My unforgettable trip to vietnam, of motorbikes and of loud horns...
Viet Day 1: 20 Sept 2010
boyfriend sending me off...=D
with my family =))
view before take-off...i'm a lucky ass i got my window seat..yay!!
goodbyee Singapore!
my foodie..the chicken set! And i gotta give it a 5/5 cos they have my fave salmon! ^^
yumyumyum~~
i'm glad the meals were taken care of during the flights...it sort of helped me killed some time while high up in the skies..since it has been quite some years since i took the plane and it's sad that i was separated from the other girls...
luckily, i had some 'inflight entertainment' on board..HAHA!!
I ended up playing poker cards with the seniors beside me..and one of them was seated behind me..haha!
so it didnt get too boring for me except that i didnt know how to play the game they wanted play and one of the seniors had to guide me along..so paiseh but at least he's a nice and patient chap lah!
the tour agency in viet giving us a very warm welcome which i thought was very WOW!
our first company visit to UPS..where we were given a presentation by the GM, Mr Jeff. And of course, his first question to us was on our first impression of Vietnam.
Ohwells...it would definitely have to be..
THIS
bad traffic aint it? It's much worse over there than here in Sg.
when we first got to Viet, our tour guide told us not to be intimidated by the overflowing traffic there. He said 'You got to just cross the road confidently and dont ever stop halfway for they'll stop for you naturally'..
i remembered the first time i tried to cross the road there with my fren Mangay, we relied on this belief and...we both nearly lost our lives.
Haha! Yeah, it was this frightening..for we didnt stop walking even tho the motorists were super close to us and they just zoom past infront u..not one, not two but a few of them...
but since it was still day 1, we reckoned that we needed few more 'practices'..true enough throughout that first day and night in viet, we kept wanting to cross the roads here and there..during our own free and easy..it was all filled with excitement and laughter for each time i crossed the road i'll shout out loudly "I HAVE CROSSED THE ROAD IN VIETNAM!" ^.^
FOOD:
Our first night's dinner was at their local restaurant, Halal @ Saigon! Food there was awesome because 1) we were all super hungry,
2) our first time trying the local viet dishes and 3) the portions had to be shared.. ^^
the braised fish was superb! couldnt stop eating..i nearly ate up the fish bones as well.. haha! *DROOLS*
After our sumptous dinner, we were given slightly more than half an hour of OTOT..Yay!
Walking around viet late at night was kinda exciting for us besides the fact that we were in foreign land all by ourselves, and it also meant we get to shop around!! =D
but the first shop we entered was none other than the convenient store..something like 7-11 in Sg..but over there, it's called 'Circle K'..the shop with a big letter K written on top!
Guess what we bought? Mineral water..haha! Big bottles of them..since we werent allowed to drink from the tap water because it's claimed as being not safe for consumption..(i guess we lucky ppl in Sg shld really appreciate our tap water here)
and there came our funny encounter as we girls tried to cross the road...saw this line of cars and we thought omg! Heavy traffic! how to cross??
So we waited..and waited..to cross...and realised..those were actually parked cars..
HAHA!! Ohwells...=P
Headed to our hotel (Guest House) for check-in and was surprised by the appearance of the banner..haha!
Applause to them for their warm hospitality to us!
Our exhausted bodies..after a long long day...
and bernice and i didnt go back our hotel rooms that night..haha!
we were laughing too madly..chatted and recorded silly videos for hours till we both were lazy to go back our own rooms..
so slept at mangay and celine's shared rooms till the following morning..but being my first night there, i didnt really slept well.
and in the midst of the night..ber woke up and said it was getting too hot..that was when i realised i was actually covered in my own sweat!
(we later discovered our aircon temp was at 27 DC!) room temp -.-""
Viet Day 2: 21 Sept 2010
GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!
our breaky buffet early morning!
love it loads because the buffet serves my fave omelette!! WOOHOOO!
i wanted get more eggs but changed my mind later
as it's always been recommended that our bodies take in a max of 2 eggs a day! =P
'camwhoring' with the girlies..because..it's MY FORTE!!! HAHA! =D
so off off we set off to University of Economics (UEH) @ Ho chi minh city..it was super near our hotel because we got there just as Celine and i were laughing over some stupig comments i made..less then 5mins after we board our bus..FAST!!!
The Head of Department for Finance giving us a presentation on the economic state of Vietnam..
really thank goodness i could understand his english..phew!
this pic reminded me of the picture description we have in our orals..
'in the background, i can see that Mr Tan is stoning in one corner...probably thinking of what we having for lunch..and there is two happy ladies smiling happily to their cameras..and on the right side of the pic..Mr Handsome Tan is giggling happily to his yellow files..probably because he saw some pretty girls' photos??'
HAHA!!!! okie im damn bored...=P
anyways..after the presentation that successfully brought most of us to dreamland...we were finally given the cues to meet the students from UEH!!
we were greeted by the students from BELL club..and according to them..it stands for
'Business English for Learners and Lovers'
Creative eh? =))
the students in this club all learn english in terms of writing, reading and listening..just like how some of us here learn other languages too!
the students of BELL club got us in groups to play some interesting games with them!
trying my best to draw nicely for our group...
but i must've failed terribly judging from the laughters i got =((
presentation by us..on...Everything From Singapore!!
our new-found friends!! =DD they were all very friendly and easy-going people..
and they too like us were all crazy over Kpop and korean dramas!!
all the girls told me they liked watching Personal Taste..and lee minho is their personal favourite..haha!! ^.^ (Y)
and according to them, most vietnamese youngsters are crazy over Kpop now..i guess it's a worldwide craze isnt it?? =D
at the end of the trip, many of us exchanged emails with them..and yes! After i came back from viet, one of the girls emailed me to check how i was doing..so sweet of her rights! The next time i go back viet again, i'll be sure to visit her too ^^
our final group photos with the students before leaving..
our lunch place which was situated opposite the university..
honestly speaking the food is really bad here..
the fishes were a tad too dry and boney..=(
we barely ate mouthfuls!!
Luckily our ever kind Mr handsome tan let us have our own free and easy after lunch..
so we headed out the restaurant and took a walk nearby..
love walking around exploring new places and do 'people watch'..=)
the stretch of road towards Diamond Plaza..
gosh i totally heart this..i love buildings with monumental values...
we headed back to our hotel again after one round of company visit after lunch..
tonight was the night we settled our own dinner..but ber and i only had cup noodles back at our rooms..
booboo!! tonight was also the night i felt the most sleepy and hungry...
after what seemed like hours of ride round and round ho chi minh,
we finally arrived at the student's house..
it was raining heavily that night and some of our poor frens who alighted the coach earlier got drenched!
seeing mr handsome tan laughed so happily made me suspect that he must've made yet another silly joke again..HAHA!
(in private, we all call him La bi xiao xin aka Shin Chan becos of his thick eyebrows) :DD
the man seated on the leftmost corner is the student's father :) he's a really good host!!
we were served a kind of plum drink by the family and it tasted really refreshing!!
i even ate up all the plums..HAHA!!!
and we were all taken aback when the uncle said he has been to spore before and taken the spore flyer..
souvenir for our new friend by RIS! =)
ris looked so vietnamese with his white top..like her hubby...HAHAHAHA!!
Viet Day 3: 22 Sept 2010
Today's also a happy day for us because it's the second last day of our company visits!!! OHYEAAA!!
Altho we'd be having 2 comany visits today..
Our first stop for the day was to Vietnam Brewery!
i think my dad would be the happiest man to be here too..because...
OF THIS!
My dad's favourite beer..^^
this somehow reminds me of those fighting scenes in hong kong dramas/movies where the lead actor pushes down
cans of these to fight away the baddies...hmmm jackie chan can consider this place for his upcoming movies
hahaha...i thinking too much already..
the factory where the packaging of the beers are done..but before they do..the quality of the beers, (eg the temperature) has to be checked too to ensure all are in tip top condition!!
it was really really hot and humid inside the factory..no one was spared from the humidity and it got so hot so hot i nearly..
died...hahaha!! okok i am abit exaggerating here again..
but my point is, really kudos to those working in the factories..we were cooped inside for about half an hour and were all already
almost dying...but the workers had to be there for close to 12hours a day! well except lunch time probably but still...*applause*
for my dad :))
ladies and gentlemen...for those of you who has sharp eyes..u'll probably notice the lil black spots in this picture..
it is not the dirt of your computer screens!!
they were all DRAGONFLIES...
*HORRORS*
and all of them were flying around us...it was such a horrifying sight i nearly peed in my pants..SERIOUSLY!!
but what attracted them i cant figure out too exactly...definitely not us right??
Lunch here was superb! The food was really delicious!!
plus the ambience was fabulous too..although it was really really warm..
actually everywhere in vietnam is really hot..the weather made me perspire so much i told
my friends that the 6days of sweat i had in viet was equivalent to my one month's sweats...
YEA!!!
braised meat and fish..
aku alone finished nearly half the pot when it's meant to be shared..hehe..
this was one big blooper that kept us 4 laughing for the rest of our trip...
well, it was because our cameraman cum tourguide Mr Tan took this shot twice for us...
and TWICE, he didnt capture mangay's face...
poor mangay =((
and the funniest part was that he also asked us TWICE if the shot was okie..
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Guessed he didnt see that mangay's face was badly blocked?
=P
and FINALLY...A nice pic taken..hehe!
our last company visit for the day..VSIP!!
Kinda excited cos this industrial felt so much like being in Spore..got the 'homely' feel..
except that it was probably ten times hotter.. =P
the massive industrial park, with Spore-based companies too..
the models were so big it couldnt even be fitted into my camera screen..haha
this friendly lady here told us that our MM Lee Kuan Yew last visited VSIP in 2007..
and hasnt been there since then...
now as i think of it..felt like crying...
because i'm reminded of what happened recently to the dear old couple..
guessed ever since Mdm Kwa geok choo suffered a stroke in 2008..it was hard for our MM Lee to travel far too?
presentation time!!
after the presentation, we did a tour around the industrial park, not by foot because it was simply too huge..
we went by our coach! ^^
and seriously it looked exactly the same like tuas...
on our way back from VSIP, our tour guide dropped us off at this Handicraft company near the city..
it was an eye-opener for us as the paintings and vases were all personally made by the locals!
some were even wheelchair-bound =(
this man curving out on the vase, which is largely made up of Mother of Pearls
Mother of Pearls is actually a common name for Nacre, a blend of minerals that are secreted by oysters and other mollusks and deposited inside their shells, coating and protecting their bodies from parasites and foreign objects..
and it makes the handicrafts look all so glowy and pretty too!!
they even used duck eggshells to make paintings!
so amazing right..because duck eggshells are harder then chicken eggshells!
hence they used that instead :)
putting together the shells on the painting bit by bit..gosh, tedious!
adding colours to the eggshells!
polishing the paintings..
Notre Dame Cathedral!
Really love the structure of this french-built catholic cathedral..made me feel like having a church wedding too..
on our way to dinner...saw these rows and rows of motorbikes..the streets are FLOODED with them!!
feels like im a stalker hehe! It's a sweet pic of a happy family but yet cant help feeling dangerous for the lil kid..-.-
it's not something u'll see in spore!
amazing way of setting the wires..it's all over the poles we see everywhere in Viet!
Aint we all grateful for the hidden wires beneath our roads in Spore??
Finally it's makan time!!! (and it still looks freaking bright despite it being 6pm)
did this when im missing my boyfriend during dinnertime..yes, dinnertime..cannot arh? HAHA!!!
SUPERNICE FOODIE!! ^^
wanted to cross the road but was too traumatised by the look of this
DIAMOND PLAZA! TIME FOR SHOPPPINGGG!! YAY!
Look how creative they can be, changing the lift area to some slacker's corner..
it's a godsend to those tt cant stand long shopping hours!
too shagged to walk back to our hotel so we all shared a cabby..darn cheap! and can fit max 8 ppl!
totally wanna laugh at nana's craziness over the cab driver..which looked quite young and..hee..CUTE of course!!
Talk bout spotting cute vietnamese guys...=P
we even made a list of our top 5 cute guys we spotted in viet..and noope, Mr Handsome Tan wasnt in the list..
duh~ cos he's handsome not cute...
HAHA!!
Convert this to vietnam dong & it costs less than 40cents!! DAMN CHEAP TTM!!
and yes, this costs a dollar only! Why did ber and i not buy any of this?? *REGRETS*
Viet Day 4: 22 Sept 2010
Yet another new day for us!!
our first company visit for day 3!!
the head of department doing an explanation for us
slacking at a hotel lobby after lunch..own free and easy again! ^^
i got kissed!! *shys* =PP
and there goes our lil competition to see who takes a better random pic of each other..
haha!! spot mangay's classic expression..*lmao*
the interior deco of this hotel made me feel very 'homely'..love the lightings!
finally we reached our next destination, The Water Puppet Show!!
when u're in places like this..gotta be kiasu abit..Sporean spirit yah!! =D
HAHA!!! *guji guji*
what?? knocked out even before the show starts??? POWER~~
imma baby stalker!! rawrs!!
too cute! i cant stop snapping...hee..
okok last pic haha!!! =))
The water puppet show! Finally! It's interesting how they actually manipulate the puppets..
from behind the green screens i reckon!
It's quite a lively performance with the people playing and singing the traditional songs by the side
the mating part of the dragon and pheonix? honestly speaking i wasnt very sure...
it was all in vietnamese language...hmm, no wonder ur teacher fell asleep haha!
taahh dahh! suuden appearance by the puppeteers!! and i tot they were the big puppets haha!!
i smell food!! not my foot but FOOD!! ^^
Damn nice exterior! Looked like a house from within..
*chomp chomp chomp* now i'm feeling hungry again..great...
the night life of Ho Chi Minh city is pretty alive and happening!
still able to hear the buzz and fuzz despite it being late at night
our saviour will always be here when we end up like lost sheeps...
how else to end off the fourth night? NIGHT SHOPPING YAYY!!! =DD
Like aunty~ hahaha!
think if my mum sees the way i choose and buy stuff there, she'll be super proud of me..HEEHEE!
The best part was when i approached the staff there to ask her where's the ice cream section, she started blabbering
a series of words which i totally could not understand at all =(
i must've looked vietnamese to her..haha!!
Viet Day 5 - 24th Sept 2010
Palace of Independence
this was built during the french colonization..
and if i still remember correctly, it was supposedly built for the French governor back in year 1887 ( i think so?)
haha! so sorry pardon me yupp...my history facts aint very good...cos im more of human geog..hahaha!
anyway, after the 1950s the palace was handed back to the then Prime Minister of Saigon (fyi saigon = ho chi minh)
and there! he lives there practically like a king! :)
haha just kidding!! This palace was actually used more for meetings with other reps from all over the world rather than for living in...
seriously..i forgot what this place is called..oops! *guilts*
ohh there it is! HAHA! The wonders of camera~~
i apologize for the bad quality of the pic as i used my hp..yea right not as good as my cam =((
The office of the President of Viet..spacious ttm!
if only i can sit here and just slack my day away..or read my storybooks here?? hee
the interiors were beautiful..and spells of 'Royalty'...
feel like roller blading here though =P
the reception room! wow i remembered! ^^
the royalty carpet~
the entertainment room..wow the big shots plays mahjong here too??
we were brought down to the basement where they showed us the combat rooms of the viet soldiers
seemed so eerie and the smell's wierd
our next destination...wasnt this church..haha! Just walked past and couldnt resist taking this again :P
The Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh
dunno why Mr Handsome Tan suddenly appeared behind & smiling so eerily..*scary*
Lady Gaga blocking the pic..HAHAHAHA!! *inside joke*
it was a really hot day..well actually practically everyday =)
even as we were at the post office, it was still very very hot inside!
so out of curiousity i went inside these booths and viola! It's air-conditioned!!
So that briefly explains why we're in there..HAAHAA!!!
fooling around inside..heck, no one knows u when u're in foreign land haa!
GOODBYE POST OFFICE!!
shit, i actually looked quite fat-faced in this shot..and that explains why it's a smaller pic than the rest...cos i tried to shrink it..HAHA!! YALA YALA call me cheater bug~~
slacking around waiting for our bus~~
finally off to MEKONG!! :DD
the new highway of ho chi minh..
the 3-hour ride on the bus was seriously no joke...
from initially the excitement of taking photos to eventually falling asleep...then waking, then sleep...
i think it's the first time in my life i ever got sick of sleeping...haha!
and i kept hit celine's head so hard we woke ourselves up =( sorry celine!!
this reminds me of the pics i often see in secondary geog texts..so agricultural feel!!
stopping by the souvenir shop for us to peepee...so chalet feel~
终于要到了！！
it was said that the mekong river used to have clear and bluey waters..and there were even dolphins swimming in it!
but now, it's pretty polluted and the waters are all very muddy and dirty..
as i call it, the 'Milktea' river...
Love the clouds and clear blue skies!
our ever-so-nice-like-papa tourguide who's also Mr Tan but we called him senior tan and our chercher Handsome Tan hehe!
feels like datuks here while he's out serving us fruits on the boat...
actually i'd wanted take more bananas (one of my fave fruits) but i was kinda embarassed if i one shot take so many hahaha!! Yahh i feel so not singaporean..gotta be kiasu abit more right?? =P
this is as what my boyfee would call..'Lehpaking'...haha!
thumbs up to them...they actually shifted the benches outwards so they could face the river...damn uncle-ish behaviour loh~~
with my berber~~ ^^
finally nearing the jetty!! wee!!
the houses in the forest..
seriously..the sampans dont look friendly to me...
sadly...i got arrowed to be the first 'victim' to go onboard...*it was shaky to the MAX*
our mr handsome tan finally on board with us...which made us heave a sigh of relief haha!!
our seniors totally freaked out..heehee!!
the funny part comes when i was dilligently taking photos of the aunty and of myself...
when suddenly i heard a loud kok sound behind and my head an instantaneous sharp pain....
the aunty had accidentally hit my head with her rowers...HAHAHA!!!
and she looked so apologetic and even tried to sayang my head for me....tsktsk...my fault actually for moving around too much never sit properly lahh dey =P
after i got knocked in the head..*OUCH* having a forced smile haha!!! =P
damn it...the weather there is really hot no joke...and what's with my expression? but somehow i like it...like really dying of thirst already HAHAHAHA!!
dunno why but i feel like eating the straw hats...looks like biscuits to me.... dee-li-cious~~
ber's emo backview...
Mr Lehpak King
making ricecakes
YUCKS!! EEWW!!
OH FAINTS THIS AINT ANY BETTER
tea time with the rest of the group..in which i kept railing bout the tea being the one that was in the snake bottle...
and i successfully duped the rest into thinking the same too..ahaha!!!
To be continued.....
blue skies,