My Life Journey

Almost all 19 June in the past went by like another ordinary day, although they were in a way, anyway. But the one in 2009 was very memorable to me because I get to spent it with my good friends in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

The gracious Ha woke up early to buy bread for us that morning because we hadn’t much time left to go out for breakfast. Once ready, we walked up to the junction of the street to catch a cab and we were lucky to get one in the morning rush hour without having to wait. At the travel agency, we settled our bill for the trip and waited for bus to Ha Long Bay. When it finally arrived, we thanked Ha and she wished us an enjoyable trip and reminded us to take loads of picture.

Remember to get the receipt upon payment as proof because few minutes into the journey, the guide asked for the ticket. Luckily we hadn’t driven very far, so we rushed back to the agency to get the confusion settled or otherwise we would have to pay another 3 million VND. All was done without considerable delay and off we went, stopping once for a short break at a big souvenir shop. At the harbour, we were brought into a (taxi) boat that will ferry us to our own boat. As we docked out, the view looked like a scene from the movie Red Cliff – plenty of traditional junk in all directions, some approaching the harbour and some, including ours, set sail towards the limestone cliffs at the far horizon.

When we arrived at our own boat, we were given a wet towel to freshen up as the weather was hot and humid.  Aboard our 3-star junk, there were a group of Vietnamese family including two cute children, a couple from London, Tom and Kim, two lone travellers – a Canadian and a Russian, a doctor, both women, the tour guide, captain and crew, and there was us, from Malaysia. Really, it wasn’t a big group which made it all the more interesting and easier to handle for the guide. As we moved closer and closer into the formation, the view was getting more breath taking. The water was green, sparkling under the strong sunlight.

After checking into our rooms (lower deck), we got back on the mid-deck for lunch. The lunch was okay but being Malaysians, we wanted more of everything – the rice and the dishes too but we dared not demand more. We looked around and most table couldn’t fisnih the food on the table and we were like “ohh… what a waste” and wished we could have their portion. Our table was wiped clean. One more thing we were short of was drinking water as they are not provided. We should have brought along more but we didn’t and we had to conserve them (something Kelvin was weak at) or buy, which was expensive – the lowest was RM3 per 1.5L bottle. The more experienced Vietnamese family brought a lot of things with them including like unlimited amount of liquids comprises of juice, tea, water and liquor, and also tidbits and fruits. Anyways, all was not too bad. It was still a wonderful cruise altogether.

Our first destination was the cave that felt cool from the undercurrent. Well, we saw things that could be expected from a cave such as stalactite, stalagmite, formation resemblance of things and everything else. The tour inside was only slightly more than 35 minutes or so and we exited at the top to a splendid overview of the bay. We boarded back on a boat, not ours, and together with other tourists, headed for kayaking – the perfect activity for us to sweat since we hadn’t been exercising. It was really nice to kayak in the calm waters with views around so remarkable, especially more under the sun set. Everyone was given 45 minutes but personally I felt it wasn’t enough although quite tiring. Chunaki and I were lousy at first, banging to every obstacle there was, no matter how we tried to avoid them. But after getting the hang of it, it was great, rowing around amidst other kayakers and boats.

When time’s up, we got back to the jetty, and waited for our group to be whole. Our junk anchored at a spot, so as many other boats. It was time for swimming and half of our group jumped into the water, some as high as from the third deck. We wanted also to dip in, but decided not to after spotting jelly fish in the waters. So we just relaxed, mingled around a bit while enjoying the sun set. It was actually quite romantic not just that moment but true for the entire journey in Ha Long Bay. Quite recommended for couples. If you’re in Vietnam, be sure to visit Ha Long Bay. A day trip would be enough too see the scenery and kayak. For us, we had the 2-day cruise, which means we get to stay a night on the junk. There was also a 3-day cruise that comprises a trip to an island where you’ll stay for the second night, and trekking up the mountain in the national park.

Dinner was served at 8 something, and it was not bad, but something odd happened. Perhaps it was my lucky day that we were blessed with extra plate of beef and fish on top of ours and we had more than enough rice to go with. Don’t know here the extra dishes came from – maybe from the kind Vietnamese family or maybe from the kitchen, we never really quite sure but thanks! To show our appreciation, we finished almost everything given. Later that night, we just relaxed and chatted. It was a nice, peaceful birthday for me.

Tom cat sat on the stairs waiting to greet Lynh this morning but the person who came out of the bedroom was a male, stranger in the house. The cat look incredulously at me as I approach to touch it but Tom ran to the kitchen on the fourth floor, nary a purr. Most of the houses in Vietnam are few stories high, including Ha’s resident but hers was overlooking a big lake, called the West Lake. No wonder Vietnamese are slim – they climb up and down everyday, and also due to their genes that must have been passed down by their predecessors whose days were hard and food was scarce. But then again, they don’t overeat, unlike sinful Malaysians who indulge in gluttony more often than not. Her mother said the house was bigger last time before the government cut them into half to make way for road. They lost more than 100 square meters and a lot of money too. The compensation wasn’t enough but life goes on.  The stairs are spiral and narrow. Each floor hasn’t much space but the bedrooms are nice. Lynh’s room was comfortable, equipped with air conditioning and a solid bed with matching comforter at the center. The bathroom is green in colour because Lynh likes green. And there was the computer that we used to access the Internet. Ha’s room on the second floor was similar. The living room is at the ground floor, with a tv, sofa set and a laughing Buddha made of jade looking out through the entrance, fenced by the gate that slides vertically by a press of a button.

Ha’s mother can converse in English. She treated us well, did our laundry and a nice person to chat with. She looks beautiful for a person her age. Ha’s father, although did not talk to us, saved for the initial pleasantries, was also a kind man. Ha was always saying Lynh’s fat, like a pig, but we didn’t think so. Coming from Malaysia, we know what is consider fat and she doesn’t belong in that category. To me, she’s kinda cute. She knows English but not as well as Ha but nevertheless a pleasant girl to chat with. She just finished high school and will be going to US for further studies in August. She’s afraid but excited to go all the same.

Prior to this visit, we had always thought Ha comes from a rich family and that she was a class above – rich, spoilt and demanding. My friends, how gravely mistaken we were. The following few days with her, albeit short one (sadly), we found out that she was downright the opposite of what I’ve just said. Her father was in some sort of a car business, not a minister much less a prime minister that we assumed he was, half jokingly on the way here last night. She doesn’t live in a mansion and the lake in front of her house wasn’t hers. Back in UTP, she said we could camp by the lake, swim, fish, and do whatever we like there. It wasn’t true, not quite anyway because we never really tried. Ha is a very nice girl, and I’m not just saying it because she let us stay in her house for free, but I (and we) really mean it. She’s the nicest girl ever – pretty, charming, witty, skillful and funny. I can’t recall how many times she made us laugh with her punch lines. She’s a real gem to talk to. She said she can cook and it was a common thing for Vietnamese girls, naturally. It’s like they are born with cooking skills, you know. What made her even more of a friend was that she told us about her relationship with Da. Now this is something private, and I’m not in the position to tell it but it was pretty sad. I’ll just say a little bit. Her parents including Lynh oppose their relationship and ask her to stop seeing him for reasons I don’t want to say. That was another reason why he could not send us to her house from the airport yesterday night. Her parents want her to be with other guys, who mostly have family relations with them. But Ha loves Da, and she couldn’t understand why other guys can say they like her after a short meeting. To her, true feelings can only develop after getting to know one another properly.

Many guys go after her, and there’s no need to ask why. She said, even in UTP, many guys, both local and international, wanted to go after her. Don’t get me wrong, she didn’t tell us all that on her own like a biatch, but because we asked in our bid to get to know her more (you know la Kelvin wants to fellow-fellowship ma). Anyway, I was actually quite taken aback that she would tell us so many things about herself, as if we were good friends. She even told us she likes babies and how many children she plans to have (but I won’t tell you here). She added that she doesn’t have many friends UTP, except for a few including her roommate and Quynh. When she first came in, she thought she would have plenty but unfortunately, it turned out to be otherwise. She’s not close even to most of her own countrymen. She said some girls like to act weak and always gossiped. She didn’t like that. She was also not close to Malaysian students and she doesn’t know why. She said some people said she was…I forgot the exact word but somewhere along the line of not approachable. But she said she is actually a very friendly and sweet girl, like the sweetest drug. So don’t know why not many friends, not even classmates, not even us (we’re too busy with badminton but didn’t tell her that though). Well, perhaps it was our fault (as she puts it) that we did not take the initiative to get to know her more in the first place. Now we regretted, at least I am because she really is a very very nice girl with great sense of humour. She admitted being ‘lazy’ when it comes to uni work but only because she’s clever enough to leave important job to other groups members. So I guess that pretty explains your grouses, Ginn. But she said she like having you guys including Daniel and Guru because you can really present well, and the whole group benefited. Haih…what a joker. Forgive her ok? If you’d found her not looking your way or return your wave, forgive her too because she weren’t wearing her glasses sometimes, especially at night.

Hmm..wow, already so long and I haven’t even started on our visits. There’re many other things about her but I suppose it shall now stay between us four and our special Vietnamese girlfriend. So let’s continue our journey. We woke up to the beautiful lake view that morning. Ha and Lynh were already up and waiting for us for breakfast. We walked to a nearby stall to have beef noodle. As an Ipoh citizen, I’ve always defended Ipoh as having the best food and proud of it, but now I acknowledge that Cambodian and Vietnamese food are better. For one, the beef noodles were better – the soup just tasted great and the meat tender. We then went back home for Ha to change and get her purse, and off we went.

We booked the driver for the whole day, so like it or not, he was stuck with us. We dare not ask Da to join for fear the driver will report back to home. Anyway, Da had to work. Our first stop was the pottery village in Bat Trang. Here, lots of very affordable pottery and ceramic products are available. We stopped by a shop and bought some souvenirs of necklaces and wristlets. They were inexpensive, only priced at about RM2 for a nice necklace. For the same item back in Malaysia, it could easily fetch above RM15. Ha was such a joy to have with us. It was her first time there as well and she helped to choose the beads for our souvenirs and also gave suggestions. She was having as much fun as we were, and that was brilliant. We spent nearly 2 hours there, and all the while the driver had to wait for us – poor guy. After some sugarcane drink, we gave a try at pottery making. For an interesting activity like this, it cost only RM6 per person. First the expert demonstrated how to go about it and then we were given a dome-shaped clay each to start with. Jesse and I screwed up the most, having to restart again few times, whereas Kelvin, Chunaki and Ha were more skilful. Jesse’s first trial ended looking like a toilet bowl. I just couldn’t make it taller so in the end satisfied by just make a heart shaped cup, so did Ha. Chunaki’s one was star shaped and Kelvin a lopsided cup that was considered an artistic piece deserving praise from the expert. I’d say he screwed up but too lazy to start again. Just joking….. Then we decorated our cup however we like. See pictures. After decoration, our clay products were put on fired stove to harden it. That process took about 30minutes. While at it, we enjoyed the tea provided and chatted. Before long, we were hard at work painting our cups. Voila, after nearly 2 hours we’re done with pottery making. Although no where near perfection, everyone was proud with his or her own masterpiece.

Much to the driver’s relieve, we finally leave Bat Trang after spending what felt like half the day there. Little did we know, Ha was trying to arrange our travel to Ha Long Bay tomorrow all along, but we didn’t know because she spoke in Vietnam language. We thought they were calls to/from Da or other friends. Actually, we were supposed to go to Thang’s hometown at Haiphong first instead of Hanoi, but he himself was at vacation in Ha Long Bay. Back in KL, he asked to join his group but unfortunately we couldn’t because flight was too expensive as it was also last minute. The correspondent he gave didn’t work out so Ha and Da found us another travel agency. We were so grateful that they took the trouble to make sure our trip to Ha Long Bay was settled. We got a $55/person deal for a 2-day cruise.

It was already near 4pm when we had our lunch. There we tried more Vietnamese food – herbal chicken soup, noodle, fried rice and something like ‘chee cheong fun’, and all tasted good. Hoan Kiem lake was our next visit. Many people were leisuring around and taking pictures. Ha said wedding photos were also taken here. The lake scene was picturesque with a red bridge leading to the Ngoc Son temple. A minimal fee was charged to enter and we took more pictures there. Ha became our willing camera gal but we liked most to include her in the picture.

By five something the road was swarmed with vehicles. We also left for home to shower before dinner. We got ready and waited for another UTP friend to join, Tuong (hope spelt correctly). Since he didn’t have his own motor it took quite some time for him to arrive. During the waiting period, we chatted with Ha,  her mother, sister and also ate lychee, while the driver chatted with the father. When everyone was present, 10 of us got into the van and left for a restaurant, specialized in snake delicacies. Unless you travel with a local, you wouldn’t find the place because the road leading to the restaurant was quite narrow and so unlikely for tourists to come across.

The path leading to the restaurant was narrowly dark, with bamboo shooting from the sides. Walking towards it felt like it was infested with snakes and rats. Of course none was seen until we reach inside the premise. Snakes were pulled out from the caged and weighed and butchered in no time, all in full view of visitors. As first timers, we began snapping our cameras away, partly to document the process and partly as proved that we ate snakes, and drank their blood and bile – for real! The blood and bile were mixed with vodka, so when drunk (bottoms up at one go), it tasted more of alcohol. Each of us only had one cup of each type – it was enough for trial. The snakes were made into 7 dishes as can be seen in the photos. Even the bones were not spared. After the sticky rice and wild boar dish, we were very full already. The meal was a great experience and the restaurant was actually quite nicely decorated. We don’t know how much the meal was, but I bet it wasn’t cheap. Thanks uncle!

At night we chilled out at Ha’s house enjoying fruits and drinks while the breeze from the lake blew occasionally into the kitchen. The rest of the Dois were in the room except Ha, who accompanied us. The setting was warm and calm in this summer night, and was conducive for a get-to-know-each-other session. Such was that, and we found a friendship that was long due. As Kelvin said, it was never too late. We’re glad to have travelled hundreds of kilometres and fostered a relationship that we never appreciated when we were physically closer. And I’m happy to have known the true nature of Ha, a girl once misconstrue but now seems like the perfect girl and for the same reason her email was deliberately abbreviated “dhp” or Doi Ha perfect!

Vietnam has been involved in many wars in the past, colonised by western powers, and governed by communists. Physical war was terrible at any circumstances for they destroy lives and haunt you for the rest of your days even if you lived to tell the tale. Ask any veteran and he will tell you they hated war – done with pride and bravery, but fearsome and cruel too. During the years of embargo, the people of Vietnam suffered indefinitely. There were no news, information, nothing could go out or come into the country. Vietnam received no help and had no one to rely on but themselves. Left without choice, the people hard-pressed by hunger had to plant their own food, mainly rice, and reared livestock and ate all sorts of animal such as rats, all for survival. There was no business to be done, only hardship and pain to face.

When the embargo was removed, Pepsi-Cola was first to appear, and then Coca-Cola followed by McD, but the Vietnamese refused – thanks but no thanks. They are not fast-food lovers. Fast forward into the 21st century, Vietnam is no longer in hunger. In fact this country now produces rice for export and with the money, rebuilds the country to what we can see today. They have excess rice to be sent to Cuba as aid, for free. Bill Clinton and Gill Gates set up funds to help clean up the city and established platforms for unemployed and handicapped people to earn a living – by making handicrafts, for example. As a result, there weren’t anymore beggars on the streets.

These were related to the visitors on the way to Cuchi tunnel this morning by Mr. Binh. He told us many stories. He told us how Vietnamese disliked burger as they can’t fit into their small Asian mouths. He told about his life. He was an officer, lieutenant rank, served the American side during the wars. He killed not a soul but was shot twice and counted his blessing that he is still alive today. A man, solid despite his age, weathered in emotion telling about the past, one could believe his stories, of things that have happened, without a doubt. He told about the war and timeline of significant events. He told about his people – smart, skilful, resilient, kind and always a smile to offer. He could have an easy life if he had chosen to follow his comrade back to US but Vietnam is his home. He was a playboy in his youthful days, but chose to settled with a local woman, whom he loves very much although not beautiful as he said quite matter-of-factly. The government does not trust him because he served the American during the wars. They wouldn’t offer him job; he tried as an English teacher but rejected. He can fly a chopper, educate, serve the military and many more but none was appreciated. He was refused again and again. He had to smuggle goods at one time to earn money; to survive. Now, for almost two decades he works as a tour guide, just like this, telling stories and showing tourists around. He is now working on a book based on his diaries, and will be published in a few years time with the help of his brother. He once lost contact with all his siblings. They all fled and because of the embargo, he had no idea where they went or how to find them. He’s retiring next year, and we were glad to be on board with Mr. Binh this morning.

Earlier today, the guesthouse served breakfast of toast bread with strawberry jam, and bananas, gulped down with a cup of coffee (or tea). The journey from Saigon to Cuchi tunnel took about 2 hours with a short stop at the handicraft-making place. The place is run by the government to help the poor, and victims of wars, some handicapped by mines or chemical effluents. If you buy things here, it’s like doing a charity to help these people. And they are skilful people, making exceptional products ranging from lacquer ware to traditional shoes. The merchandise here are really really good, as one can see the details of work and effort they put into making any one item, and they are not considered expensive. Quite cheap, really, if you put things into perspective, accounting for the quality and size. We continued our journey, all the while Mr. Binh telling us stories and jokes.

Cuchi tunnels are the complicated underground network covering kilometres in total, hand-dug by the locals and soldiers to fight the enemy. During the wars, this place was rigged with mines, booby traps, hidden doors, escaped ways and many more. The tunnels are very small, just right for the Vietnamese in those days for a great trouble for westerners. If you were in Saigon, Cuchi tunnel is a recommended place to visit. The entrance fee was about RM16 per person and an extra $5 per head for transport with guide. The visit includes a chance to go through a 130m stretch narrow tunnel and firing real gun (you need to buy the bullets, of course). Guide will explain many things along the way – about what they do, military tactics and also something about the role of women in the camp. Mr. Binh said every group of soldier there were 2 women and they had four roles. 1) To cook, 2) To sew, 3) To fight enemies and 4) for ‘honeymoon’ purposes. The tunnels were completed in 3 levels down to 90m deep and in those tunnels were rooms designated for meetings, traps, escaped ways, cook and also to make love. He also accused Vietnamese women of overpopulating Vietnam because they are like baby making machine. Ahem, it is only fair that I report on Vietnamese girls like I did for Cambodian girls. I think I agree with Mr. Binh’s findings, that Vietnamese girls are skilful and also beautiful, in general. They can cook, smart, mostly educated now and attractive. So you see, I don’t mind following Mr. Binh’s footstep. As far as I know, Chunaki agrees too.

We fell asleep most on the way back – thirsty, tired and hungry. When we arrived, it was about 3pm already. We don’t know what to eat so we walked around looking for something simple and we ended up eating bread and it was like the most delicious sandwich we ever tasted. The filling was a variety of ham and meat and plentiful of greens to go with. Other bread weren’t that bad either. The cost was only about RM2 for each type. It was really really delicious.

Feeling more energetic, we proceeded to Benh Than Market by foot. It was a very conducive place to buy things because there are so many choices and best of all, you can bargain. All of us bought some nicely designed Adidas and Nike imitation t-shirts there, only for RM14 each. Since I did not buy the handbag in Cambodia, I was determined to get at least two because mum asked me to, and I did just that for RM12 each.

Quynh, met up with us and joined us for a little shopping spree. Unfortunately we can’t stay long but nevertheless she was still willing to come. We got back to our guesthouse, collect our luggage and took a cab to the airport. Quynh apologised for not being able to take us to more places. We felt bad because we were the ones who didn’t stay long enough in Saigon. We’re sorry Q, and you’ve been so nice to us. Thank you so much! See you again!

No, it wasn’t time to go home yet because our next destination was Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Thanks to Ha (and her cousin that we never met), we flew Vietnam airlines for $100 per person. It was my first time flying in Boeing 777. Everything about it was nice – the seats, the interactive screen, the food, the temperature, and of course the air hostesses. We were flying over 900km/h, with an outside temperature of -50 deg C over thousands of meter above ground, when the food came. It was a simple bread and ham meal but it was great, that we asked for one more each. Being greedy, we also asked for juices, milk and water, and once finished we did that all over again, just because they are free! Wait no, actually we paid for it, so might as well make our money worth.

We touched down at about half past ten at night. Ha and her bf was already waiting for us. I hope Ha’s family won’t be reading this….=P =P. Dear readers, there’s something I should explain and also this beautiful girl named Ha, is an interesting subject. If you want to know more, see the subsequent post. Her bf, Da (or so it sounded), is a very nice guy and he can speak mandarin because he studied business and management in Beijing for 6 years. So we spoke with him in mandarin and Ha, in English. Both of them were very sweet and welcoming, always smiling and looking after us. We went to a café at the airport to have some food but we were afraid that it might be costly so we ordered the cheap selections. We never wanted to go to fancy places but we must be polite, right…?? Da was the one who paid eventually, and we felt bad. It was already very nice of them for their hospitality, and now they paid our bills, not only this time but for many other things.. sigh..paiseh paiseh. They were just too nice to us.

Anyway, we parted ways back in the airport as Da can’t fetch us all back to Ha’s place, for two reasons – one, a car cannot fit us all and luggage, another one was….see next post please. We took a cab and reached Ha’s home about 40 minutes away. Her mother welcomed us into the house and showed us into our rooms. Kelvin and Jesse slept in Ha’s room, and Chunaki and I, in her younger sister, Lynh’s (spelling unsure) room. See next post for more stories. Suffice to say now, Ha and her family was very very nice to us and our stay in Hanoi was truly fantastic, thanks to them.

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.

Breakfasted across the street again, only this time, we asked for bigger bowl (tolal RM17). The guesthouse keeper kept asking us where we were going today but having promised Mr. Ram, we said we will just walk around town. We then walked to the junction of the street hidden from the sight of the guesthouse. There Mr. Ram and his tuk tuk driver friend were already waiting.

Today the weather was fine and all was afresh again after a good night sleep. This morning, we were brought to a boat ride through the Tonle Sap lake, 12km away. The ticket cost RM20 each. The boat ferried just the five of us and as usual Mr. Ram explained things to us.

There were many boat houses along the bank, lake side. Speeding was not allowed because the water way was narrowed, so we cruised at quite a low speed. There were also school, volleyball court and more houses. In those houses, drinking water was accessible in tongs, bought from seller who came regularly. Bathing were often done in the lake. Wastes go straight into the lake as well. One can see canoe where people ply their trade, ferry goods and sometimes selling things to visitors like us. At one point, a girl from such boat jumped into ours. We bought one sprite from her out of courtesy, costing us $1. Most people living there were Vietnamese instead of Cambodian, said Mr. Ram. They lived by the waters rather than on land because they need to pay staying on the land. It’s cheaper that way. We went all the way to the wide open lake. It was really big. The horizon stretched hundreds of kilometres and fishing is the main activities here. Cambodian economy is based on rice, fisheries and tourism, in this order. There were as many as 200 different types of fish in this lake.

We stopped by at one of the place designated for tourists. Took some photos there and look around the shop where variety of things were displayed and sold. About 3 hours later, we departed back. It was a unique experience to observe people living on the lake. One wonder how they manage but of course they live their life simple and within means. The trip back was also slow. We tipped the boat driver and left for another place called Artisan Angkor where we witnessed the process of making sculptures, carvings, lacquer products and weaving. It was a short trip that took only about 20 minutes as we need to catch the bus for Phnom Penh at 1.30pm. We proceeded to an eatery shop for lunch. Bargained a little and chow-ed down our food quickly. We blessed the tuk tuk driver and Mr. Ram and thanked them for making our stay in Siem Reap an interesting one. Lunch cost RM48 for 6 people. We were sent back to the guesthouse, packed quickly and boarded the van that will take us to the bus station.

Other than the four of us, the van ferried a family from France. Both the parents fled to France when the kingdom was at war, and it was the first time for the twins, aged 24 (if not mistaken) to visit the land of their father’s. The van stopped for a drink as we had some time to spare. Everyone got down. Some drank coffee. Jesse and Chunaki joined the people there watching tv(s) on the wall – it looked like some sort of ‘cinema’ for them with many chairs lined up and few televisions with different films showing at once from which you are free to choose from. Kelvin and I on the other hand, chatted with one of the brothers and he showed us some picture taken from the silk farm where we did not have the time to visit. So that kind of made up for it.

Just like before, the bus left at 2pm sharp. This time, the bus was not pack at all, so we got a place each. The bus was moving faster than the one we took when we first came into Siem Reap which was also full. Here, we settled some money we owed each other up to this day and slept but poorly because of the bumpy journey and excessive honking.

Traffic was slow moving in the city. Among the traffic, you can see people taking a walk in the esplanade and parks. Some playing badminton, doing group aerobic and jogging. We finally arrived at Phnom Penh near 8pm. We waited at the bus company office (Malinh Group) for Chieat and his dorm friends to pick us up. Chieat was the eldest among them and the group leader in some ways.

The dorm stays mostly university students, some still schooling. This is a place of friendship and where brother and sister in Christ living together, caring and helping each other. It was a 3-storey building with 7 rooms shared by both guys and girls. We were fortunate to have received their hospitality and got to know them, despite only for one night. It was nice to mingle with the locals whenever you travel. All of them were very friendly.

Chieat brought us to a place he usually frequent for dinner after work. Needless to say, yes they were delicious. We also changed our remaining Riel back into dollar as we were leaving for Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) tomorrow. When we got back, we joined the group for some brief sharing and introduced ourselves. Coincidentally, they were celebrating birthday for June babies that night and I was one of them! They even had fireworks. It was so nice and the thought of getting to eat birthday cake soon evaporated as the celebration turned into a cake war. Everyone involved had got cake smeared on him/her in one way or another. The floor was oily and everyone was dirty at the end of the day but all was in done in the name of fun. After clean up, we grouped back for some photos and a simple game of big-fish-small-fish that was localised into ‘trai-tom-trai-tout’. Losers had to act monkey and piggy.

Everyone adjourned to bed at about midnight. We had a small room but grateful all the same for we not only get to stay the night for free but also made new friends. We learned the way of living from them. Some work to support themselves. They cook to save money. A third year student, Mom, have a dream of helping the children of her people. She wanted to do business and to apply what she will learn from other developed countries like Malaysia, Korea and USA to help her homeland. Such were the wonderful people we met and learned from through our trip. It’s difficult to not love the people of Cambodia.