Here’s the thing. When I started this journey of going from place to place every week, I didn’t dream of being a travel blogger. It was just supposed to be a creative outlet on the side. It was a way to document my journey and my thoughts along the way. The real journey was moving from place to place while trying to make a living online. You see, I’m a freelancer. I have a contract that lets me earn money working on my laptop and all I needed was a stable internet connection.
I didn’t need to live in Manila anymore. That is a very freeing realization that anyone living and working in Manila could understand. So I left my condo in Manila and started traveling. But there’s just one problem: I didn’t get used to the routine. My contract didn’t require me to work a minimum number of hours. So I didn’t. I acted like a backpacker during the past months. Any “work” I did was spent fiddling on this website. I’ve done some breaks before but those were just spent working on the website or applying for new affiliates. Almost none of it was spent working on my “real” job.
Hoi An
I’m midway through my Southeast Asia trip. I knew I was running dangerously low on funds but I didn’t wake up to the real situation until I got to Hoi An. The ancient town of Hoi An is very touristy. It isn’t very expensive but I blew through my budget pretty quickly there. At that moment, I had to take my trip to a screeching halt.
I felt a constant tug in both directions. I felt the need to rent a motorbike and explore as much of the place as possible before hopping on to the next town. I also felt the need to take out my laptop and just work. But I never did.
Hue
I stayed in Hue for five days and finally got my routine down. I stayed in a really nice hostel. It was so cheap but had a nice free breakfast and had really nice comfortable clean beds. I mostly stayed and worked in the hostel during my stay there because I needed to get a lot of work done for the next few days. Because of that, I didn’t get to see a lot of the city. Only the occasional dinner out and quick walks.
Hanoi
I was sick for most of my stay in Hanoi so I just slept in my hotel and ordered Grab food. I didn’t get to explore the city until my last day. I ended up canceling my 24-hour bus ride to Vientiane because I wasn’t sure I’d make it in my condition. Instead, I booked a flight to Chiang Mai the next day.
I feel like I got sick because of the bus ride from Hue. If you’re traveling Vietnam, I would recommend taking the train instead of the cheap sleeper buses. At the very least, do not go with Hoang Long. Take a chance on a different bus company instead.
I’ll only stay two nights in Chiang Mai. After that, I’ll hide in Pai for two weeks!
