SAIGON SHOPPING: MISS NHI

by: Karol 

Macy and I used to think that shopping in Vietnam is non-existent.  (Safe place unlike Santorini!)  When we went there last year, all we were able to buy were little trinkets and souvenirs (not counted!!).

Vietnamese Eggshell Lacquerware

We didn't consider Ben Thanh Market as a good shopping spot because... well, believe it or not, we actually hate haggling and it's pretty much how everything works there.  Even after successfully haggling down the price of something, it gives us an uneasy feeling because we'd still wonder if we got a good deal or if we've been deceived.  Haha.  Like what we always say, "Why can't they just tell us how much it really is?  We like it (which is why we asked about it in the first place) and if we can afford it, we'll buy it naman.  Shopping should be as simple as that!".  We don't like it when vendors overprice their goods and try to get away with it.  Or when they give huge unbelievable discounts and expect us to believe we got great bargains.  Who are they kidding!

Aside from that, we didn't find the local standalone stores interesting.  Their fashion is..."like no others".

To add, even their high-end boutiques' display windows look outdated and funny (that's me being nice).

BUT.

During my last Vietnam trip, I was surprised to find myself so entertained while browsing through the shops in Saigon.

SAIGON EATS

by: Karol  

First of all, I'm not a foodie.  That's why I'm not so sure if you should listen to everything I'm gonna say here.  Haha.

For my recent Vietnam trip, our only goal was... to eat.  We didn't have any touristy activity planned, except for a short visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels because I wanted to try firing an M16 rifle (Macy and I only tried the AK47 last year).

For me, food in Vietnam all taste the same no matter where you eat them...  EVERYTHING IS JUST SO GOOD.  Wherever you choose to eat, the ingredients are always fresh and they all end up yummeeh in the tummeeeh!

When Macy and I were in Saigon last year, we bought fresh spring rolls from this street vendor and it tasted just as good as the ones from a fine dining restaurant.

We were not sure though if it comes with free Hepa and LBM.  Thank God we have strong stomachs.  (And actually even if it came with free Hepa and LBM, we'd still eat it.  It's worth it!!!)

Now how are you going to decide where to eat in Saigon if the food taste the same everywhere anyway?  Well, I think it all depends on your personal preference.  You can say "Why eat in high-end restaurants when I can have the same good food for a cheaper price at Ben Thanh Market", or "Why sweat eating at Ben Thanh Market if I can just shell out a few more bucks and eat that same good food comfortably in a restaurant".  Totally up to you!

Here are some dining choices you might want to try next time you're in Saigon.  Each one has a different ambiance, and can give you different dining experiences! 

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

And no, we don't mean the fattest most important Vogue magazine of the year.

We call our small travel dilemma, The September Issue.  It just sounds so glamorous!  Haha! 

We know it’s been 3 weeks since our last post and we super duper apologize for that.  A lot of things happened last September and mind you, they’re good things!  So, nothing to worry about! 

Last year, we made a pact that this September 2011, we're going to explore Southern and Eastern Africa.  Macy contacted her friend David of Tour Organizers (he has his own travel blog btw, a must-read!) to inquire about a private tour of Africa.  There should be ten or more passengers for them to organize one for us, so as early as January, we tried inviting friends... young ones... for a fun-for-sure trip!  Unfortunately, that didn't work out.  We then tried inviting older ones just so we can form a group.  That also didn't work out.  Obviously our private tour didn't happen. 

Next is Plan B.  Join Tour Organizers' existing African Safari Tour.  Their tour was only for June 2011 and it clashes with our schedules.  September was our only travel time for this 2^nd half of the year.  Not happening!

Next is Plan C.  Go to Russia.  We couldn’t remember how Russia came about.  It’s not even next to Africa on our list.  But still, we made it our next destination.  We started planning, researching on their visa requirements, asking our travel agent for good deals and such... but at the back of our minds we know that we’re both half-hearted with this trip.

12 REASONS WHY WE CANNOT BE BACKPACKERS

You have no idea how much respect we have for backpackers and how much we look up to them.  Because we can't, for the life of us, imagine how we'd make it alive if we were to go backpacking.   

We know traveling backpacking-style is a better way of getting oneself immersed in a country's culture, and can give you unique experiences that you won't get in traditional travel.

It's just that... it's really not for everyone.  We are part of that everyone.  Don't get us wrong, we are not extravagant travelers either.  Remember we don't even fly business class?  But, our idea of a vacation is one that is at least convenient.  Relaxing.  Enjoyable.  Pure fun.  Unlike some people, we don't have the luxury of traveling for 4 or 5 or 6 months straight.  We can't just leave our lives in the Philippines in a snap.  When we go out of the country, it's usually just for a few days, a week, or 1 month max.  That's why we always want our short vacation to at least be comfortable and leisurely before we go back to chaotic Manila. 

According to Wikipedia, backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping in backcountry wilderness.  Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel.  The factors that traditionally differentiate backpacking from other forms of tourism include but are not limited to the following: use of public transport as a means of travel, preference of youth hostels to traditional hotels, length of the trip vs. conventional vacations, use of a backpack, an interest in meeting the locals as well as seeing the sights.  Erik Cohen notes that even though one of the primary aims of backpacking is to seek the authentic, the majority of backpackers spend most of their time interacting with other backpackers.

Based on that definition, here are 12 reasons why we can never be backpackers.

1.  We don't even own a backpack. 

Okay we own one, but it's not really the kind of backpack one is going to use for backpacking. 

DESIGNER BICYCLES

We don't know why, but we have this thing for bicycles.

We think it'd be so cool to go around in matching pink and purple bicycles with baskets in front, pompoms on the handles, equipped with loud horns.  We especially love the vintage (or vintage-looking) ones, and we always take photos of them.

Osaka

Ho Chi Minh

Palma de Mallorca

Shanghai

Milan

Ho Chi Minh

Palma de Mallorca

Imagine how stunned we were when we saw this bike in Gucci Nanjing Road while we were in Shanghai.  We seriously drooled over it.

Gucci Bike displayed at Nanjing Road in Shanghai 

We know we're not allowed to take photos inside the store but we just had to sneak one shot for this bike.  It probably costs as much as a Honda sedan, but then riding a Gucci bike is way cooler, isn't it?.  If it's any consolation, you get free Gucci clutches. Haha.

Here are photos of other designer bikes we found!

Okay we're getting depressed now, gottta go!!! Bye! 

1001 THINGS WE DID BEFORE WE DIE: Explore the Tunnels of Cu Chi

We're starting this series of posts that we decided to call "1001 Things We Did Before We Die".  We originally wanted to name it the "501 Things We Did Before We Die", but we got scared that we might reach 501 by the time we're 40 years old.  So, we agreed to make it 1001 just to be sure we don't die anytime soon.

The idea started when Macy got this 501 Must-visit Destinations travel journal from Fully Booked.  Karol said the idea is ridiculous because one will just end up getting depressed looking at all those places, knowing that it's impossible to accomplish everything.  

Macy's Travel Journal.  Please excuse the doodle on the cover.  Macy can be like that sometimes.

As fate would have it, Karol got the book version last Christmas as a gift from RCBC (what the ef happened to banks giving out umbrellas and canvas pouches for Christmas!?!?!).  It's like we're born to fulfill a mission that we can't just ignore.  Hahaha.  

Karol's book of 501 Must-Visit Destinations

Together, we found ourselves ticking every check box and marking every page of places we've been to.

We all know how many 101, 501, or 1001 lists there are already, and so to avoid confusion, we figured we'll just make our own list for ourselves.  And to make it less depressing, we'll list down the things we already did (in no particular order!) instead of whining over things we haven't done.  Without further ado, here is the first on our list!

Click here to see the rest of 1001 Things We Did Before We Die.

GREENHILLS AROUND THE WORLD

We find it a bit surprising that even in cities considered as fashion forward, freaky knock-offs still find their way into fashionable foreign shores. It’s also funny how you find some clever designs from the original mutate into a fake monstrosity. Say a Speedy wannabe with the chunky chains of the Stam bag all over, isn’t that scary? hahaha! Seriously, these are creations of design geniuses and they’re not priced as such for nothing. We’d rather buy local or brandless stuff than support those counterfeit producers. Jazzz saying!

Here are some photos we took during our trips.  Let's start with an assortment of Hermes Birkins.

From simple knock-offs...

hermes birkin from a market in Shanghai

to deadly crocodile ones...

croc birkin in Milan

to the most ridiculous you'll ever find.

monster birkins in Korea

 There are all the other premium designer bags as well.

LV and Prada knock-offs in Italy

purse galore in Italy

And other sorts of accessories to match!! Haha.

shiny shimmery scarves in Italy

belts at a market in Vietnam

sandals from Cyprus