My Travels - Ho Chih Minh - Part 2

And so the day arrived to depart. I was thrilled! I met Uma directly at the airport. After checking, we went to have some sinful breakfast. My cousin joined us shortly after his flight. We chitchatted for a while. The time came to say our goodbyes and we were off...

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at 8.30am, which is 9.30am Singapore time. The time difference is just by an hour. Airport transfer had arrived and was waiting for us. That's what I call Efficient! Two boys stood amongst the crowd holding cardboard. The cardboard read Thanh Long Tan and our names. Once all formalities like identity check were done, we moved to the car.

Now, the car was no Ferrari but we could deal with it! It was a black Toyota SUV, which was in urgent need of washing...no joke! Traffic was busy that morning. When we stopped at one of the traffic lights, I turned back to have a view of the traffic. I realized there were more motorcyclists then motorists around us. I do recall reading about this. Besides buses, taxis and bicycles, motorcycles were another common way of moving around in the city. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, there’s an approximate of 3.5 million motorcyclists in the city. Mind you, there are 7,750,900 people living in Ho Chi Minh City and these numbers are increasing each year.

So after what seemed like ages to me - we arrived at the hotel! Quickly we checked in, dumped our stuff in our room and were off. First stop - Ben Thanh Market! Our tummies needed filling- we were dying of hunger! A five-minute walk from our hotel was all it took. Not to brag but we were quite impressed with our sense of direction skills. 

The Market was bustling with activities. Everyone was hounding us to patronize his or her stall.  As long as you give eye contact, they come after you. It took us a while before we settled at a cosy stall. The menu was overwhelming. They had a wide variety and we didn’t know what to have. 

Finally, Uma settled for  “Mien Ga”, a Vietnamese Chicken Glass Noodle Soup. And I the Chicken Rice dish. The chicken rice was nothing fabulous! I couldn't say the same for "Mien Ga" however.  I tried a bit from Uma. It was what you call -yummy... flavoursome...mouth-watering even. You could taste the freshness in the chicken and the soup was light and delightful.  Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of what we ate...not surprised!! For drinks, I had their local coffee, “Ca Phe Sua Nong”. I am an avid coffee drinker and believe me I was left speechless. Mon Dieu! What a gratifying meal to kick-start our day!

Now that our tummies were filled, it was time to move on to our next destination – Notre Dame! We approached the locals for directions and they were nice enough to guide us. Seemed simple but just one problem. We had to cross a major main road to get to Notre Dame. This major road was nothing like the ones you find in Singapore - it was daunting! 

It seems there’s a trick to crossing roads in Ho Chi Minh City. You have to be daring to take the first step, give eye contact to approaching vehicles and they’ll slow down for you.  And how did we learn that? From the pedestrian in front of us. Believe me, it worked! 

Along the way to Notre Dame, we approached several times by taxis, cyclo drivers and coconut sellers offering to show the way to us. Isn't it amazing how helpful everyone was? Don’t be fooled by that though. The hotel staff did warn us about them. They pretend to be helpful and show you the way. Then you end up paying for a service you didn’t ask. You cannot retaliate back, as they’ll bring you to an unknown side street and demand the money from you.  Trouble was not in our interest, so we kept away.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Half an hour walk was all it took to reach. I was mesmerized by Notre Dame's beauty. French colonists built this magnificent Cathedral from 1877 to 1883. Till today, what stands out most, is its lively bright red wall. The red bricks used for the wall were specially brought down from Marseille. Let’s not forget, the granite statue of Virgin Mother Mary. There was something about the way she stood there ~ calm, beautiful and motherly. I spoke to the lady selling candles. She briefly told me how powerful the Cathedral was and it was claimed that Virgin Mother Mary’s statue shed tears on her right cheek. It happened in the year 2005. Some say it took place and some denied it ever happened. I explored the interior of the Cathedral for while more, drinking in all of its beauty. Just before we left, I said a small prayer & lit a candle for Mother Mary. Being in the church itself was far too overwhelming. That's why I left so quickly.

Central Post Office

Up next, was Central Post Office. Can you believe it, was right next to Notre Dame! It seems, the Central Post office was known to be the oldest building in Ho Chi Minh City. When I entered the building, it felt as though I had time-walked into a 20th-century railway station in Europe - the ones you see in the movies. I loved it!

In truth, there was nothing much to see in the Post office. All we did was play around in telephone booths, admired their maps on the ceiling & looked through their portrait stalls. We spent less than twenty minutes and we were out!

Ho Chih Minh could be ranked as one of the most expensive city to live in, but I find it backwards in many ways. The Vietnam War has long ended, but people are still living in the past. There’s not been much progression. But then again, I’m a city girl and could lack knowledge of third world countries challenges. 

Lunchtime and We noticed most of the tourist attractions were closing. We headed back towards the hotel to grab some lunch and rest. While walking, I noticed the streets were filled with graffiti. One that caught my eye was an attractive Vietnamese girl wearing the Non-La, Vietnamese hat. The artwork was alive, her eyes were even more alive. I couldn’t stop staring.

Just next to the graffiti, there was a stall selling Vietnamese meatloaf. We had that for lunch. I took the biggest and messiest item on the menu and had no regrets. The ingredients were mainly vegetables, chicken breast meat and eggs with an unknown sauce. It was absolutely delicious. To quench our thirst from the scorching heat, we had a yoghurt smoothie with strawberries. Good wasn't the word to describe the smoothie- it was an understatement. Mind-blowing is what I call it!

Lunch made us heavy and sleepy and we couldn't move on. We decided to come back and visit the rest of the attractions tomorrow. Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped for a foot massage. Price seemed reasonable, dirt cheap to be precise. Location wise, very dodgy, but we went in anyway. Sigh! Big mistake. Once the massage was over, the man at the counter asked, correction demanded 200 dongs as tips. After much debating, we offered 50 dongs and walked out and looking back. Whew!! that was a close shave...

Soon after, we reached the hotel, tired and in need of rest!

It was evening when we next headed out. We went back to Ben Thanh Market for dinner, this time to the night market. 

Night Market

After dinner, we walked around. I noticed that outside of Ben Thanh Market, there were several stalls set up selling artifacts, clothes, portraits, etc. Word of advice, keep your belongings close.

When buying things at the night market, the trick to getting a good price is to haggle. However, you have to buy the item. Do not haggle for the sake of it or you will end up angering the locals. I did just that and the lady got nasty and called us crazy. We simply ignored her by walking away. There was nothing much to see after that, so we went back to the hotel to have an early night.

War Remnants Museum

The next morning, after breakfast, we took the same route back; this time towards the War Remnants Museum direction. We reached the Museum in no time. What interests us most were not the fighter planes, helicopters nor tankers, it was the Agent Orange section. The museum displayed several photographs of the Vietnam War including Agent Orange. It was disturbing to see the impact of its effects. It affected many men, women and even children.

It was a sad yet enlightening experience. We were starting to get restless and so I left the Museum. After the war museum, we had nothing much to see and wondered what to do next? We had so much to kill and we were starting to get bored.

We ended up booking a day trip to Mekong River the next morning. It was too late to go at that moment, so we settled for the next day. 

For the rest of the day, we walked around aimlessly, had another massage. This time, it was at a hotel. We decided to save all our energy for the Mekong River day trip tomorrow.

Day –trip to Mekong River

At 8am in the morning, there was a chartered bus that fetched us just outside the hotel. In the bus, there were couples and families from countries like Denmark, the United States and Dubai. I ended up making friends with them and that made the journey less boring. The guide was quite friendly; he kept us occupied with Ho Chih Minh’s or Saigon’s history. Soon after, we reached and took a boat ride across to Ben Tre province. Our first stop was at Turtle Island, where we got to see how coconut candy was made.

We proceeded back to the boat and went to a fruit orchard next. We took a horse ride through the orchard and stopped over for lunch at a small kampong. We had a huge spread for lunch, consisting of Vietnamese local delicacies. We got to try two types of fresh spring rolls -Pho Cuon, Goi Cuon. The rest of the dishes were just steam and fried fish, noodles and steamed pork with glutinous rice. I enjoyed every bit of it.

Up next, was to Unicorn Island. This time, we took small paddleboats through a river creek. The highlight at Unicorn Island was the bee farm, where we tasted honey wine. We were also served with banana brandy & fritters and snake wine. I didn’t drink the snake wine but I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of it. It was now time to leave; we went back the same route we came.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy my Mekong trip, because all we did was patronize tourist spots which had nothing much to see.

Disappointed as to how the trip was turning out. I still tried to make the most of it. Since I was left with one more night, I went back to shop even more at the night market. I ended up buying beautiful portraits for my room. Feeling very satisfied, I headed back to the hotel to get ready to leave the next morning. Not before stopping to try one of the sweet delicacies; glutinous coloured rice with coconut milk and sugar. It was a sweet way to end my night.

The next morning, I bid farewell to all my hotel friends and left for the airport. If you ask, how I felt about my whole trip to Ho Chi Minh City. Apart from its nostalgia effect on me, I also enjoyed their food and the warmness from the people. But that was it! 

My conclusion, I don’t want my experience in Ho Chi Minh City to affect my overall opinion on Vietnam. Maybe, I went to the boring parts of it or it could have been the extensive research I did before making the trip. Sometimes, knowing too much takes the fun out of appreciating a place, a moment or a feeling.  

Having said that, I truly believe it’s a beautiful country and I will be back again to explore other parts of it.

Reminiscences

It feels good to be back! Going to Italy was the best thing I did for myself! No plan and with the intention to get lost. I was indeed lost...lost in Italy's culture, people, history, cathedrals, nostalgia, beer and most of all FOOD!! Seriously, I could't resist. I belonged there!!!!

Not only that, I got to spend lots of time with family. My Aunt has been living in Italy for over ten years now. It made me realize how much I missed her. It made me think of all the good times we had and still have.....

We used to live together in my grandparents home. You must be wondering how many of us were there? Well, my mum's family is not too big...just nice would be the word. She grew up with seven other siblings. Her siblings had their own kids and we all lived together under one roof. 

Monopoly nights, camping trips, beach outings, dancing parties....Partying in a club doesn't come close to our house parties!! We partied like rockstars!!

Fights were inevitable but it made us closer. Housework was shared and eating together was a must.One important lesson our grandparents instilled in us....no matter how upset you are with each other. Be present for important events together as a family. That is something we have followed even after their demise. Not forgetting, we loved with all our heart, sometimes too much! :)

One common thing which connected us as a family was....Food! We loved it! We tried everything once! Don't like it move on to the next. Most times, we end up going for second and third helpings....Hahahahaha!! We could have started a cooking show series or even better be street food junkies exploring new cuisines..Now I'm just getting carried away!

My cousins and I were 'Angels'...Not!!! More like "Gremlins" in my Aunt's words. Four girls and two boys.. It should explain why we got into trouble so often. The four corners of the living room were our punishment stands...We climbed trees, did daredevil stunts, even played soccer with the neighborhood boys. Most times, we ended up fighting with them...I wonder why?! ;p My childhood was fantastic...nuff said!! One might say being the only child would be boring and lonely. Not lonely if you had lived in my grandparents home.It was a House of Rock!

Along the way we lost some members and gained some new ones - sons' & daughters' in laws, more cousins, nieces & nephews, grand kids & great grand kids. That took the fun a notch higher even though we lived in different parts of the world. That didn't stop our bonding!

Today,I am who I am because of my family. I have in me a little bit of everyone and that is something I wouldn't change for the world!

Who are you?

Although, you started with nothing ~ your heart was pure and beautiful.

Poverty was your middle name. Many nights were spent in darkness.

Even then, you were happy and embraced life like no other. Your principles were untouchable!

Just at your lowest....someone came along...

This stranger held your hand and promised to see you through your darkest hours.

Above all , he promised you happiness, abundance & growth.

He was possessive and protected you from harm's way.

For every person who gave up on you, he persevered and believed in you.

With proper guidance and education you grew...

Your confidence grew even more. Slowly, you molded into a beautiful & promising woman.

Very soon, you didn't need him as much as you did before.

You had risen to a level far beyond anyone thought you would.

Competing to be the best was now your priority. You started losing yourself in a bid to attain success.

Each time you rose to fame, your warmness and beauty in you slowly began to fade.

Now, when I see you all I feel is cold. No warmth!

What happened? I don't know you anymore. You are not the same.

It's not wrong to have dreams. It shows you know what you want and how you desire your life to be.

But when those wants become an obsession ~your soul is lost forever!

Nonetheless, I won't give up hope.

I shall wait for the day when you decide to wake up...

Wake up to be the same warm, beautiful woman I once knew...

Friendships!

The word itself makes me happy.

A simple bond formed between two or more persons.

There are no rules, boundaries nor expectations.

You don't have to try very hard....To me at least!

We should be free to speak our minds.

Free to speak our thoughts without having the fear of being judged.

Be bold to talk about sensitive matters with diplomacy. It shows you respect your friend enough to be truthful.  This only makes it stronger!

Put aside all egos and don't be afraid to admit your not perfect.

Sounds simple right? But sadly it's not!

At times, the simplest things in life are usually made to be the most complicated.

"It takes two hands to clap" is a meaningful saying.

A friendship will work if both hands put in the same amount of effort to clap.

Most of all, it's a must..I repeat a must to have ~ tons of fun fun and more fun, laugh as much as you can & be happy together.

What do you gain? A friendship of a lifetime!

Say Cheese!!

                                   Sourire :) 

                                And the world smiles with you....

              
             A smile makes any bad day good...

                                
A smile is priceless...

                                                                              It's real Simple!

                                           Don't know how? I'll show you...

       

                                       All you need is four matchsticks!!     

One on each side of your eye-brows,

 One on each side of your lips.....and

                                         Voilà!! 

                          Try it! You know you want to ;)

My Travels – Ho Chih Minh City - Part 1 : Getting Ready

The thought of travel excites me. I love learning about a country's rich history, their language, about their people, prominent landmarks, food, etc.  
I didn't start travelling frequently until late 2012. From then on, I made a promise to myself. The only way to open myself to the world – is to travel! Travel far and travel frequently.

From 2012 right up to 2014, it had been a fantastic year of travels for me. It was an eye-opener, especially when I travelled on my own. You will get to read about my adventures in my upcoming posts. For now, you're stuck with my recent trip to Vietnam, Ho Chih Minh City to be precise. 

I need more time to compile the rest of my travel adventures. I have been procrastinating for a while to write about them. Don't we all have those moments? 
In truth, I get my inspirations with constant idle and it has given me plenty of light-bulb moments.  

Now coming back to my story...

Let me tell you how it all began. I had no plans for a holiday that year, which was quite depressing. Why? I was due to start my degree program in April and was in the midst of changing jobs. Amidst all of that, my brother was getting married! Busy right? 
Believe me, I thrive in such situations. 

And so, I resigned to my fate and told myself: " Oh well, at least I'll save money!"

Then something happened! I had a chance to leave my last job early. It wasn't much, just four days early. I start my new job the following week. I had three days to kill...yippeeee!! You see!! Miracles do happen! 

I jumped on this beautiful chance, booked my flight and accommodation and was all set for my holiday! The icing on the cake was when my partner in crime, Uma decided to join me for the trip. I was ecstatic, to the extent of doing cartwheels in the air.  

Ho Chih Minh here I come......

For a person for loves beach holidays more than anything. You can ask why Ho Chih Minh? Well, it reminded me a lot about “Old Singapore”. I’m a sentimentalist at heart and a sucker for nostalgia. That wasn’t the only reason. I had to see Notre Dame Cathedral! 

For the longest time, I‘ve been dreaming about visiting Notre Dame Cathedral in Marseille, the second largest city after Paris in France. I’m quite certain; I’ll get my chance.

By now, I was high with excitement. I had so many thoughts running in my head. I had to research where to go, what to eat - Oh Food, glorious food! 

Research - Knowing and Getting around

I drove myself crazy reading everything about the city; their history must-try delicacies, people, value of 'Dong' and how much to bring, possible dangers, mode of transportation, language, weather, time difference, etc.

Knowing is one, but the key ingredient to having an awesome holiday is not to over-think and be spontaneous. Besides that, knowing your bearings is equally important, to me at least. Believe me, for someone who gets lost in Singapore. This is rather crucial for me! I spent a good amount of time studying their road maps. Thank goodness for Google maps.  Their roads seemed closely connected and I didn’t foresee any issue getting around.

It's also good to get a second opinion. And who better to ask then my soul mate –LG! He travels frequently to Vietnam and I felt he was the best person to ask. His advice was rather simple - Refrain from signing up with tour agencies, they are a rip-off! I could easily get charged USD 800 just for three days of sightseeing. Damn! I was so close to signing up for one.

All the tourist attractions were nearby. When lost, all I had to do was seek assistance from the locals for directions or find the nearest tourist centre for help. Not that difficult! I can manage that.

Language & Travel Reviews

Whenever you visit a new country, it’s always nice to learn their language. So what do you think I did next? I bought myself a pocket Vietnamese dictionary, which now collects dust on my bookshelf.  Learning their language is no easy task; it was a struggle to pronounce their words. And here I thought Tamil was challenging!

That wasn’t enough for me; I read several travel reviews from websites like Trip-advisor, Lonely Planet and many more. The not so surprising truth about such reviews; they can be at times opinionated. Truth be told, none of those mattered to me. I am a strong advocate for “Seeing is Believing”.

Flight & Accommodation

I booked my flight with Tiger Airways. Given that I booked so last minute, they offered a reasonable price for the flight tickets. 

For accommodation, I stayed in a cosy, two-star hotel called Thanh Long Tan. When you google about the hotel, it may seem like a dodgy place. But believe me, It's safe! There's another reason why I chose this hotel- it was located right smack in the middle of most tourist attractions. Plus, the room prices were going at a steal and I had to grab it. In total, I spent less than SGD 300 for four days, three nights on flight and accommodation. Can you believe that? My lucky stars were really shining on me!

The hotel was pretty efficient in sending my booking details. Although, airport transfer had to be arranged personally with them. The call to the hotel was one of the longest I had. It made me realize what I was up against – the language barrier. I felt doomed! But then, me being me - I didn’t give up! I managed to find someone who could understand English and my airport transfer was arranged soon after. 

Once all formalities were sorted, I was ready to go...youhouuuu!!!

Alright, I've come to the end of the first part.  I'm tired and should head to bed. Tune in to my next post for more. Until then...Good night! Bisous :)

Outburst!

At times, I wonder why people cannot be themselves?

Take for example...

When a guy and girl like each other, they date, talk and mostly avoid conflicts. It's quite obvious why they avoid conflicts. They like the person so much, that they want to please them in all ways. 

I beg to differ on that part....

Everyone has their own set of likes and dislikes. Just be true to yourself. If being truthful, chases the person away. Then it's not meant to be!

And we all know about the deadly honeymoon period! For some three months and for some only a month. I don't really know how accurate this is. Based on my past experience - three months is sufficient for the person's true character to be visible. Although, I could be wrong.

Once that period is over, people change! Why? What's wrong in being yourself from the beginning! Nobody's going to judge you! Correction, I meant I won't judge. I can't speak for the rest of the world.

Trust plays an important part in getting to know each other. I am a person who trusts and loves with all her heart! Whether that's good or bad - it doesn't matter to me.  What matters is I give without expecting anything in return - regardless of whether the person stays or goes. To me everyone I meet is unique in their own ways and I love them for who they are. I warm up to them quite quickly as I have the ability to sense if they are easy or just a pain in the butt!!

My conclusion keep things simple and simple is what life will be!

Love with no expectations..have no limits nor ego...give with all your heart but don't lose your soul along the way. Are you afraid to get your heart broken? Isn't life about taking risks? How will you know if it's meant to be if you don't try.

Now sit back and have faith on what the universe has in store for you. Believe me, to not know the unknown is a beautiful feeling.