Solo: Vietnam 11.2015 (1/2)
Before the fireworks went off last 2014, I had promised myself that I will try travelling solo. It was supposed to happen in the mountains of Sagada, but unfortunately,hostels were fully booked. Then, around August, I stumbled upon a seat sale. Again, it should have been Thailand or Cambodia, but I fell asleep in the middle of booking my flight. When I woke up, the only place remaining valid was Vietnam. I did not want it to be Vietnam, but I knew I should book, or else I will delay it again and it would not happen. So, I selected the date. I pressed the “Book It” button. Then, I was officially booked to a country which I knew nothing about. My last memory before exiting the Philippines was looking at myself and my bag’s reflection and asking, “why am I doing this?”.
I arrived around 1am in Ho Chi Minh City. Went to the money changer to get my moolah changed. I met my first ‘stranger’, “Bingo”. I know, I also asked if he was serious with his name. He was also Filipino, he was backpacking solo with HCMC as his first stop. He will do the Vietnam-Laos-Thailand leg.He told me to be careful as there are lots of ‘hustlers’ in Vietnam. He made me ride the cab first and told me to ride “Mai Linh” or “Vinasun” taxis only, as those are the safest. We waved each other goodbye, but deep inside me I was saying “fuuuck this is iiiitttt”. I felt sleepy but my senses were up 100%. I have to admit, I have traveled solo for work before, but it does not feel the same when you go by yourself on vacation. I felt like a fish tossed in open water.
I reached my hostel at around 2am. I stayed at “The Common Room Project” in district 5. It was a luxury hostel that I booked via AirBNB. I knew I had to stay at a hostel to do budget traveling, but my heart was not ready for ‘sad’ rooms when I looked around the net. I only paid for PhP 3,500 for 5D4N.
Rooms were cleaned daily, the beds had comforters and the sheets smelled nice, the bathroom was fabulous, and there was a common area where you can cook and socialize. The highlight of my stay? I had short circuited our whole room and they had to call in an electrician..on my first day! But they were nice and the service was fast. Plus, I lost my phone in the vicinity, but they were able to return it to me. *happy tears*
It was my first time staying at a hostel. I told myself repeatedly that I had to be mindful of myself and my things since I am sharing a room and 1 bathroom with 10 people.
But I was not prepared when I woke up and found a half-naked guy on the top bunk across me. Yes, my first sight in the morning. It turns out that the guys and girls are placed in 1 room! I talked about it with my room mates, they told me it was normal, but it differs from one hostel to another. Then the “hostel lifestyle” stories started to roll.
I did not have breakfast because I was so eager to explore. I took a cab from my place to the “War Remnants Museum” in District 3. I paid around 300k VND if I remembered correctly. Entrance to the museum was just 15k VND. The first thing that will greet you are the old tankers, planes, and helicopters. But trust me, it is nothing compared to what you will see inside. Kudos to the curators though, I have never been so moved by a series of exhibits in my life.
The stories inside that place will haunt you. It will make you resent war, ponder on some personal things, and at some point would make you want to hug yourself. The victims of war did not deserve any of the inhumane things that has happened to them. To me, that exhibit is not merely political history, it was a showcase of man’s nature and how different personalities can behave under extreme pressure and adversity.
The exhibit was emotionally exhausting. I was so hungry after (or maybe I was just hungry, period), I felt like a zombie hunting for prey. Everything felt so foreign then. I had an itinerary, but I decided to just wing everything because I don’t know where the places are and I did not have a map. The signages kind of did not make sense. But one thing was clear, no one will feed me and one way or another, I would have to eat. So, I told myself “fuck it, I am just going wherever my instincts would take me”. Then I just walked, bye-bye taxi. When I saw a clean-looking place with lots of locals eating, I knew I found my 75k VND lunch. Despite the ‘greenery’ (because greens would be an understatement) it was tasty.
After lunch, I took a bike tour. I had a bad feeling about the biker and it turns out I was right. He may not be an evil person, but he was a sneaky hustler. He was very pushy, 15K is not the same as 1.5M VND, and taking you to a place with lots of people but not very accessible for transportation to make you pay is fucked up by itself. However, I felt that submitting will save my ass than fighting, so I had to swallow my pride and what I know to survive.
Some tips 1) Never take a map out, it shouts “tourist” and calls out business-minded hustlers 2) If you are alone, try to stick with other tourists if you feel like you are about to get conned 3) Walk fast, look straight, you don’t have to be nice all the time 4) Hide your other pocket money, they will size you up, the goal is to appear dirt poor 5) Look like you know what you are doing, observe and if you will ask questions to people, avoid doing so in an isolated place. To be clear, this applies in all places while travelling, as a precautionary measure.
On the bright side, seeing HCMC by bike is the way to go especially if you will just stay for 1 to 3 days. Try riding a ‘moto-cab’ as tourists call it or if you have an international license, try renting a motorcycle. If you do not have the latter, common practice is having your VND as a license. Meaning, bribing your way to drive around.
One of the places I have been to is the post office. Nothing much to do here, except seeing the architecture of the place. One would see the evident French influence in the post office’s design. The colors are vivid when I went because of some repainting.
Try to appreciate the tile work as well. If you go to the historic places in VN, you must look down. The tiles they have are in beautiful prints and patterns.
I was also able to go to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was just across the post office. Throughout my stay, I always see people doing nuptial shoots in front of it.
Though I think it’s walls are more interesting. It has a good mix of lovers, haters, and people who are game to be the third wheel.
I got to take a few photos during my trip. I had to keep my DSLR most of the time, and my phone gripped tightly with my hands. The photo on top was taken as we were passing a long tunnel. I kind of forgot the biker’s story because my other hand was gripping hard for dear camera, and the other was keeping me alive. I only recently learned how to bike, and I don’t ride motorbikes back in the Philippines. It felt nice though, much exciting that riding or driving a car.
I also got to visit the Emperor Jade Pagoda (Pagoda Ngoc Hoang).I just had to take a photo of these turtles. For some reason they looked like they were staring into something in one direction. It was peculiar. Turtles represent good fortune in Vietnam.
I visited more museums, but for me, the War Remnants Museum was non-comparable to the rest. I love art, but I am not the type who are into relics unless they have a very interesting story to tell.
I was supposed to just sleep the night off. HCMC was a pretty busy city for me. If you have seen the motorcycles here, believe me, crossing the streets by yourself feels like a life accomplishment. However, 2 of my new friends in the hostel felt adventurous. They wanted to find a rooftop bar. So I decided to join. I was welcomed to a new style of travelling - just walking, no cabs. By walking I mean 5km of walk going to a place and 5km going back. We had buildings serve as our north star, since there are not much high-rise ones in VN. Conversations distracted us from exhaustion - we talked about our reasons for travel, how was it like back home, what we do in life, what we plan over the next few weeks, where we traveled, and more. I will never forget that night. I felt like everything was so simple and I do not have to worry about tomorrow or how we will be able to get home. I was just happy.