Saigon - Dalat, Vietnam - 26Apr07

Due to the festive holiday, lodging has became my biggest expenses. So i come out with a solution, "Come on! i am student. I just happend to be here during holiday and i do not come here because it is holiday. Please..." Normally it works and i got less inflated rate.

The journey from Saigon to Dalat was 8 hours. i was tired by the time i arrived, plus the 'begging' for lower rate. It was exhausting. i went to the market though, to buy some fresh fruits. The old lady at the market refused to give me change of 1000D. When i think about, well, it is even less than ten cent USD. So i just waived it off and went away.

i think a lot of time may travelers think they were kind of 'cheated' is greatly because of people don't use to this kind of big figure currency. When we talk about a few cent, we simply just don't bother. But when we talk about thousand, then a lot of time we just forgot and think, "Wow! This is a lot of money!" Kind of amusing, but i guess i will get used.



One the way from Saigon to Dalat. Up mountain.



The road goes spirally up hill.



Dalat town central.

MONEY MATTER:
1.)Accommodation: USD 8
- Hotel 171. Bathroom+toilet paper+hot shower+satelite TV+mosquito net. No window, no towel and no air-con (the temperature is around 24 Degree celcius in day time, even colder at night. So nobody need an air-con).
2.)Food: USD 64000 D
3.)Transport: 20000 D

Saigon, Vietnam - 25 Apr 07

Chinatown

There will be a 5 days holiday in Vietnam, so everything is double the price. Bumper...

i went to almost all temples and pagoda in the Chinatown or Cholon area. The temples here worship all kind of Chinese deities and mostly is the mixture of buddhism and taoism. Almost all Chinese clan owned one specific temple. The cantonese owned the Tian Hao Temple or that kind. Normally, there is a Chinese school beside of the temple too.

While visiting my 5th or 6th temple, a local Chinese student approached me and talked to me in Chinese. Most Chinese over here don't speak Chinese already. Even if they do, they don't really have a very good command on it. It was kind of interesting to talk to a young student. He attended to the school in the afternoon, school time from 1.30pm until 4.30pm. Pretty short, but it will be 6 times per week. He said he wanted to practise his English too, so i exchanged email with him so that he could write to me in English.

The different between the temples in Vietnam and those i found in Malaysia in Singapore are: 1.) Temples here normally have courtyard, built as per the old chinese mansion. 2.) The temples here are highly decorated with my delicate and beautiful wood and ceramic sculptures. i found that, eventhough many chinese don't understand the language anymore, but in terms of following to the Chinese cultural things, they do it in a more thorough way than us in Malaysia.

i visited a beautiful historical church as well. The church member even opened the locked shrine hall for me. So out of 'courtesy', i pretended to pray and spend probably 20 minutes in the shrine hall reading book.



One of the many temples i visited at Cholon or Chinatown area. There are many Chinese words in the temple but Vietnamese Chinese hardly read Chinese now.



A shop selling herbs used in traditional chinese medicine.



Cha Tam Church. The church is an atractive white and pastel-yellow structure.



Street scene.


MONEY MATTER:
1.) Accommodation: USD 4
2.) Transport: 205000 D
3.) Food: 41000 D
4.) Others: Shopping - 10000 D

Saigon, Vietnam - 24Apr07

Amusing Historical Museum, Stunning War Museum

Retyped after the IE at the internet cafe hang! $^&()^%%$$

i have come to realise that, air-con is a luxury at this region. Unless you go the the high end restaurant or hotel, which mean you are going to pay for the standard as per in Singpaore, then don't expect a working air-con at some decent restaurants or hotels.

i changed to a cheaper room today. Decided to bear with the heat and spend 2 more days here. i was not willing to pay for the not really work aircon now.

i finally tried the Vietnamese pho, noodle soup. Yes, in the vege restaurant. Quite nice, but i did not like the MSG they put. i did not like Vietnamese tea too. It got some kind of 'burnt' smell.

i shopped at Bien Theint market, got some T shirts and small sourvenirs. i think i got a bit too much compassionate that when i think about the average income of people here is just 100 USD per month, then i felt really bad to bargain for things i bought and for the transportation. The highlight of the day was the War Musuem. i was weeping when i saw the war photos. May be my past life was died in this region that i felt so much over here. Not matter what, i think i got quite a good rebirth in this life though. :) Gratitude.

The Reunification Palace gave me a deeper understandings of the history of Vietnam. Although i couldn't feel the hatred of Vietnamese towards the American now, but obviously the American involvement in the Vietnam War is considered as an invasion and cruelity over here.

The Historical Musuem was funny. There was a furniture shop right in the compound of the musuem. I mistaken the museum as a furniture shop selling antique style furniture in the first place. i did not expect to see a mummy in the museum. i was really surprised to see a 'corpse' lying in the glass.

i took the xe om (moto taxi) to the business area, dong Khai and caught a drink over the juice bar. It was a bit expensive (for the standard here) but they got fresh wheat grass juice and very delicious begel. The environment was good too and there was people opened the door for me, so it worthed every cents. :)

i met with Viet Ha, a Vietnamese girl from Hanoi for dinner. She is just 23 years old and currently doing her internship in her own country. Well, she has been studing in Canada for quite a while, so she speaks excellent English. i am glad to find someone who i can speak in a 'complicated' way. By visiting this region, i think i realised that, i speak 'excellent' English! ;p

She asked whether my long trip is a kind of soul searching or?? i seriously don't know. May be i am looking for something? someone? i only know that, i enjoy meeting different kind of people and seeing different kind of life.



Reunification Palace. This building was once the symbol of the south Vietnamese government.



War Remnants Museum. This is a powerful place. Many shed tears for seeing the pictures of suffering people during American War.



A beautiful Cathedral situated by the road junction.



The modern part of Saigon, air-conditioned shopping centre.

MONEY MATTER:
1.) Food: 142000 Dong
2.) Accommodation: USD 4 (squeezy , simple fan room with two single beds and attached bath room)
3.) Tranportation: 10000 Dong
4.) Shopping: 92000 Dong

Saigon, Vietnam - 23Apr07

Chu Chi Tunnel

@$%&*%*)*&^

Part of one of my burned CD is spoiled. So i lost my photos took at Cao Dai Temple. Too bad

i met the French couple again for the day trip to Chu Chi Tunnel, outskirt Saigon. i felt kind of warmth when they hugged me and said halo!

There were a few Asian and some solo female in the tour! A Canadian Chinese girl, a Korean lady, a Japanese guy, an American and some other travelers in group. There was a group of Vietnamese students too. i think i got really so well to be pro-active to talk to people first! May be this is the other benefit of traveling solo? So that you become less shy to interact with people? So i talked to every solo travelers. Interesting, i found Asian is normally more shy and reserved than some Westerners.

The highlight for today was crawling inside the 100m tunnel. It was so dark, basically i couldn't see anything. The Vietnamese girl in front of me was very kind that she offered to hold my hand. i felt very warmth. So when you travel, it was the kindness that people showed to you that you remembered. i couldn't restraint to have a kind of respect to the determination of Vietnamese people. i wanted to get out from the tunnel after 3 minutes that i got in. It were so hot and dark and narrow. The guide said, the tunnel that we got in was actually the "VIP version" as the government had made it bigger for the 'comfort' of tourists. But those Vietnamese people lived inside during Vietnamese War.

The American in the group is actually a veteran American soldier in the Vietnamese war. i told him that, i felt very creepy when the guide showed and demonstrated all kind of traps used by the Vietnamese during the war. They were very smart but those traps were just horrible as they were so effective and cruel. The veteran said, this was the first time he came back here after the war. By seeing those things and the tunnel, he felt a deep sense of respect to the determination and wisdom to the Vietnamese. He was a young man at that time and he did not know what did he fight for. "They gave me a gun and i am fighting for my survival." So may be 30 years later, when some American soldiers look back to the war at Iraq, then they would feel the same. I think i started to grow some kind of respect to the American. American have some kind of 'critic' culture and many that i met don't hesistate to critic their own country but yet i know this is probably out of the love to the country. This is something so different from the Asian way. In Malaysia at least, if you critic the government, then it would mean that you don't love the country. i think this is really a 'theory' which doesn't make any sense.

We visited to a Caodism temple too. This is a religion which combined Taoism, Buddhism and confuciunism. It is really interesting that it also absorpted the good parts of some other religion such as Christianity. The symbol of this religion is obviously an eye. A compassionate eye of the God to see and help the suffered human beings. The French couple said the whole things in the temple looked like a Disney Land, probably because of there were so many tourists. But i told them that, the devotees did not go there to pray because of we wanted to see them. The temple wasn't there because we wanted to visit it. I would love to spend more time at this temple, but this was a tour with Sinh Cafe. We got only one hour. The same thing happened when we visited a handicapped centre which sell handicraft. We got only 35 minutes and i queued up for toilet for 20 minutes itself! Once again, i am very sure that why i have never really enjoyed a tour with a tour company.



The exit of parts of the Chu Chi Tunnel which are enlarged and opens to tourists to experience "life in the tunnel".



The guide demonstrated the mechanism of the killing traps used by Viet Cong during the American War.



The group of Vietnamese students. Chu Chi has become a place of pilgrimage for Vietnamese school kids and communist-party cadres.


MONEY MATTER:
1.) Food - 56000 D
2.) Accommodation - USD 8 (Vu Chau Hotel. Fans+Aircon which were not really work. Most aircon around this region is not working. Hot shower, which is not really hot too.Toilet paper, big clean room with double bed and toilet.)
3.) Trip - Chi Chu Tunnel Entrance Fees: 70000 D

Can Tho - Saigon, Vietnam : 22 Apr 07

Last day of Mekong Delta tour. Went to the whole sales market of vegetable. I think this parts is really a small reflection of the current world. Everyone relies so much on the river for living and yet polluting it with human waste and rubbish. Doesn't this look like the world now? Everyone of us 'contributing' in a way to the pollution of our mother Earth.

Nothing great about the trip. Went to fruits farm and padi processing factory. However the French couple in the group have been in a way really taken care of me. Sharing their dinning table with me and we talked from time to time. When we hugged said good bye, i really feel sad that i had to part with them.

After 2 days of not getting proper meal in Mekong Delta, i really hope to get some decent nice vegetarian meal. i took a vege fried rice for lunch in a restaurant that the bus dropped us at and the Vietnamese girls at my table was very kind to help me to ensure that i got something that i wanted. Basically i found most local people here were helpful. The food was not great and with my bleeding nose (i always got nose bleeding problem when i got 'heated'), i really hope to eat some noodle soup! But i did not want to risk for eating something unsure.

So i sat with a Polish guy in the bus. He is working in Vietnam and taking the opportunity to travel around too. It was just another short encounter and no hooked up. i wonder, where does all Asian gone? i did not see even single Asian traveling around until now.

We got to Saigon at around 7pm. i get rid of the tout and got to the hotel recommended by Alice. It was triple more expensive than what i am willing to pay, but I will see what to do then. Found the vege restaurant that i wanted to go, got the bliss of eating a proper meal and yes, i am very tired now. Time to back to hotel and rest.



Floating market. But mostly for whole sales.



The fruists plantation.



The rice processing factory.



The local market. I like Vietnamese markets. They are lively and you can get anything from real gold to vegetable to toiletaries just at one place.

MONEY MATTER:
1.)Food: 58,000 D
2.)Accommodation: USD 8
3.)Trip: USD 5 (one day Chi Chu Tunnel trip with Sinh Cafe)
4.)Others: Vietnamese Hat - 10,000 D + India Lonely Planet Book - USD 8