I've heard about Cafe Leona from several blogs that I follow. And most of them have had great reviews of the restaurant. I, on the other hand, would have to be on the neutral side of things. The famed restaurant by Calle Crisologo was a tourist site on its own. But I wouldn't really rave so much about their food -- or at least, with the ones that we ordered that night.
With our good friend, and co-travel/food blogger friend Edmar.
I love staying in hotels and classy inns that have affordable rates to them. Who doesn't, right? So, speaking of --- Rubel and I found a gem for our 5-night stay in Ho Chi Minh City, and the hotel was called Nguyen Khang Hotel. After reading so many good online reviews of the lodging, I was immediately smitten by the idea of booking with them right away. But what made me decide to finally book them? Here's 7 good reasons.
1) LOCATION - Nguyen Khang is situated at a small alley in Phạm Ngũ Lão, a street that was made famous for being a backpackers haven. The location was quite perfect since we were near some of Saigon's famous spots: 10 minutes away from Ben Thanh Market and Saigon Square, a street away from Bùi Viện (famous for its night life and cheap beers), and a few walks away from several mini-marts and food establishments.
You're probably thinking that I got burnt from the flames fuming out of a hot air balloon. You thought wrong! My skin got burnt not because of the balloon blaze. But because of my exposure to the sun. I brought an umbrella. But the sun was just everywhere! The Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ), where the festival was held was an open space. So the only shelter that one could stay in were the Airplane Hangar and the food tents nearby. Both places were a bit distant from all the action. So Rubel and I just braved the lot with just an umbrella over our heads. But even that didn't protect us. It was actually raining a few days earlier. So I was really surprised when the sun showed up last Saturday (February 23), all mighty and proud.
When I was preparing for my trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Rubel and I discussed the simple conversion of Vietnam Dong (VND) to Philippine Peso (PHP). A friend of his actually taught him how to do the math.
Let's say that you're eyeing a Class A "The North Face" Rucksack for 800,000 VND. It may look very expensive with all the zero's to it. But it's actually quite affordable. You'll just need to take the last three zero's, and then multiply the remaining three digits to 2. This will then be your estimate. So 800 x 2 is PHP1,600! That's your estimated value in pesos. Simple, right?
Since Rubel and I weren't able to see the rest of the sites from the previous City tour, we opted to do a DIY trip the following day. So after a good recharge, we started our evening walk towards the Bitexco Financial Tower (the 124th tallest building in the world according to Wikipedia). We didn't get to see it up close. But we managed to take a few photos of it while traversing the street of Hàm Nghi.
After a quick photo op, we continued on with our evening stroll. We were supposed to take a cab from Pham Ngu Lao all the way to Tôn Đức Thắng. But we decided to just walk all the way. And with our efforts, we were able to reach the Saigon river after 30 minutes.
There are plenty of beautiful and picturesque places where you can bring your loved one/s to. And these aren't just perfect for Valentine's Day! So if you're thinking about taking your relationship up a notch, consider these Philippine towns as a way of saying "I love you dear. You deserve to be treated to a romantic getaway!" Here's to sharing 8 romantic destinations that I've already been to with my 'honey'.
BAGUIO
Baguio's weather never fails. More so, the lush beauty that surrounds it. It may be a 6-7 hour trip from Manila. But the smell of the pine trees, the whiff of the cold breeze and the aroma of a hot cup of chocolate never fails to ignite the souls of two people in-love. Baguio is a destination that you wouldn't want to miss seeing and experiencing!
TIP: Bring your beau to Mines View. Sit by the rocks and enjoy the overlooking view while drinking your hot, Strawberry Taho. It's the perfect combination, just like you!
Rubel and I initially planned a DIY City Tour, so we asked our hotel receptionist, Ms Thu for a city map. As soon as she handed a copy, my beau and I immediately looked for the major sites nearby. Since most of the areas were a bit far from each other, we eventually decided to book a guided travel. Nguyen Khang Hotel was also offering different kinds of excursions. But we only availed of their USD 9/pax DAILY CITY TOUR, which was operated by Youth Tourist Joint-Stock Co.
We were going to be picked up at the hotel at around 8:30 AM, so we still had time to eat our complimentary breakfast while waiting for the guide.
Our guide was a nice, Vietnamese local named Taó. He immediately escorted us to an airconditioned shuttle right after greeting us that morning. A couple of Australians, Europeans, Malaysians and a Filipino were already on-board the van.
Budget Biyahera is about finding fun and distinct food and destinations, accommodations, products/gears and activities that people can enjoy on a ‘regular’ person’s budget and schedule.
