First off, I am writing this mainly for posterity. Second –
for the people who have been requesting for a copy of our travel itinerary
(those who will travel to these places soon). I am not an experienced
traveler, nor do I claim to be. So keep an open-mind. :)
If you don’t have the above app yet, I strongly suggest you
download it right away. It was an awesome guide, and I really have no qualms
about it. None of those big pop-ups. The following countries are covered in this single app: Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, India, Maldives, Indonesia and
Malaysia. I just hope they have an Android counterpart for those who don’t have
Mac devices. Just remember, Triptomatic is the keyword.
After downloading the app, I immediately put in our
hotel/hostel/b&b accommodations. I saved our transport reservations (air,
later land) and my expenses (per currency) in separate documents. A screenshot of the file showing our reservations is in the
appendices section of this post. If you want to know how much the trip cost me in
total, e-mail or message me in Facebook and I’ll share with you my expense list per currency.
You see, I can be really detail-oriented if I want to. My friends know this – they
joke about my stories being so detailed and lasting five episodes each.
I
traveled with two of my best friends from high school (we
belonged to a group of six). Brief history here: we met in first year
when we
were all more or less 12 years old. We belonged to the same section –
St.
Dominic Savio of Rogationist Academy (now Rogationist College). That was
really
the only year all six of us were together in the same class. Second
year
came, and we were divided into different sections but we still found
time to
eat together – almost every day. We kept the same routine until we
graduated. Sort of reminds me now of Lorde’s lyrics, “we’re on each
other’s team”.
We always ask everyone to come whenever there are seat sale
alerts, but previous commitments prevent the others from coming too. Anyway,
let’s start!
We arrived at the airport and were fetched by my aunt and cousin. If you do not have relatives in there, which is most likely the case,
you can ride the airport special train. It goes directly to Central Bangkok
from Sukhumvit Airport.
In the car, I learned that Mika has a liking for the Thai
language. All the years we’ve known each other, she never once mentioned this!
She wants to learn, especially when she heard my cousin’s soft spoken manner of
talking. But there wasn’t any language barrier at all that day. My aunt is
Filipina and my cousin is very good in English. :)
A few meters from the Trimutri shrine is the yellow-themed shrine of Ganesh. My aunt said people offer roses, candles and incense to this deity
for success. :)
Finally we reached Platinum mall, just across is this
discreet money changer where we found the highest value for our peso. Cross the
pedestrian lane under the overpass, the money changer is near the store selling muay thai shorts. :)
We originally planned on going to the floating market this
day, but then we had to move it to Day 3 because of the tour arrangement with
the hotel. So we set off to the temples, passing by Chinatown on our way there.
From our ride we saw that it looks almost like Binondo, so we decided to skip
touring the said area.
We went inside the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Po),
then explored its surroundings. It is here that I noticed they were quite good
in mixing paint. Seriously, the temple buildings seemed like they were really
made of gold but when I looked closer, they were actually just painted cement. Awesome.
We then had lunch just across the main entrance of the
Temple of the Emerald Buddha. I didn’t get the name of the restaurant :( but their sticky mango
rice was phenomenal.
After a very satisfying lunch, we did a bit of sarong
shopping (worn later on in Siem Reap) just outside the restaurant. Note that we
found sarongs here cheaper than any other place in Bangkok.
:)
Time for a bit of global experience, so we went to Terminal
21. Global why? Because every floor is inspired by a different tourist
destination.
 |
| Street signs of London |
After a bit of shopping, we went back to the hotel to rest
and refresh. At this point we told ourselves to control our purchasing, as we
still had eight days to go.
Late afternoon we set off to have dinner with Rinna (Mika’s
friend). We ended up buying dinner ahead of Rinna in the Siam Paragon food
court. Really interesting restaurants there. We chose to get what the
locals are eating. :)
When Rinna arrived, we headed to the very delectable-smelling Mr. Jones’ Orphanage.
·
Temple of the Reclining Buddha
·
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
·
Terminal 21
·
Siam Paragon & Siam Square
Day 3: Coconut ice cream, selfie with strangers and the cutie pie Wan
Pen
(BKK, Ratchaburi, Sam Phran)
 |
| Souvenir :) |
We were picked up by the tour van at around 7:15am, just in
time after finishing breakfast. We then picked up travelers staying in other hotels,
even in Khao San backpackers area. We travelled, for around 1.5 hours, to
Damdern Saduak Floating Market (Ratchaburi). It is about 100km off Bangkok. Actually I am
not even sure of the spelling of that place. So many variations – on the
bridge, on the Triptomatic app, on the souvenir plate with my photo in it.
 |
| Swaying with the culture |
The boat rental came with a rower, naturally. Unless you’re a
competitive rower, maybe you’ll manage getting around the canals on your own. Souvenirs are sold along the canals and in the boats. Some boats sell fruits
and other packed goods like sticky mango rice. :)
In some corners you can also experience and take photos with a large snake around your neck. In short, this floating market is really just for tourists. I
expected a more local vibe, wherein people are really selling meat, fish and
vegetables. I guess it originated that way.
 |
| Coconut Ice Cream + toppings |
After the boat experience we bought this Natural Coconut Ice
Cream with toppings. I read somewhere, the night before, that this is the best
ice cream in all of Thailand. So I was so eager to try this. It did not
disappoint. It was yummy in so many levels. We thought the toppings – nuts and
sago wouldn’t work well with the coconut flavored ice cream but it was really
very good.
Our tour guide gathered us around and we went for a boat
ride in a big vessel. Basically we passed through big canals/rivers where you
can see real houses on both sides of the body of water. Most of the homes have
little “spirit houses” nearby..
 |
| All smiles :) |
After all this we went for another van ride, for about an
hour if I am not mistaken, going to Samphran Elephant Zoo, to eat lunch
(payment for the buffet included in the
tour). We didn’t go inside the zoo though,
because it is not part of the package we selected. Some of the people in our
group went inside. The three of us went for another ride going to Rose
Garden/Thai Village, which is about 15 minutes from the zoo.
Very near the entrance is Wan Pen and his mother (?). He is
a baby elephant and I am just assuming the big elephant nearby is his mum.
:) You can take
individual and group photos with Wan Pen for a small price.
 |
| Better than the three of us in posing. |
You can also experience the famous elephant ride for a small
fee.
:)
Of course you can’t navigate on your own - the ride is inclusive of an elephant
whisperer.
:)
That, below, is the bird’s eye view.
 |
| Bumbunan ni Sir Elephant |
In the afternoons they always have this elephant show around
a pond. We thought it was going to be a simple circus-like show. It
wasn’t at all; I was quite impressed by the story and feats. I even think I was
more impressed than the schoolchildren we were watching the show with (their
field trip). After the elephant show, we proceeded to the auditorium for the
cultural/historical show. At one point they demonstrated muay thai (I took a
video again
:)
).
In the ride back to Bangkok we all dozed off almost
immediately. Luckily, there were a few of us so I was able to lie down the
backmost row of the van. It was on the ride back that we learned our hotel is
just a stone’s throw from the famous Patpong strip/night market/red light
district. :O
 |
| Street food fun :) |
After a bit of rest and research, we set off to try the
street food in the intersection near our hotel. We tried the nut snacks called khao
kriap pak maw and sakoo sai moo, which you eat
after wrapping in lettuce – reminds me of the Korean samgyeopsal. We also tried
some Tom Yum and pork barbeque marinated to perfection. Luckily, there were
tables and chairs set up along the street. We sat beside some office people,
and although one of them panicked and tried to avoid us at first, eventually
another one of them (the only one who spoke English) taught us how to eat the
stuff we bought.
:)
We then went to Siam Paragon to pick up our bus tickets (BKK
to REP) from Thai Ticket Major (fourth floor). See, we booked online the night
before (
www.thaiticketmajor.com). It works much like the local TicketWorld.
On our way there we passed by
Fitness First, through the glass divider I watched Muay Thai training. I would have
tried the authentic Muay Thai too if it wasn’t too pricey. 900 baht for 1 hour,
imagine! Well, because English-speaking instructors are hard to find around
there.
After getting our tickets, we saw the H&M sale.:) It is quite obvious
what happened next..
We rode the BTS to Terminal 21, because Cayote
was supposed to be around that area. Long story short, we ended up in Beer
Garden.
Places Covered:
·
Damdern Saduak Floating Market (Ratchaburi)
·
Samphran Elephant Zoo
·
Rose Garden / Thai Village
·
Siam Paragon
·
Beer Garden
Day 4: Day with my kin and Ancel’s obsession with Or Tor Kor duck (BKK,
Pattaya)
Tita picked us up from the hotel at around 8:30am, then we
went to Or Tor Kor to buy packed food for the people back home. We bought
preserved strips of seafood, sampaloc, chicharon, mangoes (bought a solid
plastic container for this).
 |
| The very organized Or Tor Kor |
Tita treated us to brunch also in Or Tor Kor market, she
bought us this duck meal (I cannot remember what it is called), but I remember
the stall – in the corner of the foodcourt if you see a place selling duck, that’s
it. I have never heard Ancel rave about food like she did with that duck meal.
In fairness, it was divine. And cheap, too. Or Tor Kor is not in the
Triptomatic app, I’m not even sure we would have gone there if I didn’t have family, but make sure to go to this market if you’re touring Bangkok.
After this we went to the nearby JJ Mall for souvenirs.
Ancel bought her mom a figurine for her pig collection. :) We didn’t stay long here.
About thirty minutes at most. It was time to go to my Tita’s place outside
Bangkok. :)
I won’t mention particulars of the area, but the environment
was so posh. Houses were Mediterranean-themed, and there were exercise
facilities in parks for villagers’ use.
 |
| Horses everywhere!!! |
Their house is horse-themed (kun lung – uncle in English,
is a retired cavalry officer). It was really nice being able to visit them in Thailand,
seeing the picture frames of my cousins growing up (I only saw them during
their few visits). In one of the pictures Ate Janet is shown receiving her medical degree from no less of than the prince of Thailand. :) And there’s this
charming picture of baby Jem sitting astride the biggest horse in the whole
cavalry.
We had fruit fiesta for lunch: lychee, durian,
lanzones, mangosteen, santol. We preserved the seeds for planting back home. :)
I tell you, I loved
their durian like I never loved durian before. The mangoes were also awesome (I
bought two in Or Tor Kor, scheduled to ripen upon our arrival in Manila).
Naturally, we brought lanzones, santol and lychee with us for consumption back
in the hotel and on the ride going to Siem Reap.
 |
| Fruit fiesta |
Mid-afternoon we headed back to Bangkok, because we intended
on going to Platinum mall again. It closes early, around 6pm (see, it is really
similar to 168 in Divisoria). We went to Central World first to buy
Sukiyaki sauce and Massaman Curry Cooking Set. After grocery shopping, we bid
my tita and my cousin goodbye. :(
We went first to the money changer across Platinum. To our
delight (and a bit of dismay because we were already on our third day), the
exchange rate went up in favor of peso. So with our newly baht-ized wallets we
went inside the mall. I forgot what my friends got, I just remember I bought
clothes for my sisters and some for me. :)
 |
| In demand :) |
We headed back to Siam Paragon to try the café After You
(recommended by Rinna), riding the tuktuk on our way there. The lady from in front of Trimutri's shrine told us we should turn right from Central World, then walk..uhmm.. (after
much thought) 1 kilometer.
After You is said to be so popular, people had to line up
just to get in. True enough, we did line up. Good thing it was a Thursday, and
the queue wasn’t so long. We ordered frappe and cheese pie.
Around 8pm we headed back to the hotel to rest a bit. We had
scheduled Thai massage (for me and Ancel) and foot massage (for Mika) at 10pm.
Before the massage, they gave us this yummy green-colored tea. I think
it is pandan tea mixed with wintermelon. I am not sure, but it was absolutely
delicious.
 |
| Thai massage experience |
They washed our feet first, then asked us to change into
massage-able clothes. The massage was a bit lighter than the massage back home.
As for Mika, hers was a different story. Let’s just say the foot massage turned
out to be something more.
:)
We had complementary tea too, afterwards. Jasmine, I think.
I liked the pandan-wintermelon tea better. L
Places covered:
·
Or Tor Kor
·
JJ mall
·
Pattaya
·
Central World mall
·
Platinum mall
·
Siam Paragon
·
Let’s Relax (in Mandarin Hotel)
Day 5: The chubby clue through Thailand-Cambodia border (BKK-REP)
 |
| Bangkok to Siem Reap |
We had our breakfast packed so that we can arrive at Mo Chit
bus station on time (bus reservation details at the appendices part of this
post). Well, we did arrive on time but the bus didn’t. We were supposed to
leave at 8am but due to technical difficulty (?) we left the place at around
9:30am.
Maybe it was the language barrier, the conductor didn’t
really instruct us where the bus will be parked after having our passports stamped.
We didn’t have to take our checked-in
(under the bus) baggage through immigration, which is the convenient part of
it.
Stamping at the Thailand and at Cambodia part went smoothly. Expect it
to go smoothly if you are a citizen of an ASEAN country. The other tourists had
to pay for and get visas so their clearance took longer. We didn’t really know
where to go after having our passports stamped in the Cambodia border. Other
tourists were clueless as well, so we had to look for the chubby conductor. I
swear it was like we were in a Blues Clues episode.
 |
| Touchdown Kingdom of Cambodia! |
Currency – you don’t have to worry about converting your
baht or dollars to Cambodian riel, because in Siem Reap they accept all three currencies. In
Phnom Penh they don’t accept baht, rightly so, in my opinion.
 |
| Angkor Night Market |
Anyway, it was raining hard when we reached Siem Reap. We
were very delayed but our tuktuk driver was there still waiting for us
(thank you Uisoth, we were so touched). We stayed at Khmer Cuisine Bed & Breakfast. It was
really a good deal and they received us warmly.
Sadly, the restaurant part of
the place was closed when we stayed there. It has such great reviews.
We arranged the tour (more like tuktuk rental) for the following day to Angkor Temples
at the front desk. Then we used the b&b complementary tuktuk ride (6pm –
10pm) to Angkor Night Market. We bought souvenirs, tea and shirts after having
dinner. We didn’t drink in Pub Street yet because we were going to be picked up
for the Angkor Temples tour at 4:30am.
 |
| Deep fried seafood, carinderia with wifi :) |
Places covered:
·
Mo Chit
·
Angkor Night Market
Day 6: Untold wonders of the other Angkor Temples and of Pub Street
(REP)
At around 4:30am we were picked up by no other than the tuktuk
driver Uisoth for the Angkor Temples tour.
:)
Good old Uisoth! First stop is the ticketing office where each person had to
pay $20 for a one-day pass.
 |
| Uisoth and his tuktuk |
There is also a three-day pass and a six-day pass.
I didn’t bother knowing the rates of those. Because, what the heck will you
need a six-day pass for? Maybe for when you’re going to shoot a documentary…or
something. The ID is a good enough souvenir. You can laminate it if you want.
:)
 |
| One day pass |
Uisoth dropped us off outside Angkor Wat, for us to see its famous sunrise. After sunrise, we ate our packed breakfast by the
pond. That pond reflecting Angkor Wat in postcards. Yes, there. We were of
course careful with our trash.
 |
| Magnificent Bayon |
We maximized the awesome picturesque temples, of course.
There are Buddha shrines too in some temples, so we made sure we had appropriate clothes on. Like the dress-code in Day 2. Mandatory or not, it was about respect for their culture and religion. Also, we made sure we always had our day pass with us. There are officers at the gates of each temple
who will ask to see them.
 |
| Where visit was a possibility, there were swarms of tourists. |
Three temples (other than Angkor Wat) made such an
impression to me: Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants and Ta Phrom. Bayon – This is
where the famous big face sculptures are carved in, there is also some serious
stone-balancing going on in this place (although it seemed only Ancel is familiar with
the concept). Terrace of the Elephants – such awesome carvings here, both of
ancient people and of elephants. Ta Phrom – the trees are epic; they prove how
long the temples have been in existence because the roots and stems are already
way above the ceilings and walls.
 |
| Hardcore stone balancing |
 |
| Rice overload |
After going to Angkor Wat, Bayon and Terrace of the
Elephants, we had lunch in the middle of the Angkor complex. There are also
stalls selling souvenirs and such. We ordered the local stuff of course: fish
amok and special rice (I forgot what it was called). Thanks to the language
barrier, we ended up buying the special rice on top of three cups of plain
rice. :/
After lunch we continued touring the other Angkor temples.
 |
| Last stop |
Then we rested, researched and napped in the bed & breakfast, until dinner
time! It was so tiring.
:)
 |
| Khmer cuisine at its finest |
We knew where to have dinner, thanks to internet recommendations
– Viroth’s restaurant (we ordered pork amok, salad and grilled chicken –> that
kebab-looking thing). It was reasonably priced, it had great ambiance (although
my friends complained I brought them to a couples place). The food was great,
and our waiter was…well, model-esque. And he knew it.
We then went to Pub Street, to the place called “Angkor
What?”, then later on to Temple Bar. We went there on a Saturday, maybe that’s
why all the pubs were packed! But then every day is a
holiday in Siem Reap I guess. It’s the breeding ground of tourists.
 |
| I saw this in a Cambodian promo yesterday :)) |
 |
| What? |
At 3am
after having some street food that tasted like pancit, we went back to Khmer
Cuisine B & B.
Places covered:
·
Angkor Temples (Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom, Bayon,
Preah Khan, Terrace of the Elephants, Thommanon, Ta Kaeo, Preah Ko)
·
Viroth’s restaurant
·
Pub Street (Angkor What?, Temple Bar)
Day 7: Fried street bugs and the famous Bazuka of Mad Monkey (REP-PNP)
After having our complementary breakfast, we waited for the
arrival of our shuttle service to the Siem Reap bus terminal. The trips we
booked from REP to PNP and from PNP to HCM came with free hotel pick-up
service. We made the reservations online back in Bangkok, at
www.catmekongexpress.com.
Light snacks were also served.
On our way to Phnom Penh we had lunch at a stopover where
there was an abundance of flies. It looked like a posh enough place, but the
flies! They were also selling deep friend bugs on the side walk. I am not yet
very NatGeo for that challenge, so, next time.
 |
| Siem Reap to Phnom Penh |
In the bus, the conductor asked if we needed tuktuk service
going to our hotel. We did and we just gave the conductor the address, then
paid $4 right away. It was quite convenient.
It was raining when we arrived at Phnom Penh, good thing
there was a ready tuktuk waiting for us. The hostel is far from the bus
terminal. If I remember correctly maybe it took around twenty-five minutes
to reach the Mad Monkey Hostel.
I noticed one very obvious fact: Lexus –
overload! Seriously, are the people in Phnom Penh that rich or are Lexus cars cheaper there? Please enlighten me.
 |
| Felt like we were inside an art project |
After being mistaken for another guest who made erroneous
reservations, and standing our ground (naturally), we finally made it to our
room. One thing about me is I do not back down if I know I am correct. Good
thing Mika was able to neutralize the atmosphere. The place was pretty packed
and we got the room at the topmost floor, with little/no internet access at
all. But they gave us complementary beer, so that’s that.
After arranging tours for the next day in the front desk, we
did some walking and bought some street food. Sort of like barbeque stalls back
home. The bagets (translation: young man) who was selling the street food
didn’t speak English. Good thing there was an English-speaking traffic enforcer
nearby.
 |
| Welcome drinks. |
 |
| Bazuka Leaderboard |
We went back to the Mad Monkey, straight to the in-house bar
to consume the free beer and we noticed this tabulation on the wall, apparently
they tracked consumption of the famous and intense Bazuka mix based on where the drinker came from. More backpackers from Philippines need to stay
here, obviously.
If the Bazuka drink wasn’t too much –
approximate volume about
500mL, and if it can be consumed slowly, I would have given it a try.
But you have to down the whole thing in a minute or less. I know my limits
now. Plus I didn’t want to tour depressing places the next day with a
hangover.
On the upper right corner of the photo grid above is a picture showing the bar's sound-proof curtains. If we had these things in every birthday karaoke session back home, the world would be a better place.
After chatting with some folks from down under and Ireland, we called it
a
night.
Places covered:
·
Food cart along street 302
·
Mad Monkey Bar
Day 8: Why, Pol Pot, why? :( and the wrong Russian
Market (PNP)
We were picked up by the tuktuk driver at around 7am.
Cheoung Ek Killing Fields is far from Phnom Penh, man! The roads were very dusty, so the kind tuktuk driver bought facemasks for us and for him halfway to our
destination.
We originally planned on eating our take-out breakfast on the
tuktuk but seeing how the roads were too dusty, we decided to eat our food somewhere outside the gate of Cheoung Ek. Good thing this happened, because it
was in an eatery where I discovered this canned wintermelon tea (Wonderfarm). So good. Why aren’t we
importing this?
 |
| Be prepared. |
The Cheoung Ek Killing Fields tour is one of those things you have to do on your own. In the entrance they handed out audio players and headphones (language
depends on where you are from, in our case, English). Basically it narrated the
horrendous things that happened there.
:(
I just don’t see the logic of Pol Pot’s idealism, really. It is really just
pointless killing your own countrymen over Mao Ze Dong’s philosophy, mixed with
your own lunacy. What bothered me most was what he did to the babies. :(
How can you do that to
innocent babies, then go home and play with your own grandchildren?
That was just one of the many many killing fields spread
throughout Cambodia. There is also one in Siem Reap but it wasn’t as popular as
this one. Approximately three out of eight million Cambodians were murdered.
This happened recently – 1975-1979. (I talked to my father about it. He said, “Pangalan pa lang, di mo na
pagkakatiwalaan eh.” Referring to Pol Pot.)
 |
| With our headphones on |
So the atmosphere in the killing fields was depressing and
serious, you won’t see anyone smiling for a photo. The trees were picturesque
and old, but when you learn the horrors and how they used those trees to kill
people, you won’t even go near them. There were still undisturbed pits all over
the place. Of course, they put cement and rope to prevent people from walking
into the mass graves.
 |
| An undisturbed pit |
 |
| Skulls inside the stupa |
Then there was a stupa in the middle of it all, built for
the people who died in the killing fields. Skulls of those who perished were on
display in the stupa. Classified according to how the person was killed.
Afterwards, we went to the Tol Sleung Genocide Museum. It
wasn’t just a plain old museum. It was formerly called S21 – a highly guarded
prison where actual torture and murder happened (for high-risk prisoners of the
Khmer rouge).
You have to be emotionally and mentally prepared to stomach see
everything inside – actual torture chambers, implements used for torture,
photographs of prisoners and torture, blood stains on the walls.
 |
| High school-turned-detention & torture center |
 |
| The original barbed wires |
 |
| A prisoner of war |
Near the exit there is this survivor signing books. From
what I read in the reviews, he can also be interviewed by tourists.
Afterwards we asked the tuktuk driver to take us somewhere
we can have local food for lunch. Due to the language barrier, we ended up in
our hostel. :)
We set off, intending to go to the famous Russian Market, but again, because of
the language barrier, we ended up in the wrong market. Good thing there was a KFC
in the area. We had lunch there.
We went back to the street of the hostel, and had coffee +
pastries in the corner – Brown 51. It rained so hard, we were "forced" to stay
there until it stopped raining.
 |
| Passing time at Brown 51 cafe |
We ordered pizza and ice cream smoothies in the hostel’s
in-house restaurant for dinner, then we went to the bar again to have some
drinks. Since the internet connection was really bad in the topmost floors, we
decided to hang in the restaurant area where there was good wifi coverage.
After finishing tea, we went to rest.
Places covered:
·
Cheoung Ek Killing Fields
·
Toul Sleng Genocide Museum
·
(some) market – KFC
·
Brown 51 Coffee
Day 9: RORO across the Mekong river, and the abundance of motorcycles (PNP-HCM)
We were picked up by the shuttle service provided by the bus
company at around 7am. We didn’t have breakfast, so we were sort of depending
on the complementary light snacks for sustenance.
:)
We saw the real Russian market because this was where the bus left Phnom Penh.
It would have been interesting exploring the place. Bright side is we
saved on shopping money. We stopped by this discreet restaurant near the border
for lunch.
 |
| Cambodian Exit |
Since the bus ride was inter-country, Mekong Express also
facilitated the passport stamping and visa issuance (for those who needed it).
In the Cambodia-Vietnam border, we had to take out our check-in luggage (under
the bus).
Unluckily, it rained on our way back to the bus. Makes me wonder why
it always starts raining just when we are about to finish crossing country
borders.
 |
| Crossing Mekong |
We crossed the famous brown-watered Mekong river. Similar to the RORO set-up back home, only in the Philippines we use it when travelling
from island to island. Crossing Mekong took us about five minutes. We didn't go down the bus.
Luckily, the bus dropped everyone off at Pham Ngu Lao!:)
It is the tourist /
backpacker district of Ho Chi Minh. And our hotel was just a stone’s throw away
from the drop-off point. Talk about convenience. So we walked to the hotel, it
was easy enough to find – Nguyen Khang Hotel.
 |
| Backpackers nest |
The hotel reception was great and helpful, much like that in
Siem Reap. The lady suggested we go to the most famous Pho place in Ho Chi
Minh, located just around the corner (Pho Quynh). I think this was an
appropriate suggestion, bias aside, because this place is also in Triptomatic
as the most famous pho place in the whole of Ho Chi Minh. We ordered Pho Bo,
Milk Tea and this other dish (I forgot what it’s called – the pho was that good
I almost forgot my name too).
 |
| Pho Bo madness |
 |
| Went well with this milk tea |
 |
| Motorcycles, motorcycles, motorcycles! |
Since we had enough time to roam the streets of Ho Chi Minh,
we decided to walk to Saigon Square, passing by two leisure parks on the way there. Be
very careful and walk slowly when crossing the road. This is how you avoid
getting run over by the motorcycles. There is seriously too many of them there.
If you walk slowly, they will be able to avoid you better. They will know
you’re a foreigner right away if you run while crossing the road.
 |
| Park in the middle of HCM |
After a bit of shopping, we went to Baskin Robbins for snacks. Then we bought mi xao bo (stir-fried egg noodles with beef) on our way
back to hotel for dinner.
 |
| The room and mi xao bo |
After a bit of rest, we decided to walk the streets
to buy some light food. We ended up in Five Oysters. Because we told the
receptionist we wanted sea food. Here we
ordered Five Oysters spring rolls (shrimp and pork) and purple yam soup. My
friends tell me I have a talent for making ordinary things look disgusting in
pictures.
 |
| Five Oysters spring rolls and purple yam soup |
On the way back we saw this weird neon sign. It was notable
because the lighting sequence was sort of wrong. It light from the bottom row
going up. It read “Ugly but Good”. So this was the red light district.
Places covered:
·
Russian Market (PNP)
·
Pham Ngu Lao District
·
Pho Quynh
·
Saigon Square
·
Five Oysters restaurant
Day 10: “American War” from Viet point-of-view, and roaming Saigon (HCM,
Cu Chi)
 |
| Before checking out |
After the complementary breakfast, we checked out and left
our bags at the reception.
We, and the other guests in Nguyen Khang and adjacent
hotels, were picked up by the tour guide Miki at around 8am. We rode the
mini-bus for two hours, stopping by a souvenir place where we also bought
refreshments (note: custard shake = guyabano shake), to Cu Chi Tunnels. He did
a lot of explaining in the vehicle.
 |
| Demonstrating how they went in and hid in the tunnels |
The Cu Chi Tunnels were very elaborate and narrow. They went
several stories deep, and were strategically engineered by the Cu Chi people,
who lived there for years. The earth doesn’t crumble from above because of the
hardened soil – a result of the chemicals sprayed by the enemy from their
planes.
We did go through the tunnels, but we went out on the first exit
because it was too dark. Getting lost seemed like a possibility. The others
were prepared - they brought head-mounted flashlights.
 |
| What the Vietnamese ate in the tunnels - sweet potato |
After the tour we chose to be dropped off near the Notre
Dame Cathedral. On our way there we stopped by Givral (a cafe) to have authentic Ho Chi Minh coffee and ice cream.
Walking towards the Notre Dame Cathedral, we passed by the
War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace (looked like palace in a gated
Baguio). We took pictures outside these landmarks.
:) Finally we reached the Notre
Dame Cathedral. Just across this is the very French-looking Saigon Post Office.
 |
| Notre Dame Cathedral |
After a bit of picture-taking we took a cab to Ben Tanh
market. Here we bought souvenirs, and ate sea food after being persuaded by some
very pushy sellers.
 |
| Clams for snack |
We could have taken a cab going back to Pham Ngu Lao, being
tired and all, but we decided to walk and enjoy the environment because it was
our last day. :(
 |
| Bittersweet walk back to Pham Ngu Lao |
After dropping off our purchases in the
hotel, we went to Pho Quynh again to have Pho Bo. :)
What a great last meal,
right?
 |
| Three sets this time! |
While waiting for our ride to the airport we decided to
upgrade our luggage. We bought 20 kilograms more in total. This was a great
decision since the weight of my luggage alone doubled – I had fruits and stuff
from my aunt to be given to my other cousins. They would have charged us more
if we bought the extra luggage weight at the check-in counter!
· Cu Chi Tunnels
·
Coffee Shop near War Remnants Museum
·
War Remnants Museum
·
Reunification Palace
·
Notre Dame Cathedral
·
Saigon Post Office
·
Ben Tanh Market
·
Pho Quynh
That's it. :) If you have question/s, leave a comment. If you need an urgent reply, message me in FB. :)
APPENDICES
(click to zoom, same goes for all the pictures above)
Triptomatic
Reservations
Love it!!! This is my best trip by far!! ^^ I'm so lucky to have awesome travel buddies 😁
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