Thinh Pham

Author: Pham Thinh

  • Sapa Travel Guide

    Sapa Travel Guide

    First time backpacking Sapa ? My top tips providing useful and in-depth information of get-in, get-around, things to do, food to eat and accommodation tips.

    Get-in

    You can ride to Sapa, however, most of backpackers reports that it takes them at least 5-7 hours and the road is quite rough. There’s a high-speed highway, a bus take only 4-5 hour to Lao Cai city and plus 1 hour to Sapa town. So mostly people choose to take overnight bus to the town to take advantage of time.

    I took Sao Viet bus (789 Giai Phong str. – Hoang Mai, Ha Noi/ 04. 36.686.358). You should book in advance to get best bed on bus. The latest bus is 23:00, and the you’re likely to reach Lao Cai at 3:00, and Sapa at 4:00.

    Another safer choice is to take train. It’s the most safest option up to now, but the price is not cheap compared to other means of transport. Booking at the official website of Vietnam railway to get the best price. It’s supported in English at the top right corner.

    Train time table and cost

    (vietnam-railway.com) “Sapa has no railway station, it’s about 38 km (24 miles) from Lao Cai railway station and easily reached from there by bus, jeep or taxi in about 50 minutes. There are both daytime and overnight sleeper trains between Hanoi & Lao Cai, and on the sleeper trains you can choose between the normal Vietnamese railways sleepers or a whole series of privately-run sleeping-cars of a higher standard aimed at tourists.

    Get around

    The best choice for adventurous travelers are bike rental, they are everywhere, and you can rent one for few buck plus gasonline. Read my biking tips for more details.

    Another way for leisure travel plus a bit adventure, especially for a solo one, rent a bike-taxi, bargain for 100,000 – 150,000 dong/ a cluster of 4-5 close destinations (see where to visit session for more details).

    For a group of travellers, it’s best to take a taxi, there are many brands so I can’t provide a certain price, you should consult the host before take one.

    Best time to travel Sapa

    Situated at the height of 1500-1800m, Sapa is quite cool, just 15-18 Celcius degree, so it’s very enjoyable here.

    Sapa is beautiful everytime, each month the town shows its unique beauty.

    April-May: Best time to see rice terraces, they are green and well-lit by fantastic sunray, some flowers are blossoming this time. A great time for photographers.

    September – October: Rice crops, all the terraces are covered in yellow. It’s gorgeous and majestic!

    December – February: The winter, so you’re expected to see snowflakes by chance and enjoy grilled food deliciously.

    Where to go

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1ZWqigBGK1WytB0w81xI4ZFvahPc

    Zoom in my backpacking Sapa destination map for more detail locations

    Ham Long mountain: the highest spot in the town, I see it as a flower garden, similar to Da Lat garden. It’s usually covered by dense fog and drizzle. If you’re lucky enough, then a panoramic view including Sapa town, Muong Hoa valley and Ta Phin village.

    Stone church (Notre Dame Cathedral): Built in 1895 by French, it’s a rare historical relic remaining today. A must-visit spot in downtown. Free entrance.

    Mau son temple: A religious site for pilgrims.

    Sapa lake: Taking a slow-pace duck boat around the lake is a break you’re your destination-rush.

    Cat cat: H’mong village, a journey to explore local culture and rice terrace photography also. 40,000 dong/ pax

    Ta phin: famous for its system of caves and Red Zdao ethnic. The roadtrip through the village and taking traditional herb bath of the Red ZDao are must-do experiences. It’s very exciting and sense of adventure.

    Ta van: Zday ethnic situates here. You’re also expected to see rice terrace.

    Sin Chai: Black Zdao ethnic, less tourismization, so you can find out the most pure atmostphere and local culture here.

    Muong Hoa valley – Ancient stone field: a beautiful stream and unique engraved stones depicts ancient culture.

    Fansipan – the roof top of Indochina: The sea cloud at the summit is very gorgoues and breathtaking, a must-visit spot. You can choose to take cable car (600,000 dong/ return ticket) or hiking trail from Tram Ton station (inside Love waterfall ecotourism park).

    Silver waterfall/ Love waterfall: It’d better visit these places at the beginning and the end of rainy season, when the water flow is at its most beautiful.

    “Gate to Heaven” (O Quy Ho pass viewport): A stunning panoramic view of the famous Pass. To conquer the pass more safely, please read my useful biking tips [http://darejourney.com/sapa-biking-tips/].

    Coc San: Another system of caves, it remains the purest landscape compared to landscapes surrounding Sapa.

    Things to do

    Backpacking Sapa was one of my memorable experience, I suggest some activities to make your trips even more exciting!

    Bike trip: following 4D highway is all you need to explore most of destinations inside and around Sapa, don’t forget to ride along O Quy Ho pass.

    Food tour: Getting around downtown and try new food that you’ve never ate before.

    A visit to ethnic village: Cat cat, Ta Van, Ta phin are among great options to explore local culture.

    Terrace photography: Sapa, as well as many mountainous destinations, offer a great view of rice terrace. It’s best to visit during crop season.

    Homestay in a village: enjoy an off-the-grid experience and local culture also.

    Sunrise and sunset at Sapa: Climbing Ham Long mountain at very right time for beautiful moments.

    Trekking Fansipan: Check-in the highest spot of Indochina is a really exciting activity. Read my Fansipan adventurous story if you need a preference what the trek is look like.

    What to eat

    Sapa cuisine is what I love most, most of them are ethnic food, very unique taste and moreover, the cool ambiance make grilled food taste even more delicious. Some best food you should have when in Sapa are:

    Thang Co (cattle soup): taste very unique, especially enjoy with a cup of corn alcohol. The lowest price is 200,000 dong/ 2-3 people at A Quynh restaurant (15 Thach Son street, Sapa town).

    Salmon dish: a hot pot of the fish is such a great idea for a dinner in Sapa.

    Grilled food: I spent a lot of money on these. A variety of pork, veggie, mushroom, bamboo-wrapped rice, eggs and sweet potatos

    Smoked Pork/ buffalo meat: I ate many strings. The cheapest price I found is a small restaurant of a man located near Silver waterfall, 300,000 dong/ kg pork and 600,000 dong/ kg buffalo meat, you’d better enjoy ethnic herbs served as tea, taste is very good.

    Accomodation

    As a center of tourism, there are many choices here. I use booking platforms such as hostelworld.com, agoda.com and booking.com for accomodation research. Some tips for choosing best bed is to decide what kind of bed you want (bunk bed/ private room), then surfing these website above, use filter for ones higher 7 stars review, at the price and location you’d love to. Read some reviews for more details before deciding booking.

  • Backpacking essentials: A-Z checklist for your light backpacking

    Backpacking essentials: A-Z checklist for your light backpacking

    Backpacking essentials a-z checklist provides you an easy-to-remember while still enough helpful for any trips.

    A – Adapter

    An electronic device can not work without power, and in some countries, the plug is various, different from ones at home, so a traveler adaptor is very essential.

    B – Backpack

    My backpack is my love, and she’s very helpful, as long as she is well-equipped. I don’t think we’re called “backpacker” without a backpack, so choose a right backpack fitting our travel style is very important. My style is ultralight, what about you?

    C – Camera

    One of travelling hobby is to have nice photographs so showcase our journey and inspire people. A good camera is absolutely a worthy investment. Some hard-core travel photographer will pay a fortune for the device, but most of the backpackers just need a compact camera or (sometimes) a smart phone with internet connection is enough.

    D – Documents

    Admittedly, I hate documents, but we can hardly travel without them. So a check-list for what documents (passport, visa, airline ticket, travel insurance,…) you MUST HAVE is very essential. Personally, my most beloved paper is the passport – the proof of travelling overseas.

    E – Earplugs

    Have I told you that earplugs “save my life” (like “radio save my night tonight” by Bon Jovi,LoL). When you’re travelling lonely, it’s especially important, it’s your friend, help you out of annoying atmosphere (good sleep, baby cry, engine sound, touts trying to get attention,…)

    F – First Aid Kit

    you don’t know what’s likely to happen in the journey, so a well-equipped first aid kit is your “nurse”, she help you out of bleeding, digestive disorders, fever and most of emergency case, you’ll need her. Don’t leave her home or you’ll regret

    G – Games

    Games is very useful in many cases. When you’re alone, you can entertain yourself, when you travel with friends, it’s nice to kill time in group. Games are also a good chance to connect with other travellers in hostels.

    H – Hamburger

    Hamburger is a fast food, and yes, we need pack some refreshments and packed food also to help ourself when the local food tastes weird (likely to make digestive disorders), expensive but not delicious to spend on, or in need of promptly supplement to deal with Hypoglycemia or body hungry. Most of packed foods are light and take little room in your backpack, so don’t forget to pack them along.

    I – Immunity

    Thanks to the advancement of medical treatment, we have no fear in most of diseases in the world. However, in some tropical regions, it’s advised to have some vaccinations treatment before travelling. We don’t know what we would be caught on road, so just “Good watch prevents misfortune”.

    J – Jacket

    A jacket keep your body warm and a good protection for your health. Moreover, you should take clothing into account.

    K – Knife

    Knife, somethings (like multi-task tools) sharp enough to cut, is very essential. It help you cut things such as to open packs, peel fruits, prepare food,… and in some situation, is to protect yourself. It’s banned following airline regulation but you should buy and equip once you’re on land.

    L – Lock

    In dorm room, where you’ll sleep with dozen of strangers, you need a lock to keep your belongings safe. Electronic devices, money or papers loss will make you cry, literally.

    M – Money

    What prevent us from make trips to trips or years to years of travel: money, frankly! So learn how to save money and earn money while you’re travelling is two essential skills.

    N – Netbook

    Why we bring a netbook while we enjoy travelling? Work? No! Actually, to blog our journey for family, friends and fan.

    O – Outline

    A list of things to do, food to eat and where to go keep you busy and more focus in your journey. I used to travel with no plan, just “go with the flow”, but I soon found it boring, so I started to plan again. Now I almost plan for new things, which I’m pretty sure I’d definitely love to experience.

    P – PDA (or smart phone)

    The electronic device now is a must-bring (except for some off-the-grid purposes), it plays the role of digital map, booking assistant, music player, digital note-book (with great synchronization among devices), and, yes, to call buddy for a beer !

    Q – Quote

    Quotes are “holy words” inspiring everyone to travel. A notebook with some quotes is very useful when you’re tired, have no ideas in your journeys. I love Mark Twain quote, and it push me everyday to do new things: ” Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

    R – Repellent

    Mosquito is number one enemy in tropical region. I always bring repellent to prevent myself from malaria. It’s completely essential when you do trekking in forests/ mountains, where species are more dangerous to your health.

    S – Sleeping bag

    Most of cheap airfares offer red-eye flights, so you’re likely to sleep[ at airports usually and they turn air-con quite low-temperature, a warm sleeping bag is all you wish. Besides, sometimes you would like to sleep in nature (beaches, forests,..) so sleeping bag is very essential.

    T – Tent

    I hardly bring a tent if it’s not for a wilderness or group travelling to remote destinations where accommodation is harsh. Sometimes when I need to live in a quiet place to recover my peace, a personal tent is perfect. Choosing a perfect tent is also as important as you choose your house.

    U – UV glass/ sunscreen

    Don’t backpack regardless of your health, because without it, you can’t stay long on road. Your skin is your armor, so protection is important. Skin cancer is also one of the most popular diseases. Also, a UV glass is good for your eyes, and your style!

    V – Vocabulary note

    Travelling oversea means you usually come to new destinations not spoken your language, so some local words will be useful for basic communications or simply, greetings to be warm welcome.

    W – Water

    Water is very essential in any backpacking trips, in developed countries, no worry. However, developing countries can’t offer hygiene water, so you’re likely to get sick if the water is contaminated. Make sure what you drink is pure or at least drinkable. In some extreme conditions, such as dry area or hiking mountains, you’re expected to be lack of water, so packing enough to maintain your health.

    Y – Yoga pad

    Maintaining your health is one of the most important hobby and Yoga (or any body practice exercises) should be considered. Just bring a portable version of any tools helping you practising everyday. Keep fit – keep healthy !

    Z – Zipper bag

    This tiny equipment is very useful: protect your small electronic device (smartphone, camera,…) or travel documents from wet, humid in rainy season or accidental events.

  • My trip to Vietnam’s easternmost point

    My trip to Vietnam’s easternmost point

    A challenge that most Vietnamese backpackers wishing to do is to check in four most points (North/South/West/ East) and a summit (Fansipan) in Vietnam. So, when I was a junior student, I and my friend made a backpacking trip to the easternmost point of Vietnam.

    Departing from Nha Trang, we biked toward the north, via Van Gia, to Dam Mon. The traffic in Vietnam was very chaos, as usual. You are likely to be frightened at first, but an adventurous traveler would be adapted very quick and love the freedom and danger are put together in the country.

    “Dare you ride” trail

    Sand trail challenge

    We reached the touch point of the very first challenge – sand trail. It was 10 o’clock and the sun was burning the ground. The beginning was nothing at all to us, which we could easily handle our bikes through soft off-road terrain, but when the sand was covered the whole surface, forcing us to step down and push manually vehicles passing it. It was, how can I say, hum, Hell on earth *LoL*

    Directly exposed to the sun in long time (at least 3-4 hours), we were heavily dehydrated. One of my friend started to get sunstroke, and we had to stop for many times to regain our health.

    Painful experience: biking on sand

    Will is a must-have but your health is also very important, some travellers challenge themselves over their limit at such a very dangerous level.

    When we were trying to get our bikes over sand, I noticed some travelers had given up and turn back. If you go solo with your bike, it’s extremely hard to manage to reach the homestay.

    Finally we passed it and felt like in heaven. “Yeahhhh, we did it, did it” – we yelled, bursting into happiness.

    The lodge “parking lot”

    Uncle Hai Lodge

    Indeed, the lodge lies below a slope which is quite steep, just 30-40 degree, so some one would park in the lot by the trail, but because no one was in charge of securing our bikes, so we decided to get them down the slope. And it was such a damn decision. But teamwork was great and another victory was made!

    The lodge was very eco-friendly, we had hammocks, roof of leaves, a view toward beautiful sea. Everything was so cool!

    You’re likely to be served lemonade at first by the hostess. To be honest, we loved first moments there. But it was quite late (we’d been stuck too long in sand trail). So we decided to take part in the night trekking at 4 PM.

    Trekking in the dark

    So we packed 3 litre of water, a tent and some personal stuff in our backpacks. It took 4 -5 hour depending greatly on group’s stamina.

    A savanna was what to face first, then a forest to cross and when we were out, it’s just a dark silence surrounding, we started to smell salty and hear sea growling gently.

    The trail was very challenging, we had to stay sharp or we would be sliding downward. It’s noted that nowadays, you can rent a boat instead of the only trekking option, but the trek is still adventurous, worthy for a travel experience, I recommend using boat in case your health is not allowed for a trek.

    We stopped and camped at a wide beach. We were separately working two group: set up camp and cooking. When the work was done, it’s dinner and I admittedly enjoyed one of the best food in my life. It’s a happiness you just feel after completing difficulties that you think you couldn’t do but finally you did it.

    It was a cold night, the fog condensed water and wet our tent. I remember when I first got my hand out, I just drew back quickly because the low-temperature outside. It’s not experience for amateur after all.

    The dawn

    Dawn at the easternmost point

    4:00 AM and we were waken up. It’s such a cold dawn but the sky was beautiful clear, filled with millions of stellars. We packed few essential stuffs and got on the way.

    There were two major difficulties: low-light condition and rock-climbing-jump was very exhausted. It took us nearly 2 hours to reach the pole. It’s a beach filled fully with rocks, small and big, stacked one another randomly. The landscape was gradually lit-up by early sunlight.

    The pyramid – a sign of easternmost pole – was put on a big rock, requiring a rope climbing. I emphasize that this is a real dangerous action because of lack of safety equipment, and if you unluckily fall off, it’s likely that you get deathly hit on your body. So be careful.

    After reaching the pyramid, we felt completely proud of ourselves, of what we had done to make the way to the pole. All the pain and fear turned into happiness. The landscape was as beautiful as heaven, and we quickly shot some photographs as memories. It’s pity that one of the team member got ankle aching and wasn’t able to climb to the pyramid.

    resting on way to return

    The return

    It’s a chance to see what we missed because of low-light trekking to see sunrise in time. The scenery was green, pure, splendid and majestic.

    We took a short break at the lodge, swimming in cool water and wished one day to return for another leisure travel, a tent, few days off-the-grid, a complete slow experience.

    The road

    Epilogue

    We’re back to the sand trail. Sunset painted every inches on the ground and scenery. I’d never seen thing like that before. It’s very stunning, a memorable moment we would put in our heart forever.

    The way back was easier than the first day, we couldn’t explain why it’d taken us so long to get over the sand trail, and we came up with an idea for the next time: it’d better leave your vehicle in local’s house (at a very reasonable parking fee ~10,000 dong/ night) and walk through sand to reach the lodge.

    The road then turned fantastic, a blend of orange and blue, tree swinging in winds, peace touch on the water, in the way boat floating, happiness in people face.

    Travel means you love every moments on road and stories to inspire yourself and people to backpack again, to enjoy your youth, challenging yourselves in new destinations with helpful friends.

  • My best 10 backpacking trips

    My best 10 backpacking trips

    A list of my backpacking trips that I love most and you can also read to get inspired as well as get more tips on destinations mentioned inside posts.

    Hon Giao Pass night camp

    I still remember the freezing cold in the morning and a beautiful panoramic view. How satisfied it was! Riding through pass at the previous night was also an experience I won’t ever forget!

    Fansipan trekking

    Fansipan summit – the roof top of Indochina, a must-visit destination of almost travellers backpacking southeast asia. I had a wonderful trek with lovely companions, conquering challenges to challenges and finally got breath-taking by the incredible sea cloud at the peak. Days before riding around Sapa town was also a life-time experience.

    Easternmost Tip

    Up to now, I’ve still been very surprised that how hard I and my friends could do to get there, dozen of hell-on-earth challenges tried to let us down but finally we were conquerors. I miss those seconds so much.

    Melaka

    Melaka, a historical town, where you should ride a cycle around to enjoy every inches of peaceful ambiance. We had wonderful time here: watching orange late sunset, shopping at such a cheap price, get to the top of wheel for panoramic view of the town, explore the forts of Portuguese.

    Night trekking at Baden mountain

    Baden is a popular trekking destination in southern Vietnam. Day trekking is an easy option, but hiking at night is different: our team had to deal with many challenges but the outcome- the summit at dawn is one you’re expected as a good compensation.

    Cycling with friends from Ho Chi Minh city to Phan Thiet

    When I was a junior student, I wished one day, I would be cycling across Vietnam (it’s still incomplete goal). So I started practising some short trips, and coastal road trip to Phan Thiet, just 240km, was ideal. I remembered how hard I overcame, forced myself out of limit and enjoy friendship moments in the breaks.

    Phu Quoc island

    It’s a life-changing experience, when I knew that budget travel was possible and backpackers can be found in a hostel. I met wonderful friends, who become my best travel friends, riding around the island, snorkeling, speedboat,….

    Doi Inthanon

    It’s a fateful trip because I hadn’t plan for it, just went to Chiang Mai as “going with a flow” mindset, I did research via my smartphone on things to do in the mountainous town and Doi Inthanon – the roof top of Thailand seemed a good idea for my bucket list. It was a beautiful place and local treated me very well, I just wanna say “thank you” to them after all things they did for me. I love Thai.

    Phu Quy island

    An other favorite trip, I’ve been to Mui Ne for many times but a no-plan decision brought me to Phu Quy – a paradise few one knew. I took homestay, live a local life, delicious and cheap food, nice beaches, oh, I miss it sooooo!

    Read more: Phu Quy island backpacking travel guide

    Philippines-> Brunei-> Malaysia

    A real exhausting trip through Philippines – Brunei – Malaysia that I had to rethink the goal of visiting every countries in the world. Quick travel make us miss a lot of memorable moments on road that just a slow journey can offer. Since then, I made a travel bucket list and draft plans so that every trips are guaranteed to be happy and full of memorable experiences that I do love to do.

  • Best budget travel websites for globetrotters

    Best budget travel websites for globetrotters

    The budget travel website will save you dozen of money on road, even some can help you make some bucks for your next trips.

    Believe?

    Travel guide

    Wikitravel and WikiVoyage are two website you can use instead of buying travel guide books like Lonely planet, Rough guide,…

    Cheap accommodation

    For the best last-minute deals on accommodation, remember to search platforms such as Priceline, or Hostelworld to pick up a comfort room at reasonable price.

    Free?

    Couchsurfing is a great choice of many travellers around the world. You can stay for free in local homes while chat-chit-ing with them to have more in-depth experience of everything interesting in the host country.

    Transportation

    To get started in collecting miles, I suggest you bookmark some travel hacking blogs like The Points Guy or One Mile at a Time.

    And don’t forget to use different flight search engines, one of my favorite budget travel website is Momondo – quite a popular choice for great deals. Sometimes airlines show deals in their websites so bookmark them is also recommended.

    Travel overseas by sea? Crew Seekers is quite funny option. “Amateur and professional yacht crewing positions available worldwide, from daysailing to transocean for all experience levels.” Ok fine!

    Save money on road

    We need to save a bit money on road to stay longer, “many little makes a mickle”, one day you will be surprised of by what you’ve done.

    You’re still student? Take advantage of that. Discount cards are a great way to save cash, too and ISIC card (The International Student Identity Card) by STA Travel is recommended. This world-recognized student ID provides discounts on travel, shopping, accommodation, food, entertainment and transport. Nice!! Even when you’re not student anymore, but still under 30, then you can apply for International Youth Travel Card with quite similar benefits.

    Travel overseas means most of your money will be in the bank and as usual, we withdraw it from ATM with a fee. So getting a card with little or No foreign transaction fees is the best. This will save you a lot of unnecessary costs. The website can help you with the issue is Creditcards.com>low rates&fee> no foreign transaction fee.

    Transform expense into money or miles?

    A travel rewards card means every dollar you spend is going back into your next trip, even you can earn a free flight for a certain amount of points. Creditcards.com is a good beginning. Check out Travel & Reward session.

    Many travellers have missed a thing after they fly out of the country: Tax refunds. Remember to check out any possible programs to save a bit more pennies to spend on more worthy experience. For instance, Thailand has one that will give you 7% back on luxury goods!

    Volunteer !

    Volunteer is a popular choice among many backpackers. Imagine you would live on a farm, collect produce and stay for free (maybe saving some bucks for next trips). WWOOF is a well-known home for these activities.

  • [2017 Memories] Bobla waterfall

    [2017 Memories] Bobla waterfall

    There’re hundreds of fall in Vietnam, some turned into popular attractions, some not, some used to be. Bobla waterfall is the third.

    Established for tourism but because of the far distance from main hub – Dalat, Bobla has gradually been forgotten for years.

    There’s no service left, no maintainance, just a camping site for locals and anyone who know its existence.

    Di Linh is just a stop, not a destination. It’s mostly well-known for tea plantations and temple. Besides, I did a research and choose 3 best attractions also: Bobla waterfall, Li Liang waterfall and Kala lake. Ta Dung lake is also quite close to downtown and worth a roadtrip of exploration. 

    So why Bobla made an impression on me?

    First, I think it has a wonderful sense of exploration. Few travelers knows its existence and when you find it out after a long trip, it’s a great feeling. I’m very happy to cover it on Darejourney.

    Second, Adventurous trail is also a good reason. The first step are quite easy. Admittedly, it’s not challenge compared to Fansipan trek  or Baden night trek , but still enough for a chance.

    Bushes, strange creatures (black dragonflies), a majestic scenery (you know when you see the fall) and slippery walk over water-flowing-over stones,.etc. You won’t forget it.

    This is also a campsite, so bring some camp should be fine. It’s pity that I had none.

    One thing to note: The flow is fierce in rainy season, so be careful if you’d like to swimming.

    There’s no one working there but two local girl who usually collect recyclable trash for money. You can have them watch your vehicle and guide. I paid 10,000 dong for each work. I thought this would be a small support for their family, not merely service money.

    If you’ve come to Bobla waterfall, what do you review it?

    Bobla waterfall, Di Linh is very close to Dalat. Indeed, sunflower also blooms here in November. Check my sunflower route if you plan to see them.

  • [2017 Memories] Zoodoo Dalat – A Fanstatic Zoo to explore

    [2017 Memories] Zoodoo Dalat – A Fanstatic Zoo to explore

    Zoodoo Dalat – An Australian zoo in Vietnam? A very new attraction near Dalat. It’s very strange to the local. Sound great to explore and review for you guy.

    Zoodoo Dalat welcomed us in the rain, a bit. It seemed there’s no paid parking lot, I saw a lot of vehicle left unattendedly, I thought it was safe to leave bike there.

     road to Zoodoo among pine forest

    The zoo situates among famous pine forest, 40 kilometers away from Dalat, on the way downward Nha Trang, nearly reach Omega pass (which I used to have a memorable night camping). It’s available on google map so you can search it easily. If not, you can search Bidoup national garden entrance, Zoodoo is just four kilometers away from it.

    Booking in advance is advised or you’re possibly back because of full queue. There’s a fix visiting time-table and there’s limited number of visitors each time.

    There’s a coffee in the premise and it plays the role of ticket box as well. Just get inside, reach the counter and tell your name/ phone number (if you’ve already booked) or request booking and leave your phone number so that they call you when tickets are available. Then have a meal/ drink waiting for your call.

     ticket booth inside the cafe

    Ticket price for adult is 100,000 dong, 50,000 dong for child. Most of visitors are parents and children. I think Zoodoo is suitable for a family with little children, who mostly love oversea animal. Another kind of visitors is young travellers who haven’t touched Australian animals, so they go there to have a very first check-in before the zoo is outnumbered by tourists.

    The design and decoration of zoodoo coffee is just like many art coffee in HCMc or Dalat. I think their should add more stuffs related to their animals to have a better relevant ambiance.

    You’ll be led by a tour guide (it’s a young girl in my trip), she loves animals and have quite good representation speeches of each animal. You should purposely ask for more details to get more knowledge value, if you expect it.

    At first, the tour guide will explain the zoo regulations then selling feeding food for 10,000 dong/ piece (fresh and proceeded). It’s noted that because most of the visitors are Vietnamese, you’d better ask for foreign groups as booking to enjoy English speeches.

    The first destination is a demo house, where most of typical animals of zoodoo are available. You have a very first chance to feed and touch them.

    Then the guide lead you to preserved-animal cages, monkeys from Nha Trang to Chim Tri.

     Giving a hug to short-leg horse !

    Next, you can get inside cages of sheep, short horse, camel, birds and kangaroo, feed and touch them directly.

    You should feed all your foodstuffs at horse area because from bird cages experience then, you’re distributed a certain food by the guide.

     Bird cage real experience

    There’s a rule that if you hurt or kill birds on or not on purposes, then the fine is 500,000 dong regardless of how condition the bird is. The guide explained that because many visitors unpurposely drop food on the ground, which attracts birds landing and being stepped on to dead, leading the number of bird decreases at half. It’s pity and I was feeling very sorry for the fact. It’ very exciting as birds are almost standing on your palm and enjoy their meals.

    Kangaroos are more interesting to people who have never been to Australia – Kangaroo homeland. The guide told us that it’s proudly to have a first kangaroo baby born in Vietnam. My sense of these creatures is they’re like giant mouses

    You won’t see an adult kangaroo because their combat skills my hurt the visitors, so mostly kangaroos in Zoodoo are babies.

     Another hug <3

    Conclusion: Zoodoo Dalat is a real worthy experience, especially the local travelers.

    You can contact and read more info at Zoodoo fanpage .

    A full Zoodoo tour took me 1,5 hour. And Zoodoo is a really must- go attractions if you’re backpacking Dalat.

  • How to make a budget travel itinerary

    How to make a budget travel itinerary

    Hey no-plan travellers, it’s time to make a budget travel itinerary plan.

    Seriously ?

    Yes. You want to backpack as many cities as possible within a very tight budget travel? Just make a deal with your plan, it will help you solve most of the problem.

    So, how to make it?

    This post is here to help you planning your travel itinerary in step-by-step walk-through. The planning process is a lot like puzzle, taking a lot of trial and error before you complete it. The result is worthy, trust me.

    Why should I plan an itinerary? I’m a “just do it” fan, yo know!

    Ok, I used to be like you too, then one day, I started questioning myself: “What am I doing here?” after a rush travel without any plan, alone. I had few days for each country, it began with a wandering-first day to get used to the city.

    But then, “What’s next?”, I didn’t have a certain plan. Therefore, I had to type on google “what to do in ….[the city]”, choosing what suited my budget and wondering whether I should visit them. It’s not funny at all. It wasted my precious time. 

    Without planning, I wasted a lot of time on trivial stuff that I could have done at home, end up missing a lot of must-do things and spending a lot more money on somethings worth nothing.

    Then I knew that I didn’t have to plan out every second of the trip, but a simple homemade-guide

    One truth to be told.

    The more you plan, the less you’ll spend, the more value you may receive from your journeys.

    The best way to save money on high-speed train and airfare is by booking far in advance because prices rise as the departure date nears. Last-minute deals are also good, but what if there’s not any ticket on the day you plan, booking in advance guarantee you can book right tickets on right days at cheaper price.

    Accommodation can be cheaper when booked early — because the earlier you book, the more options you have.

    Even spending a little time researching restaurants/ food courts can help you find good places that aren’t expensive.

     

    Ready?

    STEP ONE — CHOOSE THE SEASON

    The very first step of creating a budget travel itinerary is to choose the time of year you want to travel. Each season has its pros and cons so check out. In tropical region like Southeast Asia, there’s two season: dry and rain, so you’d better fly during dry one to get more sunny day (which is great for bathing on the sea).

    There are also two season in travel industry: low and peak season (and also shoulder season). To save more money, you should book your trip avoiding peak season. Get more relaxing experience and cheaper price instead of a travel photo album full of tourists and you are overwhelmed inside the crowd.

    STEP TWO — HOW LONG YOU STAY ON ROAD, AND WHEN?

    The number of days you would travel has a huge impact on how detail of an itinerary you’ll need. My mantra: “the shorter your trip, the more money you wanna save, the more value you’d love to get, the more you need a plan”

    Break down.

    • An under-two-week vacation should be planned out in-depth because you’re short on time. (And I know you would like to visit tons of places and try tons of things)
    • Two-to-four-weak trips need less planning because you have more space to think.
    • Doing an over-a-month trip is my style, which can be planned while travelling but you should still do some planning at the very starting weeks.

    After reserve a time, just finalize your travel dates. Once you know your exact dates, you’ll be able to start a plan with start/stop dates.

    STEP THREE — MUST- DO BUSINESS

    Write down anything you are 100% certain you are going to do. For example, staying in house of couch-surfing friend, visit relatives, meeting friends, something that without them, it could ruin your trips.

    These are dates that can’t be moved. You’ll have to plan around these events, so they’ll greatly affect your other travel plans.

    STEP FOUR — WHERE TO VISIT

    This is the most exciting part of planning a budget travel itinerary. You’d need a map and a note to write down places you want visit. You should read more travel guide book, travel sites (darejourney is a great site for it, check out travel bucket list session!), ask friends or visit our Bucket list session for more ideas.

    Just put down all the places interesting to you, no matter how much your budget. (don’t limit yourself at this point – “just do it”).

    STEP FIVE — NARROW DOWN.

    Ok, to the painful part but get your budget travel itinerary more realistic: Narrowing down your list.

    You should make three lists:

    Places you definitely want to see

    Places you really want to see

    Places without them, no problem!

    You would return this step quite often as you narrow down your list by travel budget, transport, time,… I spend much time on deciding what to put in and put out.

    Oh, too bad!

    STEP SIX — DETERMINE DAYS IN EACH LOCATION

    After make the list, now it’s time to decide how many days you think you’ll want to spend in each city. Remember: don’t rush! I used to travel Philippines – Malaysia – Brunei in 8 days, it’s not interesting at all but very exhausted.

    I bursted into tears when I was alone in Brunei, didn’t know why I was there, nothing to have fun. All I tried to do was to take picture as much as possible on a very tight budget. I got tired.  I swore not to travel anymore, but now I think that because I was too rush myself to complete my goal “visit every countries in the world” that I forgot to enjoy my journeys. So shame! So don’t make the same mistake.

    Naturally, you beginners want to see as much as possible, so you’re trying to put tons of must-do things into a short amount of time. (Do you realize this is the way many tour agency try to bait you out with a short trip full of destination at very cheap price, but it turns out that most of the time you are … on the buses.

    You know, you would just end up missing a lot, and especially you get burned out. It is one of the worst things on road, making your trip extremely stressful, and you might get to the point like me, where you hate traveling. Don’t be like me, please!

    Years of travel and I see that you should spend a minimum of three full days for big cities. If you start loving a cities, you can easily spend more 2-3 days without getting fed up. Remember that only staying for the minimum will feel like a breeze!

    Note: Don’t forget to take travel time into account! Many new guys forget how much time it takes to travel from one city to another, including getting to the airport/train station (you usually have to arrive early), on planes/ buses, then getting to your new hostel, getting lost, checking in,… blab blab. Most of those time I spend writing blog to kill time or read travel guide, but, yes, it will very boring waiting, huh.

    Traveling is exhausting when you spend too much time on a plane/train. And you’d end up on hostel bed, too tired to want to do anything.

    Last but not least: slow down and to spend more time in each of your destinations, make it last your last trip, don’t ignore anything you love because you run out of time. It’s pity when you’re at home afterall.

    STEP EIGHT — DRAW A ROUTE

    This step would be quite easy if you’ve done well previous steps.

    First, decide you what cities you get in and get out.

    Second, open trip planners like google map or ridewithgps, mark your beginning and ending cities, then fill in cities of list in step five in priority order. You know how much time you spend on cities (it’d better using a calendar and blocking time in each cities), so if your schedule of the route is over-timing, then just kill out ones that less important to you.

    Last, test your route: is it well timing? Are the most important events and cities included? You put travel time (on plane/ bus/…) in and it’s still perfect fit? Do you love the route?

    Decide on the best route to take.

    Try to avoid backtracking because it wastes time and money.

    Remember to not rush.

    STEP NINE — TRANSPORTATION DOES MATTER

    Oh, you’re nearly done your budget travel itinerary! One more thing you need to consider is transportation. Travelling from A to B really takes a lot of time and money, as well.

    You should think of options and costs. Are you going to use train, planes, car, motorbike or maybe use the bus or … your feet huh ? (I mean hitchhike, ok). Are you going to take multiple forms of transportation? You need to price each option and figure this into your budget.

    How much it is going to cost to get from city to city will drain your money. So you don’t have much money, kill more cities off your route, and balance it again.

    Note: Rome2Rio.com is an excellent website for estimating transportation options/costs.

    Trip planner powered by perfectroute.com is also a great tool for visualizing your itinerary. 

    STEP TEN — REVIEW

    To complete your budget travel itinerary, read it carefully, with your imagination, just dream of it and listen to your heart: Do you love it? And is there anything not right, not logic. Do you miss something? Have you checked the information,…. So try to finalize every details and perfect your plan.

    You may put it on travel forum/ facebook group to ask experienced travelers to help you. Mostly people will help you beginners, it’s traveller culture !

    Remember that planning will take a lot of time.

    Stay persist! And you would be rewarded by the trip <3.

    On top of that, Remember that this isn’t about planning every second of your trip. You’ll drive yourself crazy doing that, but you’ll save a lot of money — and frustration — by planning as much as possible.

    Small TIPS

    Start with English-speaking countries like Philippines or Singapore in Southeast Asia if you do not know any local languages. This also works with a new travelers, when we need emergency help, at least we have local help instead of blocked by language barrier in panic cases. Oh, it would be quite scary!

    Jet lag will likely drain your energy for the very first moment after the flight, so stay comfort or take a nap, refill you body with energy drink and snack, then leave your backpack at dorm and start your exploration.

  • When is the Best time to travel – a post you should read to have a good plan.

    When is the Best time to travel – a post you should read to have a good plan.

    When is the best time to travel?

    A tough question but essential!

    If you travel regularly, you will know that there are three main travel seasons – High Season, Low Season and Shoulder Season. Each has the good and bad points. You should choose best time to travel fitting your time and your goals because it will have an impact on your trips.

    So at first, how to recognize when is the high/shoulder/low season of a destination?

    The easiest way to check it is google “best time to travel to ….”. The posts/ articles should mostly point out when is high or low seasons, the “shoulder” is the between them.

    Another way to season, if there’s a nice season with dry and sunny weather, so it’s likely high season of travelling because the weather plays a major role in travel experience.

    Using booking platform to check when is the most expensive time is also a good way to find out when is high or low season. The accommodation cost is mostly getting high and rare in high season.

    Ok, so what are good and bad ? I will explain details in this darejourney blog post.

    HIGH SEASON

    THE GOOD

    Nice weather: in most cases, you probably won’t experience much rainy days and the temperatures generally are comfortable.

    Full hostels: So you’ll have no trouble finding people to hang out with, it’s great if you travel solo.

    Most attractions are open: Oh, high demand means attractions are sure to open so you have more chances to check most of what you love.

    Festivals: Yeah, theses events are born to attract people, so there’s no doubt that you will even be overwhelmed by them.

    Most delicious food are available: Many people travel to eat. And some food are only available sometime.

    THE BAD

    The crowds: Long queues to entrance. Your photos are usually full of tourists inside. People outnumber you.

    High costs: Everything turn more expensive. Hostels, plane tickets, some restaurants,… It’s likely not to practice budget travel effectively this time.

    Full hostels: It’s a real challenge finding a slot of hostel bed if you’re not booking in advance. It’s hard to find out-planned accommodation those days.

    Busy transportation: booking in advance for important means of transport like airlines, trains or you’ll be fed up with getting around finding tickets.

    Bad services: Overwhelming customers sometime means services turn bad. Be ready if waiters/ shop assistants annoying you because of their intensive work-load. Your dinners are likely to be delayed for too long, too. So be patient !

    Not-well-maintained facilities: hundreds of people use city facilities so it hardly meet your needs well.

    Conclusion: You’ll experience almost everything in nice weather but at a cost – more expenses, crowds and bad services.

    LOW SEASON

    THE GOOD

    Not Crowded: The main reason I choose low season: fewer people and more space to travel and sightsee. You also hardly have to wait in a queue.

    Lower Prices: Hostel and plane ticket prices are considerably cheaper, especially when you book in advance. Sometimes the whole room is yours, woohoo!! Promotion is sometimes available this time.

    THE BAD

    Weather: the main reason for people not to come to a destination. So you’re possibly experiencing bad weather, even storms in some tropical countries.

    Some attractions closed: This isn’t a huge problem, but some places could be closed because of the lack of tourists.

    Garden blooms: Don’t expect too much, ok. In some countries, it’s not a flower season, such as Japan.

    Not in sale season: not good news for Shopaholic !

    Fewer traveler friends: means fewer ones to travel in groups to save budget or to chit-chat every night, it’s quite bad for a solo travel. I mean, loneliness matters.

    Conclusion: You will get cheaper price but in contrast, there are fewer things to explore, less travel buddies making groups and you’re mostly lonely.

    SHOULDER SEASON

    THE GOOD

    Nice Weather: It isn’t hot and also not cold, it’s cool, which is great! You can dress whatever fashionable you like.

    Fewer tourists: yeah, most of them leave for home, so you have more space in attractions.

    Garden blooms: it’s not as the best as High season but it’s enough for sightseeing. I used to travel to Moc Chau (Son La, Vietnam) during shoulder season, late garden blooms. There were a few beautiful garden left but it’s enough for shooting some memorable photos.

    Lower costs: Expenses for transportation, accommodations and sightseeing are still lower during this seasons.

    THE BAD

    Some attractions closed: it happens but rarely, so no worry.

    Weather: rain a bit but in general, it won’t make a big impact on your journey, at least there’s not a storm ringing your doorbell. Temperature may be various sometimes but layer your clothes and you’ll have no trouble.

    Conclusion: Personally, I think the shoulder season is quite a perfect time to travel to a certain destination. Attractions are not full of tourist, price is cheaper and there’re still some travelers to have a beer together at bar.

  • Pickpocket in Manila and how to deal with it

    Pickpocket in Manila and how to deal with it

    Though I had been warned strictly by three people that I should be careful with Manila pickpocket. it still happened. And how I was so anxious then the solved it well (I thought so).

    How Manila pickpocket happened

     My Manila pickpocket happened in a jeepney (not one in picture above)

    Manila is a wonderful historical city, and I did enjoy it. But my times was so short and I had to fly to next country. It was my last day in the capital. And I started early to visit the Ocean park. It’s really nice there with a lot of wonderful things to explore.

    When back to hostel, I took a jeepney as usual. I really loved this local transportation. But admittedly, three-day staying in Manila was impossible for me to get used to traveling around the city by jeepney.

    That’s why I had to look out of the windows (actually, there’s no window in a jeepney, it’s completely open) to find out whether I reached the hostel. It was some seconds unattended. When I jumped out of the jeepney, I was still very hapy for an interesting day.

    But when I saw the hostel sign board far away, and I touched my pant, then I realized something wrong. There must be my wallet inside but nothing. I was terrified, and turned back quickly, searching for any sign of my dropped property in hope. But it was hopeless, it’s not on road, so possibly, it must be in the jeepney.

    That was so so much scary because I left my visa card in the wallet, along with reserved money for days later. The visa card is also my main payment method for most of online booking, even flights, and really an emergency resort in case I lost all cash, I still call my relatives at home to send money to my bank account, so that I can use visa card to withdraw. It was very chaos and frightening at that time.

    How I dealed with the situation

    However, as an experience traveler, you have to calm yourself and quickly seek out any possible solutions. My mind came up with an idea: I had to lock my visa card so that my money was protect from any unauthorized transactions. But it’s not easy, my friends.

    The common way to lock a bank card is through calling to bank, but my phone didn’t roam (or actually, I didn’t know how to activate roaming manually). I asked the receptionist whether they could help me make a phone call to bank. They replied that they couldn’t make it and I should buy a VoIP card to call, but I didn’t have any peso left, how could I make it?

    So I got to the lounge in hurry, in hope of someone’s help with international call. No one could help me, gruzz. Some guys showed their empathy. Poor me.

    I couldn’t give up, I tried other solution, I surfed official bank website and searched for any articles mentioning “locking card”. Luckily, I found it finally.

    It was in FAQ document, which helps customers to get used to internet banking. Yes, there’s a way to lock the card by logging in my account and following the guide. Phew! I did it. My money was protected after all. Then I could be eased for a while.

    However, I still had to deal with 5 days left with tightest budget. Before the trip, I had exchanged vietnam dong into peso, brunei dollar and riggit. Having lost peso, but I still reserved some foreign cash, I had to manage to get back home in time with that a mount of money. It’s still very hopeful for me. Sometimes, hope is the only thing you got, keep it.

    P/s: Truth to be told, I was quite upset, and disappointed in Pinoy after the trip. They are famous for drug, pickpockets and other crimes.

    Why pickpockets happen in Manila

     slums are popular in manila

    Three days getting around Manila and Tagatay, I could understand a little the situation in Philippines.

    I saw many people doing nothing, just living on sidewalk, days after days. Slums occupied the capital, armored vehicles rolling every corners while an 7-eleven guardian armed with guns, a sheriff bringing a shotgun on his back,.. like a Far West movie, but it’s real.

    I thought the people didn’t have a choice between their dignity and poverty. I hoped the thief’s family was fed well with my money, If they did. That was ease to think so.

    Trying to understanding and keep learning to become an experienced traveler to protect yourself is better than crying for what people have done to you, I think so.

     Travel is to deal with some situations and keep happy on journey

    My tips

    So, to protect your properties from pickpockets in the capital of Philippines, I draw some tips below, hope them helpful:

    1. Split your money through portions and hide them somewhere. In case you lost your wallet, you still have enough money to travel or able to contact the ambassador.

    2. Always bring a emergency bank card (visa/ master/…) so that when you don’t have any cash left, your relatives can still support you oversea.

    3. Keep your passport at safe place, and do not bring it along through crime reported areas. If it’s lost, you’re in big trouble.

    4. Learn how to deal with case of losing bank cards/ passport/ important documents/… so you can quickly adapt to the situations and solve them well.

    5. It’s advised to make friend with at least a local to ask for any help because the language barrier and custom procedures would be hell (in some cases).

    Be aware of pickpockets in Manila but don’t forget to enjoy your journey, just keep alert a bit