8 million people on motorbikes

Last country, last city, last Asian experiences, last days. Our trip was coming to an end and we had only a couple of days to enjoy Vietnam. Definitely, not enough!

Our trip, as for the rest of the days, was done by bus. 6 to 7 hours on a bus got us to the centre of Saigon (how people still refer to Ho Chi Minh around here). On our first minutes on the city, with our backpacks back on our backs, we got a first glimpse of how busy this city is! We had experience the crowds in Bangkok and the disregard for the rules in Phnom Penh (in all of Cambodia, really), but here... here we saw both at the same time! 8 Million people on the streets, all with scooters or motorbikes! This made crossing the streets a true adventure! Every time!

But Saigon is an amazing city (our favourite out of the 3 capitals we went to). It blends a traditional side (with its markets and lively parks) with the a most modern and high-end one (with fancy restaurants and it's multicoloured lighted roller skates and self-balancing two-wheeled board). Yes, it is a bit touristic and we did stay quite close to the backpackers area, but it was the life of the city that captivated us! Another interesting part of it, is also how different it is from its neighboring countries, especially in regards to Religion. Whereas in Thailand and Cambodia almost all houses have a little temple at the entrance (that is supposed to provide protection), here what you could see in every street were the Vietnam and communist flags. They were everywhere! This nationalist side of Saigon could also be seen in the War Remnants Museum. Here, they present their side of the story (and is always interesting to see the other side of the story), but they don't even try to hide the propaganda behind it (e.g. on the section where they mentioned the reporters that had died whilst covering the War, the Vietnamese ones were called "patriotic and martyrs", the American, French and all other reporters, were mere reporters, nothing else).

In the 2.5 days we spent in this country, we were also able to squeeze in a trip to nearest branches of the Mekong River for a day tour which, despite being overly touristic ("Now you go here! Now you try the tea! Now you look at the bees! Now you listen to the traditional music and eat the fruit! Now you buy caramels! Now you go to the boats! Now you... " - I think you can get the idea!) was good for the setting itself. It would have been quite difficult to do such a thing on our own and, honestly, at this point we were a bit too tired to think of the logistics of such a thing! Talking with other travelers in the same day-trip that had spent a few weeks in Vietnam, our will to come back and continue to explore this side of the World (and Vietnam in particular) went up exponentially!

So as the last day came, we had this feeling that we usually have. This feeling of unsatisfaction, of a job half-done, of an opportunity that was there but that could not be taken. From our days on the Koh Kood island, to the streets of Battambang (that we just quickly skimmed through), to the most rural side of Thailand and Cambodia, to the whole rest of Vietnam, we wanted to see more. But time is finite, and so were our holidays. The World is too big for 2-weeks holidays! This is the feeling of the ones that want to see more and want to experience more! Considering that, I am actually happy we feel this way! Because it is this feeling that will keep us searching for more, even if our next search is done somewhere else in the vast, amazing, sometimes incredibly cruel, sometimes incredibly kind, World of ours!

Here are some photos of these 2.5 days (as I am at home already, I uploaded a bunch! :)).

Our last long bus trip from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

I was so happy when I showed him this photo afterwards!

The modern side of Saigon

ALF @ Saigon by night

This was a Japanese restaurant (there were so many types of restaurants around!)

@ The World Remnants Museum

Imagine crossing this street!

Like this one is! (she survived!)

Street Vendors

And some (a lot!) just decided to sleep on their bikes!

Arriving at the Mekong

On the boat!

"A volunteer to touch the bees?" Guess who that was!

On the canals of Turtle Island

Us! ALF was able to close his eyes even more than usual! :P

Our rider

She pointed us her house (this one). She looked so happy/proud of it!

Making the coconut candies

At a first glance they looked like rocks! They weren't!

This is your expression when you're photographing a very big, maybe lethal, snake!

A long delayed trip!

Back in 2012, when I first started this blog I was planning for a 3 months trip (see the post The Plan so Far). Now, after getting to know a lot of travelers that go around for 6 or more months at a time, 3 months seems to be a regular trip, but at that point, 3 months looked like quite an adventure. One that I was really looking forward to! Unfortunately, for professional reasons, I had to cut the trip short to only 1 month. It was an incredible month that I have multiple fond memories (with a bit of adventure here and there), but there were a few destinations that had to be left out, destinations that I was really looking forward to!

Four years later, after a few other travels, I am one week away of  going back to the original plan and visit some of those countries that were left behind. Southeast Asia was the region that always stuck to my mind and that most fueled my dreams. So finally!, finally!, the flight ticket is bought, the jabs and medicines are taken care off and everything is ready to go!

Here is the map of the (as usual) draft plan of the trip.

The plan for the 2-week trip

The Plan So Far

I've started travelling relatively late, after my degree. While I was growing up holidays meant going to the beach (and don't get me wrong, I liked it!) and during college, when the World outside started to call me more vehemently, I never got the nerves to ask my parents for more money to satisfy my thirst for adventure. 

But when I started it got really hard to stop and now I find myself wandering through images of unknown places or just opening google maps and imagining new destinations, new routes, new journeys. Recently I've started to plan a new one. This is how it looks like:

This new dream started way bigger! It would get me around the World exploring all 5 Continents. But time, money, physics, new ideas and the non existence of teleportation slowly brought me to the map above. As things are not totally defined yet, this map is more of a work in progress than a final itinerary, but it sums up the plan so far.

Step 1 Trans Siberian tour

It was a cold cold January morning and I was waiting for the train when I saw a baby waiving a Russian flag and it hit me... the TRANS SIBERIAN!!

Just kidding! I actually don't remember when or why I thought of the World longest train journey, but I did and since then that idea grew on me and now I can't wait to jump on that train!! It will be the beginning of the trip so I will fly to Saint Petersburg from Lisbon, spend a few days getting emerged in the Russian mood and then, it will be time to embark on a 18 days trip. 

The final stop will be Beijin and other stops include Moscow, Irkutsk (on the side of lake Baikal) and Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia). This route is actually the Trans Mongolian and not the classical Trans Siberian, but shhhh tell no one! :P. Between stops there will be pleeeenty of time to meet locals, other travellers, admire the (so people say) stunning Siberian landscape and much more! :)

Step 2 Land of the Rising Sun

8 days going through the paths of Samurais, watching the colourful foliage, getting sick of amazing old temples, eating more fish that I ever had before and, basically, soaking up all those things that are so odd for a Western born.

Step 3 IndoChina

1 month in Vietname + Laos + Cambodia +Thailand

After a few weeks feeling the cool autumn days in Mongolia, China and Japan, a bit of tropical warmth, aaahhhhh :) 

Each one of this country is deeply reach in something: Vietname has the jungles and natural landscape, Laos the slow lifestyle and compelling peace, Cambodia is well known for its jaw dropping Khmer temples and Thailand for its postcard like beaches. But what I am really looking forward is for trying their food, talking with people and experience a reality so far away from any that I have ever lived before.

I have been recently accepted to participate in a volunteer program in Cambodia for 2 weeks! :D Actually, that is what I am most looking forward to during this part of the trip!

Step 4 Myanmar

This was not part of the initial plan, but after seeing a few photos from it and knowing that it's on the way to India, I understood that this had to be part of the trip. The fact that is an off the beaten track country also helped, I always try to find those places that remain untouched by the "beautification" caused by the touristic sector.

Step 5 India

15 days exploring the land of curry, Bollywood, Taj Mahal and so much more! Some of my friends went there and the descriptions were so out of this world that I knew that I had to have India in my itinerary! The crowds, the sacred animals, the traffic, the... everything!

Step 6 Lisbon

Back home. I feel like I'm a citizen of the World, but MY city will always be Lisbon! :)

Note: Due to recent events the plan had to be cut short :( You can see this post for further details.

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Comecei a viajar relativamente tarde, depois do meu curso. Na minha infância, férias eram sinónimo de praia (e não me entendam mal, eu gostava!) e durante a faculdade, quando o Mundo lá fora começou a chamar por mim de forma mais veemente, nunca tive a coragem de pedir dinheiro aos meus pais para matar a minha sede de aventura.
Mas quando comecei, parar tornou-se realmente difícil e, frequentemente, dou por mim perdida por imagens de locais ainda desconhecidos ou apenas a abrir o Google Maps e a imaginar novos destinos, novas rotas, novas viagens. Recentemente tenho planeado uma nova, e é assim:

Este novo sonho começou muito maior! Levar-me-ia à volta do Mundo explorando os 5 Continentes. Mas tempo, dinheiro, restrições físicas, novas ideias e a não existência de um mecanismo de teletransporte lentamente levaram-me ao mapa que podem ver acima. Como nada esta ainda totalmente definido, este mapa é mais um projecto em estudo do que o itinerário final, mas é um resumo do plano por agora.

Fase 1 Comboio Trans Siberianano

Era uma manhã de Janeiro fria, muito fria,  e eu esperava pelo comboio quando um bebé passou por mim empunhando uma bandeira Russa e fez-se luz... o TRANS SIBERIANO!!

Estou a brincar!. A verdade é que não me recordo de quando ou porquê me lembrei da mais longa rota de comboio do Mundo, mas aconteceu!, e desde então que a ideia tem crescido de tal maneira que mal consigo esperar por saltar para o comboio! Vai ser o início da viagem por isso irei voar entre para São Petersburgo de Lisboa e aí passar alguns dias mergulhando no estilo de vida Russo e então, será altura de embarcar para uma viagem de 18 dias.

A paragem final será Pequim e outras paragens incluem Moscovo, Irkutsk (junto ao lago Baikal) e Ulaanbaatar (capital da Mongólia). Na verdade, esta rota é o Trans Mongólia e não o clássico Trans Siberiano, mas shhh, não digam a ninguém :P. Entre paragens haverá muuuuuuuuito tempo para conhecer locais, outros viajantes, admirar a (pelo que as pessoas dizem) incrível paisagem da Sibéria e muito mais! :) 

Fase 2 Terra do Sol Nascente

8 dias a percorrer os caminhos dos Samurais, a observar as cores da mudança de folha, a ficar farta de templos fantásticos do tempo da maria cachucha, a comer mais peixe do que aquele que alguma vez comi em toda a minha vida e, basicamente, a absorver todas aquelas coisas que parecem tão bizarras a um Ocidental.

Fase 3 IndoChina

1 mês Vietname + Laos + Cambodja +Tailândia

Depois de alguns dias do frio típico de Outono na Mongólia, China e Japão, um pouco de calor tropical, aaaahhhh :)

Cada um destes países é especialmente rico em alguma coisa: o Vietname nas sua vegetação e paisagem natural, o Laos no seu estilo de vida tranquilo e paz convidativa, o Cambodja nos seus templos Khmer de deixar cair os queixos (e andar à procura deles durante muitas horas) e a Tailândia pelas suas praias próprias de postal, daqueles de fazer inveja. Mas aquilo por que mais quero é mesmo experimentar a comida, falar com as pessoas e experiênciar uma realidade tão longe de tudo aquilo que experiênciei antes.

Recentemente fui aceite para participar num programa de voluntariado no Cambodja durante duas semanas! :D Na verdade, é por isto que eu estou mais ansiosa nesta parte da viagem!

Fase 4 Burma

Esta paragem não estava no plano inicial, mas depois de ver algumas fotos e visto que se encontra no caminho para a Índia eu percebi que tinha que o incluir nesta viagem. O facto de ser um país não muito visitado também ajudou. Sempre que posso tento encontrar aqueles lugares ainda intocados pelo "embelezamento" pouco natural da indústria turística.

Fase 5 Índia

15 dias a explorar a terra do caril, Bollywood, Taj Mahal e muito mais! Alguns dos meus amigos estiveram na Índia e as suas descrições são tão inacreditáveis que eu sabia que tinha que incluir a Índia no meu itinerário! As multidões, os animais sagrados, o trânsito, o... tudo!!

Fase 6 Lisbon

Regresso a casa. Sinto que sou uma cidadã do Mundo, mas a MINHA cidade será sempre Lisboa! :)

Nota: Devido a acontecimentos recentes o plano teve que ser encurtado :(. Podem ver este post para mais pormenores