Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India: 13June07

First Time Desert, the Golden City

This should be a romantic and sentimental journey. My first time to stand at the sand dune, camping out at night, huddling around a tiny fire beneath the shed of stars and listening to the camel drivers' songs.
The dessert is very winding and the sands flying every where in the wind. The people here look older than their actual age, due to the harsh living environment.
Riding a camel is not as romantic or as easy as i thought. The inner thigh and butt got really pain from the ride. i am glad that Mathieu was with me, or else, i won't think i would come to this camel safari and stay at desert with 2 camel drivers. :)
Jaiselmer is Golden City, most structures here are built from the yellow sandstone. However due to over development and without serious conservation efforts, this Golden city is now one of the world's most endangered monuments. Unlike the well preserved Jophur Fort, Jasalmer Fort look like a mess with contructions all around both inside and outside of the Fort.
Like any other Indian city, animals are every where in the town but besides from cow, they are camels and donkeys here. Indian is really incredible. They can live in peace with animals, sharing their living quarter with the animals. Back home, living with animals is unhygiene. In Malaysia, the government cull dogs while in Singapore, the government cull cats and birds. i wonder, are development and 'civilisation' making us lost something valueable in our human nature?



Behind is the wind turbines that kind of thing to generate electricity.



The sunset at the desert. It is impossible to sleep at the sand dune as the wind was so strong that we got sand all over our body, We slept on this platform in the desert and when we woke up in the morning, we was covered with a layer of sand.



The sun rise at the desert.



One of the camel drivers. He was preparing our food: dal (lentils) fried, rice and chapati.



On the camel.



Hey hey... The sand dune.



One of the havelis, buidling built by wealthy merchant. The sand stone building has incerdibly fine scupltures.



The fort. About 25% of the old city's population rsides within the fort walls.



The town itself is like a mirage in the middle of a barren desertscape.



The local main market area.

Sapa, Vietnam - 12May07

Fading Love Market

The initial plan was to go trekking. However it rained. So Laksmi and me just sat at our huge balcony and chit chatting.

When the rained wasn't as heavy later, we went to the market again. i really wanted to eat some street food if i could. The market here was equally lively as any other in Vietname. Tonight, there would be a Love Market in front of the church. Last time, this Love Market used to be a place where tribal girl and boy meet their partner. But nowadays, it becomes another night market for handicraft shopping.However due to the market tonight, we saw nmore tribal people today, with their different but equally colorful costumes.

Then we trekked to the radio station. The scenery was good on the top of the hilll. We could saw the lake and Fansipan Mountain too. But later we met Janjaque again. He went to the trekking trip and he said the rain stopped there. So i was kind of dissapointed not making to the trip.

Today, we got a beautiful sunset from our balcony. The rain stopped completely in the late evening and many people came out from their room to take the picture of the sunset.

Lakshmi's left at 6.30pm and we bid farewell. i then went to a tour company to book a market trip cum village visit for tomorrow. At least this would make up for me not able to do the trekking.



The eatery in the market.
Lakshmi took some noodle but nothing for me.
No vegetarian food. :(



We took a short trek to Sapa radio tower.
Supposingly, we should be able to see the Vietnam's highest peak, Fansipan, at 3143m.
However the fog was too thick to see the background clearly.



The views of the valley from the radio tower.



It used to be the "Love Market" at Saturday night , where the tribe people meet in front of the old church, to find their life partner. Eventually it becomes merely the business ground for tribe people to sell handcrafts to the tourists.




MONEY MATTER:
1.)Food: 64000D
2.)Sights: 30000D + USD 10
3.)Accommodation: USD 5
4.) Others: 12000 D

Hoi An - Hue, Vietnam: 3May07

When i got to Hue, i was tired. i basically just went with the tout to the hotel that he mentioned even without bargaining of price. USD 5 would be one of the cheapest room i ever got in Vietnam. i went to train station to buy my train ticket to Hanoi then. It was 40 minutes and i did not know that it would be as far. Luckily i got my lunch on the way, so kind of regained a bit with my energy and sense.

i passed by Ho Chih Minh Museum by the street. So i just went inside. There was a group of student obviously with the teacher. i could tell that they were really curious about me, but none of them dared to talk to me first. i wasn't really in the right mood to make friend too, so i just acted cool and ignored them.

It has been almost 3 weeks for my trip. i am getting very tan now and besides from i am from Korea, Japan and China, people started to say i am a Thai or Vietnamese. Well, i hope they really thought i am a Vietnamese so that i would not need to pay for the double charge of foreigner rate!

i walked along Perfume River and got to the market. The river was called "perfume" because: Legend 1.) The source of river passed through some kind of very fragrance flowers and making the river smell good. Legend 2.) The people stay by the river liked the river so much that they actually 'showered' the river with flowers everyday. Of course, nowadays, the river is just another murky river of Vietnam.

I started to like the market in Veitnam. Cleanliness is an issue, but the market is really convenience that basically you could get everything you wanted over there. From REA: goldto hardware to clothes to any kind of good. For foreigner, bargaining at market is really tiring. But as long so you don't mind to pay a little bit more (foreigner rate is always 4 or 5 times higher), then it was really fun and convenience to shop in the market. Of course heat is a problem, but i have get used to it long ago.

Interesting. On the street, i met with the Italian and Finland girls i hang out with in Hoi An. Such a small world. Someone said, "If you are using Lonely Planet, then you would never get lonely!" Yes, everyone is using this small magic book.

i even met Viet Ha for the third time just on the street! She invited me to join her and the German couple (yes, they met on the street again!) to the bar at night. i told her that, if i was there, then i was there, or else, don't wait for me. i was tired, so it ended up that, i did not show up. i don't think they mind too. :)



Scenery from Hue to Hoi An.



Uncle Ho Musuem. On displays are photographs and documents related to his life and achievements.



This is actually a school. Historically, Hue has been the heartbeat of Vietnam, including a centre of educational excellence.



The city of Hue lies along either side of the Perfume River.



Hue street scene.


MONEY MATTER:
1.) Accommodation: USD 5
2.) Food: 99000 D
3.) Transport: 6000 D (Hoi An GH to Sinh Cafe) + Train to Hanoi 177000 D (slow train, hard seat)
4.) Sights: Museum 10000 D + Hoi An City Tour (including Royal Tombs) USD 7
5.) Others: Skirt - 50000 D (found the skirt to have no linen. So it basically see through under the sun. Need to do a double work on it when i got back then.)

Hoi An, Vietnam - 1 May 07

Old town Hoi An, a living museum

The bus trip to Hoi An from Nha Trang was an uncomfortable one. The seat was small and i was sitting beside of a huge Veitnamese uncle. So it were squeezed and clamped. Numb at my back side after a couple of hours and it was really scary to see a stranger's face so closed to you when you kind of woke up in the middle of night.

The bus sent us to some kind of hostel at the outskirt (may be 15 min walk from the town). i refused to pay USD 9 for a night, so i walked to the town. It was a pleasant surprised that i met Viet Ha on the street just like this!. She offered to share room with me, so i just took it. The guest house was very nice and safe. Family runs and it was an ancient Chinese mansion kind of design. The only draw back was may be, there were rats. Not a huge issue to me though.

i paid a huge entrance fees of 750000 D for visiting to 5 places or 5 ancient building that kind of things. i swore that, i am not going to pay for any temple or pagoda again! All of these were looking the same to me after countless time of visits to different temples and pagoda for the past few weeks. The whole town itself was a master piece already, so unless you are really good in architectual or you want to contribute to the building conservations, or else, i seriously see no reason to pay this.

When i was having my lunch some where by the river and writing my trip diary, it was funny that an Australian couple mistaken me as the owner. They were there to book some kind of cooking class. We had a nice short chat and they told me that they took a hardseat train from Hanoi to Hue. I would like to take a soft seat at first, but if they could do this, i guess i am capable to bear with any possible uncomfort too.

By evening, Viet Ha and me shopped around the ancient city. It was kind of diffiuclt to imagine that, this city has stilled with the time and stayed as it is for centuries. The town was quite at night and this was one of the place where i felt safer to go out at night too.

We were supposed to have dinner with a German good friend couple. But both of us waited for each other at the different entrance of the restaurant. It was after Viet Ha wondering for 4th times that she managed to find them. This dinner was one of my great dinners for weeks. Good compasionship and good food.

Viet Ha's birthday fall on the next day. The guesthouse owner was so lovely that she gave her a boutique (forgot the spelling) of flowers. The only thing that i got and not from Vietnam was the Cambodian silk krama (scaft). So i gave it to her as her 22th birthday.



The fresh vegetable and meat market.



Except for tailor-made clothing, Hoi An is famous with Chinese lanterns in various shapes and sizes.



One of the old house been converted into shop house.
It is said that, the old town looks exactly the same as centuries ago. Many structure exhibit features of traditinal architecture rarely see today.



Phac Hat Pagoda. Hoi An was the site of the first Chinese settlement in sourthern Vietnam.



The cultural show, admission included in the Hoi An old town entrance ticket.



This picture is bizarre. Do you notice the transparent cyclist? i couldn't remember whether she was there when i took the photo.



MONEY MATTER:
1.) Food - 129000 D
2.) Accommodation - 100000 D
3.) Sight - 95500 D
4.) Others - Burnt CDs: 50000 D

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - 19Apr07

A Visit to the Orphanage - Save the Children Cambodia for Development

The weather wasn't as hot due to the rain last night. This was a bliss. My very nice moto driver waited for me at the front door of guest house at 8am and we were set to the Save the Children of Cambodia Development (SCD), an orphanage.

The driver got the way wrong, so we was lost but finally got to SCD (Save the Children Cambodia for Development) in an hour time. The place wasn't what i imagined at all. I did not expect something that i would see at Singapore or Malaysia but i was still shocked to find that, SCD was in the middle of padi field! i actually told the driver that, this mustn't be the place as there was no signboard and the place looked like some where a farmer will stay. But the SCD staff convinced me that, it was the place.
http://www.scdcambodia.org/

The staff showed me around and explained the operation of the place to me. Surprisingly, for such a basic place, the children were very well mannered, polite and very cheerful. The could speak basic English and they were just amazing! Contented and grateful. When i gave them the just some hair pins and small toys, ALL of them thanked me in English. i spent probably around two hours there and left. i was glad that i extended another day just to come here, if not, two days will be enough for Phnom Penh.

Then we went to Russian Market for shopping. i bought a silk krama at USD 3 and 2 pants at USD 4. This was the end of my journey PP already. i got the driver sent me to the river side. Passed by a blind massage centre, so went inside for a Japanese massage for just USD 5/hr. Then ate my lunch/dinner at the famous FCC (Foreign Corresponding Centre). i couldn't finish my vege pizza , so i basically just waved at a single guy. He came over, i offered him the pizza and chatted a bit, so end of the story.

i found that in PP, food has been my greatest expenses due to my particularity. Probably have to think of a way in Vietnam, or else i will far over budget. :)



With the kids at SCD.



My motorbike drive.



The market scene.



The street scene.

MONEY MATTER:
1.) Transport: USD 13 + 2500R\
2.) Food: USD 8 + 5000R
3.) Accommodation: USD 4
4.) Others: Shopping - USD 7 + 2000R, Massage - USD 5, Donation to orphanage - USD 10


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Grand total of trip to PP from Singapore including flight: SGD 323

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