Old Town, Hanoi : Thoughts on a Street Corner

“Life is full of stories. Or maybe life is only stories. Good night, my dear Nao.”

- A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki

I'm back in Hanoi, this time on a work trip, but with travel perks nonetheless. I'm sitting at the corner of Hang Thung and Ten Huu Huan. 930pm. Swarm of motorcycles crossing the intersection. The traffic lights work, but it's only for show. The Vietnamese have their own traffic rules, or probably it is its non-existence.

Rainy But Lovely Days in Hoi An

Photo taken using Anthony's Lumix

*Blog post drafted almost a year ago. Only had the time and courage to post it now. Finally had the courage to look back at those good memories, and happy at how much they're only fleeting memories now. I wasn't able to take much photos when I was in Hoi An in December 2011 due to the rainy weather. So some photos were taken by him or taken by me using his Lumix camera.

After a tiring but really nice day visiting the countryside of Hue, we found ourselves sitting by the balcony of the hostel. It’s only been two days but I found myself so comfortable and natural with him. What even surprised me was the fact that I allowed myself to just enjoy and not think about what’s going to happen, and only focused on the present. Probably because I wasn’t back in Manila, I didn’t have a stressful job that was making me so miserable. Or that I was just really happy with what I have done the past two months, on how I was, and how my life was changing, and just happy with where I was at that point in my life. And how this sense of happiness has made me braver and more secure to put myself out there again. But there was, of course, a small part of me that wished that I could spend more days with him. But the larger and remaining part of me was so happy of the two days that we spent together. Another amazing memory from my Big Trip, I thought. 

Inside Temples in Asia

The Golden Temple, Amritsar, India

I was born and raised a Roman Catholic. Living and studying in UP (university) opened up my eyes and heart to other religions, more so because my two bestfriends are Muslims. But my travels, more than anything, has introduced me to other religions and has strengthened my belief that faith is one of the most valuable things one has in his/her life. We just have different ways of practicing it. 

An Unexpected Detour in Hue

Citadel in Hue, Vietnam

‘Floating there, I held on to faith. Because you can’t know who might cross your path or who will take your breath away…You can’t know when there’ll be an unexpected detour that’ll take you to the place where you were always meant to be.’ – The Lost Girls 

Hanoi's Old Quarter

Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

A Warm Welcome in Hanoi

with Ms. Ha and her family :)

We had almost two days for layover in Bangkok from Nepal, before I take a flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. We soaked up the sun and tropical weather of Bangkok just to have a sense of home. Two months spent in cold Northern India and freezing Nepal, despite all the amazing experiences we had, proved to be a little bit too much for the tropical and island people like us. We treated ourselves with pad thais, fruit shakes, beers, and relaxing thai massages. But despite all of these, I just couldn’t shake off the fact that in almost three weeks, I would be back in the Philippines and all the other things it meant – finding a job, looking for a new place, figuring out what I was going to do next. And just how much I missed Nepal – the mountains, trekking, and just the wonderful people we met along the way. 

The Big Trip : Five Months of Travel, Adventure, and Surprises

 

First Day 

I remember the first day of the Big Trip. We had drinks the night before, but I woke up early and full of energy. I was so excited. I’ve been waiting for that day for almost a year. There were days when I wanted to quit my job early and travel early. But I pushed on, I waited for the right day to start the Big Trip. 

A Beautiful Ending in Vietnam

Sunset, Mui Ne, Vietnam

Five days in Vietnam with a Nepal hangover – reminiscing about those great mountains, amazing landscapes, warm people, and great friends I made throughout the whole journey. Five days of thinking about going home – anticipating and getting anxious over what’s going to be my life next year. 

And then there was that taxi ride, after two transfers to go to the sleeper bus from Hanoi to Hue. Confused, I asked you “Are you also going to Hue?” 

Bustling Saigon in less than 48 hours

We only stayed in Saigon for less than two days. It was just a layover since there was no direct flight from Manila to Siem Reap. But despite staying there for a short period of time, we were able to do a LOT.

For the city is BUSTLING.