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World tour
  • Maria Safont-Tria
  • Maria Safont-Tria

World tour

Always a good place to see in which country I got lost this time, on top of some random pictures of cool (or at least interesting) places and people that I bump into in my journey and some arbitrary facts and stories of my nomad life. Lue lisää
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Uusin ensin
  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    111

    Mai Châu (bike trip🏍️)

    18. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Beautiful riding trip from Ninh Binh to Mai Chao. Landscape was breathtaking and we discovered a beautiful hidden waterfall. We climbed to the top and enjoyed the freedom of the place. Had a small bike slip and manymany kids waving at us from everywhere and cows in a very characteristic way. Really local lunch at a very intense place, the kitchen was a real scenario and on my way to the toilette bumped into a goat murder on the living room.

    💡Travelling tips: expect not to find anyone speaking english in this country. Not even on big cities or basic words. Be prepared for lots of google translation and other types of non verbal communication on your journey.    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Mù Cang Chai (bike trip🏍️)

    20. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    The ride was absolutely stunning today, but some it was very long and some parts were tough, bumpy and very steep (I was surprised by my bike and my own's skills on the road). But the quote is right: "the climb is hard, but the view is great".

    📍Essentials: riding from Mai Chao to Mù Cang Chai (probably break it in two so its more smooth) and stopping on the viewpoints for the rice fields    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    11

    Sa Pa (bike trip🏍️)

    20. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Back to contact with other tourists/travellers (more of the first though) after being alone on the rode for some days. Sa Pa is a big city full of touristy places, lights and big buildings. Almost died from a vietnamese pipe offered by our mechanic (never trying it again) and entered the foggy and rainy city. We could have some rest on the nice homestay we were staying in and did a very nice wet and muddy trek along the rice fields, bamboo's, Hmong villages (the ethnic tribes of the area) and mostly the mud.

    📍Essentials: Muong Hoa Valley trek (it takes around 3-4 hours, its usually done with a guide, but we found the route in AllTrails and did it on our own at was absolutely nice and safe, but you MUST have proper hiking equipment)
    🏠Accomodation: Mekhoo & Zizi Sapa Homestay (far from town and the road to get there is no the easiest for the bike, but its in a calm and beautiful scenario surrounded by Hmong people and the place is full of other travellers and food is not expensive)
    🍴Food: bamboo fried rice, sweet bread pastries (easy to find in street stalls)    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    11

    Bâc Hà (bike trip🏍️)

    22. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Woke up supersuper early to get to the Bac Ha market early in the morning and see the Hmong people selling their supplies from up the mountains. Enjoyed all the varieties of weird fruits, veggies, homemade pharmacies, beautiful fabrics, tried some new food (as always without knowing what it was) and had a cards night back in our private homestay.

    🏠Accomodation: Sa Hmong Homestay
    📍Essentials: Sunday Market early morning    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Wet Ha Giang (bike trip🏍️)

    23. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    We can't remember how being dry feels, all our clothes, bags and bodies are drowned with water because it rains and rains and rains with no stop. Everytime we stop somewhere we ask for a dryer, but 10 minutes later everything is fully wet once again. We are starting to travel with more than a rain jacket on top of it, maybe it gets a bit bette...We miss so much the sun!!! It's hard to drive and see, so even though the landscape is beautiful we can't enjoy it to the fullest. But still, the experience is so much worth it.Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Bâo Lac (bike trip🏍️)

    25. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Plans had to change last minute due to the bad condition of the road. Because of the heavy rain there where landslides, fallen trees and floods everywhere on our way to the National Park of Ba Be. So at some point we couldn't cross the river because of a huge overflow. We had to drive all the way back and find another way, so it would have been to long to get there, so we ended up finding another way and ditching on Ba Be. Still we found an interesting town with a very nice market, and we decided to go towards China from there. So Sebastian decided to go back to Hanoi from here, so it was departing time. It was a sad and a weird feeling to spread after so many days, we were already such a formed group.
    💡Travelling tips: you'll find that they have wifi even on the dirtiest and most simple places, so always ask for it because you might be surprised!    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Cao Bâng (bike trip🏍️)

    25. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Gabi and I drove towards China on our own. We found a beautiful place to crash and did some yoga. And... Sun came back!!! Still we are the only tourists (at least foreigners) everywhere, what a blast. But the end of this biking trip is getting closer, and I would keep on riding with Gabi for sooo much longer still.

    🏠 Accomodation: Luong Son Homestay (only con is that they don't serve breakfast)    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    111

    Almost in China! Ban Gioc (bike trip🏍️)

    26. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Drove towards Ban Gioc waterfall, visited different ethnic villages on the way specialised on different works (incense village, paper village, metal and stone), which were truly beautiful, but so poor and basic at the same time. You could see the big gap with the more modern areas. After that we went to the very expected waterfall, which wasn't so beautiful because of the rainy season and the water looked brown and choppy, but still you could feel its power and strength. After that enjoyed an astonishing vieepoint hidden behind a pagoda, had a quick nap, and visited a cave. This town was super interesting, but surrounded of national tourists. So even though we were the only foreigners, the feeling of being lost wasn't so strong.

    📍Essentials: viewpoint of China and waterfall, traditional villages, Ngoc cave
    🏠 Accomodation: Lan Homestay (food was expensive but amazing)    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Camping in Thác Nâm Tra (bike trip🏍️)

    28. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Drove around the frontier with China for the day and enjoyed the immensity of the mountains. It felt so cool to be so close to such a powerful country! After that decided to go to sleep to a lake, but because it was to rainy for the hammock, rented a tent from a man we found on the internet and camped on a super priviledged spot with the best views ever! Made a beautiful fire (that disn't last for long because we had to hide from the rain), suffered some wine rice (what a bad taste!), Got mud everywhere, swam a little bit and woke up literaly insise the lake!

    📍Essentials: camp in Thac Nam Tra    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Last stop, Bac Son Valley (🏍️bike trip)

    28. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Working our way back to Hanoi to bring back the bikes, which feels sad and exciting as well, because I loved Hanoi, is such a vibrant and alive city with a real essence, but at the same time this trip has been so amazing. For sure one of the highlights of my trip. I will miss Saperlipopette sooo much! and for instance, Gabi as well, it has been incredibly cool travelling with him and it feels weird to think that tomorrow we will part separate ways, because I got so used to being with him all the time, he is with no doubt as adventurous and random as me (I'd say even more) and he reminded me that this was the way I wanted to travel and not the way all the "tourist backpackers" I've been meeting on the way. My physical activity has gone to 0 since getting the bike, so it will be nice to bring some movement back. The valley was incredibly stunning, and we got to see it from a gorgeous viewpoint (Gabi looooooooooves viewpoints so we are never missing them), it was supposed to be a 1h hike (incredibly steep btw) but we did it in 20 minutes (compensating our lazyness for a day).

    📍Essentials: Na Lay Peak    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Back to Hanoi

    29. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Finished at the same place were we started... Decathlon! (Because I keep losing my random stuff that I can only get there). It was nice to come back to a known place. I must confess, even though there's not much to do in Hanoi, it's a city I like quite a lot. We got invited to many beers and wine rice (even though I said I wasn't gonna have any more) and to an amazing soup (maybe we payed it by listening to a very drama queen monologue). After that escaped to our always recurrent night club (Tom's bar), but not after drinking a 5 liter beer. Had our last dance as a goodbye, and next day, very hangover did some egg coffee so Gabi could leave having tried all the essentials and I took the day to do some "recados". Back to being on my own after such a long time, and at the same time back to being the center of attention everywhere! How much does it change to be with a guy than a solo girl on the street. Also had the best creation in the world for lunch! All the best foods mixed in one dish (avocado, mango, coconut, icecream, nuts and fried banana). If there's something I am really gonna miss from Hanoi, it's its amazing street food variety and price.

    🍴Food: egg coffee at Giang Caffee, avocado place, street food
    📍Essentials: rent bike from Green Farm Restaurant, the owners are so fucking amazing and good price deal (they literaly invited us to so much tea, coffee, beer, wine rice and even a bit of their family dinner)
    🔍 Some facts: rent in Hanoi is incredibly expensive (same price as big cities such as Paris or London, but considering the Vietnamese salaries) so people live in really small houses that often don't even have a kitchen and with a lot of people. Also you'll se that literally every place is settled outside and inside there is only a small kitchen (you can't walk on pavement because its full of super tiny chais, tables and motorbikes parked). But vietnamese law doesn't allow putting tables on the street. So in order to do that they need to monthly bribe policemen, paying really high and variant prices.
    💡Travelling tips: VPbank is the only bank with no commission for foreigners    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Phong Nha, caves paradise

    31. toukokuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Visited this small town surrounded by a National Park full of some of the most astonishing and large caves in the world. Did some easy trecking, drove around the park and visited a beautiful cave that looked like you were inside a marble palace. Even though the place was very nice, it was fully designed for tourists and you had to pay pricey tickets for everything. So turned it into a short stop, and continued my way towards south center of the country

    🔍 Some facts: the biggest cave in the entire world is located in here, in order to visit it you need to book it with at least one year advance and pay at least 3.000€. It's an overnight visit.
    📍Essentials: Paradise cave
    🏠 Accomodation: House Village (they pick you and drop you on the bus station, includes breakfast and has free bikes use around the town for a very cheap price)    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Huê, Imperial City

    1. kesäkuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    This city, which was the capital of this empire many years ago, has such a beautiful citadel and a very alive market. It's surrounded by tombs of great characters done with so much detail and dimensions to prove their greatness and leave a proper mark behind. Also drove around the perfume river, visited an amazing abandoned water park (such a "hidden" gem) and drove till the beach, where locals go for a quick swim and have some seafood with some beers. Still, Hue is a very touristy town (I feel like the southern I go the more touristy made it is), where motorbiks overwhelm you offering you rides and it's hard to find out of the track activities or places, nor move around in a cheap place.

    💡Travelling tips: the best way to travel the country is to buy a motorbike when you get there and sell it before leaving, you'll save lots of money and headaches by having your own simple way of transport!
    📍Essentials: Abandoned Water Park (you might have to bribe the guard to enter, but when I went I was lucky and didn't cross paths with him), Market
    🍴Food: Lien Hoa (very cheap vegetarian food)    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Da Nang

    3. kesäkuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    As south as I go everything becomes more expensive and less authentic, adventurous and different. So trying to navigate with the deception, and my budget being strangled, has been a challenge for the past days. Many things I had to deal with started to have to become a priority, so my days in this city were actually mostly on a nice caffe trying to organize myself (and still have so much to do). I am not much of a planner, so having to put everything together was a bit stressful (an extra added to my stressed "Ihatetouristystuffbutdontknowhowtoescapefromit" self). A new update to my life is that I finally decided to go to work to Australia, so I could make some fast money, which kinda moved all my plans or expectations so I could make it happen (also my savings). This means that my next destination will be Cambodia, and I'll have to rush myself to the south in order to reach some deadlines. Still, Da Nang was an interesting city, not to touristy, and a nice break from the "I have to see everything" vibe that other places gave me.

    💡Travelling tips: how to get the best and most authentic vietnamese food in three easy steps;
    1. Search for the main street (or nearby) on the city center
    2. Get into a place that looks basic (the plastic small chairs is a must), unhygienic and overcrowded by locals
    3. Point at what their having, no questions asked.
    📍Essentials: Dragon Bridge fire up (21h weekend), quick stop at Cham Museum (at the moment it was for free because of covid), Son Tra Night Market
    🏠 Accomodation: TrangHomstay (the host is sososo nice, helpful and desinterested that makes the place a 10, also great location)
    🍴Food: Bánh Xeèo Bà Durõng (Vietnamese pancakes, a dish is very big so it can be shared by two), smoked ice cream    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Hôi An

    5. kesäkuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    The famous beautiful city of Hoi An is probably a must do for every traveller visiting Vietnam, and that's probably the reason why it's so crowded and made for tourist. The pretty town has a bit of the Venice essence in a Vietnamese style. Even though you appreciate the beauty and style within every step you take, you also feel in a fake stage made for entertainment. Prices in here are as high as they can get (hopefully) and when night comes, walking and seeing two feet in front of you becomes challenging, because the lanterns light up and the river is full of boats. This city is a must do with no doubt, but taking more than half day for it won't take you anywhere.
    Walked around the place many times, renewed my wardrobe (it was finally time) and did a failed attempt of visiting the beach and the traditional villages of the area that ended up in relaxing in a hammok with an awful lemon juice on a calm spot, escaping from the tremendous sun and the infinite touristy places, with a new argentinian friend I met, with whom I've been hanging out for the last week (even though I did most things on my own, which was a nice mix)
    💡 Travelling tips: the transport near this city is incredibly expensive, so moving from Da Nang might help you save a lot of money.
    📍Essentials: Hoi An old quarter    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Dà Låt

    7. kesäkuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    A big city surrounded by mountains brings some fresh air to the hot Vietnam. The long night bus didn't leave me too much energy nor enthusiasm to visit the town, but went to see a waterfall from a viewpoint, some elegant pagodas, the crowded night market full of very interesting stalls (such as big fluffy dogs to take pictures with) and the Crazy Home (a very unusual hotel from which the architect was inspired by Dali. I was really curious of what my brother Jordi would think about this place, since I wasn't even sure if I liked it or not. Personally, I thought it lacked something to reach what Dali always tried to say through his art, and it was absolutely a very impractical building. So on my harsh opinion, it was a failed attempt to tribute Dali and got lost on a painting of him put in 4D and a kids house). But still it was very interesting to go and visit it, and worth the visit if architecture is your thing. My hostel was full of groups of english people and I got slightly overwhelmed (I reallyreally need a break from them), even though the place was nice, it reaffirmed how I keep feeling so out of place with the average South East Asia travellers who come to spend a bunch of money for three months, get drunk and party all day long, with not much to tell and just the the must do things without giving a chance to the real country (they're nice people, I swear, just not my cup of tea). After here, got on the nicest sleeping bus I've been so far (and hopefully the last!) Towards my last destination: Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh as its called now) for an english exam I must take for my emigration to Australia and a connection to my next country: Cambodia. I am excited about Saigon, which is a city that resides such an intense and sad history of the country, so hopefully it won't disappoint. Even though I've been warned of how big and stressful it is.

    📍Essentials: Linh An Pagoda, Night Market
    💡Travelling tips: if you visit Vietnam, you'll soon realise that your main way of travelling will be the sleeping buses. Most of them are terrible, and even worse, quite expensive. You can not fully fit on your bed because they're made for the Vietnamese average (who are way shorter), and they're never on time (you can wait up to three hours for it perfectly), they make random hour stops for no reason, drop you in the middle of the night, and if you succeeded to get a good night rest, you are one of the lucky ones. But still, there's rarely any better way of going from one place to the other if you don't have your own way of transport (hitchhiking is quite hard in this country and they'll usually ask for money in exchange; public transport might end up being expensier when they see how you look, and way slower and you never know when they come; grab is expensier than everything else, and for long distance unaffordable; trains are always a good option but they are only an option in a few destinations), and you can skip paying for a night's accomodation with it. All this said, without doubt I recommend always searching for Futa, for me the best bus company with difference.    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Sài Gòn (Ho Chi Minh City)

    8. kesäkuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Ho Chi Minh is just a big developed city with not much essence or difference from any other city in the world. Wide streets, large buildings, busy people (but on their vietnamese calm vibe). You can clearly see how the economical status is higher in this city compared to the rest of the country, everything is more modern, people speak some english, there are homeless people everywhere on the streets (somehow you can always see that the richer the city is, bigger is the amount of poverty you see on the streets). Didn't stay for too long in this big city, it was more of a practical stop for some "first world tasks" such as my expensive whole day english test (by some examiners with an awful english, given the irony), finding my way out of the country (cheapest possible way) or doing some shopping. On my exam break escaped to the sad remnants war museum to remind myself how awful humans can be. Got impressed by the intensity of the party street (strippers dancing on the front door, incredibly loud music that no one is dancing to, 7 year old's breathing out fire in the middle of the night...), had some beers with a greek guy I met a few towns ago and got greeted by a really sweet bartender who gave me the chance to say goodbye to the country surrounded by vietnamese generosity and warm heart. Last but not least, as proud as I am of myself, managed to leave the country with only 3 dongs, which is about less than 10 cents (best country I have done so far). Had my last pho (noodle soup) for breakfast and got ready to leave this country of friendly and relaxed people, large interesting food diversity and very cheap beer. Let's see what Cambodia has to share!

    📍Essentials: War remnants museum, check out the party street
    💡 Travelling tips: Giant Ibis was the cheapest reliable company I could find. After Covid prices increased enormously from ~10 to ~40$. This was 35$ The bus is pretty comfy, the lady who attended me incredibly sweet (at least I think so, but we couldn't exchange a single word on the same language), the guy on the bus spoke a bit of english and managed all the details (easiest immigration borders I've ever done). The only thing was that I decided to do visa on arrival because I wasn't sure where, when and how I was crossing the border, and instead of paying 36$ t-visa I payed 45$ to the bus guy. So if you can plan at least three days in advance (more than I do as you can clearly see) you can save a few bucks on it.
    💡Travelling tips: food is slightly more expensive in here compared with the rest of the country, at least for what district 1 stands for. So make sure to ask for the price of food in advance if you don't want to find yourself paying four times more what you were hoping for.    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    🇻🇳 Vietnam overview 🍜🛵🚌

    9. kesäkuuta 2022, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    🔖 Before you go:
    Save some money so when you get to the country you can purchase a bike. You won't regret using this method of transport, and you can sell it once you finish your trip. Also learn or write down some important things in vietnamese because it might be hard to find someone speaking english in most of the cases.

    🤤 Best food:
    1. Bán Xéo (vietnamese pancakes)
    2. Egg Coffee
    3. Smoked Ice Cream

    🛌 Places to stay:
    1. Hanoi Central Backpackers (1 hour free beer)
    2. Khang Homestay (fell in love with the genuine kindness of the owner)
    3. Lan's Homestay (beautiful place, very nice owner and amazing food)

    📝 Must do:
    1. Eat Street food at Hanoi's old quarter
    2. Drive a motorbike along the north of the country
    3. Try out the interesting night buses

    👁️Top attractions:
    1. Bike tour on the north (Ha Giang Loop if your tight on time)
    2. Sapa Hike
    3. Hanoi's old quarter

    ✨Favorite moments:
    1. Bike trip with the Brokepackers
    2. Camping in the mountain with the hole
    3. Last night in Hanoi with the guys that rented us the bikes
    (Yes Gabi, for when you read this, all them where with you🙄 enjoy this moment)

    🔑Something this country tought me:
    Just because everyone is travelling in a way doesn't mean I have to do it as well. Taking it my way is also alright, even if I often feel out of place.

    ♻️Something I've had enough of:
    The overpriced Night Buses

    ⏳Something I will miss:
    Street Food

    👣Leaving for next time:
    Halong Bay, Desmilitarised Zone (very sad I was unable to do this) and the South of the country

    🎁To be remembered:
    Vietnamese cheers    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Phnom Penh

    10. kesäkuuta 2022, Kambodza ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    After an insanely easy border crossing, found myself in a new country. Nevertheless it doesn't really feel as if I had just changed flags, everything looks quite similar. Probably because it's the first time I don't travel long distance to change nations, so I didn't get the cultural shock I was getting on the previous journeys. On a first view, Cambodian people seem very lovely and nice, their english is way more understanding (but still, outside of touristic sites people don't speak it), everything feels much more organised and less chaotic, the sizes of the chairs are for an average human; and, indeed, its clear that Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Phnom Penh was an opportunity to decide which direction I wanted to take my trip this time. Also took a day to empathize with the horrors that happened in this land not so long ago. Got invited to dinner by some nice locals with the Swedish guy I met, and got ready for investigating this new country, decided I might try to hitchhike it so I can get closer to the people and feel as I am having some real experience (and save some bucks on the way), but seems like this concept doesn't exist in Cambodia, so let's see how it works...

    📍Essentials: killing fields, genocide museum
    💡Travelling tips: apparently 2$ are not accepted in the country, so avoid bringing them with you to Cambodia. Nor damaged bills, so always check that they are in good shape when accepting change. (As you can see been in the country for a day and keep getting scammed, so I've got plenty of money that I can't use🙃)
    💡Travelling tips: the conversion from dollar to riems is not 100% exact, so always using riems might benefit you a bit longterm. ABA bank has riems
    🍴Food: Dosa Corner (if you need a break from noodle soup as I did)    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    111

    Kampot

    13. kesäkuuta 2022, Kambodza ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Started my adventure through the country by exiting the big city of Pnomh Penh. First thing I had to do was to walk for a few kilometers to a bus station that would take me out of the city and to the highway towards my next destination. The bus was a nice and interesting experience as a starter, it looked very clean and organized (and not so used as well, sadly), they trusted you with the payment and you had to insert the bill on a box on the door of the bus (and it was only around 0.3$, so very different from the rest of transportation expenses I had till the moment). Arrived to the surrounds of the country and started my test. I had written a paper both in English and Khemer with the place I was going towards and tried to stop the cars and trucks who where rapidly going through the road. You could clearly see in their confused faces or waving smiles that they didn't understand what I was doing. Still, without any waiting time I got myself a ride from a motorbike driver who looked like a gangster in a pink helmet and was half my size. Even though he didn't speak any english, he told me he could drop me on his way and we made clear that I couldn't pay him. He was a very sweet man who invited me to three redbulls (which I clearly couldn't finish) and when his time to turn came, he stood on the road with me and didn't leave until I could get myself a new ride. For the continuation, a man who spoke some proper english picked me up and was also incredibly nice and sweet, this time I got myself invited to plenty of water and a durian (for those who don't know what it is, it's a very typical fruit from South-East Asia of a huge size, an expensive price, a very weird taste (for me it kinda reminded me to a croqueta taste but a bit sweet) and an awful smell, even some establishments forbid the entrance with it). We spoke for hours and he told me so much about the economical, political and social situation of the country. So it was a blast to get to the place with all this beautiful experience already (and fully what I was seeking for in my travelling).
    As in for Kampot, it was a cute city in front of a river and surrounded by large vegetation. The town is known for its Durian's and Pepper (supposed to be the best), so you saw stalls with durians everywhere and even the icecream had pepper. They are so proud about it if you ask them. The city was full of expats everywhere with quite a lot of activities for them and tourists, so I had a taco night with live music and some more british people, enjoyed sunset in front (and inside) of the river and an expensive drink on a privileged spot, did some aeroyoga in a beautiful studio (how needed it was) and stayed in a waterpark with some rustic and wild attractions a bit far from society . Also visited a pretty pepper farm and learned how it grows and its harvested, visited a cave with an elephant shape inside, and enjoyed the road on the way and the emptiness around me. Nevertheless, apparently everything in life comes, and seemed like it was time for me to finally get sick. So I got some food poisoning (after eating always for the cheapest deals ever it was even surprising this was to happen so late) and suffered for some days without having nor energy or hopes to move. As my health was reaching the lowest point on the trip, so were my feelings, and I hit the rock bottom for some days where I was feeling very lonely, out of place and sad. I guess we all need someone to bring us soup or ask us how we are feeling when we're feeling on our low, and travelling solo has this con.
    And last but not least! Submitted my Australian visa already (my bank account is not so happy about this decisions), still have to go to the capital for some tests, but its getting closer!

    🏠 Accomodation: Karma traders (on tuesdays they have live music), Arcadia Waterpark (free entrance to the water park and the location and place is very rustic and nice to relax)
    🍴Food: Epic Cafe (social project with employees with disabilities and that donates 50% of the money to this group)
    📍Essentials: yoga barn (beautiful atmosphere a bit in the middle of nowhere surrounded by chickens and cows and they have aero yoga), Arcadia waterpark, Pepper farm (they give a free tour with a tasting), drive around pepper farm, secret lake and caves (there's not even a road, but views are beautiful), Hideaway for sunset (but careful with what you take or can be overly expensive)    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Sihanoukville, China Town

    18. kesäkuuta 2022, Kambodza ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    This very ugly and smelly city located on the coast of Cambodia has been completely conquered by the Chinese, so even the people you see look different, the buildings are so high and shinny with lights, there is a casino for every meter square, prices in this city also felt way higher and everything is written in chinese instead of khmer. Reaffirming how unpleasant this place is. But it was a necessary logistic stop before going to the islands were there is no connection, ATMs, supermarkets... Luckily the hostel had a nice pool (but with a very weird burping drunk man) and bumped into a girl I had met already for some company.
    The way to the city was quite easy as well, a lovely large family (they were like 30 people from all ages) took me there and invited me for lunch on the way. I sat on the back of the truck so could relax and even have a nap, but for my sick stomach that was a bit of a suffering (the road is in terrible conditions) and got there almost falling apart and with an insolation to add to my weak body. I really need some days to recover!

    🏠 Accomodation: Onedererz    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Mad Monkey Koh Rong Sanloem

    20. kesäkuuta 2022, Kambodza ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Slowly the boat starts entering a cristal blue water bay, there's a long corridor leading towards a wooden house in the middle of the sea, swings on the water, organized hammocks next to each other and wood simple bungalows. This place looks like paradise. They drop you in the middle of the beach, you walk from the water to get to the sand, completely wet trying to save your backpack from the water. There's no better way of entering such a divine place. Still, the place is built for the average british group of kids, so you kinda feel how it destroys a bit the essence of the place. Every single detail is made to try and get you to buy as many drinks as possible. Had some very nice days on this private bay anyways, at the beginning uncomfortable and forcing myself into fitting in the place. But then, I finally saw a solo traveller walking in (such a rare specie nowadays). Had some nice time with him, a guy from Israel, and after that started to meet more and more people, since a large tour group came (with some diversity to the place). Did a fishing tour (it was the only way of getting myself into snorkeling) were I saw the amazing inside of the sea, gave a very unsuccessful try to fishing and had some lunch on a private beach. Nothing could be better. But after this days feeling a bit in a school excursion, left to the main island to see what else this barely occupied island has to share.

    🏠 Accomodation: Mad Monkey: isolated from the rest of the world you can only get here with a boat from the island. The hostel is in a private bay, with hammocks and swings on the water, an amazing chilling area after a long corridor, and everywhere you look at is just stunning. They pick you up for free from the ferry in Koh Rong Samloem on a very cute boat. The only con is, as everywhere else, this places are thought for british kids travelling SA, so there's bad music all day long and its only purpose is to party and drink. Also food and drink are quite expensive since there's no other option on the place, and not so good either.
    📍Essentials: Fishing trip (they take you on a boat around the island, you do some snorkeling which is sooo nice, and fish your lunch, that you will eat on a private beach totally worth it and for a pretty good price), fire show at night    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    11

    Koh Rong Sanloem, Sunset Beach

    21. kesäkuuta 2022, Kambodza ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Booked a night in a simple accomodation on the other side of the island, but at the end I was never ready to go and leave such a cozy and warm place. There is actually nothing really to do around here, but this place is just the perfect one to do nothing. To reach sunset island you had to do an easy 2 km trek, but also very nice, that did as a filter for all the tourists who can't survive without AC (yeah, even in a desert island), high speed wifi and brand new installations. You would think that this people sound very tiring, and probably a minority around here (how would you go to a third world country with a backpack and not even try to adapt), but unfortunately, its the very big majority of people around this place. So this magic filter created a beautiful and relaxing place, where you could only find three hotels and an activity center; where no british nor large group would dare to cross, and only nice and interesting people reached this secret spot. As the days went by, I started recovering my energy and my glow, which I realised I had started losing more and more since my arrival to south east asia. Not feeling confortable anywhere and not a part of anything started to make me lose myself and not fully enjoy the experience, even question if I was the problem here (the backpacker athmosphere in this countries is reallyreallyreally not my cup of tea). So sunset beach kicked off as a medicine (even though nothing exceptional happened), and got me ready for some more discovering. You might be asking yourself what was I doing for the last week... But it was basically eat, work, eat, work, swim, eat, sleep and sometimes socialise for a bit. Even though the island is very expensive and it was raining most of the time, every moment was more than enjoyed and I got the chance to fully center on my masters for a bit, and also get immersed in the french culture on my very french hotel (had lots of crepes, pastis, played french games, with french people, learned some more french... And all over again). So there was a twist on my trip, and found a volunteering job on a close beach (apparently one of the 25 most beautiful beaches in the world according to national geographic) working as a bartender, were I also offered to teach some yoga. So I'll stay longer in this interesting country (really can't understand all these people who said you could do it in a week or two...), and jump to Thailand from here to meet Alliette (my canadian cousin who's actually not my cousin) and try the experience of travelling with someone for a month... What a challenge!
    Last but not least! The owner of the hotel next door was nothing less than... Catalan! So I spoke my native language for the first time on my trip, had some bravas at her place (oh god, what a pleasure) and celebrated Sant Joan with a bonfire thanks to her (how unexpected it is to meet someone from your land for the first time on the most remote place!)

    🏠 Accomodation: Sleeping Trees (nicer vibe on the beach and communal dinners every night for a reasonable price) or HubaHuba (the name will be soon changed to Kamaku, if you're catalan you'll understand what this means;), the place looks pretty nice and even has a beachgym)
    🍴 Food: sleeping trees (they've got crepes, pizza and homemade bread and compared to the prices of the island its not so bad), bravas at HubaHuba (but food is quite expensive)
    📍Essentials: sunset at sunset beach, lazy beach, trek around the island, mostly do nothing in a hammock, see the plankton at night, snorkel around the island, enjoy some boardgames which most accommodations offer
    🔍 Some facts: you can find two of the most dangerous ants in this island    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja

    Back to Phnom Penh

    26. kesäkuuta 2022, Kambodza ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Came back to the capital for some more Australian visa bureaucracy (yes, still with this). Got here by the interesting train, which had some nice views at some points and was comfy and skipping the bumpy roads. But got almost deaf with the constant clark and met and absolutely insane english man st the station. So, since I already visited what I was mainly interested in, took this days more easy. Did some aeroyoga (I am getting very into it lately as you can see), went for a run on the heat of the city, got a very cheap massage by a strong blind woman, had dinner with a turkish infuencer and just walked a lot around the city. My medical exam was very thorough, after getting even a chest x-ray and a urine test (passed everything;), everything's good), had a conversation with the doctor about the health status of the general population, and mostly the youth. I discovered how much it could be prevented only through education, because the main issue wasn't so much the poverty in the country (which is also a fact, Cambodia is veryvery poor and also not cheap at all), but a cultural matter and a lack of information. As you could imagine, this went directly to my weakest point. So I couldn't help but go on an expedition to the red cross (which is the institution I am familiarized with and know that they're willing to help and also to accept help) and exposed my case to the health department, almost suplicating for them to accept my help. Still, as it usually happens, the interventions they had related to my field were only short-term effective (they didn't even have a nutritionist on the country) and with veryveryvery high risk people, and wasn't so sure that they were willing to put more effort on what I wanted to work on. Still, I had a very nice chat with the person in charge and it was very cool to see the red cross from another country and how it worked. But I assured myself I wanted to keep insisting on the cause. After that, got myself comfy on a sleeping bus, ready to visit one of the 8 marbles of the world. How curious I am of the impression it will give me!

    📍Essentials: azahar yoga (best adjustments I've had on resting poses), seeing hand massage (massagists are blind and the place is quite an experience, only for 7.5$)
    🔍Travelling tips: an option of transport from Sihanoukville is taking the train. Great views, and the railway in Sihanoukville looks so poor and simple for the dimensions of the city it's in that it's truly impacting to see, the constant horn doesn't make it a pleasant trip (importance of making a use of your earplugs for the trip) and the loud wavy locals (inside and outside the train) either, but its still nice to see their enthusiasm, and you're skipping the bumpy roads from the bus/car.    Lue lisää

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  • Maria Safont-TriaWorld tourMatkaaja
    1

    Angkor, Cambodia's Gold Era

    29. kesäkuuta 2022, Kambodza ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Couldn't leave Cambodia before visiting the emblematic Angkor. So before isolating myself in the beautiful LazyBeach, went to hunt for the beautiful and inspiring part of the country (and not so much its sorrows as Phnom Penh shows). Visited the main attractions (and closest ones) by bike, starting from sunrise until sunset from the moment the bus dropped me in the city of Siem Reap (you can imagine how exhausted I was afterwards, even got a nap inside of a temple at some point). Sunrise at Angkor Wat was mindblowing (I just stayed on the pound outside to escape a bit the crowds) and was lucky enough to be able to steal some information by just constantly walking nearby the multiple guides around. Then, entered the astonishing door towards Angkor Thom, and investigated through this huge recint formed by so many temples, such as Bayon, the temple of the faces, or Baphon, which is considered the biggest puzzle ever done after the effort its reconstruction implied. Felt like indiana Jones in Ta Prohm and sensed the power of the nature in this temple, which I feel like teaches you the lesson of how nature has the capacity of overcoming and adapting in a way that we can't even imagine (I must confess this was my absolute favourite temple).
    Saved the second day for some of the not so famous places further in the nature, such as one literally inside of a river, or the detailed temple of Banteay Srei. But overall within the two days I visited for sure more than 10 magnificent and enormous temples. And most of them, I was there just on my own or with veryvery few people, so it was an absolute privilege to be able to do it at this time.
    After that, needed a bit of a break of rocks and visited the landmines museum (where you could see the amazing story of a kid soldier who ended up spending his life removing landmines and UXOs and giving a better life to kids affected by them) and the center of conservation of Biodiversity where I got a very thorough explanation about several local animals and the functions of the place. So this was a day to see how beautiful people can be and how many ways it is possible to help at your own style. Also met some expats who invited me to some gigs they were doing and friends of them. And saw the beautiful expat atmosphere in the country (everyone was soso welcoming and there were people from all ages, shapes and colours), which I enjoyed very much (even got the band t-shirt as a gift and got invited to all drinks). The last two days I didn't do much, I was planning on visiting the floating village but rain didn't allow me to do so, so I just relaxed on the pool, partyied on the pubstreet and with the tucktuck bars, and even got a 3$ massage! Overall Siem Reap was quite a nice experience, were I met some very nice people (and from many different places), got some culture, some history, and indeed some inspiration as well. But to be honest, can't wait to start at LazyBeach and be back to the island life!

    📍Essentials: Angkor Wat for sunrise, Bayon Temple, Ta Prohm, landmine museum, Angkor Center for conservation of Biodiversity (they offer guided tours were you can learn a lot about the animals they have and how they work with them to take care of harmed animals or to avoid their extinction, its also a way of visiting an ethical zoo, they had leopards, monkeys, turtles, really cool birds...), Live music scene, tuktuk bar (party a bit in the pub street as well)
    💡Travelling tips: thanks to covid, now if you pay the entrance fee for a day you get one day for free, and if you get 3 or 5 days you get two extra days! So come to Angkor Wat before this is over (and also the place was incredibly empty).
    💡Travelling tips: apparently foreigners are not allowed to drive a motorbike in Siem Reap, so do not stop if a police wants you to stop on the way.
    💡Travelling tips: foreigners can only use the roads nearby with the Angkor tickets. For some sites the fastest route might be taking that road, but you might not be allowed. So again, if they make you stop at the checkpoint avoid them and don't stop or you can waste 10 minutes discussing with the guard so they let you pass (might not be succesful though). Or just use the other road (which I find very annoying).
    🍴Food: Gelato lab, Khemer taste (really cheap food and drinks and they give you free water), Banlle Vegetarian Restaurant (veggy typical food for a price not too expensive), Mumbai kitchen (has some options for 2 dollars with bread and rice and they bring appetizers and water)
    🏠 Accomodation: very cheap (3$ a night), cheap food, swimming pool and very cheap tours and bus tickets. And really nice staff, music isn't that nice and escaping from the british crowds    Lue lisää

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