The first thing that we asked from our host in Saud (Ms. Cathy) was where to eat for dinner, and she immediately suggested to dine at Evangeline Beach Resort's -- Emohruo Beach Restobar. Although she warned us about the price, she still recommended that we try their food just for the experience of it. Good thing that we listened to her!
And as posted from their website: the excellent chefs of Emohruo Beach Restobar serve a unique blend of innovative Asian cuisine that they themselves have created. The menu boasts of a variety of offerings ranging from creative seafood fares to spicy Thai curry sauces, all made from the freshest ingredients and herbs freshly-picked from the resort’s very own organic garden. Apart from the magnificent food choices, we also have a selection of wines for our guests and their discriminating palates.
Rubel and I visited Vigan a few weeks ago. And it was a trip that consisted using different modes of transportation. We flew to Laoag for almost an hour. Road the bus from the airport to Laoag city proper. Took the tricycle towards the Partas Station. Then rode a bus that was bound for Vigan, which took 2 hours. We were only able to step foot on the Heritage City of the Philippines at exactly 2 pm -- which was the exact and allowed time for checking-in at our accommodations: Grandpa's Inn. Great timing, right? :) Since we were really running on empty, Rubel and I no longer wandered off the streets to explore the best restaurants nearby. We just went straight to Grandpa's Inn's signature restaurant, which was Kusina Felicitas.
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.
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.
