22 to 24 apr 2008, ho chi minh city

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.

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.

30 may 2007, border crossing from lao cai (vietnam) to hekou (china)

the mini-van from Sapa to Lao Cai stopped near the customs where one can just walk across the border easily. we were excited to walk across the first border of our journey with the other locals crossing with their push-carts loaded with goods.

29 may 2007, 3hrs trek at cat cat village, sapa

trekking at cat cat village. entrance fee VND 5.000 = SGD 0.50

vegetable rice noodle soup, vnd 10.000 = sgd 1

Luong Thuy Guesthouse, sapa

arrived sapa in the wee hours, 7am.

found this guesthouse with a super stunning view of the green mountains outside the balcony and free internet access. all for only usd 6 per night.



balcony view

the night train stopped at Lao Cai station where we transferred to a mini-bus to come up to Sapa. one can easily see many rice fields along the way.

the weather at sapa is much cooler than hanoi, probably around 20 degrees celcius. and of course, air is much fresher here.

overnight train from hanoi to lao cai

28 may 2007, 9.15pm
sp 1 overnight train (10hrs) to lao cai train station, heading up to sapa.
soft sleeper AC, usd 15

after bidding family and friends goodbye at the Budget Terminal in singapore, I realised that my DBS internet token wasnt with me. i had left it in another bag at home. what a spot to start with. we arrived on time at hanoi's airport and we asked around where to get a local bus to the city. after much walking, we finally found the bus stop located underneath a dark flyover.

it was an hour's ride to the city and after alighting, we had to walk 45 mins to the old quarters. it was really hard work and our clothes were soaked with sweat. :p