I won't say "Don't Worry About Money, Just Travel', I would say "Travel If You Can"

Recently, I read about an article by Chelsea Fagan on -- "Why 'Don't Worry About Money, Just Travel' is The Worst Advice of All Time" (you may click here to read the original article). In the article, people who kept pushing and promoting how everyone should travel are selfish as they didn't realize that there are people who don't have the opportunity to enjoy this luxurious activity. People who can let go their job and go on a vacation for a year seem pretty cool. But without any financial support from the family, it is not achievable. 

The article is true. Although AirAsia promotes "Everyone can fly", it doesn't means that all of us can really fly without any worries. Some can't even fly domestically due to financial problems. I'm grateful that I'm born in a medium-class family and I have supportive family members who work hard to feed me with food and luxuries. Now that I have started working, I understand how difficult it is to earn money. To fund for your own travel, it is hard. It is even harder for people who does not has a stable job. 

I write about my travel experience and wish to give an idea to those who are planning to go to the same destination. Deep down in my heart, I wish everyone can have the opportunity to go out of their home and experience different culture. But I understand that it is not achievable, sometimes. People who can't go on a vacation can still read and enjoy the photos in my blog. It is like watching reality show of mine. *shy*

Travel is interesting. It is fun. But it costs a lot of burden as well. If you can't spend thousands to travel, why not just go to a garden nearby to enjoy the greens, why not just go to the nearest mountain or hill to have a hike. You don't have to travel far. Everywhere can be interesting if you know how to enjoy it. Breathing fresh air outdoor can help to release some stress too. 

Good luck people. Enjoy your life. ^_^

Hint for upcoming post. Guess where is this..... 

Vietnam: Loft Cafe

Day 5 of Ho Chi Minh Trip ^_^

After spending most of our last bit of VND in Ben Thanh Market, we headed back to pack our luggage. For myself, I left 2000 VND in my pocket only. Suddenly, we thought of our lunch. We need to settle lunch before heading to airport as we will reach back Malaysia around 7pm. We only have money for taxi to airport. Forgotten about our lunch. O-M-G.....

Luckily, one of my friends activated her credit card to be use oversea. Hence, we decided to settle our lunch at the cafe downstairs -- The Loft Cafe. Haha... Yes, we are broke and still choosing such a nice place for lunch. In Cantonese, I would describe ourselves as "dai sei 抵死". XD 

So here's the bar of the cafe, where the Barista prepares the drinks. 

Due to financial problem, we did not order any drink. Plain water will do!

The cozy ambience of the cafe. It's lunch time and there's quite a number of people in here. Seems to be quite famous huh.. 

Caged light bulb. Looking antique 

Here's our lunch, seafood pasta with tomato base.

Another one - carbonara. 

I would say, their pastas are surprisingly yummy! Very up to standard. Never expect cafe food to be so nice. Three of us shared two plates of pastas. Of course the portion isn't too filling. We also ordered a pizza to be shared by everyone. 

The pizza. 

Forgot the flavour but it is delicious too. Of course I cannot compare this to those we've tried in 4P's. Those are heavenly good. This is good. :D

Our lunch! Lack of money and still dine like a queen. Oh Women........ 

And this post ends my 5D4N Ho Chi Minh Trip 2015 Travelogue. Hope you guys enjoy reading. I enjoyed typing this out and to keep it as memory for myself. 

Coming up next.... Some food reviews! And an unexpected trip.... Stay tuned. Have a nice day peeps!

Vietnam: Ben Thanh Market (Day)

Day 5 of Ho Chi Minh Trip ^_^

Last day in Ho Chi Minh and we decided to visit the day time Ben Thanh Market to get some local food for breakfast and also to do some last minute shopping for souvenirs. I've visited Ben Thanh Market at night on the third day of my trip (Click here to read about it). Ben Thanh Market in the morning is more energetic I would say, they have more varieties of products. At night, most of the stalls sell souvenirs like key chains and t-shirts. In the morning, you can see stalls selling coffee, dried fruits, clothes, traditional clothings, etc etc... 

For myself, I prefer morning market. Maybe because it is indoor and I feel safer as compared to walking at night by the roadside with lots of motorcycles. 

The entrance of the morning Ben Thanh Market. 

First, there's a lot of stalls selling clothes. 

I am quite interested with their traditional clothes but I have too few VND in my pocket. Hence, it helped me to save money. Not to see, not to buy. 

Here's the section where you can buy dried fruits, coffees, and a lot of interesting stuffs. 

For me, I am only interested with the coffee and dried fruits. In order to buy souvenirs, I went to a money changer to change some VND for me to do some shopping. Then, I spent all my VND in buying dried fruits and souvenirs. I even owe my friends money and  returned them in MYR instead. Too much shopping.. Tsk tsk....... 

Lesson of the day: Change enough money and spend wisely. Spending all VND makes me feel terrified. Luckily I have some extra USD which allow me to change at the money changer. Without the extra money, I think I will have problem coming back to Malaysia. 

Our Breakfast: Crab Noodles (one for RM5)

This is really good and cheap!

These attracts me! Fancy desserts. 

We bought some spring rolls to try too! Normal and fried ones.

The sauce is special and goes so well with the fried spring rolls. 

Vietnam: Wrap & Roll Restaurant

Day 4 of Ho Chi Minh Trip ^_^

We were thinking really hard on what we should have for dinner on our last night of Vietnam trip. We wanted to have Pho 24 but the stall that we were searching for has been moved to elsewhere. Due to extreme hunger, we decided to hunt for another restaurant instead of catching a cab to nearest Pho 24. Then, we saw Wrap & Roll Restaurant, which is a restaurant we had considered of trying on the first day. Without thinking much, our hungry tummy directed us into the restaurant. 

We ordered a few main dishes to be shared and also drinks/desserts for ourselves. Walking around the city for the whole afternoon was really tiring. Getting older and stamina is getting lower day by day. 

First thing that was served - our desserts. It is something like ice kacang but a little more special. On the left of the photo is green beans + red beans + coconut milk. On the right is red beans + purple rice + yoghurt. Personally, I prefer the one on the left. More acceptable taste. The one with yoghurt is a bit too sour and it feels like I am eating fermented purple rice. However, it is very appetizing with its sour taste. 

We consulted the table next to us before we order our main dishes. So, they are all very nice! 

The fried spring rolls. Nice nice.... 

BBQ Pork. Served with rice paper, rice noodles and vege.

Crispy rice served with salad. This is one of my favourite. The rice is so crispy that I can munch all of them by myself. XD

Everyone's favourite. Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork and Fried Spring Roll. It is so good! 

It has to serve with the sour sauce which makes the whole bowl of vermicelli perfectly. 

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Day 4 of Ho Chi Minh Trip ^_^

After a heavy lunch at 4P's Pizza (click this link to read about it), we decided to have a stroll at the city. After 4 days in Ho Chi Minh, we haven't been to the tourist spots in the city. We have a little sense of urgency to visit them as we are leaving HCM the next day. 

Hence, we walked under the hot sun to look for Saigon Opera House a.k.a Municipal Theatre. Saigon Opera House was built in 1897 by French architect Eugene Ferret. The 800 seats building was used as the home of the Lower House assembly of South Vietnam after 1956. It was not until 1975 that it was again used as a theatre, and restored in 1995. It is a smaller counterpart of the Hanoi Opera House which was built between 1901 and 1911, and shaped like the Opera Garnier in Paris. (Read more on Municipal Theatre at Wikipedia here)

The opera house with the bright blue sky.

The Saigon Opera House. 

Was contemplating if we should go in for a show. But, due to time constraint, we decided not to. If not, we will not be able to drop by the Central Post Office and Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. 

Found a nice garden on our way from Saigon Opera House to Central Post Office.

While walking, I saw Trung Nguyen Coffee opposite the road. 

Then, I pointed and said, "Friends, can we go there?" I promised myself to have a try of Trung Nguyen Coffee before heading back Malaysia. Now it is just right in front of me, and surely I will not walk pass and wait for another chance. Hence, we de-route to Trung Nguyen Coffee. Yeah! =)

Some other friends are still buying souvenirs while I can't stop myself from walking towards the coffee shop. Vietnamese coffee is so attractive... 

Ordered a cup of Hot Sang Tao No. 2 and friend ordered Iced Sang Tao No. 5. Surprisingly, they served us with their new item - banana pancake for FREE! So sweet of them! Back to coffee, so whats the difference between the numbers? According to the worker, different number has different kind of aroma, ranging from mild to strong. But their numbering did not go according to the level. So if you're not sure, please kindly consult the workers. They are very helpful in explaining =)

Trying to take a hipster photo for my coffee. XD seems a bit fail though...

For my cup of hot coffee, I tried a bit and decided to ask for ice. It is too strong for me and I still think it goes better with ice. I need the ice to melt slightly to make it a little thinner, which suits my taste better. The banana pancake is surprisingly good though. Crispy pancake with sweet banana inside. Me likey, especially it is free! =D

Close up of the pancake. Looks good right? It was served with sliced ginger which neutral out the sweet taste of banana pancake. 

After having our coffee, we bought some coffee as souvenirs in the shop. Surprisingly, the price of their coffees aren't expensive for such a branded coffee shop in Vietnam. I realized that their price is affordable when I was in airport. Why so slow? VND is merely just too confusing. Too many zeros and I thought they are expensive. Too late to realize! Aikzz.....

Ok, back to my Ho Chi Minh City Tour. After a half an hour detour to have a cup of coffee, we proceed our journey to Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathetral. It is not too far from the coffee place. Didn't expect it to be so near. We were a bit lost at first and thankfully we have Waze to guide us to the place. =) 

Here we are at Notre Dame Cathetral and Central Post Office. They are just beside each other and you definitely won't miss either of them. Notre Dame Cathetral is so beautifully constructed that your eyes will definitely stare at it for a while whereas Central Post Office is so striking with its yellow paint that you won't missed out too. 

Notre Dame Cathedral.

Saigon Notre-Dam Basilica, officially Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception is a cathedral located in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City. It was established by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It has 2 bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters (190 feet). All the original building materials were imported from France. (click here for more information)

This cathedral is so beautiful! Can't stop taking photos of it. Makes me feel like as if I'm in Europe. Such a beautiful building. So glad that it is still well maintained and I have the chance to visit it. 

We were there on a Sunday evening and they are having Sunday prayers. It is quite a grand prayer as a lot of people were standing outside the gate to join because inside was full! We managed to take a look inside and was amazed by the interior design. 

Vietnam: 4P's Pizza

Day 4 of Ho Chi Minh Trip ^_^

After our half day tour to Cu Chi Tunnel (click here for the link), we were hungry and looking forward for our lunch! We booked a pizza restaurant for lunch. Heard from friend's uncle it is really good and worth trying. We made our reservation on the first day of the trip to make sure we could get a table. And hence, we went on a cab and went to 4P's Pizza for lunch.

According to their website, their vision is of "delivering wow and happiness". And 4P's stands for Platform of Personal Pizza for Peace. With their homemade artisan cheese, we really wow-ed whenever they serve us our pizza. It is located at Le Thanh Street, a small alley at the back. We managed to look for it with the help of Waze and taxi driver. 4P's Pizza is famous and not too hard to communicate with the taxi driver. It is also one of the Top 10 in TripAdvisor list. How can we not try? To explore more about this restaurant, you can click this link to read more on their website.

We reached the restaurant around 1.40pm, 20 minutes earlier than our reservation time. Luckily we were able to dine in straightaway. We were brought upstairs into a private room. Yes, you didn't get me wrong. 6 of us were being seated in a grand looking private room. We can't stop ourselves from "wow"-ing and sound like a kampung girl in the room. Haha.... 

The menu is simple but I bet you won't know what to choose when you start flipping.

Everything in it looks soooooo GOOOOODDD!!! It took us some time to decide on what to choose. Savoury pizzas look yummy. Shall we go for pastas? Shall we go for seafood? Meat? Oh my! The Cheese! Dessert Pizza! Awwww....... Yes, it is really hard to choose. =P 

After making our order, we then waited eagerly for our pizzas. Can't wait to try!

This restaurant is quite high class as their table arrangements and services are all very up to level. 

Can you look for the full term of 4P's in this photo? It took us a while to figure out what 4P's stands for. XD

And here's my glass of passion fruit soda! It is homemade soda and it mix quite well with passion fruit. Gassy and sour. Very appetizing. 

Ta-daa! Our first pizza was served with surprise! The white colour stuff in the centre isn't poached egg. It is their homemade burrata cheese. This is call Burrata Prosciutto Pizza, served with Prosciutto, rocket, fresh tomato, parmesan and olive oil. It sounds and tastes really Italian. *Thumbs up!*

WAIT....... The cheese shouldnt be eaten this way..... 

The waitress helped us to open up the cheese.

Ta-daa! The burrata cheese turned into flower shaped! Nicely served on nicely cutted 6 pieces of pizza. *claps*

My portion. Served so nicely on plate. 

Took me some time to cut and taste it. It is sad to cut and eat such beautiful pizza. How it tastes? I would say this is the best pizza I've ever tasted. The cheese tastes like heaven! It is cream cheese texture but a bit harder. It is not too cheesy either.

After we finished the first pizza, our second pizza was served! Tadaa!!! Seafood pizza. 

Oh my god, did you see the prawns! So many and quite big! They are really kind with their ingredients.

Then. our pesto pasta with baby clams was served! 

In Ho Chi Minh, you can find baby clam in a lot of restaurants and they are very juicy. This is sort of a fusion of asian and italian. Very nice one. I like it because the pesto taste is just nice, not too strong, and it is served with almond flakes! *melts*

We also ordered a Zucchini Pizza to try. 

This is so special! I've never seen it elsewhere (Forgive me, maybe it is because I haven't explore a lot yet). It is served with fried zucchini on top of the zucchini pizza. You can have crunchy version and soft version of zucchini in one shot. Heavenly good! Who says vegetarian pizza won't taste good? 

Vietnam: Banh Mi & Cu Chi Tunnel Half Day Tour

Day 4 of Ho Chi Minh Trip ^_^

After a great rest in our AirBnB unit, we woke up early to join Cu Chi Tunnel Half Day Tour at 7.15am. We reached the Sinh Tourist early and we decided to settle our breakfast. Saw a food stall opposite the road selling Banh Mi. We had been in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) for 3 days and yet to try any Banh Mi. Without thinking much, we walked across the road to get our breakfast. 

What is Banh Mi? 

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. The word is derived from banh and mi (wheat). Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. The bread most commonly found in Vietnam is a single-serving baguette, therefor the term banh mi is synonymous with this type of bread. The banh mi is usually more airy than its Western counterpart, with a thinner crust. It is sometimes metonymous with a food item known as a "Vietnamese sandwich", for which banh mi serves as the bread wrapper. Vietnamese sandwich sometimes called a "banh mi sandwich" combines ingredients from the French (baguettes, pate, and mayonnaise) with native Vietnamese ingredients (cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno, pickled carrots and daikon), Classically, it is served with various Vietnamese cold cuts, such as sliced pork or pork bellies, pork sausage, head cheese, along with the liver pate and vegetables. (Information from Wikipedia)

The small food stall that sells coffee, noodles and banh mi sandwich all in one. 

The making of our banh mi sandwich.

I bought one for myself and this is how it looks! 

We paid about RM9 for this. It is so much expensive as compared to the other stalls that I found after this. Sigh... Overpriced sandwich but it tasted alright. Like the crunchiness of the baguette. 

And this is how my Banh Mi looks after two bites. =)

After enjoying our breakfast, our bus to Cu Chi Tunnel arrived! Such a great timing. *claps* The journey to Cu Chi Tunnel from HCM city took us about 1 hour 15 min. I slept throughout the journey. The sleeping bus is so comfortable. XD 

What is so interesting about Cu Chi Tunnel? Apart from the tunnel, I have no idea what to expect. I read some information regarding Cu Chi Tunnel before this trip. Let me share some history of it here. 

Cu Chi Tunnel was dug by Communist guerrilla troops known as Viet Cong (VC) in order to combat the better supplied American and South Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. This extensive tunnels of thousand miles run underneath the Cu Chi district northwest of Saigon. Soldiers used these underground routes to house troops, transport communications and supplies, lay booby traps and mount surprise attacks, after which they could disappear underground to safety. Tunnels were often dug by hand, only a short distance at a time. American soldiers used the term "Black Echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the VC, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, scorpions, spiders and vermin. (To read more on the history of Cu Chi Tunnel, please click here for link )

The soldier showing us how to get into the tunnel. The leaves covered up really perfectly after closing it off. People will not noticed the tunnel. 

One of the traps. Different kinds of traps available in this area. 

It's a jungle area. It allows us to get a feel of the war time. 

One of the opening into the tunnel.

The tunnel is indeed shorter than a normal person's height. To enter, everyone has to squat or crawl to go through. 

Statue of the soldiers. Telling us stories of the war time. 

Notice the holes? It is there to provide air into the tunnel. 

Found this! I happily climbed up the truck. XD Our group photo in Cu Chi Tunnel area.

This is the place showing us different kinds of traps.