Short Note: Hi! How’s everyone’s first day of school/work for 2010? I think I got to add one more to my new year resolution, that’s, BLOG MORE!
Ninja-hai-yahhhh-mode-on!
Day 3 (20th December 2009, Sunday)
Actually hor, I like to blog my travelogues super detail because I like to jot down everything and I know I will read it back someday. Just like last few nights after I blogged about Day 2 Saigon’s first impression, I read back all my events and happenings during my previous Bangkok / Cambodia trip.
Scary lor. I had forgotten bits and pieces of the trip and only remembered like, 3/5 nia. So, pardon me for long-winded post.
(Anyway, I know most of you only see pictures nia.. don’t read everything one la)
Bobby and I woke up at 6.30am that day because we had to check out our room and prayed that someone will be checking out because we didn’t want to lug our luggage on the street trying our lucks hotel to hotel. So we packed, left it in the hotel lobby and told the receptionist to check us in once someone check out.
Big room or small room also nevermind lah. As long as got room.
Had breakfast somewhere near our hotel. Random pick.
Took photos of these menu so that I’ll remember how much it was.
So good leh?
Jobless happy girl and woke-up-too-early-guy in sober mood…
Black Coffee with sweet milk – 13,000 dong!
(B$1. Okay, Seria/KB serves cheaper kopi-C)
They gave us a thermos slim bottle filled with hot water for refill.
My Pho Heo, 25,000 dong (About B$2)
Bobby’s Omelet with Ham, Cheese, Beans, Bread – 34,000 dong (B$2.65)
The omelet is super cheesy lor, though you can’t really see it from the above picture. Bobby claimed that this was his best meal in Saigon. Super love those French bread lor! Where can find bread like that in Brunei? Really inside kiap what also delicious!
Nom Nom Nom Nom. I iz breadie-monstarrrrrrrr
Then at about 8.30am, some guy from the travel agent collected us from the hotel and asked us to wait at the entrance of the street while he went collecting more.
Rupanya, all the travel agents on the street sama-sama one. They just grouped the tourists and filled them all up in buses. That’s why whichever day you go touring also can one. Everyday also full full those buses.
This signage tempted me to send my cloths to wash but Bobby the Skeptic told me, “You sure? Who knows they wash your cloths with other random man’s with diseases?”
Okay, I added the “with diseases” part because I assumed that’s what Bobby’s was trying to scare me with.
$1 plus for a kilo, very cheap kan?
Better than me every night go back hotel also scrubbing my cloths there. Err, ya, I very sot one. Every night go back hotel will hand-washed my baju. And lucky I did that! The water that came out when I dried my baju ah, a bit black black one. Pollution super kick there!
Different buses with different destination.
The familiar roundabout that we passed by everyday and Ben Thanh Market.
Saigon Opera House.
There were performers playing, I don’t know, patriotic song or the national anthem and most cyclists just stopped there and listened.
Passed by Pasteur Road. Baru sakai sakai know that there’s LV, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and so on there. It’s where all those 5 stars hotels are too.
I guess, when you have a bigger form of transportation, you need a bigger statue?
Oh ya, this is “Hai” (his name.. I didn’t made that up), our tour guide for that day.
He’s super cute and funny! He’s like those, face serious serious but if you listen to what he was saying, all nonsense and ojipala jokes one.
I remembered the most when we’re about to end our tour and he was saying thank you to all of us.
“Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for joining this trip today. This, is a very cheap trip. Only 7 US dollars and we bring you to Cu Chi tunnel and Cao Dai temple. And other companies may charge you more. Temple, same, tunnel same. But maybe the tour guide different. More handsome, not like me. Better English, not like me.
So… you get what you pay. You pay only USD 7, you get ugly tour guide like me.”
Super kek-tiok ah!
See, only one traffic light. The other side will jalan if this side stop. But then, how will they know when to stop?
Told you they have their own super tokong system one. 5 days in Saigon and I had not witnessed any road accidents. But nearly kana those every minute also got la. I also ever kana motorbike punya side mirror langgar a bit.
Random.
Because I look not bad here.
How tombstones in Vietnam look like.
With atap one.
Finally we reached Cao Dai temple at nearly 12pm. Just in time to see them praying and we were given about 45 minutes to look see look see.
Cao Dai – pronounced as Kau-Die.
It’s… one of the weirdest religion I’ve came across. You’ll see why later.
Obligatory touristy shots, again.
The followers. Like taoist priests who have plenty of yellow-fu to stick on those Chinese jumping ghost forehead.
Front entrance.
Notice something unusual?
Zoom in for you ah…
Got see or not, got see or not?
On the left you see Guan Yin, and… Pope on the right!
Read more here.
The three principal colors of Cao Dai are yellow (for Buddhism), blue (for Taoism), and red (for Christianity). And white for non-followers (or in my term, no major)
Boo! Hehehe.
Praying session about to begin.
Gotta love the ceiling! It twinkles!
Statues of Jesus Christ, Buddha and the Hindu god, Brahma, side by side.
When I first saw this, I did a silent-choi!!!!! in my heart.
This is what Chinese wears (sort of) when someone in the family pass away…
Stopped by somewhere for quick lunch.
Well, there’s no high expectation for this restaurant as,you know, erm… travel agent “recommended” one… sure pricier and have to layan so many customers one go, quality also lower.
And ya, I guess I can say that this is our worst meal in Saigon.
Mine and his, which tasted like Red Bull x 100 the sweetness.
My fried spring rolls with rice. Super duper oily!
Bobby’s erm…. Boiled pork and rice pancake.. I think?
It’s a DIY dish.
My version, with my oily spring roll inside the spring roll.
The food was oily for me, and damn hard to chew for Bobby’s.
Rested in the bus for another 2 hours and arrived Cu Chi!!!
How vibrant and look at the auntie’s shoes! Like go shopping.
Anticipation
The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.
The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The role of the tunnel systems should not be underestimated in its importance to the Viet Cong in resisting American operations and protracting the war, eventually culminating in an American withdrawal.
Source from here.
We’re led into a hut (like the one you see above).
I don’t know how but the temperature in the hut was actually quite cool. Oh well, cool air condenses anyway.
Watched a short documentary clip.
Hai showing us the secret passage.
You have to be size XS to fit in it.
If I climb in, I’ll probably get stuck at my thighs.
As for Bobby, he’ll get stuck at his belly area.
Muahahahhhaa.
Crap, which also means that I have fatter legs and butt.
I took picture of this door trap because Hai said something funny about this.
“This trap is good for wife catching husband who come home late. And guys, if you get hit by this trap, you become homosexual, go Thailand and do business there.”
I know it’s quite bad but I couldn’t help giggling.
Paid USD20 for 10 bullets (M16).
Stupid Bobby took picture from my back…
So this one is pretend pretend only.
I like the idea of them recycling everything! Especially these rubber tyres into slippers. I would actually buy them if it’s for sale.
The interesting bit…
Down to the tunnel!
Not for those who has claustrophobia, high blood pressure and afraid of the dark.
This tunnel had been widen twice to accommodate tourist. But still super small for us lah.
I can squat and walk like the guy in front of me (above), but Bobby had to crawl.
Can you see how small it is? And it was really dark that I had to use my mobile phone’s torch light to show the way.
Err.. mosaic my face because melted powder and pale round face with tiny eyes just don’t go together.
I survived!
Erm.. tapioca roots with peanut?
Kawan saya.
Back into the bus and on our way back to the city.
Bobby was reading the lonely planet to have an idea where to eat for dinner.
My currency conversion table. Super convenient!
Went back to our hotel but the room was not ready yet. So without refreshing ourselves, we went to KFC for dinner. Hehehee. I always like to try fastfood from different countries for different menus.
Can see two Santa Claus climbing up the building?
Their Xmas deco super cool one. Very OTT.
No pictures allowed and this is the only picture I took on the menu.
Ordered…
Boneless chicken strips, fries…
Egg tart – Bobby said it’s very buttery. Damn unhealthy.
Roast Chix wings. Nothing like Pizza Hut.
Then, went to Kem Yogurt Happy for desserts!
Super confusing menu. Maybe it will be better if I can’t read Chinese.
Because, for the French Fries, it was written fried fish balls and for the fried fish balls, it was fried prawn balls in Chinese.
Spaghetti in Milk Cream Sauce is “Ice cream spaghetti” in Chinese.
Hehehee. Choco fondue with 5 balls of yogurt ice creams plus fruits and candies.
60,000 dong = B$ 4.65!!!
Love the ambience of this place.
Address and contact number for those of you whose interested.
Very guo-fen lor. Already choco fondue then got sugar-coated gummies lagi! Those gummies were better than marshmallows when heated because marshmallows like kosong inside, gummies still got something to chew!
Love our seat! The waitress was so excited to see tourist dining there.
Checked in our new room. Big room (actually bigger compare to the previous one) with 2 king size beds! USD25 per night as well but they charged us USD20 for late check in. Good kan?
Oh, that’s the night when Bobby “bombed Japan” till the toilet bowl got stuck!
Super malu when telling the receptionist lor.
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