Travelogger

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

Unique Locations Around the World

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There are many cities and locations around the world that make top 10 travel lists every year. Many may long to visit these popular places while others prefer venturing to less traveled areas. Off the beaten path destinations are not necessarily less scenic or exciting. Though less discussed, photographed or written about, these places inspire a sense of adventure. When looking for a unique vacation spot, pack a visa and consider these options.

The Tunnel of Love-Ukraine

During springtime, an amazing act of nature transforms the Klevan railway into a stunning display. The branches and leaves of massive trees and other greenery come alive and completely encapsulate the sides, top and ground spaces along the rails, creating a magnificent green, arched tunnel. Popular with couples as a romantic hideaway, the tunnel was previously only known to local residents. [Read more…]

Some Valuable Tips For A Successful Motorbike Tour

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When planning a motorcycle tour, the first thing that you must do is to determine your itinerary. Once this is settled, it is always important to consider other important things that will help in making your tour successful. This should be done meticulously, you should write everything down so that you will be able to track down your plans.

Having these things in place will help guarantee the success of your trip. You must never overlook any of the details, as doing so will only mess up your trip. However, having all of them in place will help you maximize on your experience and bring more fun in your entire adventure. [Read more…]

Ben Thanh Night Market

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There is something about night markets that attract me – and tons of other tourists, as well. Every time I visit a new city, I make it a point to find out if it has a night market, and I make sure that go there at least once. I don’t know why, but night markets are much more fun than the “day” ones.

In any case, as I was telling you in my previous post, Ben Thanh Market closes in the early evening, but its night market draws more crowds – if that’s at all possible. The night market is composed of stalls set up in the streets flanking the Ben Thanh Market. During the day, these streets serve as, well, streets. The sides are parking areas as well. When the night market opens, they still serve as streets – motorcycles galore – but your senses will be assaulted (pleasantly) by the sights, sounds, and smells of what the people have to sell.

I think that I did most of my shopping at the night market. I got clothing – this nice shirt with a tiger print on it, the most amazing white robe with a silver dragon embroidered onto it, wallets, and all sorts of other stuff! The best thing about the night market is that you can haggle all you want. The trick I learned is to just walk away when you don’t get the price you want. If it’s reasonable, the salesperson will run after you and you’ll get an excellent price!


Of course, you CANNOT ignore the aroma of food while at the night market. This is perhaps one of the best places where you can eat. There are a lot of stalls selling grilled everything, soup with anything in it, fried everything – name it, you’ll find it in these stalls. Thank you, guru Anthony Bourdain, for alerting me to the presence of this night market!

Ben Thanh Market In Saigon

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At the start of this month, I told you that I would probably be writing mostly about Saigon as I had tons of experiences that I would like to share. I did have a short break yesterday when I wrote about my Mount Pinatubo experience – which is in the Philippines. Let’s go back to neighboring Vietnam, shall we?

One of the attractions of Saigon is the shopping experience. Trust me, even those who normally shy away from shopping will have a blast in Saigon! The most popular shopping destination is Ben Thanh Market. It is located right smack in the center of the city and served as a landmark for me. When I got a little lost, I would always find my way back to this market and rediscover my bearings.

So what does Ben Thanh Market have to offer? During the day, this bustling complex is full of tourists and locals haggling their way to a good buy. You can find practically anything here.

Bags – mostly North Face and Kipling – are so cheap, your eyes will pop out! Be careful, though, as many of them are knock offs. I have to say that despite being knock offs, they look pretty good.

Spices and other dry goods. I love this area. I got coffee, tea, and other spices to bring home. Here’s a tip – if you want to buy cheap coffee, go to the outer stalls. I thought it would be cheaper inside so I bought my coffee there. On my way out, though, I found a shop selling coffee for almost half the price!

Lacquerware and other knickknacks. These are everywhere. They’re perfect for bringing home.

At night, the building closes but the night market becomes alive…that’s for the next post.

Binh Soup Shop, Saigon

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Going to Saigon? You will definitely find tons of soup shops around the city. They’re everywhere – and I mean everywhere. From the footpaths to medium sized eateries to classy dining places, they all have pho, the “national food” of Vietnam. My first – and best, I think – taste of real beef pho was at this corner eatery. We got to Saigon after midnight, starving. The shop was right around the corner of the first hotel we went to. Needless to say, it was bliss.

I did have another beef pho experience, and this time, it was more about history than the food. The soup was good, though not exceptional. However, the soup shop – Pho Binh – used to be the secret headquarters of the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Anyone with a sense of history will not fail to appreciate the significance of the place.

As it turned out, the woman who was preparing the soup is the daughter of the “resistance” leader. Her father died 4 years ago, but the soup shop remains to this day. It has actually become a tourist attraction. Thuy, the woman, was very kind and told us about the resistance and her dad. She even took us to the upper room where the VC used to meet.

I have to tell you, chills were running up and down my spine as she talked to us in a mixture of French and English. She told us about their operations and activities. She also told us how the room looked practically the same as it was during the war.

A visit to Saigon warrants a short stop at the Binh Soup Shop – if not for the pho, for the history surrounding it.