A girl from Binh Thuan - Nguyen Khanh Trang (26 years old), currently an online English teacher, has just finished a 4-week journey across two Central Asian countries.
Apart from 3 nights at a motel, Khanh Trang spent the remaining 20 days sleeping at local people’s homes. For most of the journey, Trang traveled by public transport or hitchhiked along the way.
"My way of traveling may be a little different in the minds of many people. But I love the feeling of experiencing and immersing myself in the life of each land I visit. During the 4 weeks, I met many kind and warm strangers, making the journey even more wonderful," Khanh Trang shared.
19 years old and the dream of becoming a "digital nomad"
Born and raised in Binh Thuan, Khanh Trang did not have many opportunities to travel during her school years. However, she soon became interested in foreign languages and wanted to explore many regions in and outside the country.
Trang had always had the idea that she wanted to travel and had to have a lot of money. That made her want to study and work hard.
"My perspective changed when I was 19 years old. At that time, I accidentally met a foreign tourist who had been to many countries around the world, discovering local life.
He shared interesting stories, ways to travel with low cost but rich experiences. From here, I learned about the concept of digital nomads - people who both travel and work anywhere there is internet", Khanh Trang said.
At the age of 19, during the holidays, the second-year student of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Law decided to pack her backpack and take a bus to Cambodia and Thailand for 11 days. "These are two countries close to Vietnam, have low costs and do not require a visa," Trang said.
"Traveling alone, I was afraid my mother would worry so I said I was going with friends. Only later, after taking many safe trips, did I dare to confide in my mother," Trang added.
The first time coming to another country, the Vietnamese girl brought with her a lot of excitement and anticipation. Trang enjoyed seeing the unique roads and architecture and enjoying the local cuisine.
In Cambodia, she met many Vietnamese people and people of Vietnamese origin who came to do business and live. This made Trang feel closer and safer.
At the age of 20, Trang traveled to Singapore and Malaysia. This was the first time she experienced a sleepover. In Singapore, she slept in friends' apartments and dormitories. In Malaysia, the Vietnamese girl stayed with a Muslim family.
"The landlady not only let me stay, but also drove me to explore. That night, in the car, I was so tired that I fell asleep until morning. When I woke up, I saw her still sitting in the car waiting. She said I was sleeping so soundly that no matter how much she called me, I wouldn't wake up. She had to sleep in the car, waiting for me to wake up," Trang recalled.
Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. Trang has returned many times. In 2021, during the complicated Covid-19 pandemic, Trang made a bold choice, moving to Malaysia to work and explore.
She works as a customer service specialist in Penang, the land known as the pearl island of Malaysia.
"I still regularly do nomadic travel during my vacations. I always crave to change my living location to find new energy," Trang shared.
In August 2022, Trang returned to Binh Thuan and started teaching foreign languages online, constantly traveling between Ho Chi Minh City - her hometown in Binh Thuan and traveling to Southeast Asia. "Anywhere, as long as there is internet, I can still maintain my job well," Trang said.
A memorable month in Central Asia
Trang honestly shared that she planned to go to Central Asia when she accidentally booked a very cheap flight ticket, only 8 million VND (round trip, from Malaysia). In addition, the two countries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan exempt visas for Vietnamese people, visitors only need to bring a passport valid for at least 6 months to enter.
Before her first trip outside Southeast Asia, Trang spent two weeks poring over information on travel groups and blogs at home and abroad. Initially, the girl from Binh Thuan wanted to find someone to go with her, but because of the nature of both traveling and working, it was not easy for Trang to make a suitable schedule with her companion.
At the end of March, Khanh Trang took a nearly 11-hour flight to Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan. It was springtime in Central Asia, but Almaty welcomed Trang with torrential rain and a sharp drop in temperature, around 5 degrees Celsius.
After the long journey and the unusual weather changes, Trang was exhausted. "The next difficulty for me was the language barrier. Most Central Asians speak Russian or their local languages, while only a few young people understand English," Trang said.
In Central Asia, there is a culture of "after stopping" which can be roughly translated as hitchhiking. Many people on the road often extend their hands to ask for a ride, and if the driver is on the right road, they will give them a ride, sometimes for a fee or not. Thanks to this feature, the Vietnamese girl was able to hitchhike quite conveniently throughout the trip, saving a lot of money.
However, Trang's first two days of hitchhiking were also full of hardships. From Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan, Trang traveled 500km with more than 10 trips.
"The first day I tried to hitchhike, I failed miserably. I held a piece of A4 paper and wrote down the destination in large letters. But no one stopped because there were mostly locals, just wandering around the area.
I realized that I shouldn't hitchhike in areas where there are buses or taxis operating, and secondly, I should choose short distances," Trang said.
On the second day, at a local restaurant, Trang met a middle-aged driver. She boldly approached him and asked if he had been to Charyn Canyon. Surprisingly, he nodded and agreed to take Trang there.
"The restaurant owner was skeptical and advised me not to go because the distance was very far and no one was that good. But with 6 years of experience wandering everywhere, I believed in my own feelings.
I got in the car, he happily shared about life here, humming songs. He took me on a tour of Charyn Canyon like a professional tour guide," Trang recalled.
Running for nearly 150km along the Charyn River are rocks of many shapes and colors, ranging from dark orange to light brown.
Trang spent half a day traveling and 3 hours staying here just to admire the canyon from the top and was overwhelmed by the view of the lake deep at the end of the canyon, with clear emerald green water.
Of course, during her hitchhiking journey, Trang also encountered a few men who intended to "seduce" her. However, Trang calmly handled the situation, often lying that she was "married" and showing a determined attitude.
In addition to hitchhiking, Trang also stayed at local people's homes to exchange culture and practice the local lifestyle. For nearly 4 weeks, Trang experienced life in 3 different families.
“I search for host families on the Couchsurfing.com app. I read reviews from previous guests to choose the right place.
I also shared with the host my itinerary, my plan to work and travel at the same time, and especially the fact that I am a vegetarian," Trang said.
In Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, a Swiss woman hosted Trang for nearly two weeks. The hostess provided her with a private room, complete with a bed and desk, and trusted her with the keys. The apartment was cute and cozy.
"I have been texting and contacting host families since I was in Vietnam. I asked them about coffee or tea to prepare small gifts to bring over. During my time living with my hosts, I could help with shopping and cooking. They were all friendly and hospitable," Trang said.
During her journey in Central Asia, the most impressive images for Trang were snow and majestic white snow mountains. She often chose to trek to the wild valleys and hills in Kyrgyzstan.
One day, Trang decided to trek more than 12km to Altyn Arashan - a place with vast grasslands and snow-capped mountains of the Thien Son range that are as beautiful as Switzerland.
Trang started her trekking journey at noon. The higher she climbed, the lower the temperature became, the air was thinner, the path was steep and rocky. Many times, Trang wanted to give up. Luckily, she met two Dutch tourists. They constantly cheered and encouraged the small, slim Asian girl.
"The final destination of the journey is a peaceful village nestled among majestic snow-capped mountains. The scenery is as beautiful as a painting, worth the effort I put in for several hours," Trang shared.
The village had overnight accommodation, but because of the promise to invite the host to dinner, Trang decided to return at 5pm. She did not know that it was too late, the groups of visitors had long since left the village. Trang trudged along the road alone with a throbbing leg, her phone only had 1% battery left. She even saw a car falling off a cliff.
"At that time, I was really desperate. Suddenly, there was the last bus carrying a group of Russian tourists from the village. When they saw me waving for a ride, they kindly gave me a ride," Trang said. But the trip was no less "stormy" because the road was too bumpy and rocky. At times, passengers were thrown off their seats.
"The guests seemed to be used to it so they were very calm, only I screamed in fear," Khanh Trang said.
She finally returned to her safe place. "This was an unforgettable but still very lucky experience for me. When I got off the bus, I asked the driver to give me money to thank him, but he refused," Trang said.
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Although very satisfied with the wonderful experiences in the two Central Asian countries, Khanh Trang also has some notes for everyone.
According to the female tourist, toilets and bathrooms in remote areas are a luxury. If you stay in tourist destinations far from the city center, you will see that local houses do not have hot water systems, and the toilets are built in tunnels, with planks for sitting.
The cost of living in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is the same as in Vietnam, so eating and shopping are not too expensive. However, tourists should still bargain. Especially in tourist markets, according to Trang, the price should be reduced to 1/2 - 1/3 of the original price.
Locals in cities usually speak Russian, in the suburbs they speak their native language. Tourists can use phone apps to translate. However, in areas on highways or in the suburbs, the internet is very poor, you will have to use a lot of body language.
"One more thing, people in these two countries eat a lot of beef, lamb, and horse. It's extremely difficult to find a vegetarian restaurant here. Once, I was kicked out of a restaurant when I wanted to ask them to make a vegetarian dish but they refused," Trang said.
Trang shared that the trip cost only about 24 million VND. Of which, the airfare was 11 million VND; the motel was 1 million VND; food, transportation, gifts for the host and tickets to tourist attractions were about 8 million VND; the transit cost in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and gifts to bring home were about 4 million VND.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/co-gai-binh-thuan-ke-xe-ngu-nho-phuot-trung-a-trong-4-tuan-va-su-co-nho-doi-2290774.html
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