Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam -the 2nd time

So here again, exactly in 1 year, I come here again to Ho Chi Minh.

The usual question is, why 2nd time? best sangat ke pegi tempat tu?

Actually I don't really have an exact answer.. I love to go anywhere, everywhere.

Be it Seoul, Vietnam, Singapore or anywhere, or even Taiping, it is not the place that matter, I guess even by going with diffrent person, you will have diffrent experience. You will probably face diffrent incidents in your travel that shape your life & understanding about the people that you travel with.

For me, as travel enthusiast, travel planner...I love to travel & I love to plan lol..that is the conclusion ^^..I don't mind to go anywhere in this amazing world.

So yeah, when a friend and uncle of mine told me that they wanted to go to Vietnam, I was excited.
Excited as this will be officially my first job as the travel planner ^^.
So here it goes after much planning, we are in a group of 6 embark on our journey to Ho Chi Minh.

Missing in action is a friend who took earlier flight ^_^

After 1 hour 45 min flight, we arrived in Ho Chi Minh & went straight to our hotel, Lien Thanh Hotel. The hotel is around 10-15 mins walk from Ben Thanh market. I love it. My mum don't like it.

She said it's far. But I said its good that it is far, so your compulsive order to buy more baju kurung is limited haha.. ;)

Our room for 2 person. It was really huge!!

We book our ground package with Vietnam Asiatour. One of the easiest people that reply to my questions and my email ^_^. And yes, both of my trip, I've been using their service.

One of the best thing about having a planned ground trip is the food. Because you don't have to think about what is for your lunch, breakfast & dinner.

So here it is some of our glorious foods galore ^_^

Tomyam yg sangat best!!! ^_^..ohhh telur dadar adalh menu wajib haha

 Our Itinerary:
1st day - Arrived & shopping around Ho Chi Minh city.
2nd day - Chu Chi Tunnel & Optional Night Cruise at Saigon river.
3rd day- Mekong river
4th day- Last minute shopping!!!

Yeah, basically our time is involves with shopping & lychee yang manis^^

 My uncle trying to bargain for the lychee..but beware, the price around the city is more expensive. Like this lady suddenly took my uncle money and increase than the original price huhu..bad salesperson :(
If you"re going out of Ho Chi Minh , it's cheaper to buy anywhere along their road ^_^

@Chu Chi Tunnel

My 1st time coming here as the previous trip it was raining. Thankfully the weather is kind to us on that day..It was so sunny & hot, we are melting like a soldier :).
If I'm not mistaken, we were there for 2 hours. In a note, at first, I was actually not sure what I will see in this place. My initial feeling was more like it is just a forest and some war place.
But after walking & seeing some of the remnants of this Vietnam War, I understand why they keep this as history & important place for their country. For me it reminds me of their bravery to fight with more powerful nation, and to use all they got to defend it at any cost. Such an amazing fighting spirit. Although I honestly feel the sadness that it also cost a thousand innocent human lives, both in all sides of the war.

One, of the trap during the war.
At first, all of us, we were like "What to see??'

Down here!! huhu..crazy..
Ada kayu2 tajam yang sedang menunggu mangsanya huhu

that is not a real soldier ^^

Makan ubi kayu katanya....Bak kata paklang saya, jauh2 mkn ubi kayu dkt vietnam ni pulak ye ^_^

success!!!
Masuk yang paling pendek jer..haha..nmpk senyum tapi bila kat dalam tuh duk jerit2 ^_^

@Mekong River
My 2nd time here. Clearly the place is a bit touristy...penuh orang vietnam menjual di sini..but I would still recommend to anyone who never have the experience to some here. Especially the 'sampan' part. Menginsafkan to feel how their standard of living and compare it back at home.

fresh from the bees itself ^_^

our lunch

foods galore part 4.0 haha

pakcik saya menunjukkan skill yang hebat :)

traffic jam!! huhu

Oh dari tanah besar ke delta mekong ni kena naik bot. Memang wajib rasanya ada air kelapa bila balik ^_^

The usual pose ^^

Bonus : Shopping & RM40.00 for the city cruise 

dah kenyang dinner, makan laici dan biskut saja atas kapal ^_^

Total expenses just for the trip-Flight ticket RM420.00 & Ground package -RM800.00

Conclusion: Was this trip diffrent from my previous one? Yes.. so many things I learned from this trip.example would be:

1) Do not assume that just you are close to the person they will understand your thinking. It is important to channel your info to everyone. 

2) Make sure everyone knows the plan.

3) Plan the weight of bag accordingly haha..this one is so funny as this was my 1st time. Pertama kali memunggah barang2 di airport waktu nak check in. Bukan sebab terlebih berat tapi tersalah put the weight in 3 diffrent booking no.. so yeah..jadi la magician depan org airport tuh. But we are safe. The weirdest moment was suddenly the guy said you looks diffrent in real life than in your passport picture. Lol..igt kena tahan ke apa, rupa2 nya 'You look beautiful in real life than in this picture' Lol..nasib la abang you said I'm pretty, hilang semua penat memunggah beg tadi :p ;p

Remembering about this trip still makes me smile.
Do I want to go again?
Definetely yes ^__^

#Please contact me or here in DecahayaTravel to know more. 

  So we could have your 1st trip, 2nd trip and so on together!!!! ^_^

Us ^_^

Time

Is it me or is it really the time is tricking me nowadays? I just cant believe it is already end of April!! Gah...

It just crazy :( it was already 27th april yet the clock,I rarely have the time to 'tekan' the button ..The most crazy I remember was 2 weeks diffrent from the real date to the date at this clock haha..gosh..in the other way,I'm sad..I feel I need to do a lot of things,yet when I think about things that I've not achieved, I become restless & hopeless. I wonder and thought...will I have the time to do all the things that I want??

Yet,was it me not planning the things that I want, and let the time make it for me? I feel that I choose the 2nd option.Being 30 years old,I feel I have won half the battle. I feel that I have achieved and did all the things that I want in my 20 years old dreamed off. And so when I pass the 30 y.o marks..I let myself rest, feeling that I achieved what I want..yet some part of me still feel missing. I need to write and think about my 2nd chapter of life. Its crazy and scary, yet I guess this is the only way.

If is not over,you need to go forward.

Until I die,I need to be the person that is better than me yesterday.I need too!! O dear god,allah,please help me.oh..time..please let me filled you with laughter and love and the best thing I could.Hear my promise!! I need you!!!!!

-me myself & I-

Munirah Khadri

Uno Guesthouse@Chungmuro

Disclaimer: I only stayed in the guesthouse once, in year 2013. Do check Agoda/Booking and all other website for any additional info for your reservation. All the writings are from my observations & experiences only  ^^

~So here it goes. the good part:

The price. Since we were travelling in a group (3 adults and I children) we thought of booking 2 rooms or rooms that big enough to have 3 adults in. But then I'm really claustrophobic lol..I know I cant stand enough with so many people in a room for 7 days,so finding Uno G.house is really practical for us. We measure the room size with the one we stayed before and realised that this is it. The one room that can fit us all and cheap!!!

It was really cheap to compare having to book 2 rooms in other place. So the decision was made.

Before we arrive in Seoul, I received an email from the person in charge here and was surprised that they gave out such a detail explanation on how to come to the guesthouse from the airport.We were really impressed.

The day we arrived..the not so good part, because well, it was like in an apartment area, there was no lobby or place you can come and check in. We went to the room that was supposed where we will meet someone who will lead us to our room, but alas no one was there. It was funny because it was never occurred to me that I need to get in contact of the person at that exact time. Good thing we have roaming and we call the number. And that person come right away.

The room..is really spaciaous. Well with the price that we paid, and actually the room was meant for 6 people, so with just 3 of us, we have such a large room by ourselves.

This from the FB page, which is clearer and nicer ^^

the stairs there which make the place so cool -its actually a place for 2 or 3 more people to sleep ^^

The area:

Chungmuro, just 10 - 15 minutes walking to Myeongdong (We did walk all the way to Namdaemun and back on the last day) .From the building is just 5 minutes to the Chungmuro Subway. This is really convenient. And the subway is a blue line, connecting to Myeongdong if walking is such a hassle and also the orange line that can brings you to Gangnam area.

Oh yes, the Namsangol Hanok Village is just probably on the way to the subway station itself, so it was practically just next to the guesthouse. And yes there is a lot of cafe around the place in case you want to get a cup of that hot cappuchino ^_^

The bad part.. well I don't think this will be bad depending on individual reasons and needs. We practically didn't watch the TV since we didn't know how to operate it since all instructions is in Korean. And since we were in the rooms only for night time, we just don't really bother to ask anyone to teach us, or wait for them in the morning. And yes, we spend time watching the drama in our phone since the WiFi in Seoul is super efficient !!

The bad part is just you just need to get used that this was not a hotel, and there was times when we think the place was a little bit in shady area, since the room was in the apartment with the other Seoulites. You probably don't want to stay in the place alone if safety is your biggest issue.

The area was quite compared to Myeongdong, but hey, at least you will not feel bad by not buying a lot of make up and bags lol..

The plus part as you could see is that there is a kitchen and washing machine inside the room. This is super win point for this place as you could cook your own food, especially for us, which needs all Halal food. Oh and I remember we even bought some eggs lol. Yes, so we were happy eventhough there is no breakfast prepared for us, we practically change the house to be the best Malaysian food stall ever !! ^_^

..we practically make use of the big table with all our food!!

So the conclusion is will I stay here again? Answer :Yes. If only I have a large group of friend with me.  The size, the kitchen wins major point. More pictures here from their FB page. Hopefully they still be around for my next trip in Seoul!!!!! ^_^

Seoul Jan 23rd until 27th ~all the 1st one ^^

The 1st of something that can change the whole thing ^_^:
1)1st time having a travel roomate with non Muslim...
~ It's not I never lived with non muslim before, in USM & Canada,I did have a roomate of non muslim. But really travelling together,staying together for 5 days relying with each other, it was such a memorable experince.Lots of things I've learned.

2)1st time eating fresh,still moving octopus lol

3) 1st time lives is a smallest room in any guesthouse I ever been..I thought the one I stayed in Hong Kong is smallest,but this beat everything..

4) 1st time really went to tourist place alone~Cheongdokgung!! Such diffrent feeling from Gyeongbokgung..

5) 1st time vomiting everything after eating kimchijigae~yeah..not that I had nvr have any experience in bad stomach in my travel(Bandung) ..but this whole thing is so funny because I actually like KimchiJigae &everyone is alright except myself~~~boohooo

not the kimchi jigae I ate, but it looks like my breakfast here ^^

6) 1st time went to cat cafe...so cute..want to put then in my bag ^^

7) 1st time watch Kim Jaejoong Live♡♡♡

8) 1st time seeing a musical

9) 1st time seeing Xia/Kim Junsu in Musical 100x♡♡♡

10) 1st time in meeting a lot of new people ♡♡♡♡

All in all one of the best memorable trip ever!!!

Be Positive!!!

Yes you, yourself, please be positive.

Please smile to everyone.

Please say yes to everything.

Please do everything now.

Please follow all orders.

Please don't say anything.

Yes, you, please do everything that I ask you to do!!

But you know what, all I want to do now is to scream at the top of my lung.

Yes,be positive.   All I been telling myself.

It is going to be ok if I keep telling myself this.

Yet, I'm crying..yet, I'm angry, .

Yet, I feel hopeless in all I do...

Why I'm angry?

I'm angry because you ask us to care when in the end you are the one who didn't care about us for 0.0001%. You ask us to follow orders, but you are the one who breaking all the rules. You ask us to not making mistakes, yet you yourself are not sure what to do. You told us to be diligent, yet you are the one to run away when everything is chaos. You told us to just follow the orders as it was the best for everyone but why our lives is getting miserable everyday, yet you happily shows off your bonuses..

I'm angry ..and I sometimes I feel such a useless human being.

I know,I know be positive ...yalalalala...lol..but let me tell or write it here!!! Be positive everyday and in every second is a miserable human being job ..lol..yes.. I'm angry at so many things..and the real reason is I guess is just how much people around this didn't realized about caring for each other. Been here for so long, alas I guess it was hard to say sorry, how are you or just shows your empathy. Is the bonus really that $$$$ that makes you want to hold it so much?? I wonder.

Life is so funny. I probably have so much negative and shortcomings,that others are probably writing on their facebook wall right now, haha..but i don't know,  at the end of the day i still hold in my heart the idea of a leader is to inspire. People will hate you I guess in no matter what. Probably they hate you because you have the same tudung as them lol (kidding) but yeah, hate should be a proper hopeless feeling and yet when you inspire and help those in need, love an respect should be in the highest decree in their heart. I probably still have a long way to go to in life to be in the same position as them, yet I hope everything in my heart is real. Everything that I value in life is real. Ya allah, hope you show me the real way to live, to be near to you and to remember about death in every second in my life insyaallah...may I see the world I want to see and to do the things I want the world to do, insyaallah. 

2014 My Goal ~~

I wrote this on my birthday...at first thought, I kinda felt overwhelmed, in one way,I want to have so many things, and the other half in my mind is asking whether this is achievable. So I guess the rules is to write as much as you can in 10 minutes and write everything in your head without ever thinking everything...so I wrote this on my diary :)

- Earn $100k in a month
- Have $100k in Tabung Haji
- Have $200k in ASB
-Buy a bungalow house at Damansara at $5mil
-Date, Married, Babies lol
-Go to Paris
-Go to Spain
-Go to Turkey
-Go travel around the world
-------------and after a good 5 minutes scratching my head to write more things, I ended up with my crazy long list lol

2014 will be the year where, I;
-Go crazy
-Go spontaneous
-Go and be brave
-Go and do stupid things
-Go and like a person
-Go and see the world
-Go write something
-Go and see the beautiful clouds
-Go and do crazy things
-Go and have lots of money
-Go and be happy
-Go and make other people happy
-Go and do something
-Go and see the world
-Go go go go do it!!!!!

Pffftttt..haha ..reading it make me smile ^_^, it was not the best goal setting ever, yeah with all that s.m.a.r.t thing, but anyways I love it..it need to be more specific but I will take it as my guidelines for everything comes in 2014! :) ...ohhh and I super like the quote I found below..to have courage in your heart to understand the unthinkable :)

Why I Love To Travel

I love to travel because ..............

I love to see the outside world. 

I love to be lost in the thought how the world works.

I love to travel because .............

I love how at the end of my questions of life and my amazement with human being, at the end of the day, all of us is the same. 

All of us need the same things. 

All of us smile, laugh and cry under the same moon and sun.

I love to travel because......

I get to meet the new people who never judge me before. The kind of people who was intrigue by your existence without looking at your mistakes.

I love to travel because...... its just it is..

I love that sometimes I get lost in the journey eventhough I had plan everything before hand.

I love that sometimes I have to find my own way home and there,I will meet a great helpful human being. At the end of the day, I will put a faith in my heart that I will definitely find my way home. 

And that is how life is all about. 

You travel to understand the way to go back.

You travel to understand the faces of people at home.

You travel to understand that in life, how hard it makes you, at the end of the day, with much courage and belief, you will find your way home of love, happiness and the reason that you want to be allowed to live your life.

And that is why I love to travel <3

#Canada....my biggest,amazing 8 months travel experience ever !!! ^_^..so amazing it change my whole life around :)