feels good to be back in a familiar place again. we went back to the same guesthouse bcos of the aircon and satellite TV. the owner is a nice man too. sadly, he has a son who is autistic and he desperately wants his son to receive medical treatment in singapore. i got him the address to consult a representative from a Singapore hospital but they told him that his son is too old for medical treatment. a school would be a better option. i hope he can find help really soon. his great love for his son can be felt when he told me that he is willing to sell his house for his son to get better. sigh...
we had a good time "rotting" in HCMC. i made a pair of spectacles which was ready in a few hours and it cost only 10 euros.
Friday, April 25, 2008
20 to 22 apr 2008, dalat
ran over
students
nice cool weather at dalat. didnt do much here... just walk around the long Xuan Huong river and the market area.sk phoned back home and realised that his grandma was quite ill so we cancelled our bus tickets to Hoi An and return to HCMC to fly back home instead.
17 to 20 apr 2008, ho chi minh city
tapioca was the main staple during those days. our guide showed us how to cook and eat a tapioca. they were starchy and tasty.
one of the taller tunnels
steps to the long tunnel
our guide demonstrated how this piece of wood (with sharp rusty nails) will fly onto anyone who opens the door
booby traps
no problem entering but navigating underground was tough work. we ended up sweating doing squat walks through a few metres...
Cu-chi tunnel model - how the vietnamese fought the war against the U.S.
the process of making a beautiful art work
a chinese 妈祖 temple, similar to the Thian Hock temple in Singapore
we were finally back in vietnam again, where we first started our "long way out".the traffic in Ho chi minh city (aka HCMC) is crazy. to cross the road, one has to walk carefully and just walk. though the motorbikes travel in all directions, they will slow down and bike around u.
we joined a half day tour to Cu Chi Tunnel on one day and met abt 300 singaporeans there. they were there on a company trip. how coincident.
overall, we had a good time in HCMC. the people there were nice and friendly like the cambodians.
14 to 17 apr 2008, phnom penh
waiting for our turn to get on the car-ferry to vietnam
singapore flag
clothes left by the dead
Cheung Ek killing field - the truck stopped here with victims transported from Tuol Seng prison and other places. they were to be exterminated here.
a cubicle cell
Tuol Seng Museumhad a very bad sore throat. then from flu, came cough, then fever and diarrhoea. tried to follow sk not to take pills. it took a long time to recover but i did recover eventually.
came to phnom penh to see the Tuol Seng Musuem and Cheung Ek killing field. the former was previously a prison to hold prisoners during Khmer Rouge. the latter was the place where the prisoners were sent to for execution. there were probably a thousands skulls kept in the memorial tower. most have fractured skulls and bullet wounds. cycling in phnom penh was easier than siem reap. roads were smooth. while cycling, some kids on the street threw water bombs at us. it was their new year and it is the time where they throw water and powder on each other to clean them of their sins.
there is a cheap chinese restaurant 东北菜馆 near our guesthouse and we patronised them everyday. one plate of stir fry vegetable cost only usd 1. according to the young lady boss, she had put on 25kg after moving to phnom penh.
came to phnom penh to see the Tuol Seng Musuem and Cheung Ek killing field. the former was previously a prison to hold prisoners during Khmer Rouge. the latter was the place where the prisoners were sent to for execution. there were probably a thousands skulls kept in the memorial tower. most have fractured skulls and bullet wounds. cycling in phnom penh was easier than siem reap. roads were smooth. while cycling, some kids on the street threw water bombs at us. it was their new year and it is the time where they throw water and powder on each other to clean them of their sins.
there is a cheap chinese restaurant 东北菜馆 near our guesthouse and we patronised them everyday. one plate of stir fry vegetable cost only usd 1. according to the young lady boss, she had put on 25kg after moving to phnom penh.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
11 to 14 apr 2008, siem reap
motor ride to the bus station
Ta Prohm
mobile sugar cane drink
Bayon
care for an elephant ride?
Angkor Temples
performers outside a pharmacy celebrating the New Year.
market
a bigggg 3D advertisment
but thanks to this man, he stopped his car to help fix our taxi
our taxi broke down...
finally arrived at Cambodiathai-cambodia border at chong chom didnt ask for "stamp" fee too but the taxi to siem reap was overpriced. they wanted us to pay usd 100 for the taxi where travelers only paid usd 30 for one recently. a dutch couple paid 2000b (usd 65) for the taxi and we paid usd 30 to share one with them. it took us 3 hours to bring the price down. the taxi driver told us to keep mum about it. sigh...
the ride to siem reap was bumpy and dusty. there were no road signs on the way. we arrived in siem reap with a sore throat probably bcos of the crackers that we ate and the dry air in the taxi.
in siem reap, there were many japanese and koreans shops and guesthouses. we checked into one of the japanese guest house bcos of the cheap price. only usd 2 a night for a dormitory bed.
we spent one day cycling to and around the Angkor Temples. a day's rental of a bicycle is USD 2. although the road was bumpy and we were under the mercy of the scorching sun, it was great fun to make that effort. 3 litres of water, some sweet drinks and bread were sufficient to last us the whole journey which started at 6.30 am and finished around 3pm.
the ride to siem reap was bumpy and dusty. there were no road signs on the way. we arrived in siem reap with a sore throat probably bcos of the crackers that we ate and the dry air in the taxi.
in siem reap, there were many japanese and koreans shops and guesthouses. we checked into one of the japanese guest house bcos of the cheap price. only usd 2 a night for a dormitory bed.
we spent one day cycling to and around the Angkor Temples. a day's rental of a bicycle is USD 2. although the road was bumpy and we were under the mercy of the scorching sun, it was great fun to make that effort. 3 litres of water, some sweet drinks and bread were sufficient to last us the whole journey which started at 6.30 am and finished around 3pm.
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