vietnam – Winta Solstice

Vietnam Transportations: To Motorbike or Not?

Motorbikes are riding within inches of each other, the loud whirring sound of the motor and fumes fill the air as everyone’s idling at the stop light, the crazy woman driving a 10 ft tall lime tree with the man sitting in the back holding it up (that was us), etc.

It’s easy to say, “I’m not doing that.”

March 30, 2018 Winta7 Comments

To Ride or Not to Ride

Looking at the driving conditions in Vietnam, it’s easy to say, “I’m not doing that.”

Then you settle in and realize that everybody does it.

It sure beats being stuffed in a giant bus that is taking passengers that is over the capacity it’s supposed to have. I have paid as much as everyone else for a seat on the floor between the aisles. There, my motion sickness gets real.

Pros of Driving a Motorbike

It’s the most convenient way to get around in the city. It’s also much faster. Motorbike riders can get up between cars and zoom off while cars gets between a sea of bikes.
Fun and free feeling of driving in fresh air. Everything feels real when you ride through the streets at night, feeling the sea breeze. Or if you go through villages that could best be experienced on a motorbike. There’s a freedom of being able to control where you go and go anywhere you want to.
Feeling cool. Being able to ride alongside family and friends is pretty fun. Whenever we go out, we would take at least 5 motorbikes and head on to the beach. One the way home, we don’t even worry about soaking up the bike seats.
Experience the authentic way of navigating Vietnam.

Cons of Driving a Motorbike

The chance of getting caught by the traffic police. In certain destinations like Nha Trang and Hoi An, traffic police generally let tourists alone. However, cities like Sapa and Saigon, there is low tolerance of drivers with no licence.
The chance of getting in a motorbike accident. Accidents happen day to day. It’s a result of drivers going so close to each other. Most of the accidents I’ve seen are small ones, where motorbikes run into each other at slow speeds. Most people just apologize and go on with their day.

Renting a Motorbike

One of the greatest things about motorbiking is that you’ll get to rent a bike for under $5. Most places will try to take your passport, but I have gotten by with giving them my US driver’s licence. If you book your bike through your hotel, they will rent your bike without needing ID. Generally, I’ve found that hotels will charge more for a bike than a motorbike rental shop.

Don’t forget to haggle for your motorbike. Since motorbikes that aren’t rented out would just be sitting their anyway, you can use that to your advantage in haggling with the owner. We’ve rented motorbikes for as little as $2-3! Though don’t be surprised if they hand you a bike that is all out of gas. When that happens, just go to a local shop and grab a $1 bottle of gasoline to refill as you go along.

Driving Advice

If you do choose to ride in Vietnam, here are some useful tips that has helped me during our trip there:

If you’re scared of driving, then there are excellent moto taxi driver services that allows you to ride at the back of an experienced driver. Use the apps Grab or Uber to ensure you know exactly how much you pay before you get on the motorbike or car. Grab is a Southeast Asian “Uber” that includes motorbike taxis. In my experience, Grab is generally cheaper.

If you’re scared, drive slow. Other experienced drivers will go around you, nobody wants to get in an accident. On the other hand, don’t drive too close to other bikes, as they can change their direction at any moment.

Don’t be afraid of using your horn. Yes, actually, you should beep every 30 seconds, every time you turn a corner, every time you pass another driver, every time you feel like it’s been quiet too long. It’s not rude, it’s just letting other people know that you’re there.

There will be times where it makes sense to go down a one way road. Do it, everyone does. But if you see a traffic police, turn around and hope you don’t get caught. We’ve seen people get their bikes get taken away, and it’s not fun.

If you get caught by a traffic police without licence, you will get fined. It’s not personal, as they do it for everyone. Though get this, if you don’t have the ridiculously high amount of money they’re asking for, they will settle with whatever you have in your wallet. So just don’t carry a lot on you, yeah?

Have I missed anything? How is motorbiking in other countries compared to Vietnam? Did you have a different experience?

Do check out my other posts about Vietnam here!

A Blogging Post to Get the Ball Rolling

March 28, 2018 Winta20 Comments

What is the definition of procrastination?

I’ll tell you later…

Ha, get it?

I saw that joke in a video on the internet, and related to it too much. Which reminded me of the blog posts I have not been writing and the endless list of things I want to put on there. It’s been awhile since my last post and I have not updated on my Vietnam trip.

It really is a lot easier said than done, while everything is a work in progress. The more things I do while traveling, the less time I have to write about it.

But as I am too familiar with it, all it takes is to get the first post out to get the ball rolling. I hope my readers will forgive me for my absence and understand that I also owe it to myself to have a good time on vacation. This post will be one that will hopefully kickstart my routine, so it’s really for me, not you.

As I get back into the groove of being in the United States again, blogging is not the only thing on my priorities (though it is, because I did decide to buy a hosting plan that costs plenty of monies). I’m once again making money by working from home.

A short version: Vietnam was awesome. We had absorbed so much during this 2.5 month trip with family. I’m in much more control and aware of myself and my surroundings.

Though I did not come up with as many posts as I’d like, here are some that I had written on Nha Trang. Please peruse and enjoy our photo adventures of Vietnam.

Vietnam: Yang Bay, Nha Trang and Why I’m Not Impressed

January 11, 2018 Winta2 Comments

Yang Bay Eco Park is a tourist destination approximately 1 hour away from the Nha Trang city center.

On a beautiful Sunday morning, our family group of thirteen decided to take a day trip to Yang Bay. All we’ve heard of Yang Bay thus far is that it has hot springs.

The Cost

Package prices as of January 2018 are as follows:

Standard Package (train transport, landscape, animals, crocodile, pig racing, instrument performance)

Adult- 120,000 VND

Child- 90,000 VND

Package 1 (Standard package + Hot spring) ** We chose this package**

Adult- 200,000 VND (approx. $9)

Child- 140,000 VND

Package 2 (Standard Package + Hot Mineral mud bath)

Adult- 290,000 – 360,000 VND (depending on number of guests, more guests=less expensive)

Child- 200,000 VND

Package 3 (Standard package + Mineral Cosmetic mud bath)

Adult- 550,000 VND

Child- 300,000 VND

See here for more information on package and attraction costs.

*Current money conversions:

1 USD = 22,709 VND

The Journey

The majority of the car ride from Nha Trang city center to Yang Bay was pretty dull, with several impressive pot holes. As we get farther away, we get to the rural areas with sparsely littered buildings.

Only ’till the last 30 minutes prior to arrival is beautiful, with luscious green mountains and plantations. We see cows walking on the road right along side our car.

The Attractions

Fresh Water

Yang Bay, Yang Khang are natural falls right by each other where guests can get in and swim in the water. At this time of year, the water is very cold and shallow, coming up to our knees. It is a very safe place for kids to play in, so long as you don’t cross the ropes marking “STOP.”
The cool part is that we’re able to swim right next to the falls in the relative safety of a lifeguard watch. I got out of the water about 15 minutes in because the rocks underneath my feet hurt with every step we took.
There are some photo opportunities with a path leading right near the Yang Bay Falls.

Hot Springs

Famous for its hot springs, Yang Bay attracts many locals as well as tourists. The pools drain water at 3:30 pm, so if your highlight was to go to the hot spring, remember to make time to visit the site early.

Wildlife

Wildlife enclosements are available for viewing by everyone. Certain ones allow guests to get up close with the animal, which costs extra money. The Bird Garden (additional 30,000 VND) looked really fun as you can go inside and be in the garden itself. There is also a wonderful display of peacocks spreading its feathers. On the way into the park, we also saw a dozen white horses tied to a tree.

Feed the Fish with Baby Bottles

Exactly as it sounds, for an extra 12,000 VND, we can feed fish with a baby bottle filled with fish food. It was an intense several minutes were dozens of large fish jump halfway out of the water to feed from the bottle.

The aggression of the fish lead us to believe that they leave the fish to starve through the day so they can amuse the tourists.

Fish Massage

Costs an additional 30,000 VND per person. If you’re really patient and still as a statue, you might get a few nibbles. Otherwise, it really depends on the people. Out of our group of 13 people, only 1-2 of us had a decent “massage.” Waste of money when we could be going to a natural spring where we get fish massage for free. 😉

Crocodile Feeding

Costs an additional 10,000 VND per bait. As one free bait was supposedly included in our ticket price, we were peeved when the rep said that it was no longer in it and had to pay for it ourselves.

Sneaking Food In

Unlike most amusement parks like Vinpearl, Yang Bay’s isn’t too strict with food restrictions. We can bring food and drinks in through the gate and most of the park.

Once we reached the hot springs, the employees requested that we leave our foods and drink behind. We left behind a cooler with some ice and water, and kept our food hidden in our bags to eat once we got in.

Overall

Yang Bay, though with several good photo opportunities (if you’re into Instagraming-Facebooking your travels), was full of hidden costs and mediocre attractions that could be better provided elsewhere.

For the distance it takes to travel there and back, I felt that by myself, I probably wouldn’t go again.

Luckily, I was with my family, with nine kids, it was well worth it because they’re having fun and we’re having fun!

Vietnam: Making Traditional Bánh Tét During Lunar New Year

January 6, 2018 Winta5 Comments

It’s pretty cool to have family in Vietnam.

Unless we have a Couchsurf host arrangement already made, we typically spend our time visiting popular free destinations in the country. We’ve been here for a week now, and all family we’ve made have been incredibly hospitable. Experiences like riding motorbikes, grabbing tropical fruits like coconuts and mangoes from the garden, eating traditional (vegetarian) foods, etc. There is no better way to reconnect with our language and culture like getting acquainted with family.

Vietnamese foods that take 2.5 hours to get to back in the US are accessible here within a short 5 minute motorbike ride, and at a fraction of the price. The closer we get to the holidays, everyone celebrates by making lots and lots of food.

We’ve been so spoiled with all the vegetarian foods available to us.

Vietnam has a prominent Buddhism background, which means that finding artificial vegetarian meat is pretty easy. It also helps that a lot of our family in Vietnam has been buying at local vegetarian shops all these years.

Today, we’re making banh tet!

Bánh tét, a traditional rice cake with mung bean filling, is usually eaten during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

My mom and I have made banh tet back in the United States as well, but this is a whole different process. It’s not so easy when you have to keep a fire alive in heavy rain, keeping the smoke from your eyes, and trying to evade mosquitoes.

When it comes to making banh tet, my grandma is a pro. She’s been making delicious banh tet for decades, and her techniques are near flawless. Years ago, she made 100+ banh tet’s to sell at our local market during new years. Today, she makes it specially for family and friends only.

The ingredients of banh tet is pretty simple: sticky rice, banana leaves, mung bean (fried and seasoned to taste), and any additional filling you may like. There are many variables to make good banh tet, which is where my grandma comes in.

quality of sticky rice
well-seasoned mung bean filling
wrapping techniques
cook time and method

Compared to our banh tet in the US, my grandma’s are much bigger, almost twice as big! She also uses a different kind of fiber that is really strong, and (I’ve noticed) used to tie up a lot of vegetables at the market.

Setting Up

My grandma’s banh tet can afford to be so big because it’s made over wood fire in a giant pot. Because they make it in such large size and quantity, Vietnamese people typically set up a giant pot outside and cook it outdoors (back “yard”). It’s pretty cool how we used just scrap wood and log pieces to fuel the fire. We have to cook it a total 7-9 hours, depending on how consistent the heat is!

We set up several bricks to support our pot of banh tet. Thank goodness I’ve had experience with camping, as it made me not so ignorant in front of my more experienced aunt and grandma.

Dark Clouds Settle In

Receiving news that an incoming storm, we had set up a raggedy umbrella right by the pot to save the fire from getting soaked. We also put on a tarp to keep the wood from getting wet. The umbrella had done a wonderful job in protecting me from the pouring rain. However, the smoke and steam caught under the cover is highly deadly.

Sitting around for 7+ hours is a perfect time to connect with family. During this time of the year, families would gather around the fire, tell stories, and listen to festive Tet melodies.

Power outage, reminded me of my first time in Vietnam where the power had cut out every other day. Today, the internet in Vietnam is better than the United States (where I live anyway).

Despite the gruesome, humid, dirty, hot, dangerous conditions of making banh tet, this is the most authentic experience making it.

What are some tough, but worthy, experiences you’ve had while exploring culture?

Vietnam: Layover Fiasco, Conquering Jetlag, and Meeting Our Pet Pig!

January 2, 2018 Winta6 Comments

I’ve never used an airport intercom before.

After 15+ hours of our first leg of the flight and suffering from heavy jetlag, we landed in Incheon Airport, South Korea. We have two hours to transfer to to the flight we were on next. The line at security was long enough to worry whether we’d get to our gate on time. Fortunately, we made it through with 20 minutes to get to run to our gate.

With only minutes before doors close, my dad and uncle had wandered off for a quick smoke for awhile already. Why is it so necessary to go right now? I frantically came up and ask the representative to call for their names. I have heard people being called from the intercom many times from being at the airport, but never had that happen to me. The representative was very kind and helpful as she handed me the microphone for the intercom.

I have to say it’s pretty cool that I was able to grab the intercom mic and use it. The of scene from Home Alone popped into my head, except this time the adults are the ones left behind (the irony). I heard my voice on the intercom, which wasn’t as composed as most of the announcements I hear, but I hoped it did the job.

Seeing no point in six people losing their seats, we decided that we’re taking the flight with the kids, and that mom will wait for them to catch the next flight.

Fortunately, they had held the plane and was able to board the flight at the last minute. I don’t remember too much about the flight, except that my ear felt as if it was about to explode. This usually happens to me with smaller flights, though I don’t know the exact reasons. The food was better the other flight. And, ice cream!

Vietnam is exactly as I remembered.

Very hot, humid, and loud. Even in the cooler seasons, the heat is real.

We were stuck in a two hour long standstill traffic at 3AM. Cars drove 1 inch away from each other to squeeze their way through narrow sidewalks and get past each other. Truck drivers falling asleep while waiting in traffic is apparently a normal occurrence here.

Saigon is about 10 hours away from Nha Trang by car. We traveled through the night, which is great, because it saves time and money while we sleep anyway. I woke up sporadically through the ride and caught wonderful glimpses of the changes from city to county, scenes of acres of plantations, and cool side shops of people doing their routines.

Vietnam offers sleeping buses, where we could travel through the night on a bus with bunk beds for comfort. Pretty fancy and convenient. Our transport is a rented van and driver to take us straight to Nha Trang, which is best for the number of people and luggages we have.

We took many breaks, as much for our driver as it is for us. Stopping by one of the many side road hammock cafes that serve food and refreshments. Meals are as cheap as 20,000 VND, which is a little less than $1!

Jetlags usually don’t bother me too much. Recovering from jetlag is pretty rough. I’m constantly taking naps. Not the typical 15-30 minute naps, but one of those legit 2-5 hours blackout naps. The naps help me not get too sleepy before bed, but still have enough energy to sleep before it gets too late.

Home, sweet home.

The past few days have been a blur in travel, crash sleeping, eating, and sitting, which is surprisingly very exhausting. After bringing all of our stuff in, we were startled by the giant pig standing in our driveway. This is Mọi, our pet pig. She’s over 2 years old and weights many, many pounds.

She may seem a bit intimidating at first, but is actually quite tame. We give her most of our leftovers, which is great for not wasting food! Her hair is prickly, what I would imagine a porcupine to be like, but overall, quite cute! She typically lazes around and usually moves when we give her a good rub on her side.

Overall, not many super exciting things happening the first few days, but I’m grateful that we made it safely. It definitely feels good to be home.

Parent Appreciation

December 10, 2017 Winta3 Comments

It’s not easy to fully give credit where it’s due. And sometimes, it really is easier to understand once I’m older. Parents have to be open enough to realize their kids don’t have the capacity in their emotions to understand what they have done. Kids have to be open minded enough to empathize with their parents regarding their decisions.

My family is different. We’ve come a very, very long way to get where we are today.

In the early 1990s, my parents fled in the middle of the night on a boat in Vietnam, destination set for the Philippines. A week long, they sailed through days and nights on open water. I don’t know how they did it. Stories tell of people whowent crazy, people died. My parents survived. They took refuge at poor conditioned camps in the Philippines.

My parents learned their trade at the camp. My dad took up goldsmithing. My mom studied languages and learned how to sew. Because of corruption within the administrators of the refugee camps, funds that were donated weren’t delivered to the cause of helping the Vietnamese refugees.

In 1994, my parents have already met each other in the refugee camps. I was born in the camps, surrounded by a knit of refugee community. They took care of me.

We were in Philippines for almost 15 years. My parents have since ran away from their refugee camps. I remember being left at home alone at 5 years old; my parents were out selling household items on the streets. I remember our house flooding and I jumped around on top of the furniture as if playing a game. The electricity cut out again, we pulled out chairs to stargaze at the night outside; we had hand fans to fan each other and many candles to light the way.

In 2004, we lived in a one bedroom. We had a small outdoor kitchen. We washed all our laundry with our hands. I walked to school, though whenever I have a few extra pesos, I would rice a tricycle to school. Our small knit Vietnamese community took care of each other, and built our life on relaxation and hard work.

In 2005, December, we arrived to a small apartment in the United States. I missed my friends in the Philippines, I might never see them again. Iowa was cold and lonely. Employers had taken advantage of my parents, paying them below minimum wage because they didn’t know better. My parents moved our family through several unstable cities, states, work, and school.

In the next decade, my parents became tired of working for demanding employers and unsatisfying jobs, they set out their path to accomplished what they needed to do for their children. They have moved, built up their small business, forged their path to take care of their four children. My parents rarely stopped working, but I can’t blame them as they’re doing this for us. We have been taking more vacations the past year, and I’m hoping to take plenty more as my parents deserve them.

Today? In 2017, my parents have built up a thriving small business, are homeowners, own four cars, and have enough to care for their four children. We take small trips once in awhile to hang out as a family.

I admire their resilience and ability to thrive. It takes a lot of courage to leave your country, your family, and life in search for a future that they didn’t know was there. It is terrifying to go through the displacement from political unrest. I’m not sure if I could do that myself. My heart goes out to those who are fleeing their home in search of refuge.

Everyone appreciates their parents at points in their lives, perhaps some more than others. I’m fortunate enough to learn how to appreciate them early versus later.

What are some of your thoughts and feelings about being a parent or child?

3-Month Backpacking Trip: What’s in my bag?

September 5, 2017 Winta13 Comments

Welcome back, my travel enthusiast fellows!

Packing for a backpacking trip overseas can be a gruesome task. In my experience, my biggest problem has always been over-packing. I remember, because when I studied abroad in Singapore, I brought two large suitcases full of things with me. I didn’t use most of them. When I decided to travel in Japan, I had to lug around my two giant suitcases, which became a huge pain.

Nowadays, over-packing would be detrimental in the long run as I carry all my possessions on my back. Over time, I’ve cut down the stuff I take from 2 luggages to 1 backpacking bag and 1 day bag. Like so: Without further ado….

What’s in my bag?

Previously in my post on Ways to Budget Travel, I’ve mentioned my love for my Osprey 48 liter bag + waterproof cover. Here, I just want to emphasize how important proper gear is to traveling.

I specifically chose this size because it easily fits into all airline carry on cabins. Especially with budget flights, I can just pack it up and just bring it in as a carry on without having to pay for a luggage. The state-of-the-art suspension system made all my material possessions in my bag feel weightless, and is a lot easier on my back.

I am a minimalist in the things I pack when traveling. I also like to under pack to buy some clothes in the country I’m traveling as souvenir. 😉 Because I carry everything in my bags, I like to keep all my clothes and accessories as lightweight as possible.

1x stuff sack
5x shirts (3 tank tops for comfort/going out, 2 formal)
1x water resistant jacket
1x stuffable dawn jacket (I highly recommend getting these for ultra lightweight and warmth)
2x pants (1 comfort, 1 going out)
3x shorts
3x dresses
4x socks (sporty and comfortable)
1x scarf/shawl
Underwear (lots)
1x shoes
1x flip flops
Waterproof bag set (for water activities)
Safety pins/needle and thread
Multi-tool knife
Duct tape
Ropes
Headlamp
Ao dai – since I’m planning on celebrating Vietnamese New Year, Tet, in Vietnam, I’m bringing my custom made ao dai. I don’t typically bring this on my trips! Here’s a picture for reference!

FB_IMG_1495149476681 — Traditional Vietnamese Dress, *Ao Dai*

First Aid Kit – whatever brand or name you use, here is the gist of medications you want to take with you.

Anti-diarrhea
Antibiotic cream
Band-aid
Antiseptic wipes
Allergy
Fever
Cough
Pain reliever
Anti-mosquito/anti-itch cream (tropical countries)

Paperwork – I like to keep all of my paperwork in zip lock bag to protect them from water damage

Printout/screenshots of plane tickets
Passport book/card (+2 photocopies to bring on day/night trips)
Vaccination records (depending on country)
Visas (Vietnam, for example)
Copy of TEFL certificate (If I plan to teach while abroad)

Travel cards

Capital One Quicksilver – 1.5% cashback on all purchases, no foreign transaction fees, no annual fees
Charles Schwab – no ATM fees, no foreign transaction fees worldwide. With this card, you can withdraw from anywhere at any ATM!

Day Bag

Laptop/Ipad
Chargers
Power bank
Journal
Money Belt
Money Belt for $10.90 at Amazon

ADDITIONAL GEAR: IF YOU PLAN ON HARDCORE BACKPACKING + CAMPING

Camping tent and poles (poles can go on side straps, tent can go on bottom straps); I loved our Marmot tent because of lightweight and the air flow system. We had taken it on our trip to the freezing top of a volcano and survived thanks to it. The high price is worth the durability.

Portable pots and pans
Titanium Portable Pots/Pans
Alcohol stove for $8.99
Titanium camping spork for $10.93

Final thoughts

Whether you’re traveling short term or long term, I hope that my list has helped you. Thanks so much for reading! I’d also like to know what you have in your bag. Let me know in comments below- Cheers!

Read more of my posts from the Travel Blogging Challenge:

Week 1: A favorite travel photo of you and intro
Week 2: Little known travel tips
Week 3: Funny travel story
Week 4: Travel Misadventures
Week 5: Top Three Cultural Foods

Week 6: Unusual Travel Activities/Photos
Week 7: Inspiration for Traveling
Week 8: My Five Favorite Travel Blogs
Week 9: Gross/Disgusting Travel Stories
Week 10: The Most Unforgettable Adventures!

These awesome people are also doing the challenge!!! Click to see their stories!

In the Wild LA – Julie
Journey Through the Trees – Victoria
Trouvaille, Mon Cher – Aly
Simply Kailin – Emily
The Ben Lessard – Benjamin

Interested in participating in the Weekly Travel Blogging Challenge? Feel free to make your own today!

Travel Blogging Challenge – Week 5 (Top Three Cultural Foods) The Time I Ate Too Much

July 17, 2017 Winta28 Comments

Food, food, food, food, food! Is what most people hear when they travel with me. In all of my travels, food plays a crucial role to my enjoyment.

As a vegetarian since birth, I’m always wary of eating out at restaurants. Luckily, I am blessed with a wonderful mother, who is the best chef in the world. However, when I hit the road, I am always excited to try other cultural foods!

As you can imagine, being a vegetarian abroad can be quite complicated. Some countries think fish and chicken are not meat, therefore, it is okay for it to be in a vegetarian meal. I have to learn some key phrases with every foreign country I visit, to convey the entirety of my vegetarian-ess. With every mistake I make, I learn a lot to have a better experience the next time.

Because of my continuously adventurous vegetarian taste buds, I have gotten to try amazing vegetarian dishes from around the world. Here are top three favorite countries’ dishes, in collage form.

Korea for its crazy food inventions. I am in love with korean-style ramen. I love their desserts, bibimbap (rice and vegetable mixture with excellent presentation and sauce), and japchae (clear noodles). Ever heard of cold noodles in ice? Not my cup of noodles, but I tried it anyway! Thanks Korea. 🙂
Nicaragua – Choosing a country from the many favorite foods I had in Central America was quite difficult. I chose Nicaragua purely because I had an amazing street food experience there. Shave ice desserts called granizado were all over the streets. Central American foods sometimes overlapped each other, so I was happy to find some of my favorite foods in neighboring countries. Some of my favorites are elotes (corn), traditional rice and beans con queso (with cheese) dishes, platanos (plantains), and pan (bread).
Thailand – How do you beat $1 phad thai? Love the diversity of street foods in Bangkok. Also a great place for noodles and spicy food, which is right down my alley.

Note: I left out some of my favorite foods (because I think I am biased towards them). For your interest, I will list them below:

Vietnamese foods. Being Vietnamese by blood, I’m always partial to my native country’s cuisines. I am immensely proud of the variety of Vietnamese foods. It’s colorful, tasty, and full of culture.

Japanese foods. As one of the most amazing cultures out there, they have so many creative dishes. 🙂 Home to sushi, green tea Kit Kat, soba noodles, and tempura, it’s possibly some of my favorite foods. Unfortunately, most their foods are not vegetarian friendly.

Filipino foods. Raised in the Philippines, I came to love eating mangoes, bananacues (caramelized, roasted plantains), and various different vegetarian snack options.

Thanks for reading!! What are your favorite foods???

Read more posts from the Travel Blogging Challenge:

Week 1: A favorite travel photo of you and intro
Week 2: Little known travel tips
Week 3: Funny travel story
Week 4: Travel Misadventures

Who else is doing the challenge?

Interested in participating in the Weekly Travel Blogging Challenge? Feel free to make your own today!