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March 2011
Singapore
I had the chance to fly ahead of Chichi,
who had to stay in Manila longer to
finish up work. So I spent a week in
India before meeting up with her in
Singapore. A cup of coffee at a local
kopitiam,
or coffee shop, marked the
beginning of our South-East Asian
adventure.
March 12, 2011
Weaving through
Vietnam
Chichi and I land in Ho Chi Minh City to
start the official leg of our South-East
Asian jaunt. Our heads started spinning
after seeing endless stalls selling
custom-made suits, shoes, bags and
scarves — almost anything you could
think of. Crossing the street amidst a
sea of smog and speeding motorbikes
was a thrilling feat. Thanks to the
roaring herds of two-wheeled vehicles
crowding the city’s streets, it can get
pretty dusty in HCMC; so if you’re
planning a trip to Asia’s motorbike
capital, go prepared. We brought along
a nifty item called Headware — a
versatile piece of fabric that can turn
into a face mask, a hair band and even
a tube top!
Vietnamese food was a daily feast of
fresh vegetables and steaming soups.
We gorged on
pho
noodles and French
baguettes filled with paté, cilantro, tofu
and pickles. We got hooked on
ca phe
su nom,
their rich traditional coffee.
Our excitement was magnified even
more when we got to Hanoi. We were
able to tick off another item on our “30
Before 30” list: #24, board a junk and
experience Ha Long Bay for the first
time. Getting on a ship and staring at
an emerald sea against a backdrop of
limestone pillars was a dream come
true for us. It was one of the most
surreal landscapes we’d ever seen.
April 19, 2011
Lazing in Laos
Our pace slowed down as soon as
we got to Laos — we couldn’t help it.
We took a bus through dusty, almost
non-existent roads and sleepy towns.
The charm of this place is that it chose
to shun modernity completely. This
country is also one of the poorest we
have seen so far. But everywhere we
went, we were greeted by friendly
smiles and waves. The people had very
little and probably have never left their
town, but they were the happiest bunch
we’ve ever met.
May 6, 2011
Thailand’s shopping
mecca
Three months into our trip, we found
ourselves at the backpacker’s shangri-la
of Bangkok: Khao San Road. In our
first few days in Bangkok, we did what
06CA Smile
Ser 4
Clockwise from left: The future looks so
bright at Bangkok’s dazzlings temples;
a monk surveys the mystical landscape
of Bagan, Myanmar; a parade of boats
in Hoi An, Vietnam.
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