ULOG #11: From Vietnam to South Korea.

A friend texted me days ahead that she will be buying a new smartphone. She used to have a credit card but decided to give it up. Every time she wants to buy something, she will call me and use my credit card. I will accompany her and I will pay for what she purchased using my card and she will pay for how much monthly will be due.

It was supposed to be a meet up, purchase and then go home. Just an hour or two, right? It turned out to be half a day date lol!

Before going to Vietnam, first stop: Philippines.

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We passed by this new kiosk. This business is owned by the Gonzaga sisters, Toni and Alex, both are celebrities here in the Philippines. This was mentioned to us by another friend and told us that it tasted good. The smallest size is worth PHP60.00 and the largest is PHP80.00. You can choose to add more tapioca pearls and other ingredients like nata de coco (coconut water jelly), choco, etc for PHP10.00 per ingredient. I chose Taro and my friend Buko Pandan and we both added nata to our drinks. True to the recommendation, it is indeed refreshing and tastes just right. The sweetness is not too much.

We then headed to the shop where we bought the phone. Banks are getting wiser in their strategy to encourage people to own credit card. I know you have reasons if you are against credit cards. For me, it is a need. I started with a minimum limit. I built a good credit and maintained it. I kept using my card until such that I was given increase. With the bank that I opened my card, what they do is that on top of your credit limit, there is an allocated fund that you can loan which is double your credit limit. The reason I availed credit card with this bank is because of that. This has helped us and our family in our expenses especially medically that my mom needed.

Now, there is another promo where you can buy now and pay two months later and at 0% interest at that. This is what my friend took advantage of. After buying her phone, we went in search for a #gift to her husband and I helped her choose a watch. There is another promo but this time, you will be billed after three months.

I did not take photos of the new phone and watch because it is not mine lol! We were joking that if her husband does not like the watch that she can give it to me and I can either use it or resell it. The watch is on sale and it is half the original price so I can sell it at a higher price than the amount we paid for it. Unfortunately or fortunately, she just informed me through text as I was writing this post that her husband loved the watch!

TO VIETNAM WE GO

The photo on the left was taken using the new phone that we bought.

It was already lunch time so we decided to eat at Yes Pho. This is a Vietnamese restaurant. It is a small dining place and cramped but the food is wonderful! I haven't been to Vietnam but this is the closest to Vietnam that I can be. I do not know the taste of real Vietnamese food. I like what I have eaten so far. The fresh spring roll is a meal in itself. We ordered Bun Thit Nuong which consists of fried vegetables rolls, fresh vegetables and vermicelli noodles. There are different choices of meat for your toppings. I like the freshness and crunchiness of the food.

There is a small table near the cashier where there are displays of Vietnamese souvenirs like bookmarks made of stick, paper cut outs, postcards, etc. I also like the Vietnamese straw hats that they uses as light shades and displays. They used used bottles as flower vase. Their business hours is from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. During my first visit there, there were no seats and tables outside. The inside is claustrophobic because they maximize their space. Eating outside is a better choice because it is more open. Since all ingredients are fresh, there is just a few minutes wait before your order arrives.

As evidence, I have finished all my veggies. Lol!

I rate this place 4.5/5.

They should have a wider and bigger space for dining.

Here is a pic of their menu.

Yes Pho is located at:

S Building, Upper Session Road, Engineers Hill, Baguio City, 2600 (just beside BPI, Narda's and near Ihawan Republic and behind former PRC building)

BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES

We have to go back to where we bough the phone. This time, we have to meet my friend's sister and she will buy a new phone too. You guessed it. She will be using my card to pay for it. This time, the store we bought her phone, they only have 0% percent interest. After buying her phone, we have to wait for the rain to stop before heading out.

While waiting for the rain to stop, we roamed around the mall. There is an ongoing wedding show and exhibit showcasing different make up artists, photographers, gowns and everything else wedding related. My friend's sister was married last week. Her make up artist is in included in the exhibit. We have to find him because they have to give him something. Another task done.

OFF TO SOUTH KOREA

After the rain stopped, we headed out and search for a place where my friend's sister wanted to eat. She couldn't make it to Vietnam to meet us in time so we decided to buy her phone first and then head out to eat. Since we have eaten, we have to decide where we all can have dessert. We went to Wicked Snow because they have not tried it there yet. They play South Korean music videos. This is where I ate my first Korean Bingsu (shaved ice cream). I ordered the chocolate ice cream and honey bread. My friend ordered cafe latte and plain toast while her sister order beef steak meal. I was not able to take photo of my friend's sister's food because she was famished and needs to eat.

Overall rating: 3/5

The food is either too sweet or bland. There should also be more choices of food.

After we ate, we left South Korea and home we go!

Wicked Snow is located at the lower ground of Hotel Veniz, Session Road.

GOING HOME

This is a common scene here in our place. There is a queue to our jeepney terminal. Especially the weekend and holidays, traffic is very heavy because there are lots of cars filling our streets and roads. Jeepneys are colorful transportation that you will see everywhere in the Philippines. This used to be the only city in the country without tricycles. However, some places have tricycles now but not in the city.

This is my @ulog. What's yours?

gif by @phantum04