Honeymoon in Mountain

1/22/16

   

  

   
    
    
   
   
    
   
When I started traveling in South America, I was fairly apprehensive about taking long distance buses. I have problem sitting still, and some of the bus rides are very long (I think the longest I did was 26 hours?). However, everyone in South America assured me that that I should not worry: the buses there are mostly comfortable, and some even downright luxurious. That turned out to be very true: buses in Argentina, chile, Peru, Brazil were all superb. They have toilets on board, some even serve food, have wifi, personal screen or movies. I guess I became so used to that idea (bus is ok!), and I did not research buses in south east Asia. 

The main goal today was to get to Dalat, the mountain city in Vietnam famous for it wonderful climate, outdoor activities, beautiful sceneries and a favorite among locals for honeymoon. In fact, a tour guide once jokingly told me there is not much of a night life in Dalat: because all the couples se too busy in their hotel room making babies. Of course, i have a much simpler expectation: instead of making babies, I want to do canyoning in Dalat. I woke up early to catch the 7:30am bus from Nha Trang to Dalat on Sinh Tourist bus. Learning my lesson from Hanoi and hue where the hostels and hotels keep pushing the bus company that give them a commission, I bought an open ticket from Hoi an to Saigon, allowing me to stop at certain cities of my choosing along the way. When I arrived, there was already a crowd waiting for the bus. I checked my giant backpack, grabbed some water and waited with the others. As I was waiting, I heard some pretty scary stories from a group of tourists about their bus experiences in Vietnamese. Some had drunk drivers, buses that sent fumes into the bus, air conditioning malfunctioning, bus driver refused to stop for bathrooms, and most scary of all: dangerous driver who speed and perform dangerous stunts. It is a good reminder on the danger of taking long distance bus trips in Vietnam. I have even heard some locals said they would not take a bus; they rather fly. 

Thankfully, while the bus was packed with people, the driver was actually really good. He drove pretty steadily, and even stopped at a viewpoint to let us take photos (and let the engine cool down). We all arrived in one piece in Dalat by noon. I found my hostel, checked in, booked the canyoning tour for tomorrow, and then went out to sightsee. Dalat is an interesting city. High up on the mountains and surrounded by pine trees, it feels a cross between European and Vietnamese. The streets are laid out haphazardly, winding up and down the mountain. The traffic is, of course, terrible. The city center is pretty small, but the surrounding scenery is amazing. Lakes and mountains fill the background, just like the scene in The Sound of Music (maybe that’s just me?). I walked through the streets, checking out many couples obviously in love (who else holds hands when crossing the road? Unless one is visually impaired. Then I would feel really bad making fun of them. Hmm). I even saw a couple taking a wedding photo in full gear of ball and chain (I mean, suit and dress) against the beautiful backdrop of what looks like a giant green turd and a flower. It was all so lovely, and I ended up taking a run along the lake at sunset. 

As I was sitting in my bed in my hostel listening to someone scrubbing the bathroom, I thought about my decision of taking buses. It is true, the bus system in south east Asia definitely pales in comparison to that of South America. However, it does still allow me to see how the locals love on rural areas and small towns (except it is also true: most of the people on buses are tourists, lots from China and Russia). However, it is also a good reminder that next time, I really should do more homework before making these choices. Afterall, it takes only one driver to cause an accident, and there are thousands of them on the road everyday. I guess at the end of the day, it is a toss up between budget, experience and safety. Next time, I think I will value safety more.

(Well, I say that. But when i see how cheap the bus tickets are, I will be tempted again…)

Dam and Beach

1/21/16

   
   
   
    
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
Truth to be told, I am not quite sure what to do at the beach. With my heavy duty spectacles and general discomfort of taking clothes off ( I have to admit: I don’t look that good bare chested). I often end up just sitting around, reading a book, and then get bored very easily. This is especially bad when I am alone on the beach, and I have no one to chat or play games with. I also tend to get really sticky  (heh) from all the sweat and salt water, and get bitten by insects, especially around my abdorminal area (I guess the insects probably like fats?). Yet, I also get a yearning to go to a beach, especially when the sun is shining on a summer day. The smell of sea, the sound of crashing waves, the sight of people in skimpy clothing and the cacophony of children screaming coupled with adults yelling: the perfect setting for a lazy summer day. 

Today is my last day in Nha Trang. I woke up later than usual and went for a pretty good buffet breakfast: ending the last two days of really bad breakfast in the hostel. I was actually at a loss on what to do today: I wanted to try the 4 islands cruise, but a detail look at the itinerary made me paused (say that a lot faster and you get menopause). All the tour agencies advertise this tour, but each also reserves 2 hours for lunch and entertainment, and another 1 hour for games and wine. I guessed the boat must travel a long distance, but it does not sound that productive for a 6 hours cruise. After some lazing around, I decided to go to the local market: Dam market. It was a short 1.4 miles walk away from my lodging, and I passed by some non-touristy neighborhood. Even though I have seen it many times by now, the contrast still grips me everytime. 

Originally built over a 7 hectares pond in 1907, the Dam market was destroyed in the Vietnamese war, and had to be rebuilt. It can hold up to 3000 people at one time, and is a fully functional market. It seeks dried seafood, fresh produce, souvenirs, clothing, and many more. 3 stories in height, the building is white (well, now a dirty white-ish) in color and is circular. There is even a model layout in the actual market, with lots of nice model trees and open space. Of course, the reality is often quite different: the locals have set up tents and sheds all around the area. Fans of very tight space, low lighting and confusing layout will be delights to shop there. (It would be a great setting for some chasing scenes in a movie.) I wandered around but did not end up buying anything (I think the contents of my backpack is already trying to jailbreak everytime I zip them in), but did engaged in some small talks with the vendors. Business was slow, but I was also there in the morning. I was told more people visits when it is hot in the afternoon, or when it is a cloudy day. The most common item seemed to be coffee, but in packaged instant coffee format. On my way out, I passed by the cooked food area, the produce section and many construction zones. It seems like the area is expanding, and hopefully more attention will be paid to landscaping and cleaniness of the area. One good thing I noticed: the most modern buildings outside of the tourist area are actually schools. From what I have been told, Vietnamese pay a lot of attention to education, knowing that it is the way for a better future. Teachers also get a lot of respect, and it actually a well-respected profession. 

With nothing much else going on, I decided to take a slow stroll back and enjoy the sun, the sea and the sun burnt. It all ended pretty well, with me enjoying a coffee that is way too expensive at a seaside cafe. As I watched the sunset, I wondered: why do I like the beach even though there is not much to do (for me)? Was it because I really envy beach goers who can do water sports while I can’t? Or is it because I really like to see red lobster like people at the end of the day? Actually, I think it is because the beach is when a lot of couples and families go for their vacation. When I walk on the beach, I see lots of happy families and couples on vacation. They are happy, carefree and almost always having a good time. Maybe what I really like about the beach is the way it makes people feel: a reminder of good times, vacation, sun and relaxation. It is similar to watching people at the arrival hall in an airport: it makes you feel the world is a great place afterall.

(Well, actually people usually look pretty sloppy after a long plane ride. Beach goers have sun burnt….)

Classy Beach

1/20/16

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 I know I joke about money a lot on this blog. I think part of it has to do with me insecurity over money, and weirdly, this long trip actually emphasized the importance of money to me. I do have to eat and sleep everyday, and paying for hostels, hotels, food, tours, coffee, beer and all other essentials actually cost money. Since I have no income, it is all expenditure, which also means I tend to be more cautious on spending as time passes. However, that is on a personal finance level. On a macro level, however I become a socialist: I think the government had a duty to safeguard its citizens, and hence should produce  goods and services that market forces cannot. I know, I am a very conflicting person.

When I decided to stop by Nha Trang, I made a decision to be here longer than necessary (well, I define necessary as the time period needed to see all the famous landmarks). This is because after Vietnam, I do not plan to visit other beach towns. I wanted an extra day to relax and catch up on my sleep, emails, and other things aka the mundane part of life. The aim of today was pretty simple: spend some time on the beach, read a book, jump into the ocean and try not to get sun burnt. With that in mind, I left the hostel and went to he beach. One thing (or things) I immediately noticed: Have you ever wonder why people wearing bikini or speedo on a beach are never those you want to see in a bikini of speedo?  That is the case with many Russian tourists, who seem to have a love affair with very skimpy swim wears. It was like a meat market on parade, with a lot of fatty flanks. Flesh was spilling everywhere, some of it bouncing around like a bouncy castle at an eight years old kid’s birthday party. I was so distracted by the parade of meat suits that knocked into a sign that explained the layout of the beach. Apparently, the beach is divided into standard, economy and VIP sections, and each command a price and services. For the grand sun of 100,000 dongs, you can get a chair, an umbrella, wifi, a locker and pool access (yes, they also built a swimming pool next to the beach. I have to admit: this is the most segregated beach I have ever been on, and I was even on some private beach. It reminded greatly of the first class seats on flights I could never afford, so I decided to spend that $4 and get the VIP treatment. Whike it was cool to have all these “luxuries”, I did what I Sialkot do on a beach (no, I do not flash people. I do like to take photos of children, but then feel weird about it. As I said, complicated): I ran, swam, read, listened to some podcasts, and mainly worried if the rest of the beach goers judged me. It was actually a fairly relaxing experience, and I felt a lot better.

In the evening, I went in search of laundry and then dinner. Since I already splurged on the VIP chair,  dinner was a street food experience. I saw a seller grilling his meat (hehe), and so went in and ordered BBQ with rice. Not satisfied, I ventured a little further in search of a local delicacy: Banh Can. It is a little like cupcake, but with the filling of your choice on the top. I pointed to what I want, and the lady made the base (rice flour) on a metal pan, and then added the toppings. I had prawns, squid, beef with leeks and pork with onion. I was then told to dip each piece into a spicy sauce, eat the “cake”, and then eat some shredded mango. It was the best food I had in Nha Trang so far, and I am really surprised it is not on any restaurant menus. With that done, I went into a Brewer bar: only to discover it is full of Russian tourists, with the live band singing Russian songs. 

As I sat drinking my beer and listening to Russian pop song, I wondered if the VIP experience was worth it. Sure, it was pretty cool to sit on a VIP section. The service was pretty decent, and the locker key my belongings safe (my biggest concern on a beach). However, at the end of the day, I did not do anything different: everything I did was the same as I would have on any other beach. Maybe it is a sign that I am not meant for luxurious experiences? However, one thing I was certain: i did not like the way the businesses tries to separate the beach crowd according to their spending. Funnily, most people just ignore the sign, and they just sprawl out anywhere they want. However, I did hear that once the whole area is developed, the businesses may hire enforcements to keep the limits. It would be a sad day when we have to be sorted by how much we are willing to spend on a beach. Also, if I am spending that much money on an experience, can I also limit the amount of jiggly flesh I see around me? I mean, I am a fan of all body sizes, shapes and height. But there is no need to inflict pain onto my eyes just because you want to squeeze into a bikini 2 sizes too small. Also, how is having a piece of string cutting into flesh comfortable? Doesn’t it look and feel like Christmas ham?!

Gods Galore

1/19/16

   
   
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
   
In the recent years, I realized I have formed a pretty bad habit: I like I invoke God’s name in vain. Well, more accurately, the one and only son of the Catholic church’s deity, to be exact. I have no idea where I picked up this form f exclaimation, but it became extremely apparent in Vietnam every time I try to cross a busy street. It takes about 3 “Jesus Chirsts ” for me to complete a crossing, more if I was not wearing bright color that day. Once, when I was talking to another tourist, he exclaimed that while the traffic is crazy, it seems to work as people are moving around and reaching their destinations.  

I woke up feeling tired: the dorm bed is very firm, and I really prefer laying on less hard objects. I decided to visit two famous places of worship today: the Po Naga Cham Towers and Long Son Temple. The towers were built between 7th and 12th century, and is still used as a worshipping site. Only 4 of the 8 towers remained. Originally used as a Holy See for Yang Ino Po Naga, the representative deity of the southern Cham clan. It lies slightly outside the city, and since I had no idea if I can access it on foot, I decided to take a taxi. I got one off the street, and was then taken for a scenic drive. He actually missed the location, wanted to circle more until I stopped him (and got short changed because he claim he did not have the right change). I walked back over the bridge and entered the towers complex. It was actually quite a magnificent site. The towers are well decorated with stone cravings, with the architecture very similar to that of Angkor. I walked around taking photos while avoiding the massive number of Chinese and Russian tourists. One fun thing I notice: the Chinese tourist like to take photos, and I even saw a man taking a photo of his girlfriend/wife taking a selfie. After about an hour, I bid the towers farewell and left to walk to Long Son temple.

Long Son temple, also known as the white Buddhist temple, is located in the city of Nha Trang. Famous for its white sleeping Buddha and giant seated Buddha statues, it is one of the recommended places to visit in this city. To get there, I walked through a few non-tourists neighborhoods, and it was a sober reminder how behind Vietnam is. A stark contrast to the nice and shiny buildings of the tourist beach area, these places were dirty, gloomy and full of locals by the roadsides. Traffic was also a nightmare, as I encountered multiple intersections and traffic circles that have no signal or signs. It was a game of dare: are you brave enough to step in front of motorcycles and cars- but not in front of trucks and lorries since those do not stop for anything. By the time I reached the temple, my shirt was soaked with sweat: both the hot and cold kind. The temple itself was actually beautiful, and blessedly quiet. There were monks going about their lunch and the rude tourists taking photos of them eating. I walked up the stairs, bypassing the local salesmen who wanted to charge me to bang a gong (literally. Not some kind of crude hint!). I hiked up to see Buddha, both when he is sleeping or seating on a lotus (isn’t watching Buddha sleep an invasion to his privacy? Why are we encouraging that?!). I had a quick delicious and cheap lunch at the restaurant inside the temple (all vegetarian food), and then hiked back to the beach front. On the way, I tried to find a cinema that still show Star Wars, only to find it is no longer showing in theaters here. I spent the afternoon reading a book on the beach steps and the went for a short run. 

As I was sitting in a cafe typing this, I noticed: there are more staffs than guests, and the staffs are more interested in their phone than actually serving people. In fact, they all ran away after I ordered: and refused to look in my direction. I think that correlates with the traffic problem. There is a lack on motivation to do things the right way. Instead of respecting stop lights and signs, people here prefer to just dash through the intersection, hoping to save time. They want the tourist dollars, but do not want to go for good customer service (I do have to say, I have met some pretty good devices here, but they are rare. They also mostly exist in good hotels and expensive restaurants, not in everyday live). There seems to be a lack of motivation, and a sense that the population want to move upward and forward. Hence, it is true that the traffic works: it is not efficient, is dangerous to everyone, but allows for the movement of people and goods. Is it performing at the best of its ability? Far from it.  But unless people start to see why they should follow laws and regulations, good traffic is a lost cause. In the meantime, I will just be invoking Jesus a lot, and maybe throw on Buddha and Po Naga. Afterall, I need all the local help I can get. 

Complexing Beautifying

1/18/16

   
    
    
    
   
   
    
    
   
(I wanted to use the word grooming in the title, but it turns out: “getting groomed” is a phrase for child molesters preparing their victims.)

We all want to look young and good (or maybe that’s just me?). Beautifying people is a huge industry: from cosmetics to skin care to spas to plastic surgery, they all exist because we want to look like we were monsters that cannot grow old (vampires?). It is a weird phenomena that has been occurring since history started (when is that exactly?). There are stories of people using pearl powder, scorpion stings (early day Botox!), milk (for bathing and drinking at the same time! Wonder if the users became lactose intolerant?), and many more. As I am traveling, I also notice face masks make from horse fat, bee poison, honey, birds’ nest, etc. It is always fun to see and you have to wonder how they came up with all these. 

I spent the night on a “sleeper” bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang. While it is not one of the worst rides, it ranks pretty high on discomfort. The normal size tour  bus holds 3 rows of reclined seats, and 2 seats on top of one another. It is literally a mobile human warehouse. There is no space for luggage, the seats are hard plastic with very little cushion and it fits people less than 5 ft 10 inches (I could not seat without bending my legs. There is also no partition between the driver and the passengers, so you can hear everything he says to his friends. We stop every 2 hours for bathroom breaks since there is no toilet on the bus (a bus that contained almost 60 people). I finally curled up hugging my day pack, rear facing out, and legs at an awkward angle, while wearing seat belt since the bus swerved a lot, and the railing was only a few inches tall: I could easily fly off my seat). Surprising, I slept on and off until they blasted pop music at 5:45am to signal our arrival. 

Since I could not check in until noon, I wandered the street looking for breakfast, coffee and things to occupy my tired mind. I came across some roadside barbers who had set up shops along a wall on a public street. With nothing better to do, I decided to randomly pick one for a shave, and also getting my ears cleaned. It was actually a fun experience: motorcycles were whizzing by and cars honking behind me,  as I got a blade near my throat. I was pretty happy until he started picking inside my ears and leaving the residue on my arms as a sign that he dug somethings out of my ear. Feeling sticky win sweat and now wax from my ear plastered to my arm, I actually also let him give me a quick haircut. The result was pretty decent, but I did get an expletive from another barber who waved to me first and I ignored. 

In the afternoon, to continue the process of grooming myself (hmm. That sounds a little off..), I stop by a 4 Stars hotel and spa (Galina) for a mud bath spa. Highly recommend by the hotel lady in Hoi An, I went in and was persuaded to do both the mud bath, and get a massage as a package. Sadly, the mud bath was nothing to write home about: they just pumped some mud into a basin and ask you to soak in it for 45 minutes. The massage, however, was something else. While I have not been given a lot of massages; and you know how I love to joke about happy ending; the few times I been to massages were always very professional. This one was just random and full of surprises. It started innocently enough-with me on my back. She started pulling my shorts down really low, but only to realized I had underwear on. After a while, she started suggesting a facial along with the massage, but instead of paying at the counter, I should just tip her generously. I declined, especially since I really did not see her brought along any facial equipment anyway. When I flipped over, she started massaging my chest and it started to get really awkward. She would move on top of me, and get very up and personal with certain parts of my body. (I have to be honest: she is not quite pretty and is a little on the larger side…) Not seeing any response (I am way too sleep deprived anyway), she actually touched my genitals. When she realize I had zero respond to what she was doing, she hurriedly finished with the massage, and told me not to let the front desk know what happened. I relented and went back to the changing room, o kt to find her right outside the bathroom door when I was exiting. I walked past her and left without saying anything.

As I was eating dinner, I wondered: how many guys have she harassed, and how many actually said yes? Also, more importantly, what is the going rate for a black market facial and a handjob? I mean, I don’t want to over pay if I can help it. On another note, from what she did, I assume there are actually many guys who get massages and try the mud bath here too (well, I guess most left after ending happily?). I guess it is the normal human desire to to look radiant relax and beautiful all times, especially after a vacation. While I am not a fan of her “extra” service, maybe she is doing others a favor (and having some favors?). If I should not judge what people do to make themselves look good, who am I to judge what service is paid for and rendered for a relaxing time? 

(I still feel icky though. First ear wax on my arms. Then I laid on a bed that probably had lots of things that ended happily on it….)

Out of Here

1/17/16

(I am on an overnight bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang, so short update. Sorry!)

   
   
   

  

  

  

  

    
   I am not the most careful person, and tend to lose items frequently (yet my travel backpack is growing at an alarming rate…). Usually, I am ok with losing small unimportant things (well, I have learned to accept it anyway). However, on more important items, I tend to get strangely emotional. 
I was all happy after moving to a hotel yesterday, and made a terrible error. It was pouring rain, I was tired from all the cycling, and I was just not paying attention to. When I started to pack my bag for today’s overnight bus, I realized: I have forgotten to get the security wallet from the hostel. Usually, I put my passport in it and always carry it around. In Vietnam, the hostel and hotel always want to keep the passport, which resulted in me separating these items. In the last hostel, I finally decided to just leave it with the front desk. In my hurry, I completely forgot to get that wallet. Horrors of losing my green card and my HK ID card swarmed my head and I could barely sleep. I kept cursing myself and hope the hostel would not claim to not have seen it. In the morning, I immediately took a cab back to the hostel; only for the driver to get lost and drove an additional 20 minutes in a different neighborhood. He never apologized, and still charged me much more than a simple ride ahould. Too worried to argue, I just ran to the hostel and thankfully, they immediately produced the security wallet. I checked everything, thanked them profusely, and headed for breakfast. 

You may ask: why so much drama? It is just another ID and can be teplaced. While that is true (and I did look it up on how to replace those IDs), I also realized I have a weird emotional attach enemy to these two things. Born in Hong Kong but have not spent too much adult life there, I am always happy to call myself a HongKonger: but I am really not a native. I know more about America than Hong Kong nowadays, and it always create an identity problem. As for the greencard, it is even more complicated. I chose to stay in the US, but the US is a tough place to migrate to. My immigration process was a decade in the naking, and I am still just a permanent resident (as the immigration officers love to remind me). I have somehow let these papers to represent who I am, and in the court of law, they do. Yet, I am also just a person: who likes to travel, make lots of mistakes and tend those things.  How do I reconcile these? And what makes me “me”? 

(No idea. I am too tired from all the continence planning and worrying to think about such deep penetrating thought. I need some coffee to lubricate my system first.)

Right as Rain

1/16/16

   
    
   
   
    
   
   
    
    
 Have you every had the experience when everything’s goes to hell, you come up smelling of surfur (well, that did happen to me after a visit to the hot spring)? For some reason, everything else sudden appear to be better, easier, and so much for bearable. You appreciate everything that is going right and smoothly, even the tiniest success seems like a Waterloo (ok, if you have no idea what that is, I recommend Google, and a visit to your history teacher). As the old saying goes, we all need bad things to happen to appreciate good things around us (err…actually I appreciate good things just fine. Can I just have the good things in life?). After an period of traveling (is 9 months long or short?), I came to realize how important my mindset is. But also important? The courage to move past the unhappiness and take on new challenges. 

After a challenging day yesterday, I woke up pretty early to get to the cycling tour. Since my last few tours had been less than good (all recommended by hostels or hotels), I decided to do research and find a tour company that is recommended online. Heaven and Earth tour in Hoi An is a pretty well-known company: they co sisterly ranked higher on trip advisor and word of mouth. I had a quick breakfast at a restaurant nearby, and arrive at their office by 8:10am. I felt a lot more confident once I see their operation: they were already setting up bicycles for multiple tours and handing out helmet to kids. I waited for 5 mins for my other group members, and we were all fitted with bikes within 15 minutes. The tour guide, Moon, and her assistant were cheerful, speak excellent English, and immediately started o get to know each of us. We headed by bike to the local ferry, which carried passengers, bicycles, motorcycles and many more to the near by Cam Kim island famous for wooden boat building. We stopped by a boat yard (well, mostly a backyard) and received a quick lecture on boats. These boats are made up of 99% wood, takes about 2 months to finish, and cost about US$3000. However, the builder only earns about $500, and the rest are cost of materials. In the recent years, both Cambodia and Vietnam governments had banned the sale of timber, so the builders source them from Laos. We then headed to the next stop: a flood level map on the side of a house. Turns out, the heavy deforestation were causing heavy flooding in the country. In 2009, the city of Hoi An was heavily flooded, and the government realize the problem of deforestation. With the ban, there has been no flooding in the last 3 years. We were also told that 70% of Vietnamese are unable to swim, and the houses are tall and narrow because they need high ground. 

We then stopped to talk about rice and peanuts growing, but the highlight came when we arrived at the circular basket boat. This famous boat is well known throughout Vietnam. The boats are sealed (waterproof) using cow dung and tree resin. As for the reason why the boat is round? Rumor has it that during French colonial days, boats are taxed. So the locals use this shape and called it a basket to avoid paying. After all these explanations, we were given a chance to try rowing this boat, with the assistance of a very funny older lady. She helped us into the boat, taught us how to paddle, then started dancing and shaking to songs and kept saying “Vietnam number 1”. It was the funniest experience I had for a long time, and I really enjoyed it. We then bikes across a very rickety  wooden floating bridge and headed to see how rice wine is made. We all tried some, which was great timing since it started to rain. The guide brought us to a nice delicious lunch, and we all ate happily while listening to the pouring rain. After that it was a short visit to the weaving community, who can make a 2 meters straw mat in 3 hours. They make 2 a day, and each mat cost bout $5. Slightly depressed and now very wet, we all piled into the ferry back. The guides talked to us about Vietnamese cultures, how the men love to drink rice wine (a bottle at US $1), how the ladies have to do everything, and why they do not learn how to swim: too superstitious of evil spirits in the water.

With rain still pouring, I went to a cafe to get a cup of warm ginger tea. After the morning, I decided: life is short and hard (hmm. It could also be long and hard, but I feel weird writing that. I wonder why..), and sometimes a slippery slope that is hard to pull out of (wait…). I found a nearby hotel, booked it, and took a taxi to grab my belongings from the hostel. I got back to the hotel, checked in, say on the bed and felt happier and way more settled. I guess it is also true what they say: while attitude makes the experience, sometimes money helps a long way. For one night, I want to retain my happy feeling (not happy ending), and not be reminded of the past events.