Magaling Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 (edited) hanoi is more relaxed, and the french colonial atmosphere persists...the wide tree-lined avenues, the cafes, the architecture all combine to make it a must-see destination in southeast asia...ho chi minh is more commercialized...you'll be surprised, plenty of americana prevails...the bars play 60's music and many souvenir shops sell war paraphernalia...very much in demand are genuine zippo lighters from the soldiers...not much mining in vietnam compared to cambodia...besides, you won't really be allowed to wander off anywhere...the country is still tightly controlled by the reds<{POST_SNAPBACK}> My business has not justified me going to HCM but I've been to Hanoi a couple of times. Because Hanoi is the seat of government, that's where I had to go since most of the companies I have to deal with are still government-owned. Just to share a bit of info: Lake Hanoi is right in the middle of the city center. It's a very serene place with an island in the middle where you can see the ruins of what appears to be an old temple. Right around the lake are the souvenir shops. Good buys include paintings, carvings, and tea sets carved (although they do have pottery) out of soap stone. A friend of mine (who's Chinese) bought wood panels embossed with mother-of-pearl depictions of the four seasons. During one trip, I was even tempted (and seriously considered) buying a teak wood cabinet with intricate carvings! If only the shipping arrangements were less complicated... Hanoi is where I first had a taste of turtle meat. There are other exotic meats (crocodile, insects, etc) that are included in Vietnamese fare although a big chunk of their diet consists of vegetables. By the road side, I was daring enough to try noodles and spring rolls. Yummy! Tip#1: Don't try this if you haven't taken your hepa shots. Tip#2: Eat the noodles but don't eat the soup. Note: they do eat vegetable raw and I'm not talking about your salad greens. Think raw string beans, raw ampalaya, raw okra etc. Interesting culinary experience! Edited November 11, 2004 by Magaling Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Not to mention that, in my opinion, Vietnam has one of the highest densities of beautiful women per square kilometer in Southeast Asia. It's almost in the same league as Thailand (di ba Pareng Sally?) and, of course, the Philippines. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Haaay, if you are a bachelor wanting to sow your wild oats, Bangkok is the place...so many girls, so little time... Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 Just read in the papers that Air France had their last Manila-Paris flight last Oct.30. Apparently air france merged with KLM and KLM is the surviving entity. THe paper said Air France had been here for 55 years, and there was a small ceremony at the VIP Lounge at NAIA to mark this last flight....Kinda wistful because it was on an Air France that I took my only trip to Europe in '96... Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Just read in the papers that Air France had their last Manila-Paris flight last Oct.30. Apparently air france merged with KLM and KLM is the surviving entity. THe paper said Air France had been here for 55 years, and there was a small ceremony at the VIP Lounge at NAIA to mark this last flight....Kinda wistful because it was on an Air France that I took my only trip to Europe in '96...<{POST_SNAPBACK}> this must be the nth time that they have scheduled their last flight...back in the mid 90's they also had a last flight...and yet i took an air france flight to bkk in 2001...food is great, stewardesses are slim and lovely and red wine is bottomless! Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 this must be the nth time that they have scheduled their last flight...back in the mid 90's they also had a last flight...and yet i took an air france flight to bkk in 2001...food is great, stewardesses are slim and lovely and red wine is bottomless!<{POST_SNAPBACK}> the best talaga yung bottomless drinks nila - it sure comes in handy on a 12-hour flight But the stewardesses I saw that time were so-so..... Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 what has happened here? doesn't anyone have a travel story (or tale) to share? Quote Link to comment
cebucitylocal Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 what has happened here? doesn't anyone have a travel story (or tale) to share?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi SBM,Are you in town na?Please contact me if you are in the PI already,Regards Quote Link to comment
cebucitylocal Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 what has happened here? doesn't anyone have a travel story (or tale) to share?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>One of the regulars here is moving to Iceland Nakakaingit Quote Link to comment
shyguycanada Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 I was in San Francisco about five years ago and wanted to take a wine tour through the Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries. Well, they have these wine tours - hop on a train and visit 8 different wineries. I didn't realize that each winery gave you an unlimited amount of wine to drink. My GF at the time got absolutely wasted by the 6th winery and when we came to the 7th winery, we just stayed in the train! The last winery, we had a dinner along with our wine tour! Cheers & here's to great Cali wine! Quote Link to comment
milkfish Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 sometimes, trvelling for me calms me down. i need to hybernate once in a while. when i want to do some deep thinking i travel. it maybe just out of town so i can take the bus and relax. Quote Link to comment
decker Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 nakakarelax ba mag travel via bus? hindi ba nakaka stress yun? Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Hi SBM,Are you in town na?Please contact me if you are in the PI already,Regards <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hey ccl, i'll be in rp this week. will call you. what's new? Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 nakakarelax ba mag travel via bus? hindi ba nakaka stress yun?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> well, it depends. if you are on a bus and taking on the traffic on edsa, yes it is stressful, but if you are on a bus on the way to sagada or pagudpud, it can be relaxing. bring a book, your walkman, camera, some snacks and juice, or your best friend along and the trip can be relaxing. i took a bus from iloilo city to san joaquin, passed by the towns of tigbauan, guimbal and miag-ao and felt totally refreshed. Quote Link to comment
WayneTruce Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Puerto Princesa in Palawan is also a good place to go outside of metro manila.. not that expensive to stay there unlike other resorts.. Though going there might be a problem since we need to board a plane.. Damage would cost to 10T for transpo for one person only. But staying there would be worthwile.. especially with your loved one.. Quote Link to comment
arithon Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Don't forget the glitzy massage parlours - for Asians, Poseidon on Rachada is very popular! pare when i was in bangkok a tuktuk driver brought me to a ktv ala pegasus, i think the name is cupid or something that sounds like that? the girls are classified in three, the regulars, the special and there's a freelance group na sabi nila are students who are goin there whenever they need money for tuition. the rate is 3,000baht to 5,000baht. i dont have the expertise to deliver an FR eh, pero the massage and everything that goes with it was really superb!!!<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Don't forget the glitzy massage parlours - for Asians, Poseidon on Rachada is very popular!<{POST_SNAPBACK}> poseidon is expensive and overated...there are dozens more worth a visit Quote Link to comment
hotchic_primrose Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 im a well travelled person (my friend used to say this to me) i have been to a lot of countries but what's weird is that in PINAS my farthest place i've gone was in Vigan..lolz.. weirs noh? Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 im a well travelled person (my friend used to say this to me) i have been to a lot of countries but what's weird is that in PINAS my farthest place i've gone was in Vigan..lolz.. weirs noh? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> that's not weird...i know a girl who's farthest trip in rp was baguio Quote Link to comment
hotchic_primrose Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 that's not weird...i know a girl who's farthest trip in rp was baguio<{POST_SNAPBACK}> that's good to hear...lolz... para d OT: yes travelling is ONE of my passion... Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 that's good to hear...lolz... para d OT: yes travelling is ONE of my passion... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> know what, i almost mistook you for someone i saw on the plane to bkk two days ago. so tell me something about your travels, something unforgettable, perhaps? Quote Link to comment
hotchic_primrose Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 they always see me as a chinese gal. korean or taiwanese..lolz.. weird! i just arrived on Korea..then at the airport this korean woman start to talk "korean to me" shinie hananashanana stuff..oh well she just keep on blabbing something i dunno,,i just smile then shouted "MOM!!!" Quote Link to comment
Lana Posted January 22, 2005 Share Posted January 22, 2005 I love the way travel widens your perspective on things, and makes you a little more tolerant and understanding of other cultures, religions, beliefs and practices. Quote Link to comment
Riot6 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 Well how are all you fellow travellers. Me, I've always loved to travel. I like seeing other places and even picking up the language (if I stay there long enough). Some places I've been to: Philippines (I was born there, of course I 've been around): Baguio (Last time I was there was AD Congress 1999, I think it was 1999)Puerto Princesa (My Aunt & Uncle have Mango plantations there so I get invites)Boracay (of course! but the last time I was there it was typhoon season...ha ha...cheap prices..low season)Puerto Galera (my impression...overrun by sleazy white tourists..I've nothing agi9anst whites but the sleazy ones annoy me)Nasugbu (White Sands resort is owned by some reaaaaallly distant relatives...so some very slight discount on prices) Oh yeah, I'll be back in the Philippines for vacation end of March 2005 (right after Holy week). Mexico: Tijuana (border town really sleazy...filled with drunken college students and military personnel from San Diego, CA)Ensenada (abouth an hour south of Tijuana...cheap seafood...especially lobster)Juarez (see Tijuana except this is at the border of Texas at El Paso)Mexicali (Another border town I actually drove there with my own car...w/o Mexican auto insurance...scary..but oddly they have lots of Chinese restaurant...my contact said a lot of the Chinese who built the railroads in the Southwest U.S. settled there)Hermosillo (deeper into Mexico...didn't get to see much...I was working too much) My take on Mexico....it's like the Philippines...the traffic is about the same...it smells the same at parts (like Nepa-Q-Mart)...there are kids running around selling things on the road (Chiclets..gum, instead of Hall or cough drops) Of ocurse they speaking Spanish and they think I'm Mexican also so they try to speak Spanish to me ("No Hablo Espanol!" is my response..."Yo no Soy Mexicano...Soy Pilipino") Germany: Okay, I was there as a U.S. Army serviceman. I lived there for a couple of years. Of course I was "guarding the frontiers of freedom" back then (before the wall came down). I didn't get much time off to see much except where I was based (Fulda) and some weekends at Frankfurt. Frankfurt had great bars. I actually managed to see Depeche Mode in concert there. Red Light district was fascinating. Prostitution is legal and regulated to keep the girls and patrons "healthy" (AIDS testing and certifcation was required for the workers). The brothels were basically apartment building with small rooms. If the door is open then the girl is open for business. I noticed that the prettier girls were on the first floor. They got uglier as you go to the upper floors. Saudi Arabia/Iraq Yeah, yeah, I was there during the first Gulf War. Didn't get to see much again since the Saudis didn't want U.S. Army guys running around wild in ther cities. Their desert, nothing but big empty sandbox. Iraq, the only thing I can say is I can claim that I sh*t in Iraq...yeah, literally, dug holes and took a squat. We were there for about 4 days. Japan: I recently went there (Sep 2004) for the first time. It was just a week vacation but it was nice. A tip for those travelling there soon: If you can buy a JR Rail Pass. It's worth it since you'll be travelling around by train a lot. It lets you in on all JR Trains, including the bullet trains and the Yamanote Line that cirlces Tokyo. The Pass can only be bought outside of Japan so you have to buy it before you go. Akihabara, as everyone has said, for electronics. Shibuya and Shinjuku for the nightlife. Took the bullet train to Kyoto (temples, shrines, and the Geishas in Gion) Since it was a short trip, I'm planning to return this year around November. Singapore: I went there April last year for business. Just 3 days but I was impressed. Lots of food and bars and they speak English. Orchard street is a big shopping mall basically. The weather was hot, actually hotter than the Philippines. Someday, I'll return for vacation instead of business! Hong Kong: Basically the same situation as Singapore...a business trip..short 3 days in the middle of the week. Nice place. I haven't been back since they got handed over to China. Cheap electronic parts and components if you knows where to go. Panama: I just returned from there last week. Another business trip. I look like the Philippines too (like Mexico). Same weather. Hot girls...those Latinas and their curves...uh huh. They have their version of the "local colorful transportation." It their local buses. We have out Jeepneys, the Thais have their Tuk-Tuks, the Panamanians have their buses. They got great local coffee. The strip club/brothel near the hotel was stocked up with some of the most beautiful women I've seen (expensive though...relatively speaking...but they know how to be a "girlfriend") I got to practice some Spanish again. Canada: Hmmm....not much to say since it basically is the U.S. but I've been to Vancouver (a big China Town), Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton. Lastly I live in the U.S. (Las Vegas now, Los Angeles before. I've lived here since the Mid-70s): My work has taken me all over the U.S. lets see.... Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Tucson, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., etc........ What can I say about the U.S. Quote Link to comment
hotchic_primrose Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 in Philippines: born and kinda raised here...Quezon City of course...lolzthe farthest place i've been was in Vigan, Paoay {ilocos N.} Hongkong: OCean PArk...lolz... oh how i love the dolphins there! Korea:i dnt have any memory here coz i was pissed off by a guy to keeps on bugging me... China: oh when i was in china we went to a cultural parade..it was awesome... Alaska: daming pinoy dun...lolz.. PINK SALMON Baby!!! New York: Manhattan...the clubs there are HOTT! *question...is the statue of liberty a part of new york or new jersey? think think think*(new jersey - where we stay, Washington DC - white house, Pennsylvania - apple piccking with the kids.) Next destination: TBA Quote Link to comment
sally bogna mathay Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 Went to Poipet, Cambodia last weekend by bus from Bangkok via the border province of Aranyaprathet. What a strange town. There are about a dozen casinos built inside huge buildings that occupy huge tracts of land. All are within a stone's throw from the other. However, the sights are depressing outside the casinos. Lots of beggars, scrawny children, amputees and other people living on the fringes of society. So much money being gambled inside the casinos, so little money for those who really need it. The good news is that there's a huge flea market on the Thai border. Lots of cheap stuff and 2nd hand imported clothes and shoes. Next time, we'll try going to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. Quote Link to comment
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