Couchsurfing- Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

Address: somewhere in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

website: n/a

This entry is a little different as we didn't stay in a hostel during our time in Hong Kong, but at someone's house instead! Well, in a flat to be exact as we ARE in a city which has a higher population density than New York City. Scared by the high hostel rates in the cheapest accommodation building in HK (ie. the well known Chungking Mansions), we tried out the phenomenon 'couchsurfing' for the first time and as luck would have it, we were invited by a girl to stay with her father, brother and herself in Kowloon.

From the instant we met at the MTR station closest to her place, we knew that we'd hit upon a spot of luck as she was most friendly from the outset. 'Cristina' as I shall call her for anonymity reasons, slept on a fold out couch chair in the living room so we could sleep in her own room. The level of generosity that she gave us as complete strangers was one that I'd never encountered before and probably will never again. With four fluffy pillows and windows overlooking the bustling town below, her room was a place we looked forward to relax in after a day of strenuous sightseeing (ie. shopping) in this fantastic place. I was even able to make pancakes (with a wok- which posed its unique difficulties), make hot tea and see Hong Kong from a local inhabitant's point of view instead of solely as a tourist. Cristina took us out several times to taste the local cuisine which was a lot of fun. Who would have thought that congee could be so filling?!

Thanks to her kindness, we were able to explore a part of Hong Kong that we probably wouldn't have if we'd stayed in a hostel, and made a friend to keep as well. Cristina is definitely not a typical girl of her culture, and at age has an impressive outlook on life and dreams that one day no doubt will be reached.

Overall, this was the best place we've stayed at so far on the trip and was one of the most memorable experiences that we've been lucky enough to have.

Rating: 10/10

Thuan Thien Hung Hotel- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Address: 634c Cong Hoa Street, Ward 13, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Website: none

160 000 + 10 000 VND tax

a/c, fan, balcony, initial smell, dresser, tv, clean bed and bathroom, spacious

One of the most drama-filled nights spent so far. We were recommended this hotel by a lady at the airport for somewhere to stay nearby as we had a flight to catch early the next morning. The taxi driver missed this spot but we found a place that initially quoted us a price for the night then added as we were checking in before noon, they'd charge us an extra fee for it! No sense at all, especially as all their rooms were empty, and they were just being plain greedy. We left them to their sad life, and eventually realised the place that we were looking for was only just opposite the road.

She quoted us 160 000 dong per night but as we came in with our luggage, she added that she'd have to add an extra 10 000 dong as 'tax'. Ok, sure. Well, it was still the cheapest place around so we checked into a room on the first floor. She asked us for our passport to make photocopies of which was all well and normal, and also got us to fill our two copies each of personal information which was a first for us, as well as annoying (why two copies?!) but we completed them. Her helper though, who rode off on her motorbike with our passports to get them copied elsewhere was a total nimrod, and photocopied our Cambodian visas instead of the Vietnamese ones! Don't know how one could stuff that one up, but she did and we had to again leave our passports with her while she went off and made the correct ones.

After getting some food, we came back and collected them off her.

At around 7:30pm, we received a call from the lady owner who with her very bad English, told us that she needed our passports AGAIN to give to the police!!! We totally freaked out at this and I went downstairs to speak with her. She was only able to repeat that she needed them to give to the police, while I was trying to ask her exactly why she needed them a third time when she already had copies of it and we were leaving the next morning for a flight and obviously wouldn't want to take any chances with them. Eventually, she realised that she couldn't communicate properly to me and that I wasn't going to give the passports to her and left it at that. But through all the night, the reception phone was ringing (the tone was really loud so everyone in the block could hear) and it was very disconcerting to feel that she was either calling the police to tell on us or talking to other people about it and possibly asking whether she should come up and insist on it.

By some miracle, we made it through the night without our door being broken down (we had also left our room phone off the hook in case she tried to harass us again) and left as soon as we could the next morning (after someone checked our room to make sure we hadn't stolen or damaged anything which was another first).

If the lady owner was so paranoid about her rooms, she should never have entered the hotelling business in the first place in which trust invariably plays a major part in. District 13 was definitely one where no overseas visitors came as there was nothing to see, so all the guests were local Vietnamese however the appearance of foreigners should not have made the proprietor of the business flip out and insist on wartime-like identity checks and evidence. It was a very stressful and unexpected situation especially one before a flight out the next morning, and never were we as glad when we left the place.

Rating: 1/10

Minh Toan Hotel- Hanoi, Vietnam

Address: 23 Hang Non, Hanoi, Vietnam

Website: none

Located on the street behind the Blue Star Hotel, this place was also in the heart of the Old Town. For a stay of a week, we were able to get a rate of USD$9 per night for a room with a tv, a block of shelves and a bathroom which was very large and almost the same size as the bedroom because of the design of the rooms within the building shape. The reception initially showed us to a room on the third floor which was a pain for several reasons- that it was on the third floor which meant three flights of stairs, the water pressure of the shower was little more than a light drizzle and totally unusuable, and the tv was hung from the wall at an angle that made viewing very uncomfortable. There was also no reason not to put us on a lower level as all the rooms en route were empty!

We asked the reception to move us to a room on the first floor whose tv was placed on a shelf instead of hung, and being the actual owner of the place and actually having some sense, she immediately agreed and we moved. The shower was working quite well here, and the roomy bathroom was a nice thing to get used to instead of the usual cramped proportions.

Wi fi was also available at this hotel which was a great convenience, and the cleanliness standard was good. The only thing to note was the service of the reception- once when exchanging currencies, the owner gave us a 10 000 dong note which we soon enough learnt was no longer in use, so that no one would accept it. We went back and informed them and rightfully got a proper plastic note instead, but the owner would obviously have been aware that she was giving us a note that was outdated but still did it, for whatever reason. There's also no extra niceties here from the staff- no hello's or goodbye's were ever heard as we were just numbers to fill up their rooms.

Overall, a stay worthy of the relatively cheap rate in this capital city, in a good location and a nice enough room. Just check your money if you use their exchange.

Rating: 6.5/10