10 Days in Southern Vietnam

So what does one do with 10 days in Vietnam? It's tempting to want to see everything and go everywhere, but unless you don't care to sleep and don't mind spending long hours on buses traversing the country, it makes much more sense to focus on one area - in my case it was a portion of the south.

Pho! (yum)

2 days: Ho Chi Minh City
I flew into Ho Chi Minh from Kuala Lumpur and decided to spend the first two days getting to know the city. From the airport I hopped in a cab to a hotel I had pre-booked, a budget-midrange option called Elegent Inn Hotel. The place gets great Tripadvisor reviews and I wasn't disappointed. Location is ideal, breakfast is included, rooms are large, clean and serviced daily and the staff is very friendly. They can also book onward travel and many tours.

My first taste of HCMC included lots of walking, lots of pho (vegetarian pho or "pho chay") at a place called Pho 24/24, not to be confused with the chain Pho 24, and lots of general exploring of the busy, chaotic streets.

2 days: Mue Ne

Mui Ne

About a four hour bus ride from HCMC is the beach town of Mui Ne, where I decided to spend a couple of days rather than book a two-day Mekong Delta tour that I had been thinking about. Mui Ne is very walkable and consists mostly of guesthouses, tour operators, bars and cafes. While it is known as a "beach town" there is very little beach to speak of (at least where I was staying), and the water is very rough. If you like kite boarding and wind surfing this is the place to visit.

The town is also known for a few attractions, including the ferry stream and white and red sand dunes. You can easily book a package tour that lasts about three hours (in the morning or afternoon) that will combine all three. The "ferry stream" is basically a trickle of a stream you walk down while looking at some really surreal scenery, like something you might imagine finding on Mars - red sand and rock formations.

The white sand dunes are pretty spectacular and look like a vast expanse of desert - great photos to be taken here, and it's lots of fun to run down the dunes (you can also slide down them if you're so inclined). The red sand dunes weren't much compared to the white and could be skipped, in my opinion.

If you haven't booked your accommodations ahead there will be numerous touts when you get off the bus eager to show you their resort (or the one they're working for). But really, with so many options you can just walk the main street until you find a suitable spot to stay.

4 days: Dalat
A five hour bus ride from Mui Ne gets you to Dalat, a place I could have spent more time in. It's a quirky town in the hills with a very European feel also known as one of the most "romantic" spots in Vietnam. It's very popular with honeymooners and does boast its fair share of kitsch (fancy a paddle around the lake in a swan-shaped pedal boat?)

Crazy House

Other than the aforementioned pedal boating, you can catch a cable car ride over stunning views (highly recommended, unless you hate heights), check out the "Crazy House" - a surreal wonderland of wacky staircases, bridges, oddly-shaped rooms and architecture heavily inspired by Gaudi but much more playful (you need to see it to believe it). You can also book a room here. I didn't but I peeked into some and they are very cool. If outdoor adventure is your thing, you can book hiking and mountain biking tours though numerous operators. The night market is also well worth checking out for the food and happy, carnival-like atmosphere.

If you can, rest your head at the ultra-friendly, clean and well-located Thien An Hotel. The breakfast (included in the room price) is awesome. Fresh fruit, fresh baguettes, cheese, cold cuts, fresh squeezed juice (passion fruit when I was there) and eggs how you want them - it's a great way to start the day.

2 days: Ho Chi Minh City

Chaotic HCMC

Since I was flying back out of HCMC I wanted to end my stay in Vietnam there and two days at the start just wasn't enough. I booked another two nights at Elegant Inn Hotel. My time was spent heading  back to Pho 24/24 a couple of times, going to Chinatown to explore, doing some shopping at the Ben Thanh Market (I got me a hat) and checking out the War Remnants Museum, which was interesting but depressing (which is to be expected).

Have you been to Vietnam? Where did your visit take you?

Unplanned Travel Detours: Vietnam Edition

As I'm sure I've mentioned, I'm a planner. I like the idea of being totally spontaneous and doing away with routes, itineraries and travel guides, but ultimately, at my core, I need a plan or at least a semblance of one in order to feel comfortable. But that doesn't mean plans don't change, or that every trip taken isn't without its surprises.

Ho Chi Minh City

Hey, let's fly to Vietnam for 10 days
February and March of this year were spent mostly in Malaysia and Singapore with a three night bonus-stopover in Hong Kong on the way home. But somewhere along the line, around mid-February we decided to add Vietnam into the mix. We were in Malaysia during Chinese New Year, which meant a lot of hotels, buses, ferries, etc. were booked up well in advance. We were struggling to find decent rooms and transportation when we wanted it. So we were feeling a little stuck and. The fix: Leave Malaysia and try a new country on for size.

We had 10 days to play with before meeting some friends in Kuala Lumpur so we decided to spend them in Vietnam. It was unexpected, it was spontaneous and it was something we would never do in "real life" but while traveling, the decision was made within an hour over a beer in cafe in Penang.

Saigon green beer

Spontaneity can be fun
At home, I like my routine. I'm not adverse to last-minute plans but if I already have my comfy pants on, you better have tickets to something good (or be offering free booze) to get me out of the house. So you can see how a totally random side trip to a country not on our original itinerary would be a bit outside my comfort zone. We did this last year with a side trip to Cambodia and it was a great decision, but I really didn't anticipate any similar moves this time around. The verdict: It was an amazing 10 days spent in Ho Chi Minh City, Mui Ne and Dalat (full post on these coming soon). We couldn't get enough and were actually sad to leave at the end of it all.

The lesson for me in all this is that there is a place for spontaneity and last-minute switches to plans and "hey, let's go here" moments when you travel. If fact, I bet some people would say travel is all about those unexpected changes to plans (or better yet, not planning at all).

How spontaneous are you when you travel? I've love to know!

My Travel Wish List for 2013

I was recently inspired by this great post wherein Mrs. O Around the World shares her 2013 travel wish list (Santa, are you listening... er reading?) So here is my "I need to go to there" list for the New Year and beyond, in no particular order. Parts two through 200 to come.

1. Malaysia

Image courtesy SM Jet

Malaysia is my alternate plan if we don't end up going to India  this winter, which at this point, likely will not. I love the idea of loads of street food, colonial architecture, beaches, green space, jungle and a melange of cultures. I especially want to spend lots of time in Penang, Melaka, Langkawi and of course, KL, not to mention Malaysian Borneo (hello, orangutans and jungle treks).

2. Singapore

Image courtesy Dominic Wee

I think it makes sense, wanting to go to Singapore while at the same time hankering for a taste of Malaysia. I've been looking into airfare and from Toronto, flights to Singapore seem quite a bit cheaper than they are to KL. But flight prices aside, I have become pretty fascinated by this well-ordered, glimmering city-state. I love the idea of checking out the many hawker centers, meandering through Little India and Chinatown, escaping the city with a wander through the Singapore Botanic Gardens (which are supposed to be quite lovely), and doing lots and lots of (window) shopping.

3. Vietnam

Image courtesy Timo Balk

Two months in SE Asia was not enough to squeeze in Vietnam. I would have liked to go for longer in order to include several spots here, but it was not to be. So now I've been left wanting. There was a lot of preliminary talk about going to Vietnam this winter (pre-India talk) so it's still on "the list" and still in the running for a sooner rather than later trip. I want to see Ha Long Bay, I want to check out Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. I want to see for myself where I fall amidst the myriad love-hate opinions of other travelers who have been here. Seriously, from what I've read, you either love it... or not.

4. Morocco

Image courtesy M.E. Jones

I have been wanting to go to Morocco since around 2006, when I became obsessed with signing up for a G Adventure tour there. I ended up in Paris for a summer instead (which was amazing), but I still have a lingering lust on for Morocco. Fez, Marrakech, Essaouira (which my mom fell in love with in the 60s) -- bring it on, I want to see it all. But it's winter there when my boyfriend and I travel so it hasn't yet fit in with the "we want to be warm while it's cold here" criteria.

5. Panama

Image courtesy Joy

As one of the only countries in Central America I have yet to visit, Panama has been high on my must-visit list for a few years. We were contemplating a trip there last year, but chose Thailand instead. But there's something about Panama that pulls me in. I want to wander aimlessly through Casco Viejo, check out the Canal (natch), get closer to nature in various national parks and of course, do some beach hopping. 

Image courtesy A C

5. Hong Kong
I'm not sure where my fascination with Hong Kong began, but I have been developing a serious travel crush on this seemingly well-ordered yet always buzzing hub filled with shopping, people, chaos, and a multitude of things to see and do. We very nearly built in a 4-day layover in Hong Kong on the way back from Thailand but ultimately decided against it. But still, I remain fascinated. Maybe this year..

So, where do you want to go in 2013? Tell me things!