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    Ho Chi Minh City
    Tuesday, May 26, 2009

    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    The Land of motocycle and hectic reckless drivers. For people who have been to HCMC, you will probably agree with me. Traffic are ridiculously busy there. I have no idea where did all the vechicles come from?! Oh wells.

    HCMC is mainly our 'transit' location. Our resting point between travelling to Mekong Delta, Mui Ne and Nha Trang, all within 8 hours bus ride from HCMC. HCMC is mainly for shopping and food i guess. Go to Binh Tay Market (Chinatown) if you all looking for wholesale prices-cheap!!! =) Try street food instead of restaurants.=)

    Nothing much to comment about HCMC. Just another Bangkok-like city are but less developed.

    Phnom Penh
    Thursday, May 21, 2009

    Heading to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

    We took a 4 hours bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh was a total different experience compared to Siem Reap. Good thing we decided to splurge on our accommodation. We decided to stay in a french owned resort style hotel- The Pavilion. We booked a room with private pool!!! It was great to have your own pool but more importantly, a beautiful room and a comfy bed.=)

    So Day 1:
    We arrived at The Pavilion. Chill alittle, dived into the greatness of our private pool.=) Then we headed out to explore the area. We walked along the riverfront, where many locals chilled out. It's nice seeing people playing badminton, linedancing along the riverfront and the small park opp the Royal Palace. We walked into a dark alley which leads to a local market, where groceries and cheap roadside stalls were everywhere. We had dinner in one of the roadside stalls. Food was acceptable, sugarcane was great and they definitely overcharged us. Still, we merely paid 3USD for the 2 of us, which is way cheaper than any restaurants along the riverfront. Anyway, we bought a durian and headed back.=)

    Day 2:
    We visited 2 markets before heading down to the Cheung EK Killing Fields. The place was nothing much but slightly exciting. Like this is the first time we see a human skull in person, and there's so many of them!!! Other than that, it's nothing much. There's just many holes with labels stated as mass graves for different victims.

    However, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was more emotional. A school was converted into Cambodia's most important prison in 1975. More than 14,000 people were tortured here before being killed at the Killing Fields south of Phnom Penh; only 8 prisoners made it out alive. Classrooms were converted into prison cells as well as interrogation rooms. Pictures of the victims were eveywhere.

    All in all, the killing fields and the museum were merely the scar of the tragedy. What was interesting was the history behind the mass killing. Read up about Khmer Rouge if you are interested.

    Check out Phnom Penh @ here

    Siem Reap
    Wednesday, May 20, 2009

    Hi Peeps. Sorry for disappearing. Have been too lazy to blog. Anyway, I have just returned from a 2 week Cambodia-Vietnam trip.

    First stop: Siem Reap, Cambodia

    Siem Reap is my favourite city during this trip. I fell in love with it's majestic Angkor Wat and it laid back way of living.

    Day 1:

    We went to the Old Market. It was quite disappointing though. I can't deny the fact that they sell everything in the old market. From groceries to clothes, from shoes to bags, from baskets to hats. You name it, they have it. However, none are of our interest, or at least their fashion are kinda outdated. Oh wells. Still it's worth taking a look.

    Later at night, we went to Pub Street for dinner at Khmer Kitchen, recommended by our hotel as well as our Tuk Tuk driver. Food was great, price was reasonable. Anyway, must try dish in Siem Reap: Amok. It's similar to curry but not spicy and it's really good. Oh, Pub Street is where all the tourists hang out at night, with lines of restaurants and bars.

    After dinner, we went to the Angkor noon and night market, just next to each other. Things were amazingly cheap there but you definitely have to bargain. Totally regretted not buying more. =( Oh, we went for the Fish Therapy thingy with fishes eating off the dead skin cells from our feet or something like that. We paid 3USD=4.50SGD for 15min per person. It was really ticklish and funny to see how Alex whine and plead if he can remove his feet from the water. Haha.

    Day 2:

    We went to the Famous Angkor Wat at 5.30am. It is said that Angkor Wat has the best view of the Sun Rising. I guess I don't really know how to appreciate the beauty of Sunrise but I think the review was overrated. The sunrise was definitely stunning but not incredibly stunning.

    Going through the temples, understanding the history of the Khmer was quite amazing. The abandon temples though filled with tourists, still holds the presence of history behind the sculptures and cravings on the wall, each tell different story. Little local kids can be seen everywhere, trying to sell everything from refreshments to scarves, as well as their services as tour guides. I am really amazed be how many languages the Cambodians speak. Most of the kids speak not only the their first language but also English and Chinese. Some even understand Korean.

    Finally, back to pub street for dinner. We had Cambodian BBQ-Yummy=) Then back to night market for some bargains=)

    Check out Siem Reap @ here