Adventure Accounting

If there was one site I was most excited about for this trip, it was Petra. Petra, also known as the Rose City, is the 2,000 year old Nabatean (Arabs in that region) capital accidentally rediscovered in 1812. The travel agency suggested that we bring a face mask for Petra because the walk could be dusty. I brought them, but didn’t use them. It was almost a three-hour drive from Amman to Petra. Our day began with a mass in a nearby church in Amman. We went back to the hotel for breakfast before getting into the bus for our drive to Petra. We also stopped for lunch before proceeding to Petra. It was early afternoon when we got there. Another benefit of going with a tour group is that they take care of queing up to buy the tickets. The list wasn’t long, but it still saved us the hassle. Museum. The ticket price includes the horse ride going to the entrance of the Siq. The Siq is a half-mile long gorge going to the Treasury. You’ll can walk to...

I had another restless night. I fell asleep because I tried to lull myself to sleep while reading. I tossed and turned around because I has wearing four layers of top and two comforter blankets. And I was in a winter sleeping bag. Brrrrrrr. Our third and last morning started as cold, as expected. With chattering teeth, we brushed our teeth, had a quick breakfast then packed our stuff to the ever reliable Toyota Land Cruiser. Seriously, I have a whole new respect for Land Cruisers nowadays. That vehicle has a lot of traction that can withstand the terrain of Uyuni.  After an hour of driving (wherein I spent my time sleeping), we arrived in the geyser area. We were warned to be careful because we might slip and end up in the geyser. You don't want to end up in the geyser because the nearest medical facility is miles and miles away.  Geyser in Uyuni Not a lot to do there. We were still sluggish and it was freezing cold even with all that geyser smoke. I took some ph...

I woke up early. I was able to sleep but I was not able to rest. After a quick breakfast and toilet time, we hauled our now salty bags back to the vehicle. Here comes Day 2 ( here's Day 1 ).  We were miles and miles away from the Uyuni (Funny how I use miles and miles as an expression but I have a better idea of what a kilometer is vs. a mile. It is not nice to say kilometers and kilometers away). Good morning Uyuni view. We drove so early in the morning and stopped in these tracks. Our driver told us to get down from the vehicle because he had to get over this train track and we were heavy (He said that in Spanish) It was a beautiful sunny and cold morning in Uyuni. Here's my lying-down-in-the-tracks pose. I should've ditched the bag. We drove for almost an hour to our next time. The landscape in Uyuni reminded me of the Savannah in Indonesia , but it is emptier. And definitely colder. 

The bus dropped us off Mui Ne Backpackers, our home for the next 18 hours. The place has really good reviews in Tripadvisor and it fits our budget. We were greeted cheerfully by the frontdesk staff, Dan. Dan booked our bus tickets going back to HCMC and he was patient in asking all our questions. Got the poolside room for $25 a night. Twinbeds, TV, a safe, Wifi, Aircon, clean towels hot water – the basics. I booked the room via their website. I just had to pay 3% of the price of the room for one night: $0.75. We settled the balance when we checked in. They accept both VND and USD. Excuse my mess. I highly suggest that you book a room using their website . When we got there (past 1pm), all the dorm rooms and private rooms were already taken, Dan had to turn away the walk-ins. Dan said they get booked on the weekends. They do not take reservations for dorms though. At night

I’ve read and heard lots of so-so feedback about Vietnam. I’ve been researching what else to do - the Halong Bay tour had mixed feedback. I found the answer in the Vietnam forum in Pinoyexchange . I Googled “sand dunes in Mui Ne” and the pictures immediately convinced me to include it in the Indochina itinerary . The catch: Mui Ne is a 5-hour bus ride away from HCMC. Not that near. But too see a real desert and real sand dunes in real life? Sold!  How to go to Mui Ne: We asked our hotel to arrange the bus trip tickets going to Mui Ne. We got the 8:30am bus going to Mui Ne. The tickets cost $6 each, air-conditioned bus, reserved seat, free water. The bus drops you off in front of your resort in Mui Ne. Comfy enough   On the morning of our departure, the hotel informed us that the bus was already there. The bus assistant picked up the passengers from the hotel and directs them to the bus parked at Pham Ngu Lao street. The bus made some other few stops before it b...