(6) FIRST NIGHT IN SAIGON WITH VIETNAMESE COFFEE

Selesai mandi, Dedy sudah pergi duluan keluar. Gue kebetulan juga ada janji ketemuan sama Daud temannya Mey yang tinggal di Saigon. Dia minta dibawain satu dus mie instant. Lumayan menuh-menuhin travel bag gue … he he he he … Tapi seneng rasanya di negeri orang ketemu temen dari Indonesia, even baru kenal … he he he he …

After shower, Dedy has gone. I also have an appointment with Daud, a friend of Mey who are living in Saigon. He asked me to bring a box of instant noodle from Bali which made my travel bag full … he he he … But I feel happy when meet friend from Indonesia in the foreign country, even just meet … he he he he …

Daud datang ke hotel dengan sepeda motor. Seru juga dibonceng dia nyari warung kopi buat ngobrol. Gue pikir cuma di Bali atau di Yogya aja orang kalo naek motor seenaknya di jalanan. Ternyata orang-orang Vietnam lebih nggak punya aturan nyetir kendaraan, apalagi sepeda motor J

Daud came to hotel by motorbike. So excited he bring me to the coffee shop by motorbike for a chat. I though only in Bali or in Yogya, people drive motorcycle in the street casually. It turned out that more Vietnamese people do not have rules of driving vehicles, especially motorcycles J

Sebenernya gue nggak terlalu suka kopi, tapi denger promosinya Daud tentang kopi Vietnam jadi tertarik juga untuk nyobain. Dan ternyata selain cara menyajikannya unik, nih kopi Vietnam emang rasanya enak banget.

Actually I do not really like coffee, but hear Daud promotion about Vietnamese coffee made me be interested also to try. And in fact other than a unique way of presenting it, Vietnamese coffee taste awful.

(5) DUC VUONG HOTEL

Hotel ini terletak di Jalan Bui Vien no. 195, Dist 1, daerah backpackers Pham Ngu Lao. Nih hotel lumayan bersih dan tersedia internet gratis 24 jam di lobby. Jadi anytime kita bisa ngecek e-mail and up date data. Harga kamar per malem pun cuma US$20 udah termasuk breakfast untuk 2 orang, air panas, handuk dan amanities … murah banget ya… next time gw dateng lagi boleh juga buat reference tuk nginep di sini lagi. Tempatnya strategis deket semua icon-icon-nya Saigon. Tinggal jalan kaki dah nyampe kemana-mana. Cuma satu aja yang gue gak demen dengan hotel ini, passport di-keep sama hotel tuk jadi jaminan … rada was-was juga kalo pas jalan ada masalah sama polisi atau credit card…pasti kan diminta identitasnya. Untungnya gue bisa meyakinkan staff hotel kalo besok paginya, subuh-subuh sudah harus di airport untuk terbang lagi ke Danang, jadi dengan berat hati mereka ngembaliin passport gue, sedangkan punya Dedy tetep ditahan…xixixixixi …

This hotel is located at Bui Vien Street no. 195, Dist 1, Pham Ngu Lao backpackers area. The hotel very clean and provide 24 hours free internet in the lobby. So anytime we can check e-mail and up date data. The hotel price also only US$20.00 per night including breakfast for 2 persons, hot water, towel and amenities … very cheap ya … next times visit can be my reference to stay here again. The location is very strategic near with almost all Saigon icons. We can just walk to everywhere. Just one thing I don’t like with this hotel, they took our passport and keep it by hotel for guarantee … I felt not comfort while walking around have problem with police or my credit card … should be show our identity. Lucky me I can explain the hotel staff that tomorrow I should fly to Danang in early morning, so the staff returned my passport with a heavy heart, but the staff still keep Dedy’s passport … xi xi xi xi xi ….

(4) TRAVEL PARTNER

Hoki-ku ternyata masih jalan terus. Ini yang paling gue suka kalo traveling sendirian ke negeri orang berbackpacker ria. Selalu dapet temen baru. Waktu nyari taxi di bandara ternyata gak ada sopir taxi yang mau pake argo seperti informasi yang gue dapet dan semuanya ngasih tarif amazing mahalnya. Sementara transport bandara juga lumayan mahal. Semua orang mengeluh dan saling comentar satu sama lain padahal saling nggak kenal. Akhirnya rasa nasionality dan bersatu saling membutuhkan pun keluar … he he he … Yang tadinya nggak saling kenal bisa kompak joint-nan bareng yang hotelnya satu arah, jadi transport-pun patungan … whuakakkakakkak… ternyata orang Indonesia lebih pinter and otaknya China semua. Gw sendiri joint sama Dedi dan satu orang bapak-bapak dari Jakarta yang hotelnya di daerah Jalan Pham Ngu Lao yang memang merupakan daerahnya backpackers.

My luck is still running. This is what I really like on traveling by self as backpacker. I always got new friends. When I look for an airport taxi, no taxi driver wants to use meters as information I got before came to Saigon and all taxi driver gave me very amazing high price. Meanwhile another airport transport is also very expensive. Mostly people there were repine and comment each others. At the end our nationality made us allied need each others … ha ha ha ha ... We share the transport together for the same direction … so we can share the bill also … ha ha ha ha … in fact Indonesian people more clever and really Chinese brain. I joint with Dedi and someone from Jakarta who will stay in the hotel around Pham Ngu Lao at backpackers area.

Tadinya gw emang mo nyari hotel di daerah Pham Ngu Lao, tapi karena Dedy tahu gue belum dapet hotel, so dia nawarin tuk joint di hotelnya karena bookingan dia untuk 2 orang. Setelah gue pertimbangkan dan gue perhatikan dia berjiwa backpacker juga, so akhirnya gue terima tawaran dia dengan catatan tempat tidur twin bukan double … he he he he. Lumayan dapet partner traveling bareng.

Actually I would like to look for hotel around Pham Ngu Lao area, but because of Dedy knows that I don’t have room yet and his reservation was for 2 persons, so he offers me to share his room. I saw he has a backpacker soul and nice person, so I accept his offer as long as there was a twin bed room. He he he he … good to have travel partner.

(3) BECOME A BILLIONAIRE

Walah … ternyata hampir satu pesawat isinya orang Indonesia semua. Keliatan pas ngantri di imigrasi … he he he … korban Air Asia juga. Begitu selesai di imigrasi, hampir semua orang langsung jalan ke tempat money changer nuker duit Vietnam. Waaahhh … ini yang paling seru … Cuma nuker US$150, gw dapet satu gepok duit Dong dan gak bisa masuk dompet gue. Udah gitu duitnya ada pecahan ratusan ribu … malah ada juga yang lima ratus ribuan… huahahhahaha… baru kali ini gw berasa jadi milyuner di negeri orang. Bayangin aja kalo US$1 itu sama dengan VDN 18,500. Cuma musti extra hati-hati nuker duit sini, money changer di sini selalu curang ngasih duit Dong-nya. Sayangnya calculator di kepala gue lebih canggih ketimbang mesin calculator mereka… ha ha ha ha … tukang ngitung duit dilawan, yang ada tekor.com :)

Wow … I just know that mostly passengers in plane were Indonesian. I could see when I was in the line of the immigration validation. After finished from immigration, mostly the passengers go to the money changer directly to change Vietnam Dong. Wow … it’s very excited. Just change US$150.00 I got a bundle Dong and my wallet was not enough space for the money. More over the money has some big amount … also there was a five hundred thousand piece ….. ha ha ha ha ha … suddenly I feel like a billionaire at the foreign country. Imagine that US$1.00 it’s same with VDN 18,500.00. But we should be carefully to change money in here, they are always cheat when give the Dong. Pity them … my calculator in my head more good than their calculator machine … ha ha ha ha … they lose many due to fight with counted machine.

(2) FLY TO SAIGON

FIRST DAY, NOVEMBER 02ND, 2009

Fly To Saigon

Finally terbang juga ke Saigon. Setelah seharian meeting di Jakarta sama Auditor di Plaza 89 Kuningan and lunch bareng ama Dewi, accounting Managernya JALan Tour di Kyoi Prince - Sudirman. Sekalian gue pamitan juga ama GM-nya Dewi. Lumayan capek dan kurang tidur karena kemarin juga baru balik dari Bangkok. Di pesawat begitu duduk gue langsung tidur selama perjalanan.

Finally I am flying to Saigon after I met with auditors at Plaza 89 Kuningan and lunch with Dewi, the accounting Manager of JALan Tour at Kyoi Prince – Sudirman, Jakarta for permission that I will leaving from JAL Group company to her GM. Very tired and not enough sleep last night due to just back from Bangkok, in the flight I directly fall sleep along way.

Tan Son Nhat Airport

Dag Dig Dug juga waktu nyampe international airport terbesar di Vietnam yang dikasih nama Tan Son Nhat karena dibangun di desa Tan Son Nhat tahun 1930 pada jaman pemerintahan Perancis. Luas airport ini sekitar 7 kilometer persegi. Gue sempet nervous juga ngeliat suasananya berasa sepi dan asing banget. Gak keliatan kayak international airport yang rame dan sibuk seperti di negara-negara lain. Jangan-jangan temen-temen gue bener kalo gue emang terlalu berani dan nekat traveling ke negara yang baru mulai bangkit dari suasana perang dengan USA ini. Aduuhhh … pikiran gue campur-aduk rasanya, apalagi udah tengah malem, nggak tahu musti stay dimana, orang-orang ditanya gak da yang ngerti bahasa Inggris … ampun deh udah pasrah aja gue … apa yang terjadi terjadilah :)

I was very nervous when arriving at the biggest International Airport in Vietnam, named Tan Son Nhat due to build in the Tan Son Nhat village on 1930 in the French colony period. The airport has 7 square kilometers. I was nervous when I saw the airport situation very quiet and strange. It didn’t look like busy and crowded International airport such as another country. I was thinking that what my friends told me that I am to brave and determined to travel to the country which just woke up from the war situation with USA. Aaahhh … So many thought in my mind, it’s past middle night already, don’t know where I should stay, I couldn’t talk with the people here due to they don’t speak English … oh my God, I was very surrender … what ever will happen, let it happen :)

(1) DETERMINED TRAVELING

Ini traveling paling singkat, paling nekat, paling gila …. Tapi juga paling excited dan paling menyenangkan dari semua traveling-traveling gue sebelumnya. Sama sekali gak ada persiapan kayak traveling-traveling gue yang laen. Sampai-sampai hotel pun gue nggak booking. Ini gara-gara gue jadi korban tiket murah Air Asia … he he he he … begitu nemu ticket return Jakarta – Saigon dari Air Asia yang super duper murah banget, gue kalap tanpa pikir panjang lagi langsung aja gue issued. Baru setelah itu gue sadar mo ngapain 2 hari doang di Saigon … apalagi gue nggak punya siapa-siapa dan nggak kenal siapapun di Saigon. Nggak cuma itu aja yang bikin gue mikir lagi untuk terbang ke Saigon … ternyata application gue di Mercure Resort Sanur diterima dan gue harus mulai masuk kerja pertengahan November. Duuhh … kayaknya nih tiket bakalan mubazir deh … Untungnya gue belum beli tiket Bali - Jakarta.

It were the most short travel, the most brave travel, the most crazy travel … but also the most excited and the most fun travel than I have done before. I don’t have any preparation for this traveling like my previous travel I have done. More over I don’t book any hotel yet. I was one of the victims of Air Asia cheap ticket. I was so panic when see the cheap ticket and issued the ticket online directly without think first. After the online transaction done I just realize that is only 2 days and what I will do in there for 2 days … moreover I don’t know anyone in Saigon. On the other hand, my application to Mercure Resort Sanur accepted and I have to start work in the middle of November. Aaaahhh… I think this ticket will not use as well … lucky me, I didn’t buy a return ticket to Jakarta yet.

Tapi hoki masih tetep di pihak gue … he he he he … Tanpa sengaja gue dapet temen yang tinggal di Saigon dari Facebooknya Mr. Happy. Namanya Thuyvu … xi xi xi xi … susah ya nyebut namanya … gue sampai sekarang juga nggak pernah bisa nyebutin namanya, apalagi mengingatnya. So gue panggil aja TV atau miss Saigon … he he he he … untungnya dia nggak keberatan. Selain itu gue juga dapet banyak informasi tentang kota Ho Chi Minh dari Mr. Happy. Dia kirimin gue buku Lonely Planet tentang kota Ho Chi Minh yang sudah di PDF dan ngasih info hotel-hotel backpacker yang bagus dan murah meriah. Lebih seru lagi Mr. Happy kasih gue advice untuk ngikutin walking tour itinerary yang ada di Lonely Planet. So schedule 2 hari di Saigon bakalan penuh dengan petualangan seru.

But I was lucky ….. he he he he … I got friend who is living in Saigon from facebook of Mr. Happy. Her name is Thuyvu … xi xi xi xi … difficult to say her name … until now I can’t say her name in properly pronunciation. So I call her TV … he he he he … she don’t mind with it. Beside of that I got so many information about Ho Chi Minh city from Mr. Happy. He sent me The Lonely Planet about Ho Chi Minh in PDF and informed me regarding cheap and good backpacker hotels. More excited, Mr. Happy gave me an advised to do the walking tour itinerary in The Lonely Planet book. So my 2 days schedule in Saigon fulfill already with excited adventure.

Ternyata keberuntungan gue nggak sampai disitu. Temen kuliah gue Mey, yang tinggal di Vietnam ngundang gue ke kota Danang tempat dia kerja. Sebenernya lumayan jauh Ho Chi Minh ke Danang. Harus naik pesawat lagi selama satu jam perjalanan. Tapi karena menurut informasi Mey, dari Danang bisa ke kota Hue yang terkenal dengan The Citadel – Forbidden City-nya dan Hoi An yang terkenal karena ke-exsotic-kan dan romantisme kota kunonya dan banyak tempat-tempat bagus lain yang bisa gue datengin ketimbang Saigon. Gue pikir seru juga kalo bisa take one day trip ke sana. Beruntung banget gue dapet tiket murah return dari Jet Star Air cuma VDN 1.065.000 atau sekitar Rp 550.000.

My luck didn’t stop yet on it. “Mey”, my friend when I was studying in Sanata Dharma University who are living in Vietnam invited me to visit Danang city where he is working. Actually Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) to Danang is very far. I should fly for an hour. But base on his information, from Danang city I can go to Hue city where famous with the forbidden city The Citadel like in Beijing China and Hoi An which famous with exotic and romantic ancient town also another nice places where I can visit better than Saigon. So I think will be more excited if I can take one day trip to there. Lucky me, I got very cheap return ticket by Jet Star Air for VDN 1.065.000,00 or about Rp 550.000,00.