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How To Travel From Hua Hin To Bangkok By Bus, Train, Car And Plane

For the trip to Hua Hin to be fulfilled and comfortable, all the travelers should know clearly how to travel from Hua Hin to Bangkok (or from Bangkok to Hua Hin) to save some traveling costs or time. Here are some tips you can all refer to.

The distance between Bangkok and Hua Hin is about 90 miles. To move from Hua Hin to Bangkok and backward, you get numerous choices of means such as by bus, by taxi, by train or by plane. But you must be wondering which is the best and the most suitable choice for your trip?

Credited: kiwitaxi

1. By bus/minibus

Buses are the least expensive means that can help you save money a lot as well as get to the destination a little more quickly. Everyday, there are several bus tours between every hour or 30 minutes at least.

Buses is mainly divided into 2 kinds: air-conditioned ones and non air-conditioned ones. Traveling by bus often takes 3-4 hours or a little more moving from Hua Hin to Bangkok or backwards. Some popular bus companies includes Tara Tour Travel, Bell Travel… The price is really cheap with only 5-10$ per person so if you still don’t know how to travel from Hua Hin to Bangkok, bus is right on the top of your list.

2. By train

Not only a historical place, Hua Hin station is also where trains arrive and depart every day. There are some trains leaving for Hua Lamphong and Bang Sue station in Bangkok on a regular basis. But it takes quite much time (about 4 hours if using express train) to reach the destination.

The fare for ordinary trains is divided into 3 different classes ranging from first-class ticket costing 202 baht to third-class ticket costing to only 44 baht. If you want air-conditioned seats, it will take a little bit more, up to 1522 baht (only if you go alone and pay for the whole room). However, you should consider your financial ability to make sure your trip is still in budget.

As to third-class tickets, you don’t have to book in advance and you can buy them right at the station. Travelers should also keep in mind that you need to check prices, schedules thoroughly before departing.

One more thing special bout taking trains is that you can see various exquisite, vivid landscapes like mountains, rivers, rice fields, temples…along the way. That can make your trip somehow more exciting and memorable.

3. By van/minivan

Instead of bus, van or minivan will be ideal choice if you want a fast and economical means of transportation. The costs is not much as you think, only approximately from 140-200 baht.

Vans usually depart from several bus stations so you can easily find them there. It takes about 3 hours using this means and reaching the final destination. There are also many van companies for you to choose such as Nor Neane, Malee, Glassflower… and all vans are equipped with wifi, air-conditioners, comfy seats… For those getting confused of how to travel from Hua Hin to Bangkok on a budget, use this means right away!

4. By plane

Although both cities have airports, there’re not many commercial flights between two places. It’s recommended to take charter flight instead but remember that it will cost much money than you think (up to 2200 baht for an hour flight). But if your trip is really short and you can afford to use this transportation, you can make it a choice.

5. By taxi

Taxi is also a fast option if you want to move between two cities. You can find taxi services anywhere in Bangkok and Hua Hin. It takes about 3 hours moving and the price is quite higher than some means above. One thing you should remember is that you and taxi driver have to agree on prices before departing.

6. By car

If you have driving license, it will be a tough but interesting challenge to move from Hua Hin to Bangkok by car. About how to travel from Hua Hin to Bangkok or backward, there’re two trails you can take:

The first one starts from Thonburi-Paktho road, passing Samut Songkhram, taking Petchkasaem highway and then heading to Prachuab Khirikhan.

For the second one, you move to Phuttamonthon route and go straight to Prachuab Khrikhan, passing through Nakhon Pathom, Petchaburi and Ratchaburi. This track is rather longer and takes more than 4 hours to reach the final destination.

To move from Hua Hin to Bangkok, you just take these routes and go backward.

7. By ferry

From Bangkok, you can travel to Pattaya and try to get to Hua Hin from there by ferry. The trip takes about 2 hours but it’s really fun if you want to see some other interesting edges of Thailand along the way.

Now, you all may know how to travel from Hua Hin to Bangkok, right? If you’re planning your trip to Hua Hin, don’t forget to use this information when calculating the total costs and pick the right, suitable means for your itinerary! Good luck and have a nice trip!

– Darejourney team –

24 January, 2025
Road Trip By Dream: What Does Love Mean To Us?

There is a road trip to remember, there is a road trip we never forget, like Road Trip by Dream.

Dream’s road trip story

For most of you, Dream is a strange guy. For Minecraft video game fans, he is some of the most favorite Youtuber, primarily well-known for his viral Minecraft videos. The American content creator (his real name is Clay by the way) owns a super hot youtube channel “Dream”, which has attracted 23.7 million subscribers so far. That’s a BIG number if you’re familiar with Youtube, and this year, he launched another channel, “Dream Music.” And guess what? “Roadtrip” is his debut single. Listen now and enjoy yourself!

It is such a surprise when a hardcore Youtuber of the best-selling video game series of all time turns his head to music realm. And his first ever inspiration happened to be a 20-hour road trip from Florida to the East Coast to visit a girlfriend during his teenage years. Now, whenever he travels on that interstate, it “is paved with memories” of traveling to see his former love.

But Dream didn’t reveal his story alone. PmBata, a rapper and songwriter from Kansas City, also joins Dream on the track, but his feeling is absolutely in contrast. He recounts a 20-hour journey in his old Ford to visit an ex too, but the relationship became toxic in his case, mentioned in the lyrics “across the Midwest, thinking, ‘What for?’”

Modern beats on classic affairs

The beat of this song is crazy, ear-catchy and pleasant to hear. I also highly recommend playing it during a road trip, when you are in a van, driving at dawn or sunset, and see the skyline glowing slowly up or down. It’s such a beautiful and vibrant moment to immerse ourselves into, and be reminiscent of our love in teenagehood. How eager, keen and enthusiastic we were for love relentlessly.

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The road we were rolling on then becomes a piece in mind that triggers the memories, both sweet and bitter, to come, like an old film and we are now just spectators. I’m kinda sure that for most of us, there is always a road trip to remember. A solo road trip like my motorbike ride in Sapa, Vietnam a couple of years ago. A road trip we did with our dear buddies and loves (I still remember vividly a road trip from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang with my travel buddies). A road trip that marked the end of such a long relationship. A road trip in tears when we tried to forget the one we couldn’t forget though, like a night road trip I did with a friend of mine to Vung Tau long time ago. And the roads somehow carved those memories in our naive mind, long for triggering chances.

I love traveling after all, as most of the meaningful moments in my life happened on road trips during my twenty-something. And I feel the same feeling as Dream did when he put down words for lyrics. Dream could have written on his other stories and experiences, but eventually Dream’s decision was a memorable road trip in his teenagehood, and that makes it beautiful for a debut.

Dream and PmBata each wrote their own verses, while the Dutch beatmaker Banrisk and frequent PmBata collaborator Perish Beats produced the track, which now receives positive responses from enthusiastic fans all over the world. The below is lyrics, if you’d like to save and sing along on your own road trip.

Road Trip by Dream Lyrics

Secure the bag, know what I’m sayin’?

Banrisk on the beat

Ayo, Perish, this sh- hot, boy

People change like the tides in the ocean

At least I think or am I dead wrong?

Foot on the brake, at the light I don’t notice

I sit and wait until the next song

20 hours in an old van

Up the east coast, through the cold wind

Drove 20 hours by the ocean

Up the east coast, what a road trip

Now that interstate is paved with memories

Of a past life I lived when I was 18

And evеry winter, I think back to what we used to bе

In that past life we lived at 18

Uh, I reminisce about a past life

Things change, I get it, ’cause nothing lasts right?

Yeah, and I was thinking ’bout her last night

Scrolling through our memories, debating ’bout our last times

Ay, for a minute, we was cool

Then we flew just a lil’ too close to the sun

Now we finished, now we through

Guess we knew one day we would have to grow up

20 hours in an old Ford

Across the Midwest, thinking, what for?

Drove 20 hours, but it’s hopeless

Across the Midwest, what a road trip

Now that interstate is paved with memories

Of a past life I lived when I was 18

And every winter, I think back to what we used to be

In that past life we lived at 18…

24 January, 2025
21 Marvelous Benefits of Becoming A Digital Nomad

The era of digital nomad is coming. Stay sharp!

How does Covid pandemic change our life? I don’t know exactly how billions of people are impacted by the worldwide disease, but it changes COMPLETELY the way we live. The new waves of Covid come one after one, and all experts sadly admit: we have to live with it like seasonal flu, and it soon becomes a part of human history.

For now, it’s a massive pandemic, it strikes us hard, but like most of the pivotal events in our life, it forces us to sit down and think about what’s our most priority in our lifetime and pursue it right here and right now. Why? We don’t know when covid calls our name (yup, who knows), whether it hits us deadly, or at least a long long lockdown in hospital then longer quarantine when we’re better. So the only thing we can do best now, is to follow our heart, not to be saying sorry later.

Some now spend more time with family, while the others choose to go after their ultimate dream: become location independent workers and travel around the country (or world). Is it possible? Yes, many people have done it. Is it hard? Super hard but not like becoming a superman. Good news: Some travelers indeed generate enough money to pay the bills on the road, myself included, though, to be honest, it’s kinda rough.

And like other businesses, becoming a successful digital nomad takes time and serious investment, say your valuable time and efforts of learning new skills, to take off at a certain level that enables you to harvest the fruits of labor eventually.

So what is a digital nomad? According to Wikipedia, Digital nomads are “people who use telecommunications technologies to earn a living and conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Such workers often work remotely from foreign countries, coffee shops, public libraries, co-working spaces, or recreational vehicles.“

Before we start to build that lifestyle, let’s dig into the essence of the matter: why should we become a digital nomad.

1. No more 9-5 (plus Monday blue)

This is the very first perk that you will see immediately, after you bravely quit the jobs, office jobs that lock you in stuffy cubicles, now you can take a rest on the weekend and no more blue monday, ever. It would be a bit empty of your feelings. It’s “job lag” and everything will be alright then. Just forget about your previous life, no more 9-5. Your schedule is all set by yourself. Wanna take a scuba dive or trail hike during the day and work at caffeine-fueled night with a cup of coffee? Just do it. It’s your life, and you are at the helm of every minute of the day. Control it well. And the next Mondays are brighter and brighter.

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2. Choose your own uniform

Yes, your own uniform, because no one would require you to dress in a suit, tie and trousers like in the office or … a mascot on the street. Actually, you still need to dress up a bit when you are on a video call session with a client, but free yourself from the burden of dress code for most of the time. The digital nomad lifestyle also enables me to practice minimalism on a daily basis, buy less but essential outfits, which also follow my own style, on the way I love. In tropical regions, I prefer patterned short-sleeve shirts well matched with capris and shorts. It feels truly comfortable, every single day.

3. Save your creativity

Doing daily jobs, day by day, over and over, is the best way to kill creativity. Truth be told, most sedentary workers are feeling “stuck” at the end of the day. Becoming a digital nomad will be the ultimate salvation, and it’s true. Say, you will be working with a wide array of new clients and complete new various tasks. In fact, start-ups and small businesses may be your very first clients and their crazy ideas will be blowing your mind. But I warn you that the dawn of your digital nomad era will be highly chaotic, but it is such a crucial test to our flexibility and creativity. You got the picture.

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4. Working by the beach or in a coffee shop?

One of the best perks of becoming a digital nomad in 2021 is the reality of location independent. Not locked in the cubicles, now you can choose the best place to boost your mood and creativity and performance. It may be on an airy balcony of a romantic coffee shop in the countryside or a tropical beach lounge with a beautiful sea view. But keep in mind that, you still have to work efficiently to complete all the tasks, get jobs done and earn income. At the beginning, I prefer instagrammable locations as I thought they would improve mood and efficiency, then I felt there were so many matters distracting my flow of thought, so I prefer quiet places, even in hostel lounges when everyone’s out exploring, and entirely focus on the jobs. Finishing them quickly, and enjoying a cocktail at the end of the day is much better than doing both at the same time – At least, it works fine to me. Words of wisdom: You have to recognize the pattern of working to get the best of both worlds, working – traveling, at perfect balance to stay longer on the road.

5. Goodbye to commuting

Well, I have saved at least 2 hours per day of my life so far as I work from home during covid. It is the fact of becoming a digital nomad in 2021, too. You don’t have to drive/ride home – office back and forth every working day, as you mostly work at your chosen offices, like cafe, lounge, hotel room and your room at home, to name a few, as long as you get the jobs done by the deadline. Take that 2 hour per day to build up your lifestyle, you may admire the sunrise and the good mood at the beginning of the day, practise yoga, swim in the sea, and not be stuck in a boring drive from home to the office.

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6. Long long leisure time

When we’re trapped in cubicles with a task-and-deadline circle, there’s little time for daily leisure. We start the day with roasted sandwiches and hot dogs (instant noodle is prefered in some countries too), then we commute to the office in time. Checked! Try to be a real busy staff member as best as we can, then go home late with tiredness spreading throughout the body. Weekend comes and we try to go around for a while, just to rush back to welcome a blue monday. It’s a rat race but we are not rats actually, we are human, and we deserve a better life. A life to breathe in fresh air and eyes open to admire nature. A digital nomad still has to work, but they can arrange at their own pace to enjoy more leisure time.

7. It’s stressful, but in a positive way

Is there stress when becoming a digital nomad? Yes, it is, due to the uncertainty of the nomad lifestyle. Most travelers work as freelancers for temporary projects and start-ups, until they build up a successful business like respected travel bloggers, hostel owners or adventure tour operators. They may not know how the income fluctuates month by month, not a steady stream of money so say a “digital nomad salary“, it depends on projects. Digital nomads frequently move around when visas expire, and getting acquantainced to the new destination may be stressful to somebody. But in contrast, it’s kinda boring when you have nothing to deal with on a daily basis, besides paying visits to points of interests or hang-out with other guys. So a certain level of stress is also essential to have a good experience on the road, and trust me, it’s not like the stress you face on a 9-5 lifestyle or paying the monthly bills in an expensive metropolis. It’s the stress of freedom.

8. More time for yourself

What I love most when becoming a digital nomad is having more free time for myself, to start a clear thought about who I am, what I truly love, what kind of careers to follow in so many years instead of short-term jobs not ever igniting a flame in my soul. I have more time to digest the books in my backpack, watch inspirational travel movies, to consider get some best travel tattoos, to write about my journey on this blog – my little nest in cyberworld and to enjoy a cup of coffee in a slow morning, and to spend more time on the favourite destinations in my solo travel bucket list.

9. Immerse in new cultures

Digital nomads frequently drift to different regions and countries during the expedition and encounter the new cultures from time to time. Not all of them are sweet, as the culture shocks still happen here and there, but after all, they are all new and feed our curiosity well. I admired the openness to LGBT in Thai society when my country Vietnam was still reversed with the local community many years ago. I love the way Laotians practice a slow-living lifestyle and nature-friendly manner, the Hindu religious activities in Malaysia, or Catholic cathedral and religious-related during my walk across Intra Muros in Philippines, the first time I felt scary but also excited at the Black Nazarene parade on my first day in the Manila, while working on laptop from the hostel’s lounge. Or a calmness rising inside my soul when I was in the iconic Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque at the heart of the Brunei long-named capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. The scenery may be same same but the cultures make it different!

10. Becoming a digital nomad boosts your skill

Becoming a digital nomad means a hard-working life, as you will work not only remotely but also independently. I started as a freelance writer – a “pen for rent” job. I was self-employed and under no line manager. I had to seek clients via my networks, pitch the creative portfolio, then build myself professional skills to meet the criteria and deadline, take feedback positively and move on. The way you look at digital nomads relaxed posing on their laptop outside is different from inside. But at the end of the day, it’s worth working like that to be independent and flexible. I chose that lifestyle, no matter what it costs. And the price? I gain more digital nomad skills like team-management, time-management, pitching, problem-solving, etc. because most of the time, I learn and work on my own, out of my comfort zone and grow up over time.

11. Start your own business

With digital nomad skills, world-traveling workers can actually build their own business and earn mainstream flows of income. Not a few travelers now try to build a sustainable blog or vlog in hope that it will help them pay the bills on the road one day. The cake is still enormous enough for dreamers who persistently advance the business to monetizable scale. If you are a designer, it’s a chance to establish a design firm, hire freelancers and build up a reputation cyberworld-wide to earn money for traveling. The same model can be applied for marketing consultants, translators, language tutors, etc. A business helps you have more financial sustainability when coming back home. A popular balanced work-life living now is to spend constant 3 – 6 months in digital nomad bases like HCMc or Bali for business and travel for the rest of the time.

12. Eat – Pray – Love

Becoming a digital nomad enables us to travel long-term far away from home and explore myriads of experience we’ve never ever been to. One of my favorite journey is to do food tours in a new town, visit local wet markets and try cuisine in a bistro. New foods always make me a happy, just like little kids putting all things in their mouth to explore the world around, we adult eat to know. The lifestyle also allow people to well-known religious countries like India, China, Iran or Israel to dig into the very deep wells of the popular religions in the world. And the value of love in our life: digital nomads drifts here and there everytime and only great love makes them compromise the lifestyle.

13. Spend less

It may sound ridiculous but traveling on a budget with a minimalist-oriented mind requires less money than living out of home with office jobs in terms of daily cost. In fact, staying in suburbs is cheaper than in downtowns and daily expenses in third-world countries are often less than first-world nations. Digital nomad lifestyle enables people to take advantage of that unbalanced scale while enjoying the change of scenery during their journeys. Just find one or two favorite cheap countries to travel to and enjoy the low-cost living there. Vietnam and Thailand are often among the most popular destinations for budget travelers, in case you start typing on search engines for a clue now.

14. Earn more

Yeah, this is a surprising result of the digital nomad lifestyle when you actually build a sustainable business when traveling. Imagine you work for clients from rich countries to earn so-called “digital nomad salary” then only spend a few bucks living in affordable countries and cities. That’s why more and more Western workers now strive to build an independent business, travel the world, set based on a digital nomad paradise and get rid of stressful monthly utility bills at homeland. Sounds unreal, but it’s true.

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15. Making new friends

Friends on the road, I miss them so much and still get in touch with some via social media. Working as a digital nomad, some of the clients may eventually turn into lovely friends, other typing-and-clicking guys at the coworking space could be your partners by chance too. Friendships in the digital nomad world like kaleidoscope experience, making new friends in the working space as well as on the road is such a compelling reason to pursue this lifestyle. While working on the laptop during the ride with my travel buddy in Laos, I met enthusiastic cyclists on uphill and downhill passages across the mountainous country. Jobs were done and I walked around Kota Kinabalu with a young local boy who ran a bakery at the airport. They all paint vivid colors in my life.

16. Bonding in the relationship

I used to ignore all the opinions and worries from family members on my uncertain digital nomad. But a life-changing moment happened when I was alone in Brunei capital, living on the tightest budget ever due to the pickpocket accidents in Manila a couple of days before: I missed my home pretty much, wondered why I should travel to eventually get stuck in that miserable situation and whole-heartedly yearned for the return. After that, I didn’t quit traveling, LoL. But I have been spending more time talking with families and friends while I’m on the road. I share more empathetic feelings with beloved people that form a strong bond in my relationship.

17. Enrich the experience beyond the boundary

Too much discussion on how to earn money with a digital nomad lifestyle and we forget about one thing: to enrich the experience and living out of the laptop enables people to do volunteer work too. Between commercial projects, digital nomads are long-term travelers and applying for missions to save environments, wildlife and aid local communities is a good aspect of this living after all, not in home country but other continents that digital nomad travel to.

18. Self-learning accelebration

Working as a digital nomad is a self-learning journey, especially when you have no background on digital nomad jobs that are conveniently digitalizable. Let’s become proactive and start learning whatever is essential for the lifestyle to take off. Focus on your core skills and try to pitch them online to attract potential clients. Read more books and surf more websites to sharpen the valuable digital nomad skills as well as interesting knowledge about the upcoming destinations to visit. Living as a digital nomad often pushes eager individuals beyond their limit more quickly than leading a sedentary lifestyle.

19. Learning new languages

I live in Vietnam, a country dominated by one single language – mother tongue Vietnamese. Most students “learn English for a better future” (most language centers say so), but only a small percentage could actually use the language fluently enough in the workplace. We lack a ground for playing with foreign languages. Things change when I become a digital nomad and start traveling. As I’m forced to communicate with the locals, firstly by English in big cities then native language when traveling to more remote regions, I get adapted quickly. Learning the local language then turns into a hobby on the road. I know that if I can speak around 20 words & phrases in basic greetings, numbers and “yes-no”, the experience becomes more interesting: the local surprises when hearing foreigners saying their language and I feel more connected to them too. And if we stay longer in a country, even score a temporary job there, or frequently have a seat in coworking space, we have more time to absorb the new language, which is a part of the indigenous culture.

20. Joining the future workforce

Sounds cliche and sci-fi themed right? But there’s a best-kept secret in work from home era that people don’t tell you: they work from everywhere providing good internet and low-cost living. There are estimations, which assume that by 2035 there will be 1 billion digital nomads on this planet, just more than a decade from now. Freedom of work-life balance in the experience-oriented era is so irresistible that more and more workers demand remote jobs to fulfill their lives.

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21. The world at your doorstep

Last but foremost, the ultimate reason to become a digital nomad in 2021 is to see the world in the limited time of human lifespan. Air travel costs a fortune, and for a standard 9-5 worker (it’s 9-9-6 in China, which means 9AM-9PM, 6 days a week), several days of annual leave plus national holidays only suffice to pay a brief visit to one or two countries, several touristy destinations and worse, in peak season of travel. A digital nomad may choose the best time to travel to the countries in their wishlist. And that should guarantee the best travel experience. But it is just one of the perks of travel as a digital nomad. Look above for the other and you see a huge “why not” to live this lifestyle.

24 January, 2025
Best Hua Hin Itinerary For 4-Day Trip

Are you looking to visiting Hua Hin in your 4-day trip? It’s quite difficult to discover it all but Hua Hin is a really great destination for any traveler. Here below are best Hua Hin itinerary recommended for your information.

Hua Hin is a famous tourism spot in Thailand. It’s not so large but owns a lot of landscapes, historical places, sea activities, food, traditions… that it must take very much time to see it all. Therefore, if you concentrate on this itinerary below, your trip will be fulfilled somehow.

Hua Hin is a beach town lying to the south of Thailand with tons of things that definitely surprise you at once. Not only sandy beaches, Hua Hin also has a plenty of shopping sites, caves, palaces, pagodas and temples, parks… Watersports, food tours, massages are additionally experiences you shouldn’t forget to try when in Hua Hin.

Moreover, from Hua Hin, you can easily approach a great numbers of tourism spots by taxi/bus/motorbike. If you only move from places to places within town, taxi and tuk tuk will be perfect choices.

Day 1

There’s many means to move from Bangkok to Hua Hin (if you travel to Bangkok by plane). 3 main ways includes: bus/minibus, train and taxi. To catch a bus or train, you should go to Victory Monument Sky train station. And taxi can be found everywhere in Bangkok.

Tourism in Hua Hin has recently received a lot of of investments and popularity so there’s quite a lot of hotels, motels, resorts here. To choose the best accommodation, you can look it up on the Internet and find what’s more suitable for you.

On the first day of this best Hua Hin itinerary, you should spend time visiting the northern region of Hua Hin. Several attractions can be found here, such as Swiss sheep farm, Maruekataywan palace, FN factory outlet, Cha Arm beach and surroundings. If you’re a shopaholic, Plearnwan village, The Venezia will be the place where you can buy something along with enjoying their amusing atmosphere.

Around this site, it’s not hard to seek a restaurant or drop by a small night market for tasting local food.

Day 2

If waking up early, you can watch sunrises at Hua Hin beach. This is also one of the most exquisite beaches in Hua Hin. After breakfast, you should move to Khao Sam Roi Yot national park to see how nature grants this place with such beautiful landscapes, distinctive creatures and a whole lot of mysteries to discover.

Famous Phraya Nakhon cave is also here in this park. This cave is the place that has been the inspiration for many generations of Thai King. The only thing that annoys much is some mindless travelers left their signatures on the wall. The cave is not dark as you think, it lets light pass through a semi-open roof on the top. To reach here, it must take many hours hiking over hills. Or else, you can take a boat with 400 baht for a round-trip ticket. And it will take you less time than hiking.

When you get back from there, you must drop by Hua Hin railway station and take a little walk around the town. For the dinner, you should go to Hua Hin night market or some smaller night market such as Cicada, Chatsila, Chat Chai, Grand night markets to enjoy best dishes of Hua Hin.

Day 3

On this third day of this best Hua Hin itinerary, you should travel to the northern region of Hua Hin where Phetchaburi province is located to visit Khao Luang cave which owns hundreds of amazing Buddha statues. In the cave, you can find a lot of impressive stalactites from all sides.

After leaving the cave, take a short ride and go visiting a historical park named Phra Nakon Khiri. King Rama IV constructed his palace on the top of this hill. Nowadays, it has become a famous museum which displays numerous old remembrances and the Thai royalties’ ways of living still lingers here.

For dinner, you can go to night market or try some restaurants in resorts, hotels in town for a change of air. You can’t help but definitely falling into its food quality’s temptation.

Day 4

Before getting back to Bangkok, remember to visit Plearnwan village or The Venezea to buy some stuffs to present your family, your friends, colleagues…

If you have enough time, you can try to explore the west of Hua Hin. There’s ton of things you must see such as Mongkol temple, Baan Sillapin, Black Mountain water park, Hua Hin Hills vineyards Khao Hin Lek Fei viewpoint, Pala-u waterfall…

24 January, 2025
Verdant retreat

Nature Lodge, a splendid hideaway spreads over 7 hectares of verdant countryside of Sen Monorom, Mondulkiri, offers the best leisure time for your weekend retreat. Let’s take a look!

Established in 2007 by a lovely couple, the accommodation is a set of eco-friendly bungalows where you may find interesting and relent, aim at nature-loving travelers looking to break away from the hustle and bustle of city life (for a while). It is also an effort to maintain “environmental friendliness, fair employment and ethical practice”, provide “ethical employment, language and vocational tourism training to locals in Sen Monorom”.

Bungalows

If you’ve been to the Central Highland of Vietnam, you may find it similar but I bet it just bears resemblance to the exterior features, not interior designs. That’s the case here.

The rustic cabins are made of reclaimed wood details, from walls to roof, staircase to log table by the balcony, gentle breezes blowing softly on a hammock where guests may love to take a glance at horses below greeting with echoed whinnies through the trees.

Step inside and don’t let the furnishing amaze you as it did to me. So gorgeous vintage findings, including a fabulous cushioned-wooden bed accompanied by a white mosquito curtains above.

The bathroom is super cool that you would love it for the first time seeing. Good furnishings with tasteful decoration makes it an unforgettable moment during your staying there. The water is heated by bio-gas so it takes a little time to be ready.

With plenty of space between cottages, you may get lost for the first time trying to navigate. Admittedly, so did I, especially at night where the light is scarce (true, we used our headlight or smartphone to light up the environment all the time, it is quite interesting). No worries, you would get used to it quickly on day.

Tree top café

Another amazing corner when you stay at Nature Lodge. There’s great charm in many of the lodge’s well-thought out details, particularly the bar, as well as the tree top balcony. Chilling out with friends by the pools is the best to kill time. I even borrowed a guitar and we had a wonderful acoustic night. So great!

I’ve never been to any places like this before, truly live among nature, all wooden parts, the small statue with mysterious smile, cushion lounges, tables and chairs on the high decks overlooking the surrounding canopy of forest and garden views.

The Nature Lodge tree tops café & kitchen opens daily from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM, serving a variety of Western, classic Khmer and Thai cuisine. The lounge offers free wifi 24/7 so it’s perfect if your would like to reconnect to the world while looking for relaxation, meals or refreshments.

Facilities

Guests tend to come for a couple of days to relax over leisurely dining or merely short-term stop on their around-the-world trip.

Become a big fan of the lodge or you will be tired out by running around the expansive property for photography or pleasedly strolling for a summer sunset or a fresh dawn. Such a chilled-out vibe.

Also, the bar is perfect for leisurely relaxation. You can play billiards, guitar with friends or sipping a drink for a peaceful morning, or just swinging on a hammock while recollecting beautiful wanderlust memories.

It is all wooden, with vintage-styled orange lighting, impressively cute and very unique.

Although the lodge is officially open, it’s not 100 percent: there’s still quite a lot under construction, like new bungalows. In other words, there’s still a presence of equipment and noise that’s definitely annoying.

Afterall, it is beautifully preserved natural landscape, amongst thousands of native trees and many fruit trees (avocados, then you see!) that have been planted for years in order to restore deforested areas. Such an immersive green world!

The premises also provides large grass areas and communal fire places, an open space for group activities. We did campfire there with grilled shrimps, seasoned meat and beer, making so loud that the host gently reminded us to keep quiet (Oh, I was so sorry but, it was so exciting for any first-time experience).

Service

Travelers could find the staff is so friendly that it’s hard to be grumpy. Any of the attendants would be happy to offer you a stroll back to the bungalow after dinner, in case you get lost.

You may note that the room service attendants are not English-proficient so you are advised to contact the bartender for specific help.

Hardly find a flock of travelers, no, particularly on weekends, means, you will get peaceful corner for yourself, if that’s what you’re after.

Conclusion

I love the lodge for the very first time staying. Its nature beats me up with love that we had a wonderful night camping, singing and playing billiards together and Nature Lodge is a gem that you’d love to explore when in Mondulkiri.

More photos:

21 January, 2025
Mondulkiri Photography tips: The pine hill

Photography is one of the reasons why people love travel.

It is admittedly that people have to pay a chunk of money to travel to a incredible destination, why don’t they have a stunning album to show off to boast our journeys?

However, most of us are amateur shooters and photographs are just for beautiful memories, the landscape is picturesque but through our lens, it looks so ordinary, not as subtle as ones captured by professional travel photographers.

This post won’t turn you into a super photographer overnight, but possibly improve your shooting skill.

The shooting field location is not included so that you will focus on how to shoot perfectly instead of “Could you please tell me where it is?”, which is not the purpose of the post.

Here we go !

The trunk

The models are my companions on the trip and we had a wonderful shooting time with every amazing poses.

As you can see, we set up by a big old trunk playing as a background.

The first tip is to find a contrast background so that it will color the photograph naturally, highlight the models and reduce hard-working effort in post-process stage.

We chose the trunk due the high contrast compared to the verdant vegetation behind, so people will be easier to recognize the subject.

Then, the color of the costume should be (again) make some contrast. Black and white is never old-fashioned but if you’d go for some vibrant color choices, stay contrasted (red-green, yellow-violet, orange-blue,…) and no one could ignore you.

Also, stock some poses to use at once instead of waiting for posing advices from the photographers (sometimes, our friends or companions, who are not talented at composition and photography in general).

The grass

The brownish grass field is good case for playing color contrastly.

The black fits perfectly for most case while the reddish orange scarf is a good partner featuring the model and also, contributing to the contrast range including green grass background.

There is a trick to wear sunglasses due to the fact that your eyes look slightly closed to prevent the sunshine. So even the model face the sky, she boasted very air of confidence.

The hill

Another reason why you should bring along a scarf (I suggest 2 contrast colors, blue on for warm-colored background and red/ orange for cool-colored landscape) is to visualize the wind.

Yes, we can not see the wind, but with a scarf, wind become our ally: He bring us a sense of freedom in the photograph, which is all travelers look for.

With scarf, we have more options for posing ideas.

The view by the hill

Last but not least, don’t forget to take some unmanned photos. Sometimes we just love to enjoy a clear vista while sipping a cup of tea recollecting a time when we are young and wild.

21 January, 2025
2020 Review: A Round-Up for My Goals, Travels, Life and Work
(First published on January 26th; Last Updated on February 16th)

So 2020, wow, it is such a tough year for most of us, itchy feet stung by travel bugs.

But to look back, I feel so lucky that at time of writing this piece, I stay here in Vietnam, a “free country” during covid pandemic. You may get shock to see an ocean of people marching on their cars, motorbikes or whatever to see 15-minute firework performance to celebrate the new year (I took a night bus with two friends – my girl friend included – and we experienced 2-hour delay to say “happy new year” in a remote cape in Southern Central Vietnam. Wonderful!

So how did my 2020 go? My income dropped a little bit during the peak of pandemic (thank the Almighty, I still survive and enjoy my travel life, many people did not during the lock-down, to be honest). We all put on hold, but still have glimmers of light here and there. So let’s have a look.

First and foremost, I can fly now as I complete the course of paragliding training. It took a hell of money, in a bloody year to say. And I was broke again. But I did it, tick the box in my bucket list since 2018: learn to fly.

Actually, it’s not the only good side. I try to recap my travel timeline last year, and it turns out to be very satisfying, in terms of traveling.

My 2020 Timeline

January

I ushered in the new year at the back of the bike, my travel buddy was the rider and we took a tour around the Southern provinces of the Mekong Delta. To be honest, Tra Vinh surprised us with a handful of cool pagodas like Cave Pagoda, or Wax Coconut (a local fruit that looks do like the ordinaries but full of copra inside). Then we passed a ferry to get on Tra Vinh, to explore more interesting buddha architecture like Wat Pătum Wôngsa Som Rông, or Bat Pagoda. On top of that, the food is awesome and very budget-friendly. Then we headed to Bac Lieu to visit windmills generating electric power. It is huge, like giants with blades slashing in the air. It’s not the only one. The province is also home to plenty of cultural, historical attractions like the Cao Van Lau monumental site or Prince Bac Lieu’s mansion.

Two weeks later, I continued embarking on another journey. It is such an epic trip that was a combination of the journey on rail from Saigon to Hanoi, then one week in Myanmar and another seven days riding across Northwest Vietnam, by motorbike.

Landing on Yangon, the new capital of Myanmar, for the very first time after a regretful missing 4 year ago (I booked 0d ticket to the Myanmar via a budget airline but filled my name incorrectly in the booking form, the fee to correct that was a hell costly so I didn’t make it then). I took a very typical itinerary: racing from the airport to the bus station, getting on an overnight bus to Bagan, then Mandalay, before my feet touched the ground of Inle lake. Never expected covid came soon after. That has been the last trip so far. The countries are now locked-down. I was one of a few lucky travelers.

Goodbye Myanmar, I took flight back to Hanoi for the second part of the trip: a road trip across Northwest Vietnam, from Dien Bien, to the Westernmost point, then through Lao Cai to Ha Giang. It was such an amazing trip I’ve ever done.

February

I spent most of my weekend on paragliding train course of Saigon Paragliding club, and had a wonderful company trip (I work for Robb Report Vietnam, a luxury lifestyle magazine) to Melia Ho Tram, a beach resort in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, ideal for weekend getaway!

March

The country lock-down. The whole society stayed in the house for 2 weeks, just out for the essential stuff. But my paragliding class managed to finish, and we enjoyed the funniest ever graduation: pouring water (and cold water, beers,..LoL).

April + May

The better days came finally. And on the Deliberation day of the country, my travel buddy and I marked it with a trip to Mui Dinh (Phan Rang), my favorite getaway spot. Spectacular landscape, amazing seafood, no cellphone coverage (ideal digital detox experience), you do yoga or jogging to the lighthouse nearby. It’s all recommended! We had white wine with lobsters, too!

The paragliding club also planned to join the Marathon contest in Dalat in June, so we did a minor practice at Dinh mountain in Ba Ria, around 25km hiking on multiple terrains. This is one of the hubs for marathon training, obviously.

June

Dalat Ultratrail 2020 – the first ever marathon I’ve taken part in and it occured in mountainous town Da lat (Lam Dong). We shared a house, we went out for dinner, we beat the challenge together. That was just awesome!

September

My girlfriend and I took hiking to the highest peak in Southern Vietnam – Ba Den mountain, but we failed (lack of training should be the reason), so we turned to the other side of the mountain, and enjoyed a very good atmosphere by the lake!

And it’s not the only one trip, I also had a wonderful experience with my friends on the rowing tour into the heart of the Tuyen Lam lake in Da Lat. In the mist and little rain, we explored a small part of the forest, and were very happy to see the local fruits in the garden.

October + November

A trip back to Cat Ba island, Hai Phong. It was quiet as few foreigners visit due to the lock-down. It is not the best time to visit the island, which means we could enjoy the sightseeing freely, not the crowds! I first visited the island in 2017 and it change little in 2020, so I just expand the visit to stunning caves in the island like Quan Y Cave and enjoy the most beautiful ferry route in Viet Nam, Cat Ba – Tuan Chau ferry, once again, and it was so cool as the first time.

The next company trip in the year was to Anantara Mui Ne (Binh Thuan), a luxury serene resort with amazing high-end service. Swimming in the pool under the sunshine then having a delicious buffet for breakfast would take all your exhausts away, trust me!

And a detox trip to Can Gio, too. This is definitely recommended for weekend getaway, a small road trip (60km from City Center to the beach) and you can enjoy the breeze, seafood, coconut and some books, too!

But the last days in November turned out to be very memorable, as my paragliding team joined in a festival in Tri Ton, An Giang – a well-known province in Mekong Delta. We finally took off and flew high after so many challenges from the weather. That’s also the very first time my brave heart tested in the really dangerous situation that all my training proved effectively (I would love to share in details in another post).

December

My friend’s wedding took place in Nha Trang, so the whole team took advantage to have a leisure trip to the seaside city. We rent a serviced apartment at a very reasonable price (travel during covid seems ideal in terms of cost as many incentives are implemented to promote domestic tourism). The weather was weird (unexpectedly cold for a coastal region) when we traveled to Doc Let beach (it is impossible to swim). Then we headed to Hon Ba nature reserve, visited Kong Forest, an amusement park offering activities like do-it-yourself zip-line or driving jeeps through forest. We had many “woo-hoo” moments there!

A week later, I had an invitation to visit my admirable friends – a couple who leaves the city for a quiet life in a mountainous province. Their story is now viral, and it is such a rare opportunity to visit them in their serene paradise – Lalafarm. We camped by a stream, and played a Truth or Dare game the whole night! Love it so much!

Health in 2020

Not much physical exercise, but I lead a healthy life with fruits and juices to boost my immunity, like having orange juice every single day to avoid cold flu (you would get trouble with high body temperature during covid in Vietnam). Several weeks of training before the marathon events also made my life better. I’ve seen beautiful sunrise and fresh air before starting a working day.

Mental health? I suffered the same anxiety which we all did during Covid lockdown, but now life in Vietnam turns normal, everyone can get out for working and entertaining. And I can travel to domestic destinations I love!

Work in 2020

Having been an intern for Tech in Asia – an online news website startup years before, I was back to the journalist-life since 2018. It’s been such a long time that I had chances to meet and interview so many amazing iconic people, wonderful places and to be honest, it’s a dream job I’ve ever dreamed of when I started the blog, like thousands of the inspired travel bloggers in the digital world. Moving. Traveling. Experiencing. Writing. I wrote more about the yachting world, horology and wine! You can check it out in my LinkedIn profile, which I will update soon in weeks later!

Life in 2020

2020 was a tough year for everybody, me included. I would have traveled to Bali, Indonesia to complete my SouthEast Asian nation bucket list unless pandemic had happened. But I was healthy, and had a fulfilling year. I traveled a lot, learned new skills – like paragliding. And my relationship with a “special” travel buddy got stronger. That’s better than many people in the world.

Travel in 2020

I just little expand my blank check:
- Myanmar (travel loop Yangon – Bagan – Mandalay – Inle lake)
- Vietnam (Northwest Vietnam road trip)
21 January, 2025
2021 Resolutions, Goals & Travels Plans
New Year’s Resolutions should be much more than some novelty pledge to get good shape in three or six months. This is our life.

After my 2020 recap, it’s now the best time to look towards 2021 and make a plan for what I want to achieve with my year coming. Every year passes and you will never get it back, so it is a one-shot chance to chase our dreams. I don’t want to waste it, and neither should you.

2020 was tough for most of us, but instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, let’s take advantage of that energy to make 2021 great, a watershed year where you crystallise what you want to do in life, to pursue your dreams and desires. That means risks of failure, something that we all panic about on a daily basis, but the alternative is worse.

Let’s write down your plan, but don’t start small. Aim big to something meaningful in your life. With that in mind, here is how I plan to “attack” 2021.

Goals for 2021

Write a fiction travel book (15%)

This one is a big fish. I have never written any books before. There are thousands of inspirational travel stories in blogging world, so traditionally telling my own with some travel tips is unlikely to work. So I plan to write a story based on my eight-years travels in Vietnam, plus unconventional tips in camping, hiking and biking, as well as my own love stories.

As it is a fiction work, I can freely rearrange materials to make it interesting in my own way. I found out that I’ve ever dreamed of being a novelist. I love to read short stories, novels, and used to compose some short stories during my childhood. So this is the best time to fulfill my little dream.

Write 21 posts for Darejourney (21/21)

I opened this blog in 2016, when I wish to be a travel blogger, a dream job of most travelers. But I was not persistent enough to make that dream come true. I was burnt out after trials and errors. So this year I am desperate to come back and start to contribute to my beloved readers. Let’s rock together, again!
Achieve IELTS 8.0 (10%)

I got IELTS 7.0 years ago. Now the certification expired. It’s time to make a push to improve language skills and convey better ideas to people around the world. I have to find a way to figure it out. I was good at Listening and Reading skills at the latest test, but the rest were average. I plan to change that situation this year. To improve my speaking skills, I tend to join Toastmaster and the expats community. Whereas blogging may boost my writing skill.

Read 21 English books (5/21)

After years of reading novels and watching movies, I found my love in sci-fi works. So I plan to read these books to fulfill my reading bugs, as well as some non-fiction and pop-sci to enrich my mind. I list to-read books below to track my progress:

1-The Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adam
2-Artemis, by Andy Weir
3-Guns, Germs, and Steels: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond
4-Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dicks
5-Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
6-Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decision, by Brian Cristain, Tom Griffiths
7-The gene: An Intimate History, by Siddhartha Mukherjee
8-Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl, Harold S. Kushner
9-When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
10-The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot
11-The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
12-Freakonomics: a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Sides Of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt &. Stephen J. Dubner
13-Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routine, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, by Timothy Ferriss
14-Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing, by Mark Shaw
15-World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks
16-Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long Term World Travel, by Rolf Potts
17- The Geography of Bliss, One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, by Eric Weiner
18-The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish way to Live Well, by Meik Wiking
19-Down Under, by Bill Bryson
20-Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely
21- Leonardo Da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson

The porsche is not mine!

Increase my net worth by $10K (10%)

I start this as a yearly goal from now then to push me beyond the limit, but I am not so confident about this. The pandemic clearly strikes hard to the world economy. As travel is not ‘back’ properly yet, but I will try to figure out the plan to reach for the number!

Travel plans for 2021

Travel to complete 63 provinces of Vietnam (62/63)

Covid means oversea travel is weird, so I plan to take a chance to visit countrywide. There are still some provinces I’ve never put my feet on so far, which I would like to travel, as follows:

1-Quang Ngai
2-Yen Bai
3-Tuyen Quang
4-Cao Bang
5-Lang Son
6-Bac Giang
7-Bac Ninh
8-Hai Duong
9-Hung Yen
10-Vinh Phuc

Morning in Yangon, Myanmar

Travel overseas

The covid pandemic still makes a big impact on travels in the world and Vietnam, as well. Lock-downs are activated now and then, unexpectedly. But in case the cure comes early, I wish to travel to Bali, Indonesia to complete my Southeast Asia region (not included Timor Leste). So the next country to visit:

1. Indonesia (Bali)

Final thoughts on my 2021 Resolutions

I’m writing this from Dalat in Vietnam, when the pandemic has struck HCMc again. It may take weeks to ease the covid and back to “New Norm”. The cure is still on its way and in the second half of 2021, let’s hope we can travel freely again and squeeze even more stuff in!
21 January, 2025
Wild food you should try once in Central highland

Food is a great way to explore a country culture.

So I bet you might find it adventurous trying this food.

But it is worthy, maybe you would love it or hate it, but a lifetime moment tasting something new, right?

Ok, let’s try these typical food when in Central highland of Vietnam.

1. DRIED-BEEF (Bò một nặng)

It cost me 14$ for 0.5 kg of the special dried beef.

I will explain a little bit why it should be in your checklist. We usually enjoy smoked bacon, a kinda pork put in salt and smoke but this one require a special marinade including garlic, onion, lemongrass, chilli along with salt, sugar,seasoning and chilli paste, well-mixed then massaging the beef with the mixture then getting it dried under scorching sun within 9 hour and done! When you have a picnic, put the cut on red charcoal grill and tear it apart with your bare hand (recommended) or chop into pieces.

2. ANT SALT (muối kiến vàng)

The next might be weird on your judge but the taste is awesome, trust me, this salty mixture, a good “friend” of the above beef cut, is made of ants, and these tiny creatures taste sour and smell so unique that I bet you would never taste anything similar before (otherwise, tell me what it is).

3. Tube/stem wine

If you are in France or California, I would suggest a red wine, but in Central highland of Vietnam, tube/stem wine is a must.

Originally, the highland people collect special leaves to create a particular enzyme to produce a wine that the local people would prefer using a tube (or a long straw) to enjoy. And when it runs out, just pouring drinkable water and “happy together” again.

So all you need to do is to tear a bit of beef cut, dip it into the ant mixture, chewing the beautiful taste and drink off a tube wine. That makes an amazing highland night, no doubt!

To reveal where the best place to get a cut, it is Gia Lai specialty.

Ask the host for “bò một nắng” when you are in the region and share your experience, how taste it is.

21 January, 2025
Highway 27: From Coffee Capital to Land of Flower

Central Highland of Vietnam is house to spectacular ranges of mountain and lakes. Among the best route, highway 27, connecting Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat, features Chu Yang Sin mount, Lak lake with a secluded resort, Buon Tua Srah lake as reservoir for a hydro dam and a beautiful look out from a pass in Phi Lieng that you will never forget.

The very first scenery that made me stop by was a countryside road surrounded by paddy field but on top of that, the line of tree topped with white blossom gave me a sense of spring and far away, the mountain range played a perfect background for all.

Turn my head left and I saw ox wandering on fields of green and yellow while the sky was crystal clear painted by gorgeously deep blue. The red figure to the left was an old lady tending grazing cattles.

Lak lake locates just by a town center but when I passed by, it seemed people heavily partied that I saw few ones. It looked like an abandoned town at that time (Tet holiday).

When I mostly reached Nam Ka Reserve, the landscape turned more mountainous separated by small rivers bending as snakes. The outlook was so beautiful!

Along with evergreen mountains, the slope was sometimes occupied by plantations of coffee or other industrial trees, so the landscape looks more artificial.

And when I enjoyed these views, it took my breath away immediately! How nice it was, the river branched from Buon Tua Srah, with plantation hills touch the water, as heaven on earth.

The Boun Tua Srah was ahead, welcoming, promising to explore!

And there I was, a massive lake where a person can see far away though skyline is hidden by mountain ranges. It is simply a majestic view.

I rode though various passes in Dam Rong, before got stop by this nicest sunset ever in my highland experience, everything was perfect: landscape, the pass, the lake and the timing.

Last but not least, highway 27 road condition diverses among dust, potholes and even trucks, so remember to pack up with good helmet, mask cover and hold your hand tight as sometimes it turns off road significantly.

21 January, 2025