The Thirsty Traveller

Being born and raised in Manila, many of the friends thought I am 100% Manila boy. In reality, I am actually a half Batangueno and half Ilonggo. In short, my father is from Batangas and my mother is from Iloilo. This blog is not about Batangas but Iloilo, my hometown in the Visayas region. When my mother passed away on June 2014 in Oton, Iloilo, my world crashed since I love my mother more than any girl on this world. After the passing of my mother, it gave me the opportunity to visit her hometown, ILOILO. My grandpa who used to be the Mayor of Igbaras On July 2015, I had my first opportunity to visit Iloilo after the death of my mother. Iloilo was above expectation. I fell in love with Iloilo. I told to myself that this will be my home in the Visayas region.  While my real hometown is in Igbaras, Iloilo, I stayed in Oton, Iloilo because most of my relatives live there and it is just an half an hour away from Iloilo City. I also visited Igbaras which is more than an hour awa

Last December 2016, I traveled to Ho Chi Mihn City, Vietnam. This was my first trip abroad since 1993. The last trip I had outside the Philippines was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It had been a long 23 years since my last trip abroad. Ho Chi Mihn City or Saigon is somewhat similar to Manila but I find the prices of goods cheaper than Manila. Day 1: We stayed in Ruby River Hotel which I will recommend to travelers because of its affordability and accessibility to tourist areas. I also become a friend to one of its hotel staff named Tien. Hi Tien! By the way, I was with my Tita Baby, Tita Nennette and Tito Jessie during the whole stay of my trip. I also tasted Vietnam's popular dish, Pho, near Ben Than Market, which is Vietnam's version of Divisoria. I bought some pasalubong on this marketplace. During the night, I rode a cyclo, which is Vietnam's version of kalesa. We also watched a water puppet show and had a cruise along the bay area of Ho Chi Mihn City. I was also viewed