Last days at Vietnam

Ready to leave Vietnam. Came back from Sapa to Hanoi and had a very bad incident. Got into a quarrel with a taxi driver because he rigged his taxi and charged us S$20 for a 7 minutes ride. He threaten to drive away with our bags if we refused to pay him. Had such a big argument but I have backed down at the end of the day. Hanoi is such a 'Heavenly' place. That very day, a few friends and I got into 2 other scams that we have to pay more money to deal with it that gave us a very bad impression of the place.

Was drinking coffee before leaving Hanoi and was sorting through my mixed feelings about Vietnam. Then I saw this lady peddling her wares in the street and realised that if they have the resources and choices we Singaporeans have, they don't have to resort to scams to make a living. People live the way they know best with all the resources they have. So to me Vietnam is still a wonderful place.

The H'mong in Vietnam

The local people of Sapa are made up of different tribes with the H'mong predominantly. They are dressed in different colours to depict where they are from. The girl in the pic is from the Black H'mong. They are very friendly and lovely people with a lot of smiles. They are very open and sincere. Being with them makes me feel relaxed and safe. Makes me remember my ex-job as a teacher. The politics, the people you have to entertained, smart alec students in school that teachers have to handle everyday. Simple life is b..b...b...beautiful!



There are many different other tribes like the Red D'zao. Found out from the locals that they are having a wedding in one of the tribe and I went down to take a look by hitching a ride from one of them. Wonderful experience. They have chasing the boar game and all those very tribal game. Most importantly, the whole village was there and they are all celebrating with one thought in mind. Happiness for the newly wed. The kind of energy is really amazing.

Night to Sapa

Decide to go to the mountainous area in Sapa. Booked a night train so that I can save on the accommodations for the night. The night was raining badly though. So I decided to take a picture of the scene at the train station. In the train, I met some Vietnamese and we had a good chat where they told me lots of stuff about the history and the current affairs of Vietnam. So, through the night, we chatted a lot and after a brief nap, viola, train station Sapa.





There were a lot of motorbikes there where people are ready to haggle and discuss prices to bring me to places that I want to go to. It like going to the market to buy food stuffs. A lot of shouting and lots of fun.

Rice Terrance

The weather at Sapa is cool! Very very shiok. Clear fresh air with occasional mountain breeze blowing past. Looking out from the windows of the guesthouse, I can see the rice terrance, the scenic is so refreshing, relaxing and calming that I can sit for hours enjoying it.

Took a trek in the morning and walked for about 8 hours into the sunset enjoying the fresh air. The sunset at the rice fields were spectacular. Golden coloured sky, golden coloured rice fields and mountains. There is a gentleness to the whole place with the local natives the H'mong moving at a leisure pace in with their daily work. It is as though time is meaningless in this place, without a need to worry and rush for things and feeling guilty when things don't work out. Paradise and ethopia on earth.

Halong Bay

Halong Bay is beautiful. Went on a junk boat and stayed a night in the boat. Did some kayaking also. It is a blessing to have gotten out of Hanoi and spent some time out on such a peaceful place. Met some Singaporeans on the junk and they even offered me pineapple tart! Wow, a few months out of Singapore and be able to taste pineapple tart is a joy. Anyway, I did some trekking to a few scenic spots to take some pictures and had a good time getting to know some people on board the junk.

Left from Hoian, and headed for Hanoi, the northern part of Vietnam. Due to the Tet Festival, there was a mad rush for buses as I fought with the locals for a seat. There were a lot of pushing and arguments. I nearly couldn’t get on the bus but I was pretty mean this time round as I blocked the way of the locals and pushed my way up. Got a lot of angry stares from that deed.

Hanoi is a very challenging place. There are a lot of scams and extortion around. I met with a number of situations where the locals were out to trick me. They would claimed that the bowl of noodles cost 10,000 Dong (Singapore $1) and then change the price after the food comes to the table. There were a few times that I just walked out of the stall. I have seen fights on the street like every other day at the place which I stayed. Quite different from the rest of Vietnam.
Didn’t really like Hanoi and to skip the crowded mess of Hanoi, I decided to go to Halong Bay, the bay with thousands of rocks jutting out.

Authentic Vietnamese food

It is near to Chinese New Year and in Vietnam, it is known as the Tet Festival. I got to befriend a Vietnamese family in the province of Hoian and they were very generous to welcome us to their place for a family meal. Very traditional Vietnamese food and yummy!

It is almost parting time for me, Melissa and Daniel. We had a lot of fun together but then as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Daniel has to stay in Hoian to finish his studies here we go, I am on my own again!

Fairy Spring

Today we set off early and went to get some motorbikes again! We then went off to the market for some food and then to the fairy spring. It is a weird place where one can walk on the stream and beside the stream, at the banks, are these tall structures like the Grand Canyon from the States. Brownish and grayish, they stood tall and high up. With the blue sky as a backdrop, the place looks very stunning!

Finally I have the time to do some blogging. Went to the Mekong Delta, a place at the end of the Mekong river with lots of rice fields, islands and very dirty river water. Saw many nice stuff and the best part was to stay with a local family of farmers in the night. There was quite a big group of 8 of us there from all over the world. USA, Canada, Israel, Norway, Germany, Japan and of course, me, the Singapore representative. Had a lot of fun chatting, drinking and cracking jokes. Slept at one of the hardest bed ever, a cloth over bricks. That's how hard life can be as a farmer I guess. The farmers woke us up in the morning and brought us to the rice padi to watch the sun rise, pretty spectacular.

Now I am at this place called Muinee in Vietnam. It is a beautiful beach that stretches out about 2 kilometres in length and lots of people in the sea doing kite surfing. Crazy stuff with people moving through the water at very fast speed using the wind as a guide. Will be trying that out the day after next. Cos tomorrow is sand dune visiting day. They have a very unique structure out here at the beach at Muinee called the sand dunes. It is created by the winds blowing the sad to the land for hundreds of years and it forms Canyon like structure.

Just back to capital of Cambodia from a place in the south called Sihanoukville. Its a lovely beach with lots of sea sports to do. Did some snorkelling on the first day and rented a motorbike with some of the travellers I got to know along the trip. None of us knew how to drive one but we went anyway. The guy who rented the bike to us were so worried that he followed behind us just incase. we took the bike to a waterfall in the inland. It was such an adventure as we ride the 100cc bike on dirt roads like they were mountain bikes. Crazy! The waterfal was very beautiful. Its about 4 storey high with water cascading down from the top. I went beneath the water and the force of it beating down the the body were like a strong massager at work.

We came back from the waterfal and I had an accident with the bike ramming into the bush and got my right leg along with it. Luckily, it was only a gash and some bruises. The Norwegian travelling with me toppled his bike and took a chunk of flesh out from his toe. Nothing too serious either. Just a lot of misadventures and laughs.

I will be heading off to Vietnam soon and I bet its another world and another adventure.

S21, Killing Fields and Mines Museum

Its been sometime since I blog abit on the trip. Current now I am in Phnom Penh. Have been here for a few days and the food here is just wonderful. Saw some really bizzare stuff in this country. Its a country which can surprise me even with all the things I have seen. Things like a baby with head about 3 times bigger than normal and the mum is like laying her out as a tool to beg for money.

Went to the killing fields and the S21 Musem today. Crazy world where the atrocities are more than those done by the Japs in the WW2. Down here, the torture and kill the whole family if one of them just like pisses the regime off. Make a visitor manically depressed just by looking and touring around.

Blood Donation

Donated some blood at Cambodia’s Hospital of the Children. It was operated under the funds of a Japanese photographer who went around taking pictures when he was in Cambodia a number of years ago. He then sold his pictures for a good price and donated part of the money back to operate the hospital. I was a bit worried at first because of AIDS and hygiene problems. However, the doctors were professional and the place was clean. Sometimes, I think I worry too much.

Today was an eventful day. Met up with a guy called Ricky and he was so full of bullshit. That was really interesting because he said things from his service in the army as a special agent to like taking LSD, opium and estacy like meals. Then he proceed on to order beer like 8am in the morning and had his stick of marijuana/ganja. The smell is strong though and sniffing in the smoke makes me feel nausea. When I am travelling, I learn not to take what people say as absolute truth...... Sometimes, the world is full of people who wants to be more than who they are but are not willing to take the risk and put in the effort......





Then we went off to see Angkor Wat, one of the seven wonders in the world really late in the evening to catch the sunsetting in the ruins. Was really beautiful! Magnificent but as all ruins goes, it gets a bit boring after awhile. Anyway, immersing in the majestic feel was an experience by itself.




Later in the night, I met up with some people from Norway and Iceland and they were completely funloving and dead drunk by 11 in the night. They had jugs of alcohol in their system but it was totally fun getting to know people and sharing your stories around.

Went around town today with the Norwegian guy Daniel. We wanted to get a feel of the place and get some ration like fruits and water. The place is one whole of a dusty town. I bet you die of inhaling the dust more than if you smoke 20 cigs a day.




Anyway, I dropped in at a volunteer organisation and talk to the pple there. It seems that polio, injuries from the mine during Pol pot time is still a serious problem and they are making prosthetic for the pple, teaching them how to use it. Otherwise, the Cambodians will just use scrap metals from the mines and shells to make their own prosthetics. Trust me, if you need to walk in those, it will hurt like hell.

Went to buy oranges and it cost S$1 for 3. Just down the corner, it cost S$1 for 5. The price just kept changing!

Singapore to Siem Reap

Finally, the first leg of my journey has just began. The start of the trip when from Singapore to Hadyai to Bangkok to Arunyaprathet (Border of Thailand) to Poipet (Border of Cambodia) to Siem Reap. Took 2 days and 2 nights of travelling. With the bus getting smaller and smaller and the rides bumpier and bumpier.

The question of why am I torturing myself travelling alone in such outback countries still pops into my mind now and then. Especially when the stink of body (haven't bathe for 2 days...) and the loneliness that creeps in when I miss my girlfriend, family and friends. I guess its all for the spirit of adventure, freedom and new experiences in life. Not to be bounded by the comforts of the ever safe Singapore.

Anyway, for those of you wishing to travel by the bus route, here is how it goes. Get a bus from Golden Mile Singapore to Hadyai. From Hadyai, get a bus to Bangkok. You will end up in the Southern station. Take a cab that brings you to the Mochim (Northern Bus Station) and from there take a bus at counter 30 to Arunyaprathet. Upon arriving, take a tuktuk (ask for the price first. I forgot to and this one chopped me of 150Bhat) to the border and walk across. Get your passport chopped. After that, you get to see the 7 beautiful casinos at Poipot, the border of Cambodia, amidst the street urchins and the trolley pushes that are willing to push your trolleys all the way for a measly 10Bhat. Hitch on a bus that takes you to the tourist station. You can get a cab for USD 60 (can share with 3 other person) or a bus for USD 10. I took the bus...Ouch... I think I left my spine somewhere on the horrendous road. The journey is like five hours of Thai massage by a wrestler. Viola, Siem Reap.

Finally, here I am in one piece at Siem Reap. I got to know 3 other person in the bus trip from Poipot and we are now bunking in the dormitory together.

Cost USD 1 a night for the dorm!

One America Chinese girl, one Norwegian and one Dutch. The American Chinese has been backpacking alone for about one year plus now. Amazing right! How some people can survive way out of their comfort zone. Anyway, I am resting my tired old bones for a day before venturing into Angkor Wat and posting some nice pics!

As the time draws nearer for my impending departure, I kinda feel weird. Here I am ready to fulfil a dream of travelling for few months on the bare necessities, out of job (resigned on the 14th Nov with one month notice in lieu) and on the other hand, it seems like crazy to be dumping every form of comforts, familiarities, friends and love ones in Singapore to be doing this. Nevertheless, I am packing up amidst the confusion in my head...

Viola, my messy packing...

Start of Preparation

Wanted to start this blog on the start of 2006. This year I am going to travel around Asia for an experience of a lifetime. I am gonna write down all the preparations that I am doing and all the travel experiences along the way. So friends, join me in the comfort of your seat and I will bring you around Asia. :)