Traveling to Vietnam: Street Food and Packing List

April’s just around the corner and if you’re considering a trip to Ho Chi Minh City and wondering what to pack for this type of super humid weather…read on my friend, read on.

What I remember from my trip in Vietnam.
1. Food is delicious
2. I felt safe walking around alone but with caution
3. Crossing the street is not easy and requires pure focus and confidence
4. The economy is booming and you can see it through the city’s hustling and bustling atmosphere.

This was my 1st time traveling to mother land. Not only was I shit scared of being on a 12 hr flight (scared of flying) from Madrid but the fear of getting food poisoning from street food, pick pocketed, getting lost and maybe ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, nerves kicking my butt about meeting my entire family for the first time, etc. The list goes on. Everything was new to me, of course I had questions popping up in my head. Overall, I was excited for what lies ahead.

I finally landed in Saigon, stepped out of the airplane and felt the super hot wet air slapping me in the face for wearing a thick black coat, black leggings paired with leather black boots. Note to self, pick your clothes wisely when packing. Immediately, I started sweating. I walked out of the airport and almost instantly, all of my relatives recognized me through my facebook photos. While all of the women in my family greeted me with full hugs and kisses, my uncles and dude cousins gave me respectful half hugs 🙂 For two weeks in Saigon, I ate like a queen. The food in Vietnam is no joke, it’s fucken delicious. My cousins took me to all of the good spots to eat (always good if you know locals). I barely went to any fancy restaurants to eat. I actually got most my food from street vendors and from casual restaurants. My rule of thumb is to only eat at busy places to avoid the Saigon Squirts lol. Though, I do not recall the names of any restaurant I went to, I can tell you I had Pho (beef noodle soup) almost every morning, Mi (egg noodle soup), Com Tam Suong Bi Cha (Grill Pork over rice with shredded pork, vietnamese ham, veggies), and tons of seafood hot pot called Lau. Omg, everything tasted 50 times better in Vietnam than back home in the Bay Area. Here’s a list of legit places you can try out according to other folks who’ve gone to Saigon:

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS
Com Tâm 390 (Rice plates)
Pho Le (Beef noodle soup)
Banh Canh Cua 87 (Udon noodle soup)
Pho Hòa (Beef/Chicken noodle soup)
Quán Bánh Xèo 46A (Vietnamese crepe)

Click here for more recommendations:

While I was in Saigon towards the end of April, I remember two things: sweating and eating a ton. I brought probably 4-5 outfits with me to Vietnam and only wore 2 outfits for the 2 weeks I was there.

Here’s what not to wear: black leggings, slippers, purses, jewelry.

Black leggings made with cotton and spandex are not breathable, avoid slippers because your feet should never be exposed when you’re constantly roaming the streets, purses are no no’s because it can easily get snatched, and jewelry draws too much unwanted attention and potentially danger.

Here’s a packing list for apparel when traveling to Vietnam in April
1. Simple Tanks
2. Tom Shoes
3. Maxi Skirt
4. Pants (Convertible, thin, and quick dry) 
5. Oversized Blouse 

Tanks can pair with anything making it easy to wear. Tom shoes is thick enough to protect your feet from the filth that some streets may have and thin enough to allow your feet to breath in hot weather. Maxi skirts are soooo comfortable to wear and packable! Traveling pants will come in handy if you want more flexibility in movement, hassle free when it comes to wrinkles, and you can easily hand wash and it’ll dry within a few hrs. Oversized blouses are awesome in protecting you from the sun, loose enough to let some air flowing through the shirt, and thin enough to let you move around easily.

If you’re planning a trip to Saigon and worried about what to wear that is culturally appropriate, the list above will suffice!

Have fun!

 

 

 

Unforgettable Trip to Seville (Sevilla), Spain

After Barcelona, I flew straight to Sevilla, the southern part of Spain.

Many friends who I met from Burningman last year lives in Sevilla. I heard of so many wonderful stories about this magical place that I knew I had to visit it. So I did after an hour or so cheap flight through a budget airline called Vueling. I booked it using dohop.com. This website usually include European budget airlines in their search results. It never disappoints.

Gladly my close friend was willing to let me stay in one of the extra rooms in his apartment. His place was fortunately located in the center of everything, right in downtown. So my stay in Sevilla was situated before I even got there. Thank god!

I was told by many to not cab in Sevilla, because the cab drivers are known to rip off foreigners, which is pretty normal. However, once I got off the plane I went straight to the taxi drivers and negotiated a set rate beforehand so everything worked out pretty smoothly. From the airport into the center of Sevilla was only a 20-30 drive. I did it for about 25 Euros or so.

I remember the feelings I got when the cab driver reached the center of Sevilla and continued through the narrow streets filled with nothing but beautiful historic architecture. I felt physically and emotionally this incredible sense of excitement, romance, and comfort just by looking at my surroundings. It was a warm night and there were plenty of folks sitting outside of tapas restaurants/bars just chatting it up with a beer or wine in their hands. Some times I would hear people singing in groups for fun and others were playing flamenco style guitar songs. It was amazing. I knew from the 1st day that visiting Seville was an excellent decision.

SEMANA SANTA (HOLIDAY)-While I was in Sevilla for 2.5 weeks, I happened to be there during a big holiday called Semana Santa. A hugeeee ol’ celebration of Easter pretty much. Everyone dresses up for this full week. You’ll see big religious floats being carried by 30 or so men through the crampy streets almost all hours of the day throughout an entire week. These religious floats are beautiful as they usually have a statue of Christ a lot of the times decorated with candles and flowers. The streets are CROWDED almost all of the time around the center of Sevilla. Overall, it was an incredible and deep experience to be able to be a part of something so special and new to me. Spiritual experience.

TRANSITION (HIPPIE/RAVE/TRANCE FESTIVAL)-This fest took place about 30 mins outside of Seville in the woods. It’s basically a mini-burningman but in Spain. I danced my ass off with my friend and his friends then some strangers to techno, trance, psychedelic trance, EDM, just to about every genre available. There were a bunch of folks camping there, plenty of hammocks around, camp fires, great organic food, and a lot of folks with dreadlocks 😀 After being there for 4 hrs just pure dancing, I got tired and decided to explore the woods away from the fest. My friend and I ended up running through the short trees into the woods like little kids and surprisingly found 2 hand drums.  Immediately, we started drumming while the sun was setting. Ohhhh how beautiful the moment was! It was perfect. I had so much fun at this event and would recommend anyone to go!

WALKING TOUR-I had 2.5 weeks to explore Sevilla and that was a perfect amount of time to see almost all of what this city has to offer. I stumbled across these places: Alcazar, Plaza de Espana, Barrio Santa Cruz, Giralda Tower, Seville Cathedral, Flamenco Show, Archaeological Ensemble of Italica, Triana, etc. Luckily, I had a friend who’s a native to show me around town. These places can also be found on tripadvisor. You must visit these places because then you’ll come to realize Sevilla’s style, especially architecture was influenced by the muslims, jewish, and romans back then. Sevilla is very different from the rest of Spain and it’s worth exploring.

FOOD-The tapas and their ice cream shops are to die for. The food there is very affordable. For example, I remember a typical tapas dish is usually around 6 Euros, not bad at all. And if you plan to go grocery, you can even save way more money. Quite honestly, I think I broke my bank dropping by the ice cream shops twice every day for 2 weeks, it’s just too damn good to not do that. Funny thing is, I was lactose intolerant before I went to Seville, but now my body can actually tolerate lactose. Ice cream cured me lol. I don’t remember the names of my favorite restaurants but in any case where ever you are, please try these types of dishes:

1. HAM (big deal in Spain)

2. Fried pork cooked in whiskey, garlic, salt

3. Octopus cooked in olive oil, cheese, paprika, salt

4. Steak (like a Spanish version of filet mignon)

Keep these in mind though: Condiments like bread sticks will cost you extra at any restaurant, not free. A lot of restaurants close in the afternoon usually between 2-5pm (plan to bring your own food or starve until restaurant opens).

PARTY SCENE-There are plenty of night clubs but I didn’t really go to any. I was already enjoying the tapas and just chilling outside with my friends, didn’t really feel a need to rage.

GO ROLLERBLADING-can’t do this in the center but if you walk several blocks outside of the center you can rollerblade along the river and bridges. Many folks do this.

MUSIC-Seville is one the most musical cities I have ever been to. Flamenco is all over the place. It seemed like everyone were very comfortable with themselves and loved to express that side through the guitar. I also went to some jazz shows near the Alameda Center and it was perfect.

Everything I experienced in Sevilla was unforgettable. The people are very friendly and extremely good looking, the weather is great, the city is beautiful, just everything was good. I want to go back…. 🙂

 

 

 

The Wonderful Berlin

Just want to put it out there that Berlin is one of my favorite places on earth 🙂

We took the train from Prague to Berlin. It’s relatively close. Only a 4 hour ride. We booked it through this website http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/

It was actually my first time ever taking the train. I was a bit nervous so I booked first class ahead of time which was only about $20 more than the regular economy seating. What a great decision it was. It was on a Sunday and the first class section was nearly empty. The attendants were so kind and the seats were super comfortable. Smooth ride it was.

We finally got to Berlin and took the cab to our airbnb place in Kreuzberg (only $25 per night!). I immediately fell in love with this place. This city is definitely meant for biking and walking, everything is very accessible by foot, metro, or bike. There are so many good restaurants all around the area and almost all have outdoor seating. Throughout the day, there are always people out and about. AND best of all, everyone is so freaken nice. It’s a blessing in the skies.

So, there are 3 places I always ate it when I was in Berlin: Cocolo Ramen, Mustafas Gemuse Kebab, and some random Turkish Restaurant (I don’t remember the name! :*O ) Fast service and it’s really good. I don’t think I ever had bad food in Berlin. The price range for a meal at a casual restaurant usually starts at $12 USD.

During the day time, we rented bikes for free from the DB bike stations that are located almost every other 4 blocks or so. Keep in mind, it’s only free if you get the basic rate and park the bike every 30 minutes. Moreover, we biked from Kreuzberg and into Mitte (nice ritzy neighborgood). This way we surprisingly stumbled upon many of berlin’s landmarks like the berlin wall, Brandenburg Gate, Alexanderplatz, Tiergarten Park (awesome park!), Holocaust Memorial, and so forth. Biking is a great and safe way to see everything. The biking lanes are all part of the sidewalk which makes it much more safe to bike than compared to biking in NY or SF with bike lanes being in the street.

During the night time, we partied with our Airbnb host. He took us to a rock club in mitte, a 80’s theme party in some unknown club, and we ended up at Cookies the last night in Berlin. Cookies is the only name that I remember lol. It’s also a great semi fancy nightclub with 2 dance floors one hip hop and the other disco/techno. There are a bunch of other random rooms to hangout throughout this place. When I was partied in Berlin, everyone was so friendly. I had several unplanned dance battles aha! It was great.

Overall, I had such a great time in Berlin that it made me think about moving there lol. Most folks speak English which makes it easier for me since I don’t speak German, it’s incredibly safe, and it’s festive all the time! I love it.

Exploring a little bit of Eastern Europe: Budapest & Prague

Right after Helsinki, my next stop was Budapest. Fairly short flight. It was about a little over an hour as I “think” I remember. Everything was already planned before I got to the destination. Why did I choose to visit Budapest? Well, it’s because my friend convinced that it’s a cheap and friendly place with plenty to do.

Right when I landed in Budapest, I was already feeling the heat through the airplane windows. Come to find out that I was the only idiot wearing a thick long coat while everyone else was wearing shorts, dresses, and skirts. I took a cab straight to the hostel (Carpe Noctem). Carpe Noctem is known as a party hostel with raving reviews on tripadvisor. Not knowing any one living in Budapest and craving to experience the party life in their well-known ruin bars, I had no other choice but to crash at this party hostel. It was a great decision! I made tons of new friends there. The staff were super friendly and all the guest were always hanging out together in the lobby or the kitchen. By night we all hung out at different clubs and bars. I remember partying at Retox, Szimpla Kert, and Instant. My favorite by far was Szimpla Kert. I must say that was the coolest bar I’ve ever seen in my life. There were so many levels to it. It’s actually a three level bar in a ruin building with hookah lounges available, outdoor patio with art cars lying around, a mini jungle-looking tree in the middle of the entire complex, and much more. I also want to add that this was a MONDAY night and the place was packed. Great vibe.

Another thing I enjoyed about Budapest are the pastries. They’re fucken amazing. All I did was walk around the neighborhood and ordered some pastries at any random shop and every time, it blew my mind away. So freaken delicious. There’s this one restaurant that I would like for you to try. It’s called W35, probably the best burger joint in the world.

Next up was Prague! I flew to Prague from Budapest and was probably the only person who would do that. Everyone takes the train, no one flies apparently. The flight was 5 or 6 hrs shorter than the train ride but about $40 dollars more costly.

I got to Prague and immediately checked in to my airbnb place. I realized the place was located up a flight of dreadfully long stairs from a strip club but the rest of the neighborhood was decent. I forget which neighborhood I was in.

Prague is definitely a beautiful city. There’s so much history. You can spend two days just wandering around Stare Maestro and explore the farmer markets, the big clock, the night clubs (Roxy and James Dean) nearby, rooftop restaurants, the sexy looking Charles Bridge, the cute shops all around, and etc. You can also take the tram/bus all the way to the top of the hill to explore the big castles. This city is absolutely stunning! BUT, there’s a few things that threw me off course:

1. People kept trying to rip me off (maybe because I looked like a lost American or something???)
2. Got charged to use the restrooms even in some restaurants
3. Not a fan of the food there

This is my opinion. Maybe yours is totally different, but overall, Prague was a cool place to check out.

My next stop is Berlin!

A Week in Finland!

What brought me to Helsinki, Finland??? My close and dearing friend Nils. A proud Finnish he is, he was able to convince me to come visit his homeland. I booked a one way flight from San Francisco to Helsinki for the next month (no return flight booked!). Packed my bags, rented out my room, and had a sweet farewell party with family and friends, then I up and left for Europe right after. The flight cost me about 550 USD, and it took 16 hrs to get there via Finnair (great airline by the way).

Once I got to Helsinki, I realized everything reminded me of Ikea. Found out their main specialty is industrial design so that explains it. The city overall is cold of course, cozy for some reason, and quiet. The people there seem a bit more shy compared to loud Americans and incredibly good looking (well dressed). Gladly, I had a friend who introduced to the locals and showed me around town to all the cool spots.

We went everywhere: shopping center, terraces with views of Helsinki, outdoor cafes that had a fireplace along the frozen baltic sea, tech company parties that party HARD lol, and many affordable beautifully decorated restaurants. The food in Finland is definitely delicious! Enough said, I want to talk about the best part now and that is the finnish sauna.

Thank god I have an amazing friend who invited me to his summer home that had a sauna. Nothing feels better than to hangout in a hot steamed sauna during freezing cold weather, but that wasn’t it! It’s not a complete finnish experience until you dip into the frozen baltic sea. That’s right! I did it. It looks like a tough one to do but it was actually the most exhilarating and refreshing feeling ever!

Would I come visit Helsinki again? YES!

Rio de Janeiro Carnival in Brazil 2014

Photo by Prefeitura de Olinda
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Happy New Year Everyone!

For me, I still have a few more hours left until 2014 hits. However, before that even happens…I am already planning a trip to Brazil for Carnival 2014. This is a bit of a last minute planning to go to such a huge international event. I checked hotels in Zona Sul and 99% are already sold out. Yikes! That being said, I will have to rely on airbnb.

I’m planning on heading out of San Francisco from 2/26/2014 and return on 3/4/2014. A week long trip, not too long. I believe 4-5 days of straight partying in Rio will be enough partying for a full year’s worth.

I created a little budget sheet that has helped me see overall how much this 1-week long trip is going to cost me. $1600 is within the ball park. A little steep but doable. I’ll see continue looking for cheaper flights and maybe a cheaper airbnb place to stay that’s still in Zona Sul.

Flight: SFO-RIO, 2/26/2014-3/3/2014, Cost: $970

Visa for Brazil: $180 (http://www.itseasy.com/visa-expediting/Brazil/tourist-CA.php?country=26&cit=US&res=CA&visa=Tourist&ID=)

Lodge: Airbnb, 2/27/2014-3/3/2014, Cost: $168

Activity: Carniva Samba Parada Seating, 2/28/2014, Cost: 82 (http://www.rio-carnival.net/rio_carnival/sambodromo-samba-parade-tickets.php)

Activity: Street Parties, 2/28/2014-3/2/2014, Cost: 0

Activity: Merry in Lapa (clubs), 2/28/2014-3/2/2014, Cost: 0

Transportation: From Airport to Airbnb, 2/27/2014, Cost: $22
(http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g303506-s304/Rio-De-Janeiro:Brazil:Taxis.And.Rental.Cars.html)

Transportation: From Airbnb to Airport, 3/3/2014, Cost: $22 (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g303506-s304/Rio-De-Janeiro:Brazil:Taxis.And.Rental.Cars.html)

Food: 2/26/2014-3/4/2014, Cost$300 (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g303506-i1199-k5238089-Current_Food_Prices-Rio_de_Janeiro_State_of_Rio_de_Janeiro.html)

Other Random Expenses: $60

Total Cost of the Trip: $1632

This is the cost I came up with so far. I’ll still try and think of ways to reduce it. If you have any ideas, please share by commenting. Thanks!

Road Trip Video

After putting on some holiday weight on Christmas day, I had to sit down and relax a bit so my food can digest =D During the process, I grabbed my iphone and started importing a bunch of footage I filmed from the road trip on to my lap top. After 2 hours or so, I now have a short travel documentary to share with you. In this music video-like teaser, I was able to capture short clips of what I did in each city (Medford, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver). It was an awesome road trip. I hope you enjoy the video!

The Planning for…West Coast Roadtrip Extravaganza

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Back to the topic of West Coast Roadtrip Extravaganza!

Here I’m going to walk you through how I planned the 2-week long trip from San Francisco, CA to Vancouver, BC. For the two weeks of traveling, I can say that I spent a little over a thousand bucks. This includes everything. Not too bad but I could have saved a little more with more careful planning. Learn now to do better next time around.

Here’s how we did it:

Car Rental: We rented our 4WD from Avis. This was the most affordable option we can find. Avis also allows their cars to be driven into Canada. Plus, we were able to get a discounted rate with a free upgrade from a bunch of promo codes listed on their website. The total cost of the rental for the 2 weeks came out to be a little under $700. Sweet deal!

1. From San Francisco, CA to Medford, OR
Drive time: 5.5 hrs
We stayed here for one night through airbnb.com. The cost of the airbnb place was around $50 for the night. We got an entire cottage to ourselves which was nice. In the evening, we went to one of Medford’s popular bars called 4 Daughters Irish Pub on a Monday night. There were plenty of folks playing darts, shooting pool, and others hanging around the digital fireplace sipping their drinks. It’s definitely a cozy and fun bar to check out if you’re around the area. During the day time, we drove another 1.5 hrs away from Medford to check out Crater Lake National Park. What a snowy and semi-slippery drive it was, but afterall, the lake is absolutely stunning. Definitely worth the hassle getting there.

2. Medford, CA to Portland, OR
Drive time: 4.5 hrs
Oh Portland! We stayed at a friend’s place for 2 nights. We love you Paul! What a great friend he is. He introduced us to tons of bars and restaurants that were usually the basement of some house. Sounds strange but it’s actually the up and coming scene in Portland. I remember we stopped by a famous Vietnamese restaurant called Pok Pok (also belonging to a house). Everything we ordered was freaken mind blowing. Fried chicken was my favorite. Most of the time we were there, we biked around town. The wind was freezing cold but it was a great way to explore many parts of Portland, which includes visiting Burnside Skate park. The folks there were uper friendly.

3. Portland, OR to Seattle, WA
Drive time: 3 hrs
Seattle! I left my heart in Seattle…I swear. Originally, we were only supposed to spend 2 nights there but I think we stayed for 3 nights. We stayed at City Hostel that is conveniently located on a busy street where there are tons of bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. The district is called Belltown. It was around 30 bucks per night to stay at the hostel. I met many new friends from Australia, Brasil, and Switzerland during my stay there. I had a blast. Many restaurants in Seattle have happy hour all day long which means you’ll be served great food for a good price (I’m comparing this to San Francisco price). Restaurants I often ate at is Japanese Cocina and Local Pho. Affordable and delicious. As for the night life, Capitol Hill is where all the parties are at. This location has a little mix of everything. Other than that, we explored the “gum wall”, public market where the original Starbucks started, Columbia Tower for the view, Space Needle, and so forth. O by the way, free parking can be found in the residential area behind the Space Needle.

4. Seattle, WA to Vancouver, BC
Drive time: 2 hrs
Vancouver is absolutely stunning. It is a huge city! It’s very clean, full of new condominiums, and everything is so convenient. We stayed for 4-5 nights. The first night we stayed at Samesun Hostel for around $35 per night. The rest of the nights we stayed at an airbnb location near Stanley Park for $50 per night (split between my friend and I, it was more affordable than the hostel). If you’re in Vancouver, check out Robston Street! There are many cool shops there with beautifully lit up trees lining up along the street. We also stopped by Stanley Park, Lion Gate Bridge, Museum of Anthropology, English Bay, Yaletown, and Chinatown. There are many many great asian restaurants in Vancouver. Theie Dim Sum will make you touch the sky. Unfortunately, we did not get to visit Whistler and Capilano Suspension Bridge. The last 3 days of our trip kicked our asses. Yup, we caught the cold flu. One more thing to keep in mind, parking is a problem in Vancouver, just like any other busy city. Every parking space is either metered or restricted to limited hours.

Anyhow, I hope this helps if you’re thinking about a west coast road trip! It was definitely a great and affordable way to go out of the country for a little.

West Coast Road Trip Extravaganza!!

Just got back from a 2-week road trip that started in San Francisco, CA and headed all the way up to Vancouver, British Columbia. Every stop we made was stunning. The more north we went, the more “Californian” I felt. The snowy and rainy weather kicked me in the arse several times. I had to thaw out my face in a nearby thrift store while biking in Portland, OR aha! How embarrassing. Overall, the road trip was a great experience. I’ll walk you through the details in the next post in case you’re interested in trying this yourself.

Yes to Road Trip! Oh Canada

For the last 8 months or so, I was working the typical 9-5 job in Silicon Valley. Yes, for another cool start-up =) However, the company did not generate the numbers investors were looking for on a monthly basis, so they decided to reject the company on the first round of funding…except 1. Even so, the “except 1” did not work out either. As the company is now working on a very thin budget, it was my time to say farewell to the remaining colleagues and end this short lived experience in the tech world for awhile.  Sad to leave but excited to start my new journey.

TRAVEL. I’m in my mid twenties now and I figure it is the perfect time to get to know the rest of the world. I haven’t done much traveling outside of the U.S. Does Mexico count??? Well, I’m getting this extreme urge to meet people, study different cultures and values, and just really open myself up and immerse into what the rest of the world has to offer. Just the thought of it is exciting! BUT, scary as hell! This is the moment when I start doing what I’m best at.  That is “scaring myself”.  A lot of questions are popping in my head like: What if I freak out on the airplane? What if the airplane door shuts (which is normal, I know)? What if someone starts following me when I’m walking by myself in another country? What happens if I lose my passport????  There are never ending questions right now and it’s freaken exhausting. I’m so used to being comfortable that the thought of being out of my comfort zone is making me trip out.  However, there’s one thing that I do know, I STILL WANT TO TRAVEL AND I WANT TO DO THIS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.

I’m being a baby so I’m taking baby steps.  Planning on heading on over to Canada by car this week.  A lot of driving but tons to see I hear.  My friend and I are driving from the Bay Area all the way up to Vancouver.  I found a good blog that outlines the entire trip: http://westcoasttravels.com/road-trip-from-san-francisco-ca-to-vancouver-bc/  If we get even more adventurous, maybe we’ll keep driving until we end up on the east side of Canada.  Quebec City and all.  Who knows! Will share some photos and videos soon! Canada here we come!