I have been to Ho Chi Minh City twice (thrice, if you consider my transiting there from Cambodia) and yet, I am heading there once more. I really don't mind. The city has got a distinct personality which people like to refer to as ordered chaos. I like it. And it's a good introduction to the rest of Vietnam, which I am covering this time. From HCM, I am going to laid-back beach town Da Nang, the country's "third" city. From there, I plan to do daytrips to charming, quaint, old-town Hoi An.
Photo by namho | CC BY
After that, I am seeing the capital of imperial Vietnam, in Hue, which I am quite excited about. I finish my Vietnam journey in the north, in Hanoi and Halong Bay. It sucks that Filipinos are only allowed 21 days in the country per entry. I would have loved to see the Central Highlands in Da Lat and the northern mountains near Sapa, too. But all's good. I am seeing the mountains in my next destination anyway. Which is:
I would like to say that this is my first border crossing but it's not. I have done Singapore to KL by bus. It's still exciting though. I maybe becoming a borderholic, I must confess. From Hanoi, I take a sleeper train to Lao Cai in northern Vietnam and walk, yes walk, to China. I will be securing my visa here in Manila though. From Hekou (the border town on the Chinese side), I take a bus to Kunming, the capital of probably the most beautiful and diverse region of China: Yunnan province.
Photo by Travelwyse | CC BY-SA
I will be covering the basics: big city Kunming, to laid-back and hippie Dali, to old UNESCO World Heritage Lijiang, and finally, to the Tibetan town Zhongdian, which, by the way, was renamed Shangri-la to draw in tourists like me. The thought that excites me though is that through all these places, the Himalayas will be with me all the way. In fact, if I somehow find people to go with or an agency reliable enough, I may do a short trek to the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Just the names of these places conjure up mystical legends only depicted in stories older than I could ever imagine. I can't wait to see them all.
Photo by avlxyz | CC BY-SA
From Zhongdian, I would have loved to do the five-day high-altitude overland journey to Chengdu in Sichuan province. But as we are only allowed 30 days per entry in China, I'm going the faster route, taking a bus back to Kunming, and then a train to Chengdu. Why go to Chengdu, you ask? That's the closest place I can get a cheap flight back to Southeast Asia proper. But that's good. I get to see pandas! That is, before I head to Malaysia.
To slow things down as my trip comes to a close, I am stopping by Kuala Lumpur for a few days before heading to another laid-back old town: Malacca. A friend has been there and loved the place. I am spending at least a week in Malacca before heading to Singapore for my flight back to Manila. It's cheaper to fly from there via Tiger Airways. Go figure.
Photo by Marufish | CC BY-SA
From there, I don't know what happens next. Four months is too far for me to plan anything. I may continue being on the road, foregoing my flight from Singapore altogether. Or I may start looking for work someplace other than Manila. One thing's for sure though, I will continue traveling. It's something I don't think I am ready let go anytime soon.
