I'm craving for you!

Random thought as I'm taking my break now from studying. I really can't wait for my beach trip.

OHHHlala.

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Morning scent

L'occitane- The Vert Green tea 

Good morning. Today, I am officially a morning person. I woke up at past 4 in the morning

 (I slept early) and did some research work. Early mornings are so so refreshing. Hmmm.

 Anyway here is a quick post before I leave for my class. That's my new scent. 

Not really into perfumes but anything green tea is an exception. 

Rainy days

(OVERDOSE lace romper)

There are many reasons why I love rainy days. The cold weather and the sound of 

the rain makes me feel so relaxed. I especially love the fact that during rainy days, 

there's a good chance that classes would be suspended. I can still remember that tiny 

smirk on my face when I got a text from a friend saying that classes are cancelled for

 today. Same thing happened a week ago, classes were cancelled because of the typhoon.

 Instead of just sleeping like what I would normally do, I had some portrait sessions. 

Not bad shots for a gloomy weather.

photos by Alson Villareal

Pham Ngu Lao P2

This is the second set of my Pham Ngu Lao visual diary. In case you haven't

 seen the first set, here's the link - Pham Ngu Lao P1.

 I hope you will like the photographs! :) 

1.ABC Bakery & Cafe is my favorite bakery. If only I can bring it home. 

They serve the yummiest pastries in   a very affordable price! 

3. This was the only order which made me happy at Allez Boo bar- plain yogurt. 

3. Artsy matches for 10,000 Dong.

4. There are many stores selling handmade pieces from accessories to decors.

5-6. Some bars along the street. 

7. bicycles are also widely used there.

8. Really good stuff in that place! 

Pham Ngu Lao street is the most alive area in the city. Even though mom and I did 

not stay in the area, we still spent most of our time there because Pham Ngu Lao 

offers all the needs for travelers. As I mentioned before, it is perfect to stay there

 if you are traveling alone, with your partner and even friends. If you are not after 

a very quiet area and you want the night life, this is your place! I will definitely 

stay there when I get back to Saigon. 

Pham Ngu Lao P1

Here is the first set of my shots at Pham Ngu Lao street, Ho Chi Minh City. I spent most

 of my time in the area because it is where you can find everything from accommodation,

 food, coffee, party, souvenirs and travel agencies.

1. me riding a cyclo wearing a handmade sandals from India

2. left and right of the street are hostels, souvenir shops, travel agencies, etc

3. shops and some street food

4. he is s good, I swear!

5. really cool paintings for sale 

6. me checking out this cool bag in one of the shops there

7. He has an awesome shop offering quality pieces plus he is very polite and friendly

8. wanted to get this phone so bad but it's so heavy

9. eating scene in the street, I love the simple set up there.

A little bit of Cambodia 2

lots of motorcycles in PP like in Saigon.

Fresh seafoods at the Central Market

Native chicken and squid.

Fried cockroaches, anyone???

Mom at the ferry boat. 

Buses back to Saigon from Phnom Penh.

Inside the ferry boat- cars, trucks, buses, etc. 

These photos were taken during our last hour in Phnom Penh. After doing a quick shopping at the Russian Market and confirming our bus ticket, we headed back to the Central market (Phsar Thmei) to try out some fresh seafood and buy fruits. We wanted to eat more but too bad we only had 25 minutes to compress because of our scheduled bus ride back to Saigon. We were not able to resist the food and decided to buy more for take away and bought some fruits too. Prices for the meal and fruits were not expensive plus the serving is just enough too. 

After our meal, we rushed back to the bus station. This time we were booked at Sapaco bus company and it's way better than the night bus we rode earlier going to Phnom Penh. It's faster and the drivers can speak in English. It's also safer to travel during day time hence avoid night buses. In between the road trip, there was a short ferry ride over the Mekong at Neak Loung. During that time, I went down the bus so hungry and thought of buying some food. That time I saw a girl vendor selling fried cockroaches. From afar, I thought it was something different and yummy but not in an exotic way. Of course, I did not have the courage to taste it. 

We arrived at the immigration around 5:30pm. The bus ride was comfortable and fast, but the situation at the immigration was very disappointing. It's very disorganized. There were no lines for the people waiting for the exit stamps. The situation was so chaotic, most were noisy arguing and pushing each other. I was so annoyed at that time that I also had a short argument with this girl who pushed me in order to be ahead of me. It was useless arguing to her because apparently, she does not speak in English. If you were there, you will hear complaints and fights here and there. That's the effect of not having a system of even just a simple line. Gosh.

We arrived at Saigon around 9pm dead tired but happy with the trip. All in all, the trip to Cambodia and back to Saigon took 22 hours, 18 hours of bus ride and 4 hours at most of going around the city. You may think that we wasted money and time for that 4 hours, but no. Our road trip to Cambodia was worth our time and energy. It's a great experience for us. Next time I'll be there, I already have an idea of what to do and where to go. Cambodia is a lovely country, I'm saying this even if I only saw little of it. I have a lot to experience and see in Cambodia. I am definitely going back there. :)

A little bit of Cambodia 1

In the bus, waiting impatiently to go down and see Cambodia....

Off to shop!!!!

Tuktuk ride with mom, Tito, me and Tita Bay... 

At the central Market

Excited for the accessory shopping! 

past 6:30 am at the Moc Bai/ Bavet Boarder

Here is the first part of my photos from Cambodia, one of my best travel experiences! This was not part of our original plan. We planned for Vietnam only, but later learned that it's easy to cross to Cambodia. We did a bit of rescheduling to our Vietnam activities so we can get to experience backpacking to Cambodia. It's really nice that my mom is cool enough have a roadtrip with me. Crossing boarders in Vietnam is easy. Since we were staying at Saigon, we crossed the Moc Bai/ Bavet boarder. It is fast and affordable way in getting to Cambodia. Many buses are plying the route from Saigon to Phnom Penh. It's best to book bus tickets at the travel agencies which are numerous in Saigon especially at the Backpackers Area- Pham Ngu Lao street. The roadtrip will take 6 hours to the immigration and another 2-3 hours to the city proper of Phnom Penh. 

In our case, we took the night bus going to Phnom Penh so we can arrive early in the morning and leave the same day too. It costs $21 for two way already. We left Saigon around 12 midnight and arrived at the boarder around 6 in the morning. There we had to go down for the processing of our passports. If you are from outside South East Asia, there is an additional charge for the visa application around $25 dollars if I'm not mistaken. After the processing, we headed back to the bus then had a 30 minute stop for breakfast then another 3 hour roadtrip and ferry ride to the city proper of Phnom Penh. Our ticket going back to Saigon is 2:30 pm the same day that's why we had to rush and make the most out of the short time we had. We were supposed to arrive past at 9AM but the late night bus was so slow and had many stops. We aslo had a hard time communicating with the bus driver and conductor since they can not speak  in English. It's like we were on a trip for 11 hours and not knowing where to go down, if we are near or what. All we got were stares and hand signals which don't ring a bell to us. Based on our experience, I do not suggest the late night bus and I heard that other bus companies are way faster and comfortable like the Mekong Express and Sapaco Tourist. Note that even there are many bus companies but they have schedules and can be fully booked that's why it's better to book ahead of time. 

The bus dropped all of us, including our companions in the bus who are heading to Northwest of Cambodia, Siem Reap at last station in the city, Riverside. There are some restaurants there and bus stations where you can book for a trip heading back to Saigon or to Siem Reap. Tuktuk drivers are also everywhere to guide travelers to go around the city, etc. I was amazed that one of the tuktuk drivers talked to me and can communicate in English very well. There at Riverside, we met my bestfriend's aunt and uncle who went with us around the city for shopping and eating, trying to do as much as we can there in less than 4 hours. 

There goes the first part of photos for my Cambodia trip. I hope I was able to share you some info and travel tips from Vietnam to Cambodia. :)