Going Around Cebu City in 1 Day

Due to time constraint, I only had one day to explore Cebu City, The Philippines. I know, 1 day isn't enough to get the hang of the culture, yet am happy enough to have the chance to visit the main historical places of the city. It's better than nothing, aight? ;)

I don't mind going to new places alone. Actually, I kinda enjoy it coz I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want to. Of course going with friend (s) is fun, but it's not a must. Not in my dictionary. Traveling alone can be fun and I enjoy being with myself.

So, on the last day in Cebu, when my friends wanted to sunbath on the beach in Mactan Island as they had done the 'city tour' a couple of months ago, I decided to explore Cebu City by myself. Out of my curiosity and my hunger of seeing new places, I rent a taxi for a whole day to take me around. Of course I did my homework before, which was: reading a book about the Philippines and marking the places I wanted to see in Cebu City. I always do that every time I travel in new places... Would feel lost if I didn't have a guide book and/or a map in hand :p.

Departed from my hotel at 10 o'clock in the morning, I managed to bargain with a cab driver, named Chris, for 1,000 Peso for 4 hours of car rent. I think it was a good deal, although of course it would be much cheaper if I took one-way drive from Mactan Island to Cebu City, then took public transports to go around the city, then a cab back to the hotel. But, since I didn't have much time, I thought I would just be spoiled and cut all the hassle. Rent the cab would save me a lot of time, although I would very much love to try the Cebu style of tricycle, as we call it "becak" in Indonesia or "rickshaw" or "tuk-tuk" in Thailand. Maybe next time, yah.. :)

Crossing the two bridges from Mactan Island to Mandaue and Cebu City, I told myself, "Wow, these bridges look pretty modern compared to the cities themselves" :p. First list on my agenda was St. Joseph Church, located in Mandaue. It was also known as the Church of the Last Supper, as it has life-sized statues of Jesus and the apostles, handcarved during Spanish times. Entering the yard of the church, three little girls greeted me with their innocent smile and offered me thin and long candles in red and white. 1 Peso for each candle. "Thank you, Mam", they smiled shyly when I bought some of those candles. Gosh, they're so cute.

The church was closed when I got there. I told myself, "Ok, maybe I should come back next time", then I walked around and stopped in one of the side doors to have a little peek of the inside. A guard came to me and we had a little chat. He asked me where do I come from, I said, "Indonesia". When he knew that I was a tourist, he opened the door and let me in. "Oh, it's so nice of him", I thought. He even left me alone, there, inside the church. I felt special to have such privilege... there, I had my little chat with Him..

Chris, the cab driver waited for me patiently. He was chatting with the guard in Tagalog. He loved to chat (and so do I). During a couple of hours, I knew that he's the same age as me and already has 2 children - 1 son and 1 daughter. He didn't have the opportunity to go to college, so that's why he ended up working as a taxi driver. He lives in Mandaue and can go back and forth Cebu City - Mactan Islands maybe 10 times a day to pick and drop passengers. He loves to smile. Even when we were trapped in traffic jam, he smiled and said, "Yeah... the traffic is really bad in Cebu, Mam. It's always like this. Sorry". I replied, "No worries, Chris. I'm used to this kind of traffic. My city, Jakarta, is even worse". Then he laughed.
Anyway, I stepping out from the church, I said goodbye to the guard and again thanked him for opening the church's door for me :). Chris asked, "Where do you want to go next, Mam?". I said, "Magellan's Cross, please".

Magellan's Cross was Cebu's most important historical landmark. It was located at the heart of the city, right across the City Hall. There were many people, both tourists and locals visiting the landmark. And I found Cebuanos are pretty religious. They came to this place, touched the cross and prayed there. An old woman with lots of wrinkles on her face, selling candles, asked me, "Do you want me to pray for you?". She asked for my name then prayed while waving the candles in the air and moving her body to the right and left, just like dancing. She prayed in Tagalog. Although I didn't understand the language, but I heard she whispered to Virgin Mary. I felt touch only by seeing her looking at the Cross while saying her prayers... for me.
"Please bless her, too...", I prayed. I wonder how many prayers she does for others in a day..

A few meters away from the Magellan's Cross was Santo Nino Basilica church. It was built in 1565 and inside one can find the country's oldest religious relic, the Image of the Holy Child Jesus. Until today, many Cebuanos believe that their old city survived from successive attempts at plunder by Dutch and Portuguese pirates because of the protective power of the Holy Infant. When I was there, I saw people were standing in a loooong line, just to see the relic and delivering a short prayer. The altar was beautiful, too. It consisted of several statues of saints and a statue of Child Jesus in the middle. It was decorated with flowers, full. I've never seen an altar that made of full flowers. It was very pretty.

The church's area was huge. It has a garden which I found quite peaceful and at the outside of the main building, there was an area where people could light up candles and pray... Again, there were many locals lighting up candles, from kids to elderly ones.. and please note that I was there on weekday. I was amazed. I wonder these people came all the way to the church, just to light up candles and pray... oh sweet, isn't it?

I spent quite sometime wandering around the church.. and just realized that the cab driver was waiting for me outside! 4 hours of the agreed time was almost over and I still had some places on my list! Oh no! Didn't expect that I needed more time to explore the city and actually I should knew it from the beginning that I always spend sometime wondering around... I love doing that :). Chris asked for more money, then we agreed on the amount. In the end I paid 1,600 Peso with an agreement that he dropped me to the airport at 6pm. Everybody was happy :).














The next place on my list was to see Fort San Pedro. Why did I want to see this place? Well, first, because I love visiting ruins :P (like Foro Romano in Rome, for example); second, because I wanted to see one of Spanish colonial heritages. This fort was built in the 17th century to repel attacks by European raiders.
What makes it unique was its triangular shape with bastions at each point. The gun emplacement still in place, smaller Spanish cannons were still preserved, too. Nowadays the main building has transformed into a museum.


I liked this place as one could feel the Spanish' influence. The garden, the building itself, the landscape. I found it pretty, even though according to the Museum staff, one of the bastions was used as the place where they kept the heads of their enemies.. ouch!

Strolling around Cebu City would not be complete without passing through the oldest street of the city, Colon Street. It's Cebu's original Chinatown. It used to be Cebu City's main street where all the hip shopping malls and theaters were found. But now, Colon was nothing more than a street full of shoe and watch repair stalls stand alongside mixed with electrical, noodle shops and food stalls. The buildings seemed to freeze in time. They looked old and abandoned. I felt like I was in Kota, Jakarta's Chinatown. The street reminded me a lot of that particular area of Jakarta. Not to mention the noise, the numbers of traders on the street, the hustle and bustle and the fear of being robbed by pickpockets! Hehehe.. (or maybe it was just me being paranoid) :P. But really, I didn't feel that safe walking down the Colon Street alone, so I decided to keep my bag close to my chest. One has to be careful, right? ;)

My last destination was Taoist Temple. A nice temple located at the top of the posh residential area of Beverly Hills (I wonder why they name it Beverly Hills...). From this temple, one could see the view of Cebu City and Mactan Island. Nice. Unfortunately, I didn't really spend that much time in this temple, which I normally do when visiting temples and churches, coz I had to rush back to Mactan Island to catch my flight back to Singapore. But I particularly loved the temple's area... It's quite and peaceful... The building was nice, too... red pillars on each side and dragons on each corner of the roof.. Even the stairs to go up to the temple was pretty.. with red lamps located on the left and right sides.. I felt like being in one of the temples in Hongkong! :D

Rushing back to Mactan Island, I made a quick shop to buy a famous brownie made by Goldillack's bakery. A friend of mine had been talking about this brownies since we were still in Singapore. So, I've got to buy one to know what the fuzz was all about! Am not a big brownie's fan coz usually they're dry, but, after I tried this one... Oh my goodness!!! This chocolate brownie was soooo yummy... it has rich chocolate taste and chewy texture! I was in love with this brownie right after I had my first bite... (and so did my friends -- I bought several boxes and gave them away to my friends... and they all gave me the same comments: "Oh my God!!!" -- yep, this was exactly the first reaction from everyone that has tasted it!) :D

I still had time to enjoy the beach in Shangrila Hotel Mactan before going to the airport. When laying on the beach chair, I thought of my one day trip today. It was a short yet interesting trip. Still amazed to see how religious the locals were. If someone asked me to describe Cebu City in short, this would be my brief answer: busy, backward, always crowded, traffic jams, dusty, messy, old, friendly people, full of colorful jeepneys (their public transportation) running around the streets trying to get as many passengers as they could. And oh... Jollybee fast food restaurant can be found in almost every 10 meters! :D :)) (local fast food beats Mc. Donald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken! Yayyy!!) :D

Elton John and James Blunt

Just got back from James Blunt's private party in a bar in Singapore... and yes, James Blunt was there ;). I had a chance to meet and greet him, but we didn't have a long chat. Honestly, I think he needs a hair cut and a hair-sytlist :). Hehehe... He's a cool guy though... very down to earth :)

Oh... and I also got a chance to go to Elton John's concert a couple of days ago at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Oh my God... never thought that I would see Elton John live in concert! ;P (me being "norak")


A sweet friend gave me a ticket worth of almost $500 in which we sat pretty close to the stage.. and... guess what... this was the best thing, half way of the concert, the audience stood up from their chairs and DANCED!!! There's no festivals seatings... yet... people moved forward to the stage and dance there until the show was over!!! It was such a great fun... he's definitely a great entertainer... and oh... his piano's skills... hmm.. am speechless!!!

And even though I only knew about 5 to 6 songs of his... I got so emotional when he played the "Candles in the Wind".. :(( Very touchy..


.... and yes... I loved his jacket! :P So cool... :)

Stepping Feet on Cebu, Philippines

This is a story of my first trip to the Philippines... a country of unspoilt beaches and a diver's haven.. :)

I landed my feet in Mactan International airport at 4 o'clock in the morning. Sleepy? Of course! But I'm an easy traveler, I can sleep anywhere, anytime! So, sleeping on the plane isn't a problem at all. I've stolen 4 hours of my sleeping time on the journey from Singapore to Cebu.

Stepping out of the airport, there were a bunch of cab drivers trying to get passengers. Fortunately, there was an airport officer whose in charged, so everything was in order (unlike in Jakarta airport, sometimes it went so chaotic as there were so many cab drivers competing with each other and trying hard to get you to get into their cars. So annoying sometimes..). So, I felt glad that I didn’t have to be annoyed by those cab drives as that was the least thing you wanted to experience, especially not at 4am! :D hehehe…


The taxi costs 300 Peso (around 7 USD) from the airport to the hotel where I stayed. I think it was a fixed price, so they would charge you 300 Peso if your destination were still in Mactan Island. One thing about traveling by taxi in Cebu, a lot of time the drivers refused to use meters. So, we have to negotiate the rates! Bargaining skills come handy in this country…

I've booked a room at Tambuli Beach Club, Cebu through the Internet and have explicitly mentioned my arrival time on the booking confirmation. Wasn’t sure that they would let me check in without paying extra, but I guess I was lucky that time. The hotel staff was nice and friendly.. I got my room right away! Some of my friends who stayed in other hotels had to wait for two hours and some even had to wait until 9am to check in. So, please make sure to double check with your hotel whether you could checking in early..

I have no complaint about the hotel apart from the AC that made lots of noise. It was so noisy as I had to plug my ipod into my ears until I fell asleep! Hahaha… The second and third nights I decided to turn off the aircon. I’d rather sleep in peace… and surprisingly it was totally fine for me sleeping without aircon. It wasn’t that hot there..

If you're planning to visit Cebu, I suggest you to stay in Mactan Island than in Cebu City. There are many resorts and hotels in Mactan Island ranging from 50 USD/night to over 200 USD/night, some of them are by the beach, but the cheaper ones aren't. The best one (I think) is Shangrila Mactan Hotel. The hotel is huge, with big gardens and pools.. and the best part is the beach. I loveeee it... I think one could spend a whole day just relaxing on the beach as it's soooo beautiful. I had my solemn moment one afternoon... sitting there alone, looking at the white sands beach, the blue sea and blue sky... Soooo relaxing! Life's a beach :)


From Mactan Island one can go to Cebu City by taxi (again?? hell yeah... hehehe). It takes about half hour to get to the heart of the city and the taxi drivers would usually ask for 400 Peso, but please negotiate before you get in the car. Also, it wouldn't hurt to ask the driver to use meter instead. It's a lot cheaper if you travel using the meter. And oh, I was so impressed by the taxis here... all of them were old cars.. the one that I used on my first day was so old, it felt like it was about to fall apart. Really!! If you've lived in Jakarta 10 years ago, you might remember "President Taxi or Koperasi Taxi". Yep, that was the sort of cars that they use NOW in Cebu! Can you believe it?? Hihihi..

Other public transportations in Cebu are buses, mini buses, tricycle (rickshaw or as we called "becak" in Indonesia) and jeepneys. The latter are jeeps that transformed into public transportation. Cebuanos are so creative in decorating their jeepneys. They're so colorful, some of them even have Japanese comic characters on it. Cool! And just like in Jakarta, those mini-buses are packed with passengers. Some of them even hangin' (standing) on the door. What a familiar scene for me. Hahaha! Apart from those cool jeepneys, I specifically loved their tricycle. Cebuanos really make a use of it to the max. I saw some tricycle with four people cramped in it. Crazy!


Mactan Island looks similar to a small village somewhere in Indonesia. It is far from modern. The street is small and there's only one main street. I notice that they don't use numbers for address. They only put the name of the street. So, it is really difficult if one wanted to find a place as there's no numbers on the address! I wonder why they do that... weird, eh? I was told that the most posh restaurant in Mactan Island is called "Vino-Vino". So, I went there for dinner with my friends. The food was good. They served Italian food. For a posh restaurant, it was pretty small and empty. There were only us and 1 other group of 3 people enjoying the dinner. The design of the restaurant was modern, but don't imagine fancy and stylish design because you'll be disappointed. I spent only 250 Peso for my risotto and a cup of hot tea. It was a nice dinner, I liked my meals and so did my friends. The owner of the restaurant is always around. He said that his restaurant is open until 1.30am on weekdays and 2am on weekends. Pretty late for a small city like Cebu, don't you think?


I didn't really explore the historical sites in Mactan Island as I had limited time there. I actually went to Cebu to attend my friend's wedding. It was such a lovely wedding... (congrats Lotte and Jason! Am so happy for both of you!) The ceremony was held in Cebu Cathedral, Cebu City, followed by a wedding reception at the TOPS - a place that was located on the top of a hill, overlooking Cebu City. What a perfect venue for a wedding! The bride and the groom have arranged everything so well. They even transformed the TOPS into a beautiful wedding hall with everything in white and blue. Very pretty :). The wedding reception reminded me of a fairy tale, especially when the bride and the groom dancing, there were beautiful fireworks popping on the sky. Nice isn't it?



The wedding couple have also arranged "Island Hopping" on the next day. There were two boats chartered for friends and relatives, so we all spent almost the whole day on the boat and islands... snorkeling, laughing, drinking, eating, relaxing on the beach, swimming, you name it! Snorkeling was amazing... I saw schools of fish, beautiful corals and hundreds of colorful fish swimming happily in front of me. They really made me happy... and you wouldn't believe how clear the water was! Even at the harbour, the water was amazingly clear! Oh, I wish I could go diving that time... too bad we didn't arrange for a diving trip, otherwise I would definitely joining in!

The beaches in Mactan Island are beautiful. Crystal clear water and soft white sands are ready to seduce you. Maribago beach and Shangrila beach are two best beaches in the island. One can rent a jet ski and do other water sports activities here. But for those who want to know more about the culture, Cebu is also famous for its handcrafted guitars and ukuleles made of soft jackfruit wood. Those music instruments' making industry is centered in Mactan Island. Tourists can actually watch the local craftsmen at work or sing-along local love songs with the locals :).

While I was in Mactan, noticed that there were two main monuments in the island, named "Magellan's Marker" and "Lapu Lapu Monument". These two monuments were located in the same area, you wouldn't miss it as these two were the only historical sites in the island. First night I was there, there was a big festival with a big stage and dj playing dance music. Hundreds of locals seemed to enjoy the party. The next day, some streets were closed due to the local festive and it was pretty troublesome for a tourist like me as I had no idea how far I had to walk to my next destination! And the sun in the Philippines could be so strong, plus it was quite humid, too. So, I was sweating like a pig.. hahaha.. I had my portion of exercise on my second day in the Philippines, right before the island hopping! Niceeeee.... there goes my make up!!! Hahaha..


Filipinos are friendly. Sometimes they mistaken me as a local, so every where I go, the locals always speak in Tagalog to me. Hihihi.. I found it funny. I wish I could speak the language, too! So, that was my first impression of Mactan Island... despite the backwards of the place, the crappy taxis, the cramped tricycle, the unorganized streets (without numbers), the Island holds many beautiful beaches... a perfect place to pamper yourself and to realize that life is beautiful :)

Happy Easter, everyone!!!

Today was my first Easter Eve in Singapore.

No Easter Bunny. No Egg Hunt. No Easter dinner. No Easter party.

Sad? Hmm.. not really. Well, of course it would have been nice to spend Easter with the family, but am used to celebrate Easter by myself (am the only Christian in the family), so it's not a big deal for me.

Today, I went to the church nearby my apartment. I only needed to across the street, walked for 5-7 minutes, then there it was... St. Ignatius Church. When I stepped into the 2nd floor, where the gathering place was, I was confused at first, because the church was totally dark... and quiet. I thought... "Oh damn... did I miss the mass? Am sure it's at 8.30pm. How come it's so quiet and dark here?".... my minds were trying hard to figure out whether I misread the mass' schedule while my feet were still marching on the church's hall...

When I finally got in the hall, I was surprised that there were so many people already. And everyone was quiet. Silent. (and I was soooo relieved.. yesss!! I didn't miss the mass!)

Not long after that, the Priest started the whole Easter mass ceremony. This ritual is my favorite. He lighted up a giant candle, then in less than 5 minutes, the whole church was full of candle lights... held by each of us. Very pretty... :)

I usually feel sleepy on Easter Eve mass, because there are a lot of readings from the Bible. More than the ones on X'mas Eve. But surprisingly, this time I didn't feel sleepy at all! And yet, it was the longest mass I've ever attended... 3 hours and 15 minutes!! Wow... proud? Hell yeah! hehehe... Some people were baptized tonight and I really enjoyed seeing the happy faces of these people, including the Godmothers/Godfathers. Some of them taking pictures, capturing the joyful moment in life. This scene brought me back to the day when I was baptized. I was 12 years old back then. My Godmother was my friend's Mom. She had a beautiful smile. And I was so happy to receive a present from my teacher: a cross and a bookmark. That was my first cross and I hung it on the bedroom's wall :).
Then I saw a little girl and thought... what would she get as a present tonight? Whatever it was, she must've felt very happy receiving it... and would probably keep the present forever.. in her heart, like I do.

Tonight, I felt very blessed. I learned that I should thank God for whatever I have in life. For everything that I've experienced. Even on the way to the church, I thanked Him for finding me a nice apartment that is located nearby His house. Probably it was a sign that He wanted me to get closer to Him. Maybe.... :) (so, Nila... no more excuses! you live around the corner of His house now! hehehe.. the angels would probably say that :))

So, on this special night, I thanked Him for giving me such a colorful life, a not boring one ;), full of surprises... I loved all the sweet surprises, yet I also tried to love all the sour surprises
too as I knew that He knew what was good for me and always gave me the best things for my life...

Allow me to quote this phrase from "Brida" by Paulo Coelho -- one of my favorite quotes:

"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle".

"How will I know which is which?"

"By the taste. You can only know a good wine if you have first tasted a bad one".

My thank you list was a long one. I thanked Him for my family, for all the struggles in it as I knew He had a big plan for all of us, for my career, for moving me to Singapore to work and live in this clean country, for my lovely old friends and new friends, for taking care of me all these years... for everything! I felt really blessed to have them and experienced each of them in my life...

Happy Easter, everyone! Have a joyful one! :)

Help! I've accidentally deleted your comments!

Dear readers,
After disappearing from blogosphere for a couple of months, I've made a "small" mistake. I logged-in to my blog and read all the new comments... but then I did a stupid mistake, I clicked "Reject" instead of "Accept"! Aarrrrggghhh.... *(*&^%$#!#@%^$# How could I do such stupid thing???!!! (probably it was the side effect from getting online at 4 o'clock in the morning! Ouch!! *I cursed myself*) Having realized what I've done, then I clicked the "Back" button and clicked "Accept", but then it didn't work. Sniff sniff.... Am annoyed now :((. Dammnnnnn it!!!

So, am very sorry for those who had written some comments on my postings, but couldn't see them. My bad... :(( I didn't mean it. And I thankful for those comments... as always, your comments make me happy!! :)
(well, if you still remember what you wrote, u could always rewrite again... hehehe... hmm.. am I asking too much now? :D or.. does anyone know how to get those comments back? if you do, would you mind showing me how to do it?) :D

Anyway... thank you for everyone... and again... very sorry! I definitely have to get used to blogging again before I forget how to write a post!!!

"27th October is National Bloggers' Day"

Last Saturday, 27th Oct 2007 was a historical day for Indonesian bloggers. Close to 500 bloggers from different areas of the country gathered in Blitz, Grand Indonesia, to attend "Pesta Blogger 2007" and the Minister for Communications & Information Mohammad Nuh was there too.

On his opening speech, he surprised everyone by saying, “Today is National Bloggers' Day". When he said that, everyone gave him big applause! Yeah!! We rock!!! :D

Moreover, Pak Nuh said that he supported Indonesian bloggers, who are mostly young people, and recognized them as the leaders of the new voices of Indonesia. Most importantly, the Minister guaranteed that there would be no muzzling ("pembredelan") as this is the era of freedom of expressions. People are free to express their thoughts and opinions. "Sekarang bukan jamannya lagi untuk pembatasan berekspresi", he said.

Wow!! This is really SOMETHING! Thank you, Pak Nuh!

His statement has made us proud of being Indonesians. Being the young generation who are able to express and speak up our minds! (I hope everyone reads this post and realizes that this is not the era to be afraid to speak up. Shame to those who are still close-minded about freedom of speech and expression. We're not gonna become a big nation without having able to express our minds). Am glad that the Minister realized this and knew exactly that the young generations are the future of this country. A generation who can't sit still knowing something goes wrong in their surroundings. A generation who realizes that the world is flat, thus, if we're still thinking inside the box and still try to restrict the flow of information and communications, we'll be walking way behind our peers who live in the developed countries.

So, thank you, Pak Nuh! For recognizing the importance of freedom of expressions in this country! Thank you for letting us, bloggers, speak up our minds, through our blogs, to let everyone out there knows the hidden truth about the world we live in.. something that might not be revealed in the mainstream media..

Back to the Pesta Blogger 2007, most of Indonesia's top bloggers attended the event. Some of them worked hand in hand as members of the Steering Committee to prepare the event: Enda Nasution (the chairman of this event), Budi Putra, Mas Wicak, Nukman Luthfi, Wimar Witoelar, Priyadi, Lita, Fatih Syuhud - Yosef Ardi & Atta (couldn't attend) and a Malaysian blogger: Ong Hock Chuan.

Other recognized bloggers in the country were invited to be facilitators for the groups' discussions. They were: Mbak Enny, Bp. Risman, Anjar Priandoyo, Maylaffayza, Joko Anwar, mas Ndobos, Bp. Adrianto Gani and... my self! Oh, I feel so honored for this! Thank you guys for giving me the trust! It was such an honored to be there, together with everyone. It felt like being in a big happy family.

It was such a lovely day for Indonesian bloggers. Some of them flew from far far away only to come and party with us.. from Poso, Yogyakarta, Makassar... even from Kuala Lumpur! Wow!




You can check about the details of the event here.

For me, I had a good fun meeting my new friends... my new family :). On the discussion about personal blog that me and mas Anjar facilitated, some bloggers shared their amazing experiences, such as: their blog was being published and became a book, his postings have became stories for sinetron on TV, etc. Isn't it cool? The discussion was very inspiring and hopefully it could encourage the non-bloggers to start blogging! :)


Thank you, guys! It was a real pleasure to meet all of you! Bravo to Maverick, the steering committee and Hanny, the super girl, who have been working so hard to make this event successful!
Maju terus, blogger Indonesia!!!

Note: the first photo was taken by fistoriza.

Snorkeling in Hon Mun, Vietnam

Nha Trang is famous as the best Vietnam’s diving spot. The water is so clear, enables divers to see the objects as far as 15meters or even up to 30m. If you walk down the street, you’ll see several dive shops/centers offering different packages and prices. A full day trip costs around 50 USD, it includes everything (transportation and two dives). I was so tempted to take one package, but then I cancelled coz my travel mate didn’t have a scuba-diving license. And of course I couldn’t be selfish, taking the package alone and let my school mate “gigit jari” (read: daydream, do nothing), while I explore the under water world…

Taking a day boat trip was one of the best ways to explore islands around Nha Trang. I looked at my guide book to check the most credible boat trip organizer and wrote the name’s down. Fortunately, the hotel where I stayed, had a collaboration with that tour agent, so they booked everything for us. It’s called “Mama Linh’s Boat Tours”.

The staff of Mama Linh’s picked us up quite early in the morning, at 8.45am. (yeah.. yeah.. am not a morning person! 8.45 am is considered early for me, especially when I’m on holidays! Hihihi..). The whole trip started from 9am until around 5pm. Pretty long, but it’s worth it. It costs USD 6, includes transportation and lunch (Vietnamese food!)

Well, I have to admit that taking a boat trip is a very touristy thing. Hehehe… 90% of the people on that boat were tourists! Mostly Westeners – British, Australian, American, Swiss, German, Dutch, etc. I was the only Indonesian and there were around 5 Vietnamese joining the tour, too.

The tour guide was a local guy with a good sense of humor. He was so funny and has successfully entertained everyone on the boat. Usually I put on my ipod everywhere I’m in a public transport, but not this time. I enjoyed listening to his dry humor and "performance".

When you take a boat trip, don’t forget to bring these items: bikini/swim wear, sunglasses, sun lotion, towel/sarong and a pair of flip-flops :), because you’re gonna swim A LOT in the sea, in between the islands… so cool!!!

First destination was to Hon Mun (or Mun Island/Salangane Island/Ebony Island… geez.. how many names they need to call an island???). This island is famous for its snorkeling. And, of course, I snorkeled too! (no scuba-dive, but at least I gotta chance to say hi to Vietnamese fish! :D).

The water was very clear. I could see the beautiful corals 7m under, easily. Very nice. Those different types of corals are well-protected and in a good shape. I saw a lot of fish, too. Some of them have nice colors: purple, blue, yellow, in gradation. Awesome. I spent an hour snorkeling there… enjoying the sea life down there… I could stay here forever, if the Mama Linh’s staff didn’t scream, “Hey.. Indonesia! Get on the boat!!” Hahaha.. crazy dude.

Next destination was to Hon Mot (Mot Island). It is also another spot for snorkeling, but this time, we didn’t snorkel, instead, we had lunch here! The Mama Linh’s staffs were so well prepared. They turned the boat into a big dining hall and served some dishes for everyone! The menu was: spring rolls, ragout with French bread (aha!), fried noodles (of course, you’re in Asia!), rice (of course!), fried pork, fried vegetables and seafood soup. Since I’m vegetarian, I could only eat the spring rolls and fried noodles with a bit of vegetables. It’s fine, am used to it. Anyway, the scenery surrounds me was just so beautiful, so I didn’t have time to complain about the “non-vegetarian-friendly” lunch menu! Hehehe..

It was really fun to have lunch in between small islands like that. It felt like I was having lunch with the whole members of my big family, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters! And everyone seemed to enjoy the food, too. Yeah, the seafood looked delicious. Too bad I couldn’t try it. Spring rolls tasted good, tho.. I ate quite a lot! Hihihi.. (hey, someone gotta eat something after swimming and snorkeling happily!)

Apparently, the boat's crew was a real entertainer. After lunch, he turned the dining table into a big stage and started to introduce his band’s crews The funny thing was… he invited everyone based on the nationalities and sang a song from each country! Hahaha.. this guy must have been practicing many songs! :D But… guess what… he couldn’t sing any Indonesian song! Aaarggh! I should’ve given him one of Indonesian band albums, so that he could practice next time he has Indonesian tourists! (does it tell a lot that there aren’t many Indonesians go to Vietnam?)

This is my favorite… and I would never imagine it before… having a glass of wine in a plastic cup on the sea.. floating!! It was sooooo odd, yet fun!!! Can you imagine, drinking wine from a floating bar, in the middle of nowhere, floating on a rubber ban with beautiful landscape surrounds you? Oh, how cool is that??!!
It was a free-flow wine session and everyone was so happy to refill their plastic cup. Going back and forth paddling our rubber ban to the floating bar, we felt so relaxed and couldn’t stop laughing for having experienced one of the unthinkable things we do on our holidays. (perhaps you should try it too in your home country! It’s fun!)

When the "happy hour" ended, all of us got on the boat again and continued our trip. Me and Danny decided to order a bottle of vodka and two cans of soda and continued drinking with the rest. The vodka was so cheap. The cheapest vodka I’ve ever had in my life: 2 Euros/ bottle! It’s a local brand, but don’t ask… it’s pretty strong! We shared the bottle with several people on the boat, while sunbathing on the deck. Fun!!!

When we got to the Hon Tam, I was already a bit tipsy! Hahaha.. evil local vodka!! On this island, one could do several sports activities, such as taking a jet-ski ride or.. para-sailing! I’ve always loved riding jet-ski, so I did that for about 5 minutes. Not long… coz I was always tempted to go further and further.. but afraid what if I couldn’t return to the beach??? :p
We spent about an hour on the island and I just laid on the beach and fell asleep! The beach is a bit rocky, so I had to find the best spot to lay on my beach sarong and sunbath. Hehehe… It was very relaxing… Really.

The last destination was to Hon Mieu (Mieu Island aka Tri Nguyen Island). There is an outdoor aquarium where you can see tropical fish and shark. But, guess what.. I passed out on the boat and I didn’t remember a thing about this island! Hahahaha… (yeah yeah… feel free to laugh at me!). Danny told me that some people stayed on the boat, too. Too tired probably. Some of them continued swimming on the sea as the water was very refreshing. And ohh.. I always love swimming in the sea coz it feels like swimming in a giant swimming pool :). Cool.

Back to Nha Trang, I was tipsy and starving. We stopped at a “warung” (street stall) in front of the hotel and had a “Vietnamese” sandwich! I’ve been craving for this sandwich since I got into HCMC! Was wondering how it tastes… and.. oh god… it tasted so good!! Still hungry? I tried a cup of local instant noodle and ate on the street, too! Hihihi… A friend told me that instant noodle could get rid of your hangover. Is that true? I don't know. What I know is that I didn’t really like the taste of the Vietnamese instant noodle. I prefer my indomie back home… hehehe.. (hidup indomie!)

The best place to hangout in Nha Trang is the Sailing Club. During the day, it’s a restaurant, indoor and outdoor. You can have lunch on the beach too as they have nice deckchairs by the beach. In the evening, the left side of the place turns into a club, with some comfortable sofas and a dance floor. The bar looks stylish in red with fish tiles as decoration. Fancy.
Sometimes they throw big parties here. When I was there, they were planning to hold the “Night of Fire” party with a bon fire on the beach, so people could dance there. Unfortunately, it was raining around 10pm-11pm, so people preferred to dance in the club. Stayed dry and pretty. Hehehe.. :D

You wouldn’t believe how cheap the drinks here! It’s the hippest club in town, but the drinks cost nothing! A single mixed cocktails only costs 20,000 VND. And this is the best deal: a cocktail bucket, 650 ml, costs 40,000 VND!!! You can choose your own liquor, from vodka, rum, martini, anything. Good deal, huh? No wonder people got so drunk in the end. Hahaha… How come the drinks are cheap? The bartender showed me the bottle of local vodka. Aha! That’s the secret! ;) Those evil local liquors!!!

Keen to try the local liquors? Pack your stuff, book your ticket and fly to ‘Nam. Make sure you spare two days at least in Nha Trang to visit several islands around it ;). You’ll have fun. Trust me :)