Archive for June 25, 2009

This morning we were sleep deprived as we had to get up early to catch the bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon (HCM). But the sky was already bright by 6am and the city was ready for another busy day. Chieat and friends too shortened their sleep to fetch us to King Angkor Guesthouse to board the bus which will take us to the bus station. It was so nice of them. We couldn’t have thanked them enough. The journey will take more than 5 hours, so we packed in more water and some bread for breakfast. The bus left for Saigon at 7am. The assistant in the bus spoke good English and made sure the passengers were alright throughout the journey and was always updating us about the goings-on such as the need to fill in health declaration form and passport matters.

The bus stopped for 15 minutes at a restaurant near the border for refreshment. When we reached the immigration, we got our passport chopped, bag scanned, etc and finally went over to the other side. A health officer checked each and everyone’s temperature. Everyone cleared the check and off we went into the biggest city in Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh or better known as Saigon.

The view around Saigon was just like in Phnom Penh – paddy fields everywhere and plenty of vehicles on the road. But Saigon has more cars than in Phnom Penh but not necessarily lesser motorbikes. However, the motorists wore helmets here, and only two were allowed on one bike. We reached around lunch time and waited for Quynh for further aid, ignoring other taxi drivers. They do not have tuk tuk here in Vietnam. She arrived shortly on motorbike and directed us to our guesthouse. The guesthouse that she recommended charged $15 for a room per two persons. To save the trouble of looking at other places, we agreed anyhow, and so we paid $30 for two rooms. We put our luggage and took a taxi, under Quynh’s direction, to a nice place for lunch. The ambiance was very nice and the premise clean. Quynh said many tourists come here because it was convenient as all the traditional Vietnamese food is available there with reasonable price. She suggested some food and drinks and left to see her father in the hospital who was admitted due to lung inflammation, probably caused by excessive smoking. I hope he is fine now. We looked around and ordered some more food using sign language. The noodle was delicious and the rest was okay. True enough the price was reasonable.

Going around in HCM weren’t that difficult if you had a map. The buildings and roads were pretty organized. It was raining slightly that time when we proceeded to our first place of interest by foot – the Presidential Palace (entrance fee was RM 3). RM1 = 5,000 VND; $1=18,000 VND. It was pretty cheap but then again, the place was a bit disappointing as there weren’t many things to see. We were expecting something like the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, at least I was. It was only like a modern administration building with plenty of meeting rooms, all cordoned off. One was only allowed to see from the outside but pictures were permitted. We went around quickly and took more pictures outside with the plants, tanker and jet plane.

We were lucky that it did not rain heavily. Using the map, we walked to the Cathedral situated only about 15 minutes away. It was something quite unique and different from all surrounding buildings. Then we walked to the water puppet show place. Quynh was unable to join us, and so we bought 4 tickets for the evening show (RM16 each). Since we had some time left, we went scouting for shoes and attire in some sports shops just around the bend. The prices were again negotiatable. Kelvin and I bought some t-shirt each for about RM17 apiece.

The water puppet show was the highlight of the day. If you were in Saigon, this is a must-watch show although it was quite expensive. The stage was beautifully decorated with a pool in front. At both sides, instrumentalists played the sounds and made the dialogues for the puppets. The colourful puppets’ movement, the music and sound were all well synchronized. It was really quite enjoyable even though the dialogues and singing were in local dialect but it wasn’t hard to understand what was going on. At the end of the 45-minutes show, the puppet masters emerged from the water in traditional costume (and soaking wet) to wave at the crowd. Everyone applauded acquiescently for the great performance.

Quynh came over to bring us to dinner – to eat ‘labi-labi’ or ‘sui yue’ in Cantonese. I don’t know what it is called in English but they look like tortoise (see picture). The place was a bit further from the town. We were quite anxious, so we ordered only two instead of the recommended three for our number. We did not drink the blood which, according to Quynh was supposed to be good for men. The first dish that came was the vege cooked with the internals and eggs. The eggs were okay, tasted like chicken hard-boiled egg yolk. Then came the fried ‘labi labi’. The shell was hard but edible after much teeth grinding action. ‘Labi labi’ really doesn’t have much meat in them. The last dish was the spicy version. We ate all with plain noodles. All in all, it was a good experience (cost about RM 70). I still missed Cambodian food at this point of time.

We took the taxi to another modern part of Saigon. The population here alone is about 20 million – that explains the congestion. This place seemed similar to KL – brightly lit buildings, uptown malls complete with prestigious hotels to boast. The five of us walked to the night market for some shopping. Here, I got my birthday present on the spot – a bag, for a very good bargain (approx. $8). Thanks guys! I love it. Chunaki bought one huge bag that I believe can fit me in. Jesse bought one like mine but orange in colour. We left satisfied because they were all really good bargain, somehow had something to do with Quynh’s powerful presence. We walked for a while more before going back to our guesthouse. Appreciation goes to Quynh for showing us around and for taking care of our transportation. Even tough your father was unwell, you still came to be with us. Thanks.

This morning, we were slightly late ala Malaysian standard. Mr. Ram, our tour guide and tuk tuk driver were already waiting for us. We had a quick breakfast of noodle (RM4 per bowl), quite like yesterday night but tasted better, at the shop, just opposite of the guesthouse. Then we headed straight to Angkor Wat.

Mr. Ram, 24, still a university student studying English and Culture something something, was a chatty guy. He told us plenty of information and stories, and that his nick name was DJ Ara Black, or so it sounded. Although sometimes I’m at lost of what he said, he was a cool and fun guide to have with that day. Dragon fruits were sold cheaply there, so we bought 4 costing only RM6.50. Back home, dragon fruits are expensive but slowly getting cheaper because more and more people are planting them, following the footsteps of Cambodia and Vietnam. By the roadside you could also see bottled gasoline of cheaper grade, usually used by motorbikes.

One could not help but began to feel the majestic air of the ancient times and the tall trees lined at the road sides contributed to the cooling atmosphere as we breezed towards Angkor on a cramped tuk tuk. The fee to Angkor cost $20 each and all tickets will have the buyers faced printed on it. Pretty cool, isn’t? According to Mr. tour guide aka DJ Ara Black, the beautiful girls working at the counter were mostly university students who could speak English. There were also 3-day tour in Angkor Ruins alone which you can opt for but ours was a one-day trip. After a short briefing of our routing that day, we rode into the first destination of the old kingdom – Bayon.

You have not visited Cambodia unless a trip to the Angkor Wat. To see with your own eyes the wonder of the world is to be amazed by the grandiose structure stood tens of metres high, piled ceremoniously one on top of another. The sculpture and carvings on the wall of the sandstones blocks were masterpiece in their own rights, and they told about the tales happened long long time ago. Back then, sandstones cut with long knife into cubes were brought by elephants and labours to construct this magnificent fortress. Imagined how strong, determined and clever they were in those days to build something like this without the use of modern mechanism, save the pulleys. I was like “how the hell they build that?!?!?”.

For first-time visitors I strongly recommend hiring a tour guide to explain about the interesting stories. FIY, locals need not pay to see the Angkor Wat. Mr. Rom was more than a tour guide, he is a friend. He told us not just the tales from the walls but also his life, the past, present and future. It was too much to be told here but we thoroughly enjoyed his company and sharing each others’ stories. As much as the ruins were a sight to behold, it was also a borderless playground for photograph enthusiasts. One could spend the whole day capturing moments through the lens and still felt insufficient – such was the wonder of the kingdom whose land is huge beyond imagination.

When we finished Bayon, half of our energy was already exhausted from much walking and climbing. Make sure you have a good pair of shoe and prepared to climb steep stairs. We proceeded to another main temple, all along taking pictures and basked in awe of its mere presence that still stood through the times of war and savage. Children especially will come with goodies, asking and half begging visitors to buy things ranging from key chains to shirts and from fans to coconut drink. However tempting (some quite reasonable actually) we fended all of them away, no matter how pitiful they look. They could be really good in persistence, and sometimes it pays to be just that. At any place and time of the day, you could see foreigners all over the place befitting Siem Reap – the number one tourist area in Cambodia. Tourism in Cambodia was only much promoted few years back. Signs of pilferage were obvious as many statues of Buddhism and Hinduism influence were devoid of head and limbs. Some were taken back to France and some sold for their worth. Much restoration work still needed to be done in those ruins. Sometimes one could see piles and piles of sandstones lying on the ground that needed to be sorted out, cleaned and restored. The French, Japanese and Indian were the ones hard at work preserving and restoring the sites.

A visit to a sky kingdom (also a ruin) left us a dollar and 1,500 Riel poorer. Mr. Ram did not follow us all the way up, so we climbed ourselves to the top. There, two impeccably English speaking youngsters welcomed us and started explaining this and that without us asking them to. We were suspicious the moment we see them but being polite, we did not ask whether or not they are doing it for free. At the end of the short tour, they asked for tips. So if you encountered people like this, kindly ignore them and say no up front if you don’t want unnecessary guide. Furthermore, their stories weren’t quite accurate according to Mr. Ram when we told him what happened at the top.

At lunch time, Mr. Ram brought us to a nice restaurant which spelt “Place $pecially for foreigner$ to Empty their Pocket$$$” We were skeptical but sat down and looked at the menu. Once Mr. Ram went behind for his free meal, we decided to leave. Although it was quite a thick-skin kind of thing to do, we had to do it!! That moment, the waitress mentioned something about discount and that’s when we realised even the food was negotiable. We walked further down and settled at a small shop under the zinc. We had coconuts and ordered food from menu after bargaining for cheaper price. We managed to get some good offer and the food that arrived smelt so aromatic and tasted even nicer than food we had before. Curry chicken was sooooo delicious, so were the vegetables, potatoes, chicken and fish dish, and even then sliced ginger was all walloped! But the weather was so hot, and sitting under the zinc roof did not help. There were no fans too. So we sweated a lot while eating. Moments later Mr. Ram came worried. He said we should have just told him that we wanted to eat here.

One thing to note in Cambodia (and also Vietnam), is that their public toilets were quite clean, and tissues provided. After the hearty meal, Mr. Ram brought us to climb a tall tree. This passage was built by the Japanese in view of their good friendship with Cambodia. The scenery was okay at the top, nothing much to see but it was a really long way up. Mr. Ram said a lot of couples come here for dating. He sometimes brings his girlfriend here to talk and kiss. Cheeky.

To get married in Cambodia, the man will have to pay the girl’s family some amount. This amount depends on the male’s financial situation. If he is well to do with a stable job, he does not need to pay as much. If he’s poor, he’ll have to pay higher, kind of like a higher initial penalty for insurance. Mr. Ram is considered moderately okay, so he needs to pay about $2,000 but he only has $1,000 at the moment. So he’ll only get half of the girl (either bottom half or top half), we joked! Ahem, at this juncture let me report about the Cambodian girls. Generally, I think they are attractive, beautiful girls as Mr. Rom puts it.

Next, we went to more visiting at different parts of the ruins. By this time, the weather was scorching hot, and we were all weary but carried on nevertheless. To me, one-day trip to Angkor Wat was more than enough. We visited place where Tomb Rider was filmed. Angelina Jolie was here. Trees were big and huge and their roots intertwined with the blocks of sandstone and volcanic stones to extent of damaging them. And the authorities can’t do much about it. We finally entered the Angkor Wat (another main temple), no less amazing but with similar features -columns, statues and more carvings. We took less and less picture as we were tired. Here we sat down more and just talked. Mr. Ram was becoming more ‘hamsap’ relating us his friend’s one night stand with a Japanese woman. He showed us carving of women on the wall, naked at the top. From the picture you can notice the breasts and the faces were ‘cleaner, solid colour’ looking. The reason being, as he demonstrated, people like to touch those parts and therefore inevitably made them cleaner. No joking!

About 5pm, we exited through the gate by the bridge. There were carpet greens over the entrance with calm lakes where you could see the reflection of the kingdom. The scenery amidst the sun setting was beyond describable. You just have to go and see it yourself. We went outside the street to catch our tuk tuk. More children swarmed around to sell us things. Albeit tired we still refuse politely mostly by saying “it’s okay”. One girl selling postcards even had the cheek to reply “it’s okay for u, not ok for me” to Jesse. We chuckled but also sympathised them at the same time. They looked poor and hungry, and without sandals to protect their feet. Such were their life – difficult.

Not long into the journey, we arrived at the foot of the hill where we were supposed to climb to watch the sun set at the top. One lady selling coconut came to us and I told her that perhaps later we would buy on the way back. I was genuiene at that time. You could also opt for an elephant ride for about $20. We walked to the top and there sat another ruin, a location perfect for watching the sun set. There were already hundreds of visitors from all over the world. See the picture. We stayed there for about one and half hour until the sun hid behind the mountains afar. And soon after, we too left the place – Angkor Ruins the magnificent. When we got back at the foot of the hill, the coconut lady was there calling from the other side of the street. We ignored her and she swore at me saying I will not have a girlfriend. It went something like “u no girlfriend!!”. Sigh, what did I do to deserve that. The cost for an English tour guide and tuk tuk for whole day was $20 (through guesthouse arrangement). If you contact a freelance like Mr. Ram directly, it will only cost $15. Here’s his contact – Pheara.angkor[at]yahoo[dot]com.

We made a pact with Mr. Ram that tomorrow he will take us to visit more places before we left for Phnom Penh. He asked to keep it a secret from the tuk tuk driver as well as the guesthouse keeper because they will charge for commission. It was a win-win deal. We got back, showered, rested a while, and checked email before taking a tuk tuk to the same night market area. Again we enjoyed the food at a stall. The fruit shake drinks and the food were equally good, especially the tom yam. Indescribable!! Absolutely excellent (cost $1 each type). FIY, 1.5L of drinking water cost about $0.50. Try look for it or cheaper ones but don’t go above $1. We walked to the same night market for some more serious shopping. Jesse, Chunaki and Kelvin bought 6 handbags for $17 from the same lady that chided Kelvin “no good customer” yesterday. She was wide-eyed seeing us again but we gave her business, weren’t we good? I regretted having bought none there thinking they were more in Vietnam. We shopped some more and went back via tuk tuk (no more acting macho) as we were very tired. We washed some clothes, chatted and were sound asleep swiftly.