ADDENDUM: more Vietbodia stuff

Vietbodia -- Here are just some more Vietbodia stuff I missed:

BEST TRANSPORTATION/BEST LOVE TEAM: I'm sorry for missing this. We will never forget the most romantic ride ever: the scooter ride for the best love team Thuy and Papa Sly.


BEST BAR: Chu Bar with a Pinoy band singing Cher's Do you believe in love?!


BEST DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE: The Morning After: Ate, huwag po! starring Papa Sly and me. hahahaha!


BEST DAD: Tony! And he's also the best tour guide and best translator!

pseudobackpacker guide to vietbodia (vietnam & cambodia)

Siem reap/Pnom Penh/Saigon, VIETBODIA --Here's a rough guide on pseudobackpacking in Vietbodia :

VIETBODIA'S BEST
BEST FOOD: Little India located at Bar St.(if you're American)/Pub St.(if you're European), Siem Reap
What to get: Paratha, babaganoush, spicy dips, mango lassi
Food place in the middle of the market in Saigon, Vietnam
What to get: Pho, Pho, Pho...ever! The best pho! I highly recommend the vegetarian pho!



BEST PLACE TO GET DRINKS, DANCE AND CHERVA WITH HAWKS (some with white tube socks): Angkor What?!?
What to get: Hmmmm..what did we drink there? Too drunk to remember, but it was good.



BEST PICK UP LINE: "Are any of you guys German? Can you translate that for me?" with accompanying hand movements, hair flipping, playing with the headband, girly laughing with neck extension -- from who else but the cherva master, Justine

BEST WORK-OUT PLACE: Beng Melea, Siem Reap : Indiana Jones-style climbing and exploring with (of course) the occasional posing for the cam


BEST TRANSPORTATION: Tuk-tuks with Mr. Sothy! (just don't let them rip you off..)


BEST HAIR: Art of Hair in Saigon! I LOVE IT! The longest and most comfortable shampoo (with facial), free fruits, free drinks, free foot massage, free pedicure/manicure, free internet and the cheapest price! Joy almost had a breakdown.


BEST PHOTO-OP: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap or Foyer of Tony's Apartment, Saigon, Vietnam



BEST SHOPPING PLACE: Street market in Saigon, Vietnam - cheap North Face stuff (backpacks!), nice blouses, bags, coffee

BEST DRINK: Wintermelon tea for me, Sweet Soya drink for Risa and Joy, and Vietnamese coffee in cute silver miniature French presses (or are they Vietnamese presses?)

BEST SONG: "Cruisin'" - from our two superstars Justine and Risa; "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love For You" - Justine


I can't think of anything more. Girls, feel free to add to this list. I might have left off some important stuff.

I miss you girls! I miss pseudobackpacking! Angkor What?!???!!!

have crazy friends, will travel

Siem Reap, Cambodia -- where it all began. temple-hopping under the blistering summer sun while hatching the next adventure to go on. all together now: "angkor what?!"

our lovely tour guide ditas, complete with lovely khmer accent

... and the night jan completed our line-up.

get your passports and pseudobackpacks ready, chicas ;)

Meet Me

Manila, PH- I knew I was born to roam. In spite of my parents’ objections, I learned to commute at a young age. I saved my allowances for a weekend somewhere other than my house. I simply can not stay in one place and if I do, I know deep in my heart that I’m missing a lot of things..there are places waiting to be explored and millions of possibilities in store for me.

Who doesn’t like shopping? Compared to others, I don’t use much of my money shopping but I use it to get somewhere – north or south, beach or mountain, city or rural, quiet or chaotic. So while my sisters and other friends have closets filled with clothes and shoes, I have memories of Broadway, the busy streets of Manhattan, and the stillness of suburban Baltimore on an autumn morning.

I would not know how it feels to actually buy a $200 pair of shoes but I definitely remember how happy my friends and I were when we found a 2 dollar tunic in Siem Reap. Good thing my sisters and I have the same shoe size!

I may not be able to enjoy eating in fancy restos right now but I know nothing compares to authentic Viet cuisine in Ben Thanh market. Champagne is good, Cuba Libre shared with friends and interesting people after a day’s trip around Sagada is better, but a good conversation after seeing L.A.'s The Getty Museum is still on top of my list.