is believed to be the reason why it is abandoned - due to failure of maintenance and climate change.

Witnessing both sunrise and sunset was an amazing experience in Angkor. I am glad to witness a whole day of a beautiful distraction from the city life that I am used to. And I am going to treasure this day forever. I've had blisters around my feet (from walking too much and wearing the same sandals since day one in Thailand) and it was getting too uncomfortable to walk around, but seeing the whole day end with a golden sunset, it was all worth it. 

This life has too many complexities that sometimes we forget to step back and take another route. For some reason, unconsciously, we kind of like going around the same circle. But I am glad that I took that trip and always grateful for my best friend for coming along, for the strangers we have met, for the friendly tourists who took pictures of us, for the chance to visit another place, and for those moments that make us humble.

By having visited Angkor and witnessed its uniqueness, we celebrated this small victory over a small pint of beer. Actually, two... and then some.

Backpacking Diary - ThaiCamViet 2018 - Thailand

 

When I was a little girl, I wandered around my village with a few of my friends on one sunny afternoon. We walked along the shore line, walked across a big canal on a narrow log bridge which connected the North and South villages, and rock climbed a big man-made wall and found ourselves victorious. We ate ice cream all the way back home.

Every time I think about that day and all the other adventures I had since then, I always find myself asking where to go next. In the later months of 2017, I wanted to do backpacking around some parts of Indochina. I wanted to go to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I wanted to get lost in there, I wanted to see it, and there I was waiting for cheap tickets for my pre-booked annual leave in the office. I think sometimes when I see a cheap ticket, I take it as a sign to really go and visit the country. Heh.

I did not prepare much at all. Except for a list of places I want to go but nothing too detailed as how do I go from point A to point B. I just wanted to go. I packed a few clothes and got lost in a those cities. I was scared. I was excited. I was looking forward to that journey.

It was a Tuesday and I left straight from work to the airport via train. Arrived at the airport and approached the check-in counter. The lady who gave me my boarding passes asked me "backpacking?" and I openly responded, "uhm, first time.". She smiled and mentioned she just came back from a Europe trip with only a backpack and stressed that "...we should travel solo at least once in our lifetime. It's an amazing experience. Have a safe journey and enjoy!" That's when I got more and more excited to fly!

Bangkok, Thailand - I landed around 11 in the morning. I did not have any idea how to go from the airport to my hostel but I managed to find a shuttle bus that goes to Khao San Road. My hostel is not on this road but I know that when I reach there, I can walk two blocks to arrive to my hostel. So it was fine. The plan was to see the city as much as I can therefore I walked a lot during this trip. Thanks to GPS technology - I swear it helped me navigate better as I am really, really bad at directions.

I approached the bus lady to drop me off along Khao San Road but she seemed she did not get what I was trying to say and instead kept nodding her head and pointing to the current location we were in. So, I smiled and went back to my seat. Surprisingly though, I was not scared at all. I went back to my seat and wanted to laugh at myself. "What am I doing with my life? Ha ha ha" A guy approached me and said he is also stopping at the same road so I should get off the bus with him. He introduced himself and mentioned that he just came from backpacking around Russia and Israel and decided to spend some time in Thailand before going back home. He was kind enough to walk me towards my hostel and talked about his inspiring travels along the way until we had to separate ways when we arrived at my hostel. 

I took a nap and freshened up and started my journey around Khao San Road, Soi Rambutrri and neighboring alleys with my camera. I wandered around, watched the sunset at Santi Chai Prakan park and found myself eating a Pad Thai for dinner along Soi Rambutrri. A guy approached me and asked if he can interview me regarding some market research. I am aware that I am making myself vulnerable that moment but I am glad I said "sure". Otherwise, I would not know another person who is passionate about travel to the point of developing a travel app for solo travelers. It was a combo to have delicious food, great local music sang by a local artist, and talking to a local whose passion is almost the same as mine. Then, we had to separate ways. I walked towards my hostel and took a different route which was near the Chao Phraya river and saw locals having dinner along the quiet street, a few tuktuks passed by as compared to the opposite alley and most of the local shops are now closed. 

The next day was my last day in the city and my first breakfast at a local guest house. It was great to witness the city as it was slowly waking up and the Phra Sumen road was getting busier while the tuktuks are taking over the streets. I had breakfast outdoors and surrounded by potted plants and an almost grey sky hovering above me. However it did not rain that day. I wanted to visit the temples: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun. I managed to visit all of them by walking and riding a boat. The temples looked amazing. I wish I had read more about them but I have selected some documentaries on the side that I can watch on my free time. Finished my Bangkok trip at the upper class neighbourhood and met up with my high school friend, Dawn.

We spent around an hour in one of the coffee shops in Siam Paragon. As both of us are expats in different countries, we were mostly talking about the challenges and joys of being one. It was great to see her and know her journey which is almost the same as mine. Then headed towards the airport via train and bus.

My time spent in Bangkok was too short but I am glad that I saw the main attractions in the city (at least). From the time I landed to the time I left, never did I felt too scared about getting lost in this city. It was a lovely trip. It was very liberating to see unfamiliar places, talk to strangers, and having conversations about A to Z. I would love to go back soon.

Naked Island, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

Naked Island is the second island we visited during our Britania Island hopping! It's my favorite among the four islands! How amazing it is to be standing on a sandbar surrounded by the deep blue sea?!

There's nothing else to do here but to enjoy the moment! We made quite a few jumping here and there, swimming, group dancing for the drone!

It felt like we're in kindergarten again! 

I was not able to take photos with my camera. My brother covered everything with his drone but I don't have any access with the high-res images yet. These are just snippets from the video taken by a drone. What a lovely place!! :)

Hagonoy Island, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

Hagonoy Island is part of the Britania Group of Islands in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. We got the chance to visit it on July 2016. The weather was permissible as it was a bit cloudy in the morning however the rain did not pour down throughout our trip. In fact, we got a full sunshine when we started sailing! Perfect!

The images were taken with my brother's DJI Phantom 3 drone and my Fujifim XT10. I am so in love with these shots especially the aerial images. The thing about aerial images is that it captures awesome shots and makes you think how small we are in this beautiful world!

This island has a powdery white sand and is surrounded by clear waters. I must admit some people are too irresponsible to leave soda bottles around. I don't get why they don't bring their trash with them when they are surrounded by such an amazing albeit small island! Shout out to those people who posts on social media about their journey towards a beautiful destination and how much they love the place and taking selfies left and right but does not care to bring their shit with them. You guys are such hypocrites. Ooops sorry not sorry!

Look at our happy faces! Heehee~ I remember we were running like kids at recess time towards the island when we docked the boat! It was too beautiful to not jump and run around, pictures here and there, swim and swim even more! I must say despite seeing plastic bottles of soda (which really makes me mad every time I remember it lol), it made me happy to sea shells, fishes and sea urchins! I was very fond of these things back in my childhood~

Of course, we have to grab each others faces when we take group pictures. I lost this time. Just this time. ;p

Yay! One island down, three more to go :)

Enchanted River, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

I have been wanting to visit this place back in college but I never really did. Glad to have the chance to see this back in July 2016! Enchanted River is located in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. We arrived during the fish feeding session in the river. No one was allowed to swim or jump into the water except for two people who are actually feeding the fishes. It was such a great sight to see big fishes swimming freely! After an hour, we were allowed to jump in and so we did!!

Ready to jump into the clear waters of Enchanted River!

I tried to go towards the cave but kind of scared that a kraken might appear! Kidding! I wanted to be next to the fishes but however I swim deeper, I just could not seem to be near them. This just means that the water is too clear, you think that the riverbed is just a few hand span deep!

Of course, the most important thing in this travel, group jump shot!

Another one that I crossed off in my bucket list! :D

Tinuy-an Falls, Surigao del Sur, Philippines

We conquered a part of Surigao del Sur back in July 2016. There are so many places to visit in Surigao del Sur and I wish I could visit each of them. I'm glad that I was able to share this travel experience in Surigao del Sur with my family and family friends. First stop is Tinuy-an Falls. Located in Bislig, Surigao del Sur.

Tinuy-an means intentional.

The Legend of Tinuy-an Falls

Legend revealed that long before the Magdiwatu Mountain Settlers were enslaved by cruel tribesmen coming from the hinterlands of Agusan. They were mistreated by their masters and were forced to perform hard manual labor.

Tired of the maltreatment, the brave natives convened among themselves and created a plan to be free of the cruelty. So, one day, while rowing the gakit (bamboo raft) boarded by their masters, the slaves jumped off and intentionally shoved the gakit towards the waterfalls killing all their vicious masters and attaining the freedom that they longed for.

From then on, the high falling waters is called Tinuy-an Falls to commemorate the courage and gallantry of the heroic natives.

Tinuy-an Falls has three tiers. The image above is the first one. I was not able to up though since I was not too confident with my slippers. (Says the girl who climbed Tagbibinta Falls up to its 4th drop with only slippers on and held twigs on the way up! Haha!) I guess the older we get, the more we want to do stuff with more responsibility such as wearing the right gears in any activities. Just kidding, the locals wanted us to pay just so we could climb up! So everyone thought, we'll just let the drone fly and see everything for us. Hahahaha 

I remember staring at it for a while from afar, looking at how strong yet beautiful it is, hearing the strangely calming sounds of a strong impact of free falling water, feeling the splashing waters touch my skin as I walk closer and felt great to have such a beautiful place hidden in a province just nearby. 

Roll call: Kuya Melbert, Kuya Nuqui, Ate Aking, Ate Aling, Manoy Toben, Kuya Clarence, Not in the picture: Kuya Danny, and Kuya Arthur

 

Tinuy-an Falls, you are beautiful! I hope someday I can visit again and see more of what you have! :)