Tag Archives: lone travelling

vietnam chronicles: ha long bay day cruise

Posted by rob on

ha long bay, a unesco world heritage site and one of the new 7 wonders of nature is found about three hours ride away from hanoi.  mr. duc, the manager from the hotel i was staying on, arranged a day cruise for me which costs $25.00 that included the tour, transport and lunch.  i was ready by 8:00 in the morning and the tour guide personally fetched me in the waiting area of charming hotel and directed me to a van parked nearby.  when i boarded the vehicle, there were already other tourists inside because it was a group tour.  we were asked by the guide to introduce ourselves and which country we were from.  our group consisted of a french couple with their three adolescent children, a middle-aged british guy  and some local vietnamese.  about mid-way to our destination, we had a short stop at a restaurant and souvenir shop where some handicrafts are mostly made by disabled people.  it was not allowed to take pictures but when i was in the lacquerware workshop, they let me snap a few shots.

made from inlaid duck egg shells, these lacquer finished paintings are a work of art.

i would have bought a piece but i did not want to go beyond my travel budget.

this snake and scorpion wine was along the oreos and other chocolate cookies in the snack bar of the restaurant.  it is actually fermented rice liquor (plus a preserved dead snake and scorpion, lol!) and is supposedly health beneficial.

we continued our travel to ha long and we arrived the port.  the tour guide distributed our tickets and we waited for our boat.

our tour boat, manhan.

we boarded the boat and it started to slowly ply the waters of the bay.  i enjoyed the scenic view of these limestone karsts and cliffs in various sizes and shapes.  they were similar to the ones found  in puerto princesa in palawan which i visited almost two years ago, the difference is these are many.

we were served lunch and stopped by in one small fishing village.  i took a picture of one local woman selling some fruits and vegetables from a wooden boat.

some of the villagers also sell fresh seafood that they farm which can be prepared in the boat.

we then visited one of the caves of ha long and before that the tour guide gave us an introduction about ha long bay itself.

the cave we visited is named as thien cung , a recent discovery as told by our guide.  it was illuminated with different colors of lights.

there were shops selling souvenir items outside the cave where i bought some ref magnets.

we then travelled back to the port and started a three-hour ride by bus back to hanoi where i was dropped off near the hotel i was staying in hoan kiem district.

indonesia chronicles: surabaya street

Posted by rob on

surabaya street is a well-known flea market in central jakarta.  after hearing mass at the cathedral, i took a cab and told the driver to drop me off at jalan surabaya.  the indonesian driver was a cheerful local who speak english started a small conversation asking where i was from:

me: well, guess where i’m from.

driver: singapore? (maybe a lot of tourists in jakarta are singaporeans?!)

me: nope.  guess once more.

driver: taiwan? (is he serious?!)

me: wrong.  i’m from the philippines.

driver: ohhh…  christian bautista! (lmao! was he that famous in indonesia?!)

we reached surabaya then i handed him idr 15,000 (was idr 11,000 in the taxi meter) for the fare and thanked him.  a few tourists were also looking for bargains as i walked beside the shops where the locals are seated at the curb either polishing brass or fixing items that they are selling.

there were a lot of items being sold like these antique-looking brass items.  my ma actually have a small collection of small brass vases but hers came from india.

i am not sure if the stuff they sell are authentic, anyway i was only there to look and take pictures.  one caucasian woman actually bought one of these supposedly world war II diving helmet made of copper and brass material.

then i passed by these wooden stick puppets which caught my attention.

i was hooked.  though i never had any plan to buy anything, these puppets are too artistically crafted that i wanted to bring one back home.

for idr 300,000 (about $30.00) i got these wooden stick puppets of rama and sita.  i think it was worth it having one for myself.

indonesia chronicles: makanan tempat

Posted by rob on

one of the things that i appreciated when i visited indonesia was their cuisine. i actually liked their dishes that i was able to taste which satisfied my fondness to slightly spicy food. here are some of the “restoran” i visited during my solo travel.

black canyon coffee

i was searching for a place to have dinner after my leisurely walk at kuta beach and noticed this nice looking restaurant in discovery shopping mall in jalan kartika plaza.

black canyon coffee is originally from thailand. this one in bali is the only branch they have that is operating in indonesia.

my first impression about black canyon was that it only serves typical menu that one will find in a coffee shop like sandwiches or other quick-fix food but i was surprised when i checked out in their menu that the place is actually a restaurant that offers extensive choices of food.

they have what they call “indonesia favorites” where local dishes are served in a different zest.

i ordered some sweetened black iced tea.

and nasi pedas, where the spiciness of the dish is just right for my taste. their restaurant have thai dishes but i was more interested with their indonesian specialties. rice dishes, pasta, noodles, curries and soups are also available

nong jma

there is a foodcourt in sarinah mall in jakarta where i ate at nong jma.

the set-up is that there is a buffet spread where you can choose a variety of local dishes.

you pick what you want and how much you want it in your plate and pay for that.

fried fish and tofu, spicy anchovies (loved it!), string beans with mongo sprouts and brown rice cost me only about idr 20,000 – like $2.00!

tomodachi café

this restaurant is at the ground floor of fave hotel where i stayed in jakarta. i had my dinner here before my flight back to manila.

it is a french-oriental fusion restaurant.

the restaurant has a very modern feel.

i ordered “ayam betutu”, half chicken grilled with traditional balinese spice, served with steamed rice, sambal matah, and piecing kacang panjang.  the dish was beautifully presented though the food itself, i can consider as average.

makanan tempat means food places in bahasa.