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HCMC–>Vung Tau, Vietnam – Ferry roadtrip!!

by Vietnam

I have been itching to get out of the big city of Saigon for a few days. The problem is that it is New Year’s week and everything is super busy and crowded. 

No problem, I found a way as always seem to when traveling and took a fun two-hour ferry ride.

I booked a ferry ride from the main terminal in HCMC down the Saigon River and then east to Vung Tau:

I am not sure what to expect so I booked a one-way ferry to see if I like the new location.

 

My original Airbnb in HCMC is booked until February 11th, so I packed a light bag and, off I went on January 26th, 2025. The beach looks great and there are tons of “white tourists” here so I might be on to something.

I found an inexpensive Airbnb with a rooftop pool for $17 a night:

I noticed a lot of Lunar New Year displays in HCMC, but Vung Tao goes all in as it was incredible to see.  I have attached a hyper-ink and summary below:

“Chinese New Year 2025 is also called Spring Festival or Chinese Lunar New Year. In Mandarin, it’s called Guonian or Chunjie. 2025 is the Year of the Snake.

Chunjie starts on Wednesday, January 29th, and goes on until the Lantern Festival on February 12th. It’s also the first Spring Festival after it was successfully added to the cultural heritage list. People in China get an 8-day holiday for the Chinese New Year 2025.

During this holiday, they gather with their families and watch the wonderful Spring Festival Gala while enjoying a delicious reunion dinner. A series of celebrations will continue until the 15th day of the lunar calendar, the Lantern Festival”.

I hope the below pictures and video do it justice as a lot of hard work and passion goes into all of these displays.

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Hammock camping! St Croix Virgin Islands!!

by British Virgin Islands (BVI)

This is a blog for the ages! I went to beautiful St. Croix and hammock camped during a tropical storm!!  It was Wednesday October 4th, 2023, and it started great! – LOL!

It was my first flight on my Frontier Airlines AYCF pass was one of the biggest and possibly dumbest adventures yet. I would probably need to do something dumb on purpose to beat this one, stay tuned! 👌

I have traveled with my hammock many places as it is compact, and I just need two trees to be comfy. This trip was no different, I packed my hammock, rain fly, and basic camping essentials.

I had all the base camp basics covered, running water, flushable toilet, beer fridge, and setup in a perfect spot! It was going to be an amazing few days exploring the islands.

Everything was perfect but I was advised to set up camp quickly as they predicted rain. I honestly could have used a bit more of a warning, but I think I was going to be the entertainment for the evening.

This is what they call a Tropical storm in the islands which is less than an actual hurricane.  I was buckled in and ready for a little rain.

After the first night, it turned from the worst experience to the best experience.  If I had used proper tent pegs the first night, it would have worked out. I would not have been soaked and cold with my rain fly sounding like a flag on a windy day. I had such a peaceful sleep listening to the sounds of the forest with a light breeze from my ceiling fan. 

Lesson learned for next time as I am going to hammock camp again in the islands again.

chickenbusss

Riding the chicken bus! Guatemala!!

by Guatemala City

I have always heard the term “Chicken bus,” but I never really understood it until I visited Guatemala!

It does not take a big imagination to understand the term as almost everyone uses the chicken bus as their main source of transportation within Guatemala. If you ever wondered what happened to the school bus you took as a kid, there is a good chance it ended there.

I visited Guatemala twice (San Jose and Antigua) on my Volaris All-you-can-fly pass (AYCF). There are direct flights from Los Angeles, and the same plane ends up in San Jose, Costa Rica, so I took advantage of that, too. The flight is about 60 dollars with the AYCF pass, and you can find an Airbnb in both cities for around $20-$30 a night. 

If you can stay a month, you can find rent for about $600 a month for a simple, clean stay.

My first experience riding the chicken bus was from the capital of San Jose to the amazing city of Antigua.

It was a great way to start the crazy mode of transportation as the road was relatively straight with no cliffs, LOL. Although, nothing would prepare me for the trip to Lake Atitlan was a start.

Lake Atitlan is the deepest lake in Central America and a three-chicken bus transfer from Antigua. I am not joking when I say that I was chicken shit scared! These bus drivers are insane and swear that everyone on the bus was hanging on for dear life as we traversed the road with cliffs on both sides.

Did I mention that these buses may still have the same tires they did went we took them to school?

I plan to write blogs on each of the cities visited in Guatemala. I wanted to start with the Chicken Bus first as it sets up how awesome of an adventure it is to visit.

I remember vividly asking this guy if they checked the brakes!

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A massage a day, everyday! HCMC, Vietnam!!

by HCMC / Saigon

Health is a major driver in the Asian lifestyle! Anytime I head to the gym anywhere in North America, I see Asians in the sauna and hot tub taking care of their bodies. Their habits are a very good reason they tend to live a longer life as shown in the below graph of the longest-living by Country:

They are top three while the life expectancy is ahead of North Americans by five years:

Each time I have visited Asia (Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, and now Vietnam) there are many spas. Since the cost is pennies on the dollar, I treat myself to a treatment a few times a week, minimum.

My first week:

USD $12 full body massage,

USD $20 45-minute shoulder massage, mineral bath, sauna, and cold plunge.

USD $35 shoulder massage with fish footbath, one-hour facial, and 30-minute eye treatment for baggy eyes.

USD $12 for a haircut, hot shave, and ten-minute relaxing shampoo and loved his TIP!

USD $5 for a hot shave every few days with the same crew too!

Each experience has been fantastic and well worth the money each time. Most are down an alley with someone advertising at the entrance with the prices and promotions:

Imagine, a lifestyle where you can afford to get hundreds of dollars of massages a week for pennies on the dollar!  If you went with a basic $12 massage, you could even get one every day of the week for $84.

That is the price of one massage in North America unless you’re the guy below traveling the world living his dreams! 🤓

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Made in Vietnam! That is a good thing!!

by HCMC / Saigon

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on January 14, 2025. I knew street food would be great, but I never imagined it would be better than Thailand. I wrote a blog on street food here. 

HINT: Vietnamese food is now at the top of the list! Bahn Mi, Pho, spring rolls with peanut sauce all ~$3 each!! 😋🤑

I also knew that most apparel and shoes are made in Vietnam too! How is that for a shopping win-win!!

Admittedly, I am not a big shopper. I try to keep it simple when traveling, as I do not pay for bags. The problem becomes when items are so cheap that they are almost disposable (setting up a Crocs joke here).

District one in HCMC has Bein Than market and many other pop-up stores selling knock-off brands. I know, you get what you pay for, but this stuff was worth it even if some of it does not make it home.

I always said that I would never buy a pair of Crocs, but I do not recall saying that I would not buy TWO pairs of Crocs. 🤓 

I am going to take so much shit for this but honestly, I do not care as they were $10 bucks each. I also bought a couple of shoulder travel bags that were $10 each also making it a total of $40 for all four items. 

I also bought a Nike jacket made of the same wicking material as the authentic.  I knew it was a knockoff as the sizing is off on Asia products but again, it was $12 so what the hell:

You cannot even buy one of those items in North America for the total price of all five, screw it!

Here are some YouTube Videos of the famous Ben Thanh market:

The market outside Ben Thanh is better IMO and where I bought my items.  There are so many other knockoff items that we overpay for in North America.  These knockoffs items in some cases are made in the same factories and you cannot tell the difference and even go as far as to use the same tags:

I was wearing my $50 USD “Osprey Daylite” sling shoulder bag that has thousands of miles on it and did a side-by-side comparison. 

The original is definitely made better and that is the reason it is guaranteed for life with the “Almighty guarantee“. I do not know of many other brands that stand behind their products forever so that makes sense.  

The North Face, Patagonia, Nike and Crocs appeared to be authentic without a negative person’s overview.

ItSMoreAffordableSamusPaulicelliGIF-2

Hawaii for ~$99 one-way? Yes please!

by Internet travel search tips

I have also flown to Hawaii for as cheap as $5.60 using my FREE points from my Hawaiian Airlines credit card.

Once you sign up, there is no minimum purchase to get 70K miles. I have seen one-way flights as low as 12,500 points but you can expect to pay $17,500 which is four FREE one-way trips. Apply here:

PRO TIP – I normally pay to fly home as it can be 25,000 to 35,000 points to get home which is how they get you. Flying back to the west coast is normally under $200 USD so check that before booking.

Canadian PRO TIP – fly to LA, Vegas, Seattle or San Deigo and grab a $99 flight from there. Flair to Vegas is normally the cheapest and can be had under $100 CDN.

Bags – you do not need to check a bag as prices at the Costco are the same more or less. You can even get a $1.50 hot dog on the Islands when you grab a few things. I also use compression packs so you can get a shit ton of things (NO LIQUIDS) in your FREE personal and or FREE carryon bag.

OK – back to the post for today, seat sales to Hawaii which happen all the time. Once one airline has a sale, the rest of them will match it. Sign up for Hawaiian Airlines text/email deals or Clark Howard to give you a heads up.

Here are some of the latest flights on sale that I was emailed today, 01/07/24:

Prices can obviously change anytime so keep an eye out for the notification. Keep in mind that you can book a flight and cancel any time before 24 hours to hold the price. CHECK WITH AIRLINE FIRST!

Depending on the island, prices can vary on hotels, Airbnb or hostels depending on how you roll. You can check on my Kona, HI and Fishing post, Honolulu post or Kona post as they will help you find a place to stay if you are wanting something budget friendly. I pay ~$35 a night on all islands, single occupancy!

You can also send me a WhatsApp or Gmail from the home screen, and I can help look.

Aloha

NAD

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Montevideo, Uruguay

by Montevideo

I avoid using “eclectic” because it sounds similar to “expensive,” but you can see by the video what I mean!

There is no other way to describe my Airbnb experience in Montevideo, Uruguay. It was the most amazing Airbnb I have ever stayed in, and it was $35 a night. The owners are lawyers from Argentina, and they put all of their love of travel, music, antiques, and heart into this stay.

It even had a record player in each room! Three of the four pictures are the lobby when you walk up the stairs. From the lobby, you can access four different rooms by small ladders to slightly different floors.

Music is played during the day and there is a couch to look at the wall antiques. My room pictured below was directly across from the wall unit of antiques so often left my door open looking at them.

The bed and desk were in the loft area with about ten steps, and it felt like a different room.

Montevideo is a rather small town, and the Airbnb was right down from the walking street in one direction and the ocean in the other direction with the best view to top things off. They use a fancy filter, but I can promise you that the view was amazing from my room in every single direction.

OK, I will settle my eclectic ass down and tell you about getting there and the travel is half of the adventure. I grabbed an Uber from my Airbnb in BA to the ferry terminal. Once arriving, I bought a one-way ticket as I was unsure how long I would stay.

I need to take the ferry to Colonia and then a bus ride totaling five hours to get to Montevideo.

I only spent two nights in Uruguay to get a feel for the landscape. Beautiful but nothing made it stand out to me.  The food was basic and on the expensive side and it is so small that I have no reason to go back. Here are a few pictures of the architecture:

As I said, I only stayed two nights, and here are my two dinners which were borderline gross.  I could count on McDonald’s for breakfast, and I even had lunch there once too due to my dinner experience:

The meal on the left was a cheese-covered sandwich with probably two pounds of cheese and couldn’t even chase it down with a beer.

The middle was $65 and it was not cooked at all so left it and called my credit card company as that is bullshit!

If you’re from Uruguay, I apologize; the world can see the passion of the people from their football team and their fans! 

It just didn’t do anything for me other than the awesome Airbnb where I spent most of my time relaxing counting down the hours to leave. 

MiraFlores

Lima, Peru – Mira Flores cliff side suburb!

by Mira Flores (Lima)

When I bought my Volaris AYCF pass, the first thing I noticed was that I could get to Lima, Peru for under $100 USD. That is exactly why I went twice in the first six months of buying the pass!

The first time I went, I stayed in downtown Lima which is not recommended. It is very crowded and am told that is not that safe at night. 

The second time was a charm, I found an amazing Airbnb with a cliff side ocean view in Mira Flores which was incredible. These were my morning view for less than $20 a night or $480 a month on a long-term stay!

The warm ocean breeze and the sound of people running, riding their bikes, and walking their dogs 24 hours a day is a very safe location. My Airbnb hosts were so amazing. I had food poisoning from an earlier visit to Costa Rica. They ran to the pharmacy and put up with my horrendous symptoms for two days. I plan to visit again as I have their WhatsApp contacts for a cash deal!!

I was able to wake-up, up and go directly across the street for miles of walking paths to get my 10K steps in every day once I felt better. I could walk in either direction for miles and the view was stunning.

             

Evening⬆️ Time-lapse pictures of the alongside the walking path in front of my Airbnb. Morning⬇️

One thing I did not know is that Paddington Bear was actually from Lima, Peru! I loved that story as a kid!

“A Bear Called Paddington is a story about a young Peruvian bear who travels to London in search of a home. He finds himself lost and alone at Paddington Station but is eventually taken in by the kind Brown family. The story follows Paddington’s adventures in London and how he changes the lives of the Brown family”.

The historic area of Lima is amazing!

 

The cost of living in Lima is also very reasonable for a large city.  It has everything you need for your North American fix like TGIF and Chillis at half the cost.  The Peruvian ceviche, coffee and local beer is the best you will find anywhere in the world.

The cost of most things are 50-75% off North American prices:

$2-3 Daily coffee and treat with a cliff side view.

$2 Weekly laundry washed and folded. 

$20 Any meal on the TGIF or Chillis menu with two beers.

$30 ninety-minute massage, I would get two a week.

There was a mall with all stores you would find around the world. The prices were not much cheaper at the mall as the items came from the same factories.

In closing, Mira Flores is an affordable place that you can enjoy low cost, great weather and outdoor activities and festivals. The thousands of active locals can enjoy dirt bike track, skate park, Volleyball/basketball courts, parasailing and miles of paths.

 

After writing this blog post, I am reminded me that I could easily live in Mira Flores, Peru!

It has everything that I love about travel: inexpensive, great weather and walkable:

(I never thought I would ever use an accidental pictures of my feet)! 😁

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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

by Puerto Vallarta (PV)

I have been going to Mexico since my teens, and my favorite place in the country always changes.

Hilarious story to start!  The first time I went to PV, I figured out that the romantic zone meals gay zone, whoops! 

I knew I f#cked up when there was a flag on the door. The homo that checked me in was rude AF which is why I labeled him a homo! I asked if it was ok for a straight dude to stay the night. He never gave me a pillow or blanket which did not matter as I could not sleep knowing broke Back Mountain was in the building.

(There is nothing wrong with being gay, there is something wrong with me having to change myself for your gayness).

 

I have since stayed at the below Airbnb’s in the Bay of Banderas:

Your trip overview – Airbnb

Your trip overview – Airbnb

Your trip overview – Airbnb

Your trip overview – Airbnb

Your trip overview – Airbnb

Your trip overview – Airbnb

I got and gave my only one start at the below place:

Amazing View, close to the beach and boardwalk – Apartments for Rent in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – Airbnb

I specifically asked for an early check-in as I was taking the red-eye.  He said, no problemo, well, there was a big problem as the room was not clean.  I asked what happened and he said things changed and to go hang out at the pool. I may or may not have topped the shelf of the place, LOL.  I would not do that but he deserved it 100%!!

Here are a couple of great hostels in Centro PV and Uncle Gueilleromos and both were boomer-friendly, LOL. 

I went to PV 4-5 times in a row on my Southwest (SWA) Airlines credit card for free using points. I have played the travel credit card game for most of my life and couldn’t tell you how many cards I have opened/closed/opened/closed …

Yeah, it can affect your credit score but rarely miss payments, and am hovering around 750+ so no problem. Currently, I carry my Frontier, SWA, and Hawaiian credit cards. I have previously held Spirit(3X), AA(2X), and Delta revolving every couple of years to take advantage of free offers.

As part of SWA, you can save money by going to COSTCO and buying their $500 SWA gift cards for $430. At one point, I bought $2000 worth of cards to meet my SWA credit card minimum spend to get the bonus miles. I have a shit ton of rapid reward points and SWA credit but rarely fly SWA these days. I always have a backup travel plan to my back travel plans, so SWA is there when I need them at a massive discount or free.  

The Costco deal happens several times a year so get your credit card and wait for the sale and BOOM, tons of cheap travel. 

“You know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills… free flight skills are here at NAD! LOL

OK – back to PV, focus Darrell …

I would land in PV, and grab the local bus to either downtown PV Malecon or Nuevo Vallarta where Kenny the dickhead lives. He and his sidekick Dana drive me ape shit but deep down I am sure they are not dickheads. 

Centro has been my favorite as there is everything you need within walking distance,

Hurricanes can be a problem in PV and landed the week after a terrible Nora in 2021. It was horrible to see the destruction and a notable story was a woman getting swept away in her car.  They were looking for her when I was there and never did find her body which is horrible.  

GH – such a downer, sorry!  It is always safe bets are at The AZ Devils bar (left) and Margarits bar (right). 

A couple more not pictured: Los Muertos brewery and Monzons for the best beer and slice lunch special.

Just to lighten things up, the first time I got my nose and ear hair waxed was in PV for $3.  Honestly, something was lost in translation as it was an “upgrade” after a haircut and hot shave, LOL.  I have since done it a few more times knowing what to expect.  What a shit show but had everyone entertained!  You’re welcome for the laugh! 🤓

Rocky8

My Rocky Point Paquito casa (small studio)

by Rocky Point

I have been renting a small room in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) for almost seven years. Time flies when I cannot remember half the shit I do when I’m here, LOL.

I stayed here for the first time as an Airbnb on June 24th, 2017, and never left. I talked to the amazing owners asking them if I could rent monthly and never looked back. I am paying less monthly than my HOA in Arizona, so it does not bother me that I am not here a lot. 

Mi Mexican Familia Fortunado (El Jefe) and Lupe!! 🙌 🙌

   

Lupe is posing with her delicious Pazole soup she made for her guests during the Rocky Point rally; I posted details here:

El Jefe (The boss in Spanish) poses with a picture they used to use in the advertising credits at the Movies in Phoenix.  I call him El Jefe as he is the boss man for Airbnb as he and Lupe run a tight ship.

 

Just like life, my visits to Rocky Point have evolved over the years. I was working five days a week when I first started renting hoping to make it up once a month. Within a couple of years, I was working four days a week and able to make it a bit more. There were times when I came here every weekend and others I would not visit for several months. 

I just knew in my heart that I had a pad in Mexico and did not need to jump on a plane to get my fix. It was almost too convenient for playtime in Mexico at times.

Fast forward to 2024, I had an awesome plan to work here part-time, or so I thought.

I had just spent four months working in Hawaii under the radar, so I thought, why not Mexico? I prepared an office with backup power and bought Starlink Internet. I wanted to ensure I had my bases covered if there was a power or internet issue so I could run my office. The only thing I never considered was a backup job, LOL.

I set up my office during the Christmas of 2023 and everything was ready to go in January.

I got an email invite on February 1st, 2024, to attend a mandatory meeting. This was the same week the media announced we would be laying off. It did not take much thought to figure out I was toast.

My first thought was Thank God I had a place to stay as my Airbnb in Mesa, AZ was rented for another three months.

I was still pissed that I invested all that money in an office, but shit happens, and I hated the job anyway. I was just biding my time with healthcare and needed 2-3 more years.

I was given a decent severance package and six months of healthcare to figure out my next move. My next move was always the same, I took a trip to Central and South America.

OK – now that you have the full story, here are some pictures of my Mexico pad as I like to call it. 

Judgers remember, your one-night cost more than my full month’s rent ($5 a night to be precise). 🤑5

I set the place up to make it feel like home even though it is tiny. As mentioned, I set up an office with backup power and internet if there was an issue.

I hung a 50″ TV, kickass Sonos speaker, laptop, and tablet so I was electronically set up.

I had my paddleboard on the wall again, fat tire bike, golf clubs, snorkel, and fishing gear ready. I have not touched any of them, yet. Honestly, they make me feel younger and ready to use if I get off my computer. 

I bought a comfy mattress, beer fridge, air fryer, microwave, BBQ, Keurig.

 

People tell me; that nobody wants to travel like you. I take it like a compliment from the airport there frosty. ☃️ LOL!!

The thing that sticks with me is that people also compare me to my mom.  

She was a simple Ukrainian who lived the same way in retirement. She lived in a small trailer in Yuma, AZ. and did a lot of things herself just like me. If they don’t like it, they can kiss my ass was one of her mottos later in life!

Mom was lucky enough to spend over 15 years as a snowbird living until 84. Seems like a good way to live to me and take it as a compliment.  I miss you every day Mom and I am bragging not complaining!