Website: http://www.grrrltraveler.com
GRRRL TRAVELER has written 155 articles so far, you can find them below.
Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon can be very photogenic at night. Everything is illuminated with a candy-colored neon glow or half-lit by darkness. The Vietnamese don’t mind… it’s all good. It’s like mood lighting.
Most of this is shot in and near the Dhong Khoi area, without a tripod and completely on the fly.
Motorcycle mahem in Ho Chi Minh City
Just how crazy is motorcycle culture in HCMC? It’s insane! In HCMC the two-wheeled chariot populates roughly 90% of the roadway (highways included). Thus, the Vietnamese are as comfortable on their motorbikes, the way L.A. drivers are in their sunglasses and cars! People hang out on their motorbikes, leisurely checking their cellphones, eating or reading their morning newspaper; lounge on them like sofa chairs and practice the art of balance by (more…)
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnamese motorbikes here aren’t loud, but several of them ripping through the streets in evenly-paced intervals, can equivocate a handful of Harleys. A motor stampede. I awoke from my sleep because my cavernous room echoed thunderous vibrations. That’s what you get from a room with a front row seat of the main street. Otherwise, the view is pretty interesting.
My room? I’ve gotten used to it. Periodically during the night, I’d awake with an itch which sent me to my spritzer of (more…)
“Do you know that Vietnam is a Communist country?” my mom added before parting on Skype. Timing. She’s like that. This is my second big solo trip to a developing country, she’s concerned for my safety and her method of care is to instill fear, rather than courage… at the last moment. Gotta love her. But overall, I’ve heard Vietnam is reasonably safe for female solo travelers so I’m not too worried.
Day 1: Daegu to Ho Chi Minh City and my Less-than-Amazing Race
My morning call was… early, yet I was running late . This was the only time there was no taxi in (more…)
Tourists rest at a roadside cafe
For the female solo traveler, Vietnam shouldn’t be an intimidating or scary country to travel. Though still developing, it’s no longer as ‘off-the-beaten path’ as one might like to romanticize; and while large, Vietnam strives to make transportation easy and cheap for the tourist. For every main attraction, you can bet there’s probably a budget tour for it, as tour operators are everywhere, vying for your business and ready to aid your travel needs.
Tours however, are not for everyone. Some travelers prefer for a more personal and off-off-road experience to (more…)
Do I look like a real Hanoian?
I’ve just returned from backpacking Vietnam, during summer monsoon season- what a wet, wet, wet and sweaty fun… I must have lost 10 pounds of water weight and my skin has a pimply glow (Daegu heat is a breeze in comparison)! But it was all good- 9 days was definitely not enough to see Vietnam and all it offers in crazy motorcycle mayhem. Now I’m back in civilization, where a warm bath and a bed, without a silk liner woos me…
Check out Expacked’s Issue #84…
Major shout out to Expacked for including my blog “5 Reasons to Join your Expat Community when Living Abroad” in Issue #84 of its newsletters. It’s both, an honor and fortunate new discovery for me. Expacked is an (more…)
So I arrived in Pai (a hip little backpacker’s town north of Chiang Mai), learned how to ride a motorbike and then quickly set off to explore the countryside. Wind in my face, embracing my newly earned motorist’s freedom and smelling the earthy countryside of “Thai green”, what I inevitably loved best about my drive to the village… (more…)
Recently, a reader asked me if I have any tips for packing light and for combating the summer heat. Due to her request and the fact I launch off to Vietnam tomorrow, I’ve decided to share my quickie last-minute information with everyone.
Summer is probably the easiest season to pack for. It will strip you of any excess or bulky layers, whenever your mind enters the zone of HOT and as most travelers know, there’s no such thing as packing too light. But what if you’re traveling to a culture with conservative dress values? Do you still pack light? Yes and No…
Me, putting my EPIK color post-its to good use!
Tick-tock… Vietnam. I leave this Friday! I’ll be launching solo again. I don’t know what to expect or how things will play out, but this time I’m excited. I certainly have more of a positive outlook on solo travel than I did last year and I have Thailand to thank for such amazing and serendipitous experiences! But maybe Korea has something to do with it as well… (more…)
