Day 1
Another holiday! Another early flight! haha.. think this has become a common trait of my hols? don’t really like to waste part of the hard earned hol sleeping or travelling so I guess tts why most of my hols have early morning flights ba.. well.. I wont be tired if I had enough slp (only slpt 3hrs from 1-ish to 430?) but was too busy packing (many misc last min errands like setting out of office, settling credit card payments, time reports, travel insurance.. next time must rem to buffer time in for them).
And so the 3 musketeers gathered at BK at 530am for the most important mission of the day – breakfast! Lol~
Another holiday! Another early flight! haha.. think this has become a common trait of my hols? don’t really like to waste part of the hard earned hol sleeping or travelling so I guess tts why most of my hols have early morning flights ba.. well.. I wont be tired if I had enough slp (only slpt 3hrs from 1-ish to 430?) but was too busy packing (many misc last min errands like setting out of office, settling credit card payments, time reports, travel insurance.. next time must rem to buffer time in for them).
And so the 3 musketeers gathered at BK at 530am for the most important mission of the day – breakfast! Lol~
From long before, things started to get ominous for us (daily reports of flooding in vietnam and Cambodia in the run up to our flight) and it continues this day (on hindsight, lucky we ate breakfast! 早餐万岁！;p). First, the flight got delayed (not because the plane wasn’t here.. that was what happened to me in macau earlier this yr.. but tts another story for another day.. long due actually. ;p) because apparently a passenger checked in his/her luggage but.. somehow didn’t board the plane. Didn’t these pple ever heard of courier services like DHL or FedEx?
After 1 hr of haggling, we finally soar up the skies. That is not before another passenger complained she "lost her assets" (I guess the silicons must have sipped out during her trip to the bathroom because when she walked out of the plane, she seem pretty flat to me). So anyway, we arrived in Ho Chi Minh all excited and raring to go. But the higher beings hadn’t had enough fun. When Koksoon and I were done collecting our check-in baggage, Desmond was still missing his. We waited but just like the most coveted orgasm, it never came. ;p finally after some.. *ahem* probing by the officers, it was found hidden out of sight beneath the conveyor belt.. we later found out the leather bag belonged to Desmond’s mum – maybe it was trying to flee as it hated it’s looks on Desmond’s arms. ;p
After successfully checking in early at the Thanh Thuy Hotel (no signs of flooding at all in HCMC), we headed down to the most famous market – Ben Thah Market. The 2 of them made an absolute killing today and as it stands, I am way below the [Spending] standings, with only a pouch (not even for myself!) and a handful of postcards to count as my 战利品. But we didn’t emerge from the “battlefield” without our scars. For the uninitiated, the vendors (mostly female) are sexual predators. Every time you pass by their stores, they will touch your hand, caress your chest, asking you softly “What are you looking for.. What size...” if not for the t-shirts or shoes on sale, I would have thought they meant something else. Man, one even smacks your butt for not buying (koksoon can testify to that). And sadly, I got touched on the mid-drift area by a gay-ish looking guy while buying the pouch. I guess that’s a compliment? ;p
After successfully checking in early at the Thanh Thuy Hotel (no signs of flooding at all in HCMC), we headed down to the most famous market – Ben Thah Market. The 2 of them made an absolute killing today and as it stands, I am way below the [Spending] standings, with only a pouch (not even for myself!) and a handful of postcards to count as my 战利品. But we didn’t emerge from the “battlefield” without our scars. For the uninitiated, the vendors (mostly female) are sexual predators. Every time you pass by their stores, they will touch your hand, caress your chest, asking you softly “What are you looking for.. What size...” if not for the t-shirts or shoes on sale, I would have thought they meant something else. Man, one even smacks your butt for not buying (koksoon can testify to that). And sadly, I got touched on the mid-drift area by a gay-ish looking guy while buying the pouch. I guess that’s a compliment? ;p
After a short break (Koksoon and Desmond really 老了..) which also saw koksoon 搭讪a Caucasian milf (just kidding.. we just wanted her to help us take a pic but she apparently thought we wanted to take a photo WITH her, lol~), we spent the rest of the afternoon scouring for tours to cu-chi tunnels, something which I believe I will be very interested in.. it’s the tunnels which the Vietnamese used as part of their Guerilla warfare during the Vietnamese War with the US army. Like all the secret 隧道and chambers.. so mysterious and exciting! Hope it wont be disappointing! We are heading there tmr~ But more importantly, we were searching for Mekong Delta tours which would bring us into Cambodia too. We always knew we wanted to take a boat into Siem Reap but due to limited info online, we never managed to confirm the mode, timings etc. But it’s finally done! We had to cancel the last night of stay in HCMC though (feel bad for the receptionist here because she seem so helpful n friendly).
Had dinner at Allez Boo, “one of the best restaurants in HCMC” but it was nowhere near “best”. Okay, atmosphere was pretty gd, but the food.. no good.. the price wasn’t even cheap. Whiled the rest of the night away playing Monopoly Deal. Coincidentally, Desmond and I both brought. Haha.. koksoon was new to the game, but after 7 rounds, he emerged victorious, winning a total of 3 rounds while Desmond and I tied at 2 each. Beginners luck. Pui! LoL~
Day 2
Woke pretty early today cuz we signed up with a tour to visit Cu chi tunnels. These complicated tunnel system, painstakingly made just with a simple shovel and basket, were used by the Vietcong to conduct guerilla warfare against the American during the Vietnamese war.
Woke pretty early today cuz we signed up with a tour to visit Cu chi tunnels. These complicated tunnel system, painstakingly made just with a simple shovel and basket, were used by the Vietcong to conduct guerilla warfare against the American during the Vietnamese war.
During the guided tour, the tour guide showed us small holes which the Vietnamese made in the ground to get in/out from the tunnels. For most of the tour, he introduced us to the various booby traps which the Vietcong laid outside the tunnels, as well as in the tunnels just in case the Americans found their way in. And that wasn’t the only way they tried to counter this possibility – they made sure some of the passages in the tunnel system was so narrow that the typical American would not be able to get through because of their natural build. From what we learnt from the guide, these passages have already been expanded to accommodate tourists. If that is true, then I can really imagine how tough it was for the Vietnamese to move around in the system during wartime because we had a torrid time in the tunnels. It was so small we had to duck walk our way through 100m to reach the end of the tourist route (the original route during the war was up to 200km long!) that we were totally drenched in our own sweat. The concept of the tunnels really captured me but traversing it is really not for the faint hearted.
We even had abit of time to shoot some guns (we choose the AK47!) but couldn’t really tell we hit the target because the target board was so far. It’s a far cry from the bazooka which I was hoping to see, but it was still fun nonetheless. =)
But this tour only reminded me why I choose to have my holidays free and easy all these while. There wasn’t much time to take photos at all! most of the time, by time the guide finished speaking, we had to move on because the next tour grp had arrived. Other times, we couldn’t take our time to get that perfect shot as our grp was moving further and further.. we wld hav lost them if we didn’t catch up. But this time round no choice lah.. cuz it’s quite far away from Ho Chi Minh City (almost 2hrs by bus!) and we don’t know how to get there on our own. =(
By time we arrived back in HCMC, it was a couple of hrs past lunch so we settle at a café/restaurant on Hem Bui Vien street. Most of the noon was spending shopping along Bui Vien Street itself, a stretch with good combi of cheap nice but fake and authentic genuine merchandise (it better be else desmond would be heartbroken to have spent 30 on a pair of havaianas! haha..) and some exquisite (not cheap!) handicraft. We also spent a great deal of time looking for a decent place for massage, decent in every meaning of the word. LoL~ We finally settled for a place called Rose Spa but even for US9/hr, it was still not really worth it still.
But the plus pt was that dinner was most awesome. We had hotpot and the soup tasted like a mix of tom yum and kim chi.. nice and spicy! I think the best dish was the one with the rice paper where we had to wrap all the ingredients (like pork, shrimps, vege) like po piah style… the dipping sauce is a must! The waiter was very nice too! Teaching us how to eat the hotpot, which ingredients we should or should not throw in (all the dishes came together we don’t know which was for the hotpot! lol~), how to eat the rice paper dish (have to admit we were clueless when we ordered it! ;p). Though one of the other waiter made a big boo boo! They used solid fuel to heat the hotspot and it needed constant replacements when it died out. This waiter (not the helpful one, the other one!) came and accidentally dropped lighted solid fuel just next to me (horror!) and it was burning the ground. He attempted to put it out by stepping on it, but then the sole of his shoe caught fire (more horror!). lucky he managed to put it out and the fire on the ground just burn itself out. No photos though.. I was practically so shell shocked that I wasn’t thinking. Overall we had a very gd time at the place, chatting long into the night even after we were done. Sometimes I wonder… is it a question of the food/ambience/service or is it the company I had which made me like that dinner much? I know Im doing the place injustice, but I forgot to take down the name of the place! I keep reminding myself to write it down when we leave (so can see signboard) but it just slipped my mind! I do remember it’s location though - along cong quynh, between pham ngu lao and Bui Vien street.
Day 3
Opened my eyes with an aching in my thighs – quads to be precise. Guess the Cu Chi Tunnels is really 魔鬼训练.. 哈哈.. we had some yummy brunch @ Highlands Coffee along Nguyen Du Street, reminiscing fondly about our JC days. We finally set off after we almost finished scanning through all the ex-AJ 美女s on facebook. ;p
Opened my eyes with an aching in my thighs – quads to be precise. Guess the Cu Chi Tunnels is really 魔鬼训练.. 哈哈.. we had some yummy brunch @ Highlands Coffee along Nguyen Du Street, reminiscing fondly about our JC days. We finally set off after we almost finished scanning through all the ex-AJ 美女s on facebook. ;p
When we finally reached Notre Dame Cathedral, it was a sight to behold. It was a day with pretty clear blue skies, everything looking like a painted picture. Had we known there’s a coffeebean and NYDC just across the road from the cathedral, we would definitely have had our brunch there instead. Imagine… sitting under the warm sunny day, with clear blue skies, looking at one of the finest buildings, having a relaxing coffee with your best friends, chatting about almost everything and anything.. I say this is life. =)
We then headed to the General Post office which was next to the Cathedral to send some postcards! I wonder how long it would take to deliver though.. haha..
We walked around the city, visiting the municipal theatre, passed by the Rex hotel (where press conferences were held during the Vietnamese War), stood outside the majestic looking City Hall (tapping wi-fi! LoL~) But eventually we had to pass on the Reunification Hall, the War Remnants Museum and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum though cuz… surprise surprise.. we ran out of time! (the latter 2 closes its door at 515pm) guess we spent too much time shopping again.. haha.. ;p After so many shopping adventures, I hav to admit that Desmond is pretty 厉害 at bargaining.. he negotiates so well im sure he’ll make an excellent consultant. =p (and a good thing he’s a good one because he buys practically everything! Budgeted or not!)
Whereas my fate now dangles on a thread. Just received an email from Rachel (Consulting HR Recruiter) ytrdae, wanting to schedule an interview. But since im away to Vietnam/Cambodia, exploring the world, trying to understand life better.. no choice have to reschedule lo. All these interviews and procedures are really making me anxious.. *sigh*
Whereas my fate now dangles on a thread. Just received an email from Rachel (Consulting HR Recruiter) ytrdae, wanting to schedule an interview. But since im away to Vietnam/Cambodia, exploring the world, trying to understand life better.. no choice have to reschedule lo. All these interviews and procedures are really making me anxious.. *sigh*
Anyway, we had an early dinner at Quan An Ngon, a recommended food place researched by Desmond. The place has a centralized menu and wait staff, but actually all the food are prepared by the respective vendors who line up along the perimeter of the restaurant compound. The food is not bad, but it’s not awesome either. That’s why i was pretty surprised that, by the time we were leaving the restaurant, a long queue had formed at the entrance. Maybe this is what popularity can do? The price came up to about 10USD each? the average price which we paid for almost every meal.. so I wont complain much.
After dinner, we took a long stroll up to Miu Miu Spa, the 2nd massage of our trip! It was a more exquisite place, nice interior décor, proper lockers with the smell of lemongrass filling the air. Too bad they only have 1 kind of massage to choose from (full body massage).. and at 15USD, I guess it was reasonable? It wasn’t anything to shout about but Koksoon and Desmond liked it (not sure if Desmond’s perception was affected by the looks of the cute masseuse though, she looked to be barely legal of age fyi.. but I like.. ;p). Located on Chu Manh Trinh street, it is close to the “Little Japan” street along Le Thanh Ton street, which is lined up with endless stores of sushi, izakaya, yakitori bars and pubs. If only we had more time (and money! Both of them have pretty much exhausted their pool.. I got more cuz I changed in excess for next yr’s Bali trip. hehe), we would have dropped by one, but tmr we set off at 615am again! =( on one of the most grueling expedition of the trip – leaving Vietnam on route to Cambodia through the Mekong Delta.. gonna take 2D1N, hope we’ll be fine! 冒险了~~~
Day 4
After 3 days, we finally left Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon (its old name) as more fondly referred to by the local people. In our itinerary, we planned to spend 4 days in HCMC, but since we needed at least 2 days if we want to travel through the Mekong Delta by boat (at least some parts of the journey!) to reach Siem Reap (we could make it in one day if we took a 12hr bus all the way, but that would be boring!), we had to cancel the last night of stay at Thanh Thuy hotel. We felt bad, but the owner was very nice and understanding about it. This family-run hotel isn’t anything fancy, but their rooms is quite spacious and has stable wi-fi service (I don’t really need it because I like to cut myself off from where I came from while holidaying.. lets me really enjoy and not worry about anything.. but I guess in these modern times, most people cant live without the Internet).
Day 4
After 3 days, we finally left Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon (its old name) as more fondly referred to by the local people. In our itinerary, we planned to spend 4 days in HCMC, but since we needed at least 2 days if we want to travel through the Mekong Delta by boat (at least some parts of the journey!) to reach Siem Reap (we could make it in one day if we took a 12hr bus all the way, but that would be boring!), we had to cancel the last night of stay at Thanh Thuy hotel. We felt bad, but the owner was very nice and understanding about it. This family-run hotel isn’t anything fancy, but their rooms is quite spacious and has stable wi-fi service (I don’t really need it because I like to cut myself off from where I came from while holidaying.. lets me really enjoy and not worry about anything.. but I guess in these modern times, most people cant live without the Internet).
But what attracts me most and what pushes me to recommend this hotel is that their service is very good.. tho their command of English is minimal, they are very helpful whenever we enquire about tourist attractions in the city, trying their best to give us directions on how to get there… on our last night there, there was actually a power trip at about 1am? must be the Vietnamese celebrating topping their grp at the SEA games after coming back from 1 goal down to beat Laos earlier in the day. They were really loud and mad in their celebrations.. we could hear their cheers from the roads from as early as 10pm till even 1am when the power went off, they were still audible from our room. I wont be surprised if it was really them who caused it. So anyway, when I went down to enquire, he (I suspect is the son) said he’s working on it, and within 15mins the power was back (not sure if he recovered it, but im still giving him credit for his sincere response =p )
Also, location wise it’s good.. we could (and we did!) walk to all the attractions in town.. the furthest walk is the General Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral which were about 30mins stroll? Every other spots were within this radius.. but maybe cuz district 1 of HCMC is pretty small and compact? most of the hotels are also within walking distance ba. And most importantly, its cheap. For only 27USD per night per room, its really a steal for 3 people sharing it. =)
I think I can proudly say that, after a mere 3 days in HCMC Vietnam, I did learned something. I could jay walk across a very crowded street easily. This may sound easy, but if u know the traffic in HCMC, u will think twice abt agreeing so. And im gonna teach anyone who is spending time reading my blog, showing that they actually care abt what’s going on in my life. The trick is – don’t look at the traffic! Haha.. im not kidding u.. because the oncoming vehicles will try to avoid u, if u look, u know they are coming and u try to avoid them at the same time.. this makes them confused on where to maneuver and so dangerous. Okay, maybe I shldnt try to kill u. I think the main tip is walk slowly, do not hesitate.. do not have a sudden change of direction (or “drop ur shoulders” as we 3 commonly refer to.. ;p)
For this tour, we used the same agency as the Cu chi tunnels on day 2 – The Sinh Tourist, located on De Tham street. They are pretty famous and a lot of tourist go to them, but Cu Chi tunnels was so-so, let’s see. And so coincidental, our tour guide for this trip is the same guy for our Cu Chi tunnels - Tam. He’s quite a funny guy but at times he doesn’t pronounce his words properly so sometimes it’s difficult. We set off around 730? after about 2 hrs bus ride, we reached Cai Be at slightly later than 10am and we got straight down to action, boarding a boat, taking in the sights of the Mekong river of Cai Be. Our first stop was a honey teahouse where we tasted tea (duh!) and eat some Vietnamese snacks like winter melon, banana chips, peanuts.. etc. plus pt.. we get to carry a snake! ;p we then walked to the snack making (coconut candy.. yay!) and rice paper production processing location, just 5-10mins ba.
Lunch was next on the itinerary and we ate at this restaurant on the riverside, Xeo May
We continued on the boat for another hr on the Mekong river after lunch towards Vinh Long, where we parted with the rest who were just on the 1D tour. As the rest of the lunch team were going back to HCMC, we parted ways to these friendly strangers. Whereas our arduous journey continues with a 1.5hr bus, 30mins boat (its like the ferry which I sat in Vancouver.. the minibus came on board with us too~ just that.. not as luxurious.. hehe.. ) and a 2hrs bus to Chau Doc and we put up at the Ngoc Phu Hotel. Room was not exactly big for 3 men.. but I guess we cldnt complain because the German couple got 4 mice in their room! O.m.g.. o.O
We had dinner at the famous Bay Bong (disclaimer: lonely planet) restaurant but I think the food quality can be better. The couple who made up our table of 5 were from Holland.. the guy’s also in IT while the girl a university librarian in University of Twente. We exchanged and share snippets of travels details and then after we had our fill, walked by the riverside of this small sleepy town. Not much to see (not tt we expected any) except for a grp of kids practicing karate and a huge statue of fishes~ (the tour guide says its because the town relies a lot on fish trade – not surprising for a town in the Mekong – but sales have been bad lately). Thereafter, we retreated to the room for another round of Monopoly Deal! There wasn’t much else to do except seeing both of them struggling hard to get wi-fi so there u go! I don’t understand why they REALLY REALLY need the internet.. but argh forget it. and fyi, the night ended with Koksoon and me tying at 2 each and Desmond loving his eggs. LoL~ better luck next time!
Day 5
sometimes I wonder why do pple go on hols.. one of the main idea for hol is to have a break, relax and recharge. But so far, this trip is anything but. Today, we had to be up and running and finish breakfast by 7am and then immediately shipped out to sea. But I can understand actually. When you are on hol, you also want to make the most out from the trip, maximizing every single spent, squeezing every single moment to create wonder memories to bring back. So it’s essentially 2 conflicting holidaying concepts at work I guess. So if I am to be entirely honest, it isn’t a fault of this trip. guess im just all grumpy abt waking early in the morning~~ I want my 自然醒… haha..
we were first brought to a fishing farm in the area via a sampan (something like tt.. haha) rowed by an impressive boatman. maybe my wasn’t as much? But koksoon’s and desmond’s sampan was rowed by a lady. And not to mention the tour guide was on their boat as well! Imagine a lady rowing a boat with 3 men on it, maintaining poise and balance. =) Next on the itinerary was a brief tour of a small village of Cham people and a mosque residing there. On our way, I got to know Matti, who was travelling with 2 other Germans (a couple.. we’ve been eyeing them for awhile now because the girl is quite pretty pretty.. haha.. 3 个色狼) and so ended up on the same boat as me. I get the feeling he’s studying in Germany but in actually a mix of Turkish and Finnish. In anycase, we talked on about their travels (the couple had been travelling 6mths already! damn these Europeans!) and coincidentally, he is pondering on a move to Singapore to further his studies (he also tells me he loves his gf so so much… randomly.. lol~) So, being the friendly mr nice guy that I always am.. *ahem*, I got his email address and offered to help answer his queries if he had any, even though I don’t think I am in the best position? I mean, look at the fact, im local, what are the chances that I wld know the details on how a foreigner should apply to the university for graduate studies..in fact, I would be one of the last few u would expect to know.. I don’t know why he would think I would know.. haha.. but anyhow, I love making friends.. and he seems a pretty nice guy.. (and he helped me take pics.. *pose pose*) lol~ ;p
sometimes I wonder why do pple go on hols.. one of the main idea for hol is to have a break, relax and recharge. But so far, this trip is anything but. Today, we had to be up and running and finish breakfast by 7am and then immediately shipped out to sea. But I can understand actually. When you are on hol, you also want to make the most out from the trip, maximizing every single spent, squeezing every single moment to create wonder memories to bring back. So it’s essentially 2 conflicting holidaying concepts at work I guess. So if I am to be entirely honest, it isn’t a fault of this trip. guess im just all grumpy abt waking early in the morning~~ I want my 自然醒… haha..
when we reached our destination, the tour guide gave a brief speech on the history of the Cham people.. how they were forced into a small corner near the Vietnam-Cambodia border (some even fleeing into Cambodia) after repeating losing battles against North Vietnam in the early days (whenever they lost, they had to give away half of their territory).
A very fruitful trip so far, but the highlight of the day has to be meeting Tin Tin! I’ve seen a lot of T-shirts on sale in Vietnam with the big bold letters “Tin Tin in Vietnam” and the tidy looking boi proudly embracing their prints but I never knew it was true! LoL~
Thereafter, we embarked on our arduous journey up to Siem Reap in typical TinTin style (cant stop poking fun at him.. haha..), first breezing (surprisingly) through a 2 hour boat ride to the Vietnam custom, Vinh Xuong. Maybe it was quick because of the novelty of the ride.. and us making new friends again! This time, we got to know a couple (maybe? they didn’t act like one) and o.m.g, why all foreigners look so pretty and handsome (*jealous* >.<)? We spent a great deal of time with the usual formalities, “where r u from” (they r from Netherlands btw), “how old r u”, “how long have u been travelling (6weeks, damn why m I Asian!)”, “where else are you travelling to (duh! Cambodia?! Lol)”
Initially before the tour, we were still preparing a journey to Siem Reap without any food – so much so that we stocked up on petty snacks like “hello panda” and “Pringles”. But we really underestimated the tour agency. Yes, the rooms weren’t anything fancy, the tour destinations not the most fascinating, but one thing u bet they wont miss out is the basic 3 meals per day – they had them covered. We had abt an hr lunch at the Vinh Xuong checkpoint, crossing over to Kaamsamnar Kohrokar customs of Cambodia and we were officially one foot in! we were excited for awhile, but the feeling quickly died off as another 2hr long boat ride stared us in the face. Surprisingly, we docked within an hr. Supposed to alight at Neak Luang, but I think they cut back on the boat trip and travelled longer by bus, which was an ultimate disaster! For one, the boat was much more spacious (if we sat any closer on the bus, we might as well slpt with each other! hmm.. not a bad thought if I was sitting beside one of the hotties? lol~ just kidding!) and two, at least there was cooling breeze on board the boat (the air con on the bus doesn’t seem to be working). But I kinda prepared myself for these when we had decided to explore Vietnam-Cambodia. What really made me hate this bus ride, was something unexpected.
As there were limited seats on this pathetic bus, one of us had to sit back-facing the traffic. As both of them are unable to (they say they will feel giddy after awhile), I naturally offered to (since I have no such motion restrictions). And that’s why, when they decided to have a grp pic taken (by now, after all the long boat hrs together, we were all quite chummy with the other people on the tour), I was the only one not to be in the pic. Somehow I feel that im always penalized for being a nice person. Something I learnt about myself in recent yrs is, I like attention (hello? Bright orange colours.. AA outfits..etc etc ;p). So being out of the picture (when everybody else is) is something tt really upset me. To have it done by one of my gd friends.. well.. double whammy I guess? I mean, I totally understand why Koksoon wanted to have a grp pic.. he had already been complaining about how we missed our chance to have pictures taken with the malaysian couple and china girl earlier ytrdae when we parted ways (they weren’t heading into Cambodia so took the boat back to HCMC). I also yearned to have a grp pic together so that in time to come, I will remember meeting these people and remember that we shared a good day travelling with them. But I definitely know that, as much as I wanted, I would not have taken a pic if my gd friend(s) was not in it. Needless to say, I was so pissed I just slammed on my earphone and buried myself in the guide books, refusing to talk if I could.
Things doesn’t seem to get better when we arrived in Phnom Penh. The tour agency promised to drop us off directly in front of their office in Phnom Penh, so that we would not have any problems catching our transit bus to Siem Reap, but we were just driven to nowhere. Just as we were panicking (time was running out!) and contemplating accepting the offers of the many tuktuk drivers who have now surrounded us, the driver (hired by the agency) rode to our rescue ala James Bond with his own tuktuk, immediately scaring the villains away. ^^ We boarded the bus (huge and professional this time, unlike the earlier one. =D) without any further hiccups after having a quick early dinner at the Capitol Transport office (at that time, we still didn’t figure out that the tour agencies and bus companies there are very considerate towards their passengers needs and have arranged for a stopover midway to have dinner.. grrr). Oh, it was also here that I found out there really is a tour catered purely for people who wish to fire ammunition (including bazooka! ooo.. so exciting! too bad no time to go try out).
Just when my mood was getting better, it made a dramatic U-turn that even the best stunt drivers would have been proud of. Immediately up the bus, they were constantly looking for wi-fi again to use the internet. That really irks me. I mean, if u just wanna 报平安, or do a check in on fb, or just things for our trip, I think its alright.. but u keep using it to check fb.. whatsapp pple back in sg.. then to me, its like, what r u doing here on vacation? If u miss it so much then go hme! At least to me, its like saying, “sorry I don’t really enjoy ur company as much I wanna talk to my gf/friend in Singapore”. Some pple might think this isn’t a big deal, but again, its not in my character. I respect the company of my friends, the time they set aside to be with me, im not going to neglect them. So yes, saying im irritated may just be an understatement. That for me, was the last straw. I put on my ear phones once again, hoping to fall asleep to escape all these negativity. But for the whole 6hrs plus bus ride, I didn’t sleep for a single second. It was the longest bus ride I ever sat thru.
To round off the bad day, we couldn’t find our hotel (Oudom Angkor Villa) after we arrived in Siem Reap. We got off the bus close to midnight, and spent nearly an hr trying to locate it. luckily in the end, we found it tuck in the back of some shop houses. After a long discussion with the tuk tuk driver on whether we required his services for the next day to Angkor Wat (we werent exactly keen on him cuz he cldnt even find our hotel! but we gav in to his persistence in the end), we retreated to the comforts of our room, which was humongous. We each had a bed to our own and one of it was even a king size bed! lol~ had strong stable wifi to use (much to both their delight), though the finer details were not exactly up to standard. There were no hangers in the room for us to hang our towels to dry or to hang our clothes. There was a hole in the cable of the shower head and what made it worst was there wasn’t any shower curtain to prevent the water from squirting everywhere while we have our bath. But a major plus point was that they had a very warm helpful and friendly staff in Sarun. When the air-conditioning didn’t seem to be working, he spent his time trouble shooting, fixing and checking back if it was functioning well (not really disturbing us as we were watching Swansea take on Man Utd on the cable TV provided in our room – on a side note, im impressed with Swansea, gd passing team!), alas ensuring we had our cool sleep after a long journey from Chau Doc. Also, he didn’t have to but he told me that the price which we agreed with the driver was slightly high if we only intended to cover the inner circle of temples at Angkor. I am impressed by his dedication and commitment to make our stay enjoyable.
Maybe it’s in them to be so nice and helpful, having lived such a peaceful and simple life, which got me thinking. We lived a life full of dreams and ambition, pursuing the things we never owned and yearned to have, in the process, sacrificing people, material, moments along the way. If we achieve happiness in the end of the pursue, okay, maybe it is worth it, but the question is, “what if you are still not happy after everything?” does it justify the many things you have given up? And even if you do derive happiness at the end of the chase, can this happiness also be derived from living in simplicity without complications? If so, then wont living a simple life save you the efforts which stretches you physically and mentally? Or even hard decisions you have had to make through that journey? Honestly, im stumped. I have no answer to these questions.. hopefully in time to come, I will understand better, what is it I actually desire in life.
Maybe it’s in them to be so nice and helpful, having lived such a peaceful and simple life, which got me thinking. We lived a life full of dreams and ambition, pursuing the things we never owned and yearned to have, in the process, sacrificing people, material, moments along the way. If we achieve happiness in the end of the pursue, okay, maybe it is worth it, but the question is, “what if you are still not happy after everything?” does it justify the many things you have given up? And even if you do derive happiness at the end of the chase, can this happiness also be derived from living in simplicity without complications? If so, then wont living a simple life save you the efforts which stretches you physically and mentally? Or even hard decisions you have had to make through that journey? Honestly, im stumped. I have no answer to these questions.. hopefully in time to come, I will understand better, what is it I actually desire in life.
Day 6
After an simple breakfast (free~~ I didn’t rem the terms included breakfasts~~ ^^), we were on board the tuk tuk heading towards the temple of Doom.. I mean, the temples of Angkor. It was an extremely short ride to the entrance where we got down to buy our tix (20USD for a 1 day pass). Even had to take a pic (imprinted on the pass) which was required for entry at the various temples inside this world heritage site.
First stop is of course the much acclaimed Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II, who decorated and built it in his Hindu beliefs. Dedicated to the Hindu Gods Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu. It was a holy place for many. But soon in the ruling of King Jayavaraman VII, he decided that the Gods of Hinduism had failed him. The Hindu decorations and deities were then replaced by Buddhist carvings, statues, and other art, when it became a Buddhist shrine. One fun fact (okay, maybe not so fun) is that Angkor Wat, unusually among Khmer Temples, faces West and towards the setting sun – a symbol of death.
As expected, there were many guides soliciting, offering us an impromptu history excursion – which we expectedly (as well) declined. Not that we doubt their capabilities. In fact, I am very much impressed by them. By their looks, they were local, yet what came out of their mouth were not only English or the Khmer language (their official language). Many were very fluent in French, Spanish, even Japanese! I was very ashamed of myself (having studied Japanese for awhile now but still 一事无成). But, we never liked being tied down with a stranger (because we like to take our time taking pics! And stupid/funny pose as well ;p) so.. armed with the ever reliant Lonely Planet guidebook, we became our own tour guides.
We walked past the Gallery of Bas-reliefs, which depict scenes from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, but didn’t stay for long because we didn’t really understand the story behind the drawings (hey, there’s only so much a book can write about! Lol~) We then headed for the Central Sanctuary, which represents Mount Meru, the mythical abode of the gods and the center of the universe. Too bad we cldnt climb the original steep steps up cuz they were quite unstable from all the tourist influx over the years, and so the authorities built artificial landings to preserve the structure. And that wasn’t the only preservation. Even when we were at the top, there were many metal poles and structure in place to support the ruins. The view from atop, was nice, but having been on top of Mt Fuji b4, this was just okay-lah. Haha..
On our way out. we also noticed that many statues were.. headless within the “City which is a Temple”. Heard/read that they might be stolen by pple in the past, who were out to make money out of this historical site (also possibly cut off on command of Hindu Kings who succeeded the throne)
After an simple breakfast (free~~ I didn’t rem the terms included breakfasts~~ ^^), we were on board the tuk tuk heading towards the temple of Doom.. I mean, the temples of Angkor. It was an extremely short ride to the entrance where we got down to buy our tix (20USD for a 1 day pass). Even had to take a pic (imprinted on the pass) which was required for entry at the various temples inside this world heritage site.
As expected, there were many guides soliciting, offering us an impromptu history excursion – which we expectedly (as well) declined. Not that we doubt their capabilities. In fact, I am very much impressed by them. By their looks, they were local, yet what came out of their mouth were not only English or the Khmer language (their official language). Many were very fluent in French, Spanish, even Japanese! I was very ashamed of myself (having studied Japanese for awhile now but still 一事无成). But, we never liked being tied down with a stranger (because we like to take our time taking pics! And stupid/funny pose as well ;p) so.. armed with the ever reliant Lonely Planet guidebook, we became our own tour guides.
On our way out. we also noticed that many statues were.. headless within the “City which is a Temple”. Heard/read that they might be stolen by pple in the past, who were out to make money out of this historical site (also possibly cut off on command of Hindu Kings who succeeded the throne)
After meeting up with our driver, who found us very quickly considering the amount of people present there (given his ineptitude last night.. we were rather impressed! 加分! haha.. but maybe he scared we don’t wanna pay him and runaway. lol~), we drove into Angkor Thom (the ‘Great City’ in Khmer) through the south gate, the best preserved of the 5 gateways into Angkor Thom. 108 stone figures flank the causeway to the gate (54 gods on the left, 54 demons on the right), all figures supporting great naga snakeson their knees. On either side of the gate are the status of the 3-headed elephant Erawan, (the fabled mount of the Hindu god, Indra).
Many people make the mistake of assuming Angkor Thom was a temple, which was perfectly normal because we made the same assumption too. lol~ but in fact, it was a city of temples. It houses many well-known ones and we kick-started the tour with Bayon Temple, distinguishable from the presence of many huge mysteriously smiling faces, gazing out in the cardinal directions (N-S-E-W). This is believed to represent the all-seeing and all-knowing Bodhisattva. After horsing around (politely), we walked over to Baphuon, a Hindu Temple, with its pyramidal mountain form also representing Mount Meru. But after all the walking and climbing at Angkor Wat and Bayon, we were abit jaded and frankly speaking, without a proper guide, all the temples looked quite similar.
While we weren’t really interested in exploring, others who wanted couldn’t get in. While overlooking the entrance from above, we saw the guard (not sure if it’s a good term for him) turn away and denied entry to a couple of tourists as they were “inappropriately dressed”. If I didn’t recall wrongly, they were a couple of female Caucasians dressed in tank tops and shorts. The same thing happened at Angkor Wat’s central sanctuary I think. There was a board that shows the various restrictions.. something like the below but not the same one – you get the idea.
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Understand that it is to show respect to the gods, Im not judging but the weather so hot.. u cant really expect pple to wear clothes that cover up most of the skin? But at the sametime, I always believe that as a person, we should (not only be tolerant) always be understanding towards the culture of the country u r visiting. That, is one of the main aims of travelling, 不是吗? ^^ |
how ironic, but this is life isn’t it? to some people, a certain something may be dear and precious to them but they cannot have it. but those who have this same thing, may not value it and cast it away. So many examples.. he who possess wealth, does not cherish it but instead pursues power. He who has great friends/family may not value them but chases wealth.. etc etc.. I think this is probably called “one man's meat is another man's poison”. But I like to call it greediness. ;p
halfway thru lunch, a little girl came bobbling to our table to sell us stuff.. like postcards, wristbands etc.. we didn’t want any at first, but she persisted. Her English was quite good, she’s intelligent (she knows sg no capital!) and she’s eloquent too.. not sure if she was acting cute or not, but she totally melted my heart. Not in THAAAAT way.. I mean, I felt v sorry for her. she’s such a poor thing, only 8yrs of age but have to work so hard.. have to walk around the Angkor temples, carrying many things to sell to people who may not even bother about her (8yrs old I think was horsing ard at the playgrd everyday.. with no care for the future). “today,” she says, “I work because it is a weekend. During weekdays, I go to school”. and rightly so. Cambodia may be a country in recovery after the many decades of internal war, but I foresee that when they grow, there will be no stopping their stride and may they prosper sooner better than later, so that people like the little gal can have a better future. they deserve it.
After we had our fill (I totally hated my amok beef which was a Cambodian cuisine – too many spices which I disliked!), we continued our journey of exploration at Preah Khan. Also known as “The temple of the Sacred Sword”, it was founded by Jayavarman VII to honour his father. There is a Garuda (half man half bird creature, the ride of Vishnu) on the left of this West Entrance (most commonly used Tourist entrance tho the historical main entrance is the east). There is also ‘Churning of the Ocean of Milk Bridge’, where the gods and demons pull a serpent to churn the primordial ocean of milk in their 1000yr search for the elixir of immortality, at this entrance. We walked through to the other entrance and caught a sight of what was to come in our next destination – temple ruins with trees on them.
We visited Ta Prohm (Ancestor of Brahma), a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII. With the many ruins with trees intertwining around them, it lends a mystical feel to the place it makes one so excited, as if we will chance upon a secret trap door at any turn. I guess that’s what attracts tourist here? That and of course the fact that….. yup, this is exactly the set of Lara Croft, where Angeline Jolie took away the hearts (amongst many other things unprintable. ;p) of many young boys.
Our last stop of the temples – Phnom Bakheng, one of the regions’s first temple-mountains, was built by King Yasovarman I to honour Hindu god Shiva. We had to rush because we took a long time taking photos (not unusual because that’s our trademark.. lol) at Ta Prohm.. and worst is we took the wrong exit. Luckily we found something amiss before we walked too far.. the surroundings just didn’t look right.. (now I understand how pple get lost in the jungle! haha) so we turned back the other way. when our tuk tuk driver saw us, I think he must be secretly cursing us cuz he 明明ask us not to take so long but we still did.. then now make him speed. lol~ so anyway, we still managed to rush to the top in time to catch the sunset (some say the nicest place around here to catch the sunset! and I agree!) by foot! wanted to head up the hill by elephants (I know! So exotic right!) but -_-“ hee.. we cant find the elephants (I thought this only happens in cartoons! lol~) anyway, it only brings u up the hill but not to the temples.. and it was quite ex at 15USD one way per person. And u need to climb up to the temple to see the sunset, the elephants cant go up de.. so good we didn’t take the elephants ride lo.. but it wld be nice (pretty!) if we could enjoy the sunset while sitting on the elephants. at least that was what I was imagining. ;p
Nevertheless, we were one of the last few getting off the temple, so late it was all dark (eh, where got streetlights one..) while hiking back down to the tuk tuk. After taking a quick break back at the hotel, we were at the famed Pub Street – and it was amazing. Once you step into the street, it’s like stepping into any other pub street (pardon the pun. ;p) in, say.. Singapore. There were many different restaurants lining up both sides of the main street, selling all kinds of cuisine (western, khmer, Italian, even Japanese!) with adrenaline music pumping loud from them, and a young (and unbelievably beautiful) crowd in every single one of them. There were much more along the side alleys too we were so spoilt for choice!
We eventually settled for Temple Club (not because they had the prettiest crowd. ;p), and had some really nice khmer curry dishes. I think its quite yummy.. it was so different from my lunch. Had a short tour around the Angkor Night Market but again didn’t manage to buy anything much. It wasn’t exactly small, but most of the stalls sold the same things. = ( they did have some nice cosy (and beautifully decorated!) restaurant/bar/pubs in there (yes, in the night market!), but since we already set our sights at the Soup Dragon (the first place upon setting foot in Pub Street), we headed there for some quick drinks (and soccer match! Yay!) It was here that left me amazed and ashamed at the same time. As we settled into our comfy front row seats in-front of the big screen, a waiter spoke to me in Japanese, mistaken that I was one. “日本人ですか？” Somehow, I naturally replied him in Japanese too (since I speak) and before long, we were conversing in Japanese, funny because we both weren’t japanese. lol~ so once again, im amazed with their talent, hardwork and willing attitude to learn (which waiter in sg would like to learn a 3rd language?) and obviously ashamed because I have had the privilege of residing in japan for 4 mths, spent a couple more yrs continue pursuing the language, yet here I was struggling to be on par with his gasp of the language I so love.. *sob sob*
The last day in Siem Reap was rather restless as we spent the whole day in the city. Initially supposed to go to Tonle Sap de, but since its mostly floating villages/markets, they weren’t really interested as we’ve seen quite a fair bit of them in Cai Be and Chau Doc. Speaking about that.... we had so much fun since we came into Cambodia we didnt realise we totally forgotten about the flood threat. Before we came, there were so many reports we were actually quite worried? but maybe only the rural areas are affected ba? So anyway, we basically roamed about aimlessly amidst the hot sun (*sad*) until we chance upon Swenson’s (*happy~*). Yes, Swenson’s! Siem Reap is quite modernized. But Vietnam is too.. we drank Coffeebean there! =D
Once we were over the wealthy-kids-who-do-not-need-to-work-on-weekdays feeling (lol!), we walked on and was delighted to find another shopping market. The Psar Chas (old market area) was something like ben thanh market in Vietnam.. similarly enclosed, with so many stores organized in neat rows and columns (excel came to my mind! haha..), we were clueless on how to “conquer” them. After spending some time doing last min souvenir shopping, we took a 5mins slow walk to Pub Street (again!) and had delicious lunch at Red Piano.
Next up, was the massage place we scouted ytrdae. It was very cheap, only about.. 4USD for an hour? Though we 3 had to squeeze into a room, the masseuse was quite good. If I had to rate all the 3 massages we had on this trip, I would vote for this one in Cambodia as the best. =) The only other eventful thing of the night, (okay, maybe not eventful, maybe just funny? lol) is that, while we were walking ard searching for a gd place for dinner (last night know! Must be super duper nice!), there were several tuk tuk drivers who wanted to bring us to girls who can.. *ahem* give us a good time. haha.. this happened several times throughout the night with different ways of phrasing/soliciting, but the most blatant was one asking if we wanted to “打炮” – a handjob in plain English. Though I saw the funny side of things, at the back of my mind, I know how tough it is on these girls, having to put their body at risk of diseases to earn a living. That’s y all the more I hope that their society/economy can quickly improve their way of life.. maybe then, they wont have to suffer so much.
Finally, the last day of vacation is here~ normally, I would super dread going back? Because it signifies an end to all the fun I’ve been having and that it was time to once again face the harsh reality of life, and all the troubles that comes along with it. but not this time. in a way, I was quite relieve to be going back? Not that i didnt have fun, I did. I love the 冒险nature of this trip, and all the places which I've visited had some much history behind it, it was really interesting. Plus, the fact that we met some cool people along the way.
But i hated the feeling of being there when they 2 dont seem to be interested to be, with their constant "need" to contact the people back at SG. I believe in giving attention to the people i am out with, because i know they have taken time out to be with me, and so i should respect their efforts. But throughout the trip, and even after, it never came across my mind to make my feelings known. sometimes i do wonder.. maybe the reason we get along so well and not get into any arguments/quarrel (we have never ever!), is maybe i (we) am non-confrontational in nature..
sometimes i do wonder if i m making a mountain out of a molehill. In this current age and technology, i think you would be hard pressed to find someone who dedicates 100% of his time to you when he is with you. Maybe except if you are his boss and yr end is coming! hah! but.. im not even asking for 100%! sigh.. maybe im asking too much..
maybe it's just me? i cant seem to be satisfied with any grp of travel buddies.. even my last trip to tw with mh and roy.. it was a total disaster i told myself i will never travel with them again. maybe im just emo-ing.. the dead of the night always have this effect on me..
Tho the holiday destination and experience matters a fair bit, I feel the most impt factor in enjoying a vacation is the company and I have to say, apart from the minor differences in beliefs, I had quite a gd time with 2 of them.. I think cuz we all share the same kind of humour? We ended up doing silly things, talking rubbish, then laughing at the things we do/say.. yes, it wasn’t perfect but if I be truthful, I definitely would still like to go on another vacation with them. :) happy holidays~~!~!
But i hated the feeling of being there when they 2 dont seem to be interested to be, with their constant "need" to contact the people back at SG. I believe in giving attention to the people i am out with, because i know they have taken time out to be with me, and so i should respect their efforts. But throughout the trip, and even after, it never came across my mind to make my feelings known. sometimes i do wonder.. maybe the reason we get along so well and not get into any arguments/quarrel (we have never ever!), is maybe i (we) am non-confrontational in nature..
sometimes i do wonder if i m making a mountain out of a molehill. In this current age and technology, i think you would be hard pressed to find someone who dedicates 100% of his time to you when he is with you. Maybe except if you are his boss and yr end is coming! hah! but.. im not even asking for 100%! sigh.. maybe im asking too much..
maybe it's just me? i cant seem to be satisfied with any grp of travel buddies.. even my last trip to tw with mh and roy.. it was a total disaster i told myself i will never travel with them again. maybe im just emo-ing.. the dead of the night always have this effect on me..
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