Buzzling Ho Chi Minh
Posted On Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at at 12:26 AM by AlvinWe found Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to be a city buzzing with life (and motorbikes !). We spent an eventful 3 days here, buying a few nice tee-shirts, having a few Vietnam drip-drip coffee and visited a few wartime museums which showed the atrocities during the American War (Man ! There were some major bombings around here !)
We also took the Number 1 bus to Cholon and visited some of Mandy's very very distant relatives - well, they seemed to live in a Chinese Quarter much like any China Towns the world over. We said our quick Hello ( and Goodbye) and went back to the Saigon district to sample the delights this up-and-coming city has to offer. We were planning to travel north up to the beach side resort town of Mu Nei, spend a few days relaxing by the sea and then run up the coast to Hoi An and the royal city of Hue.
Phnom Penh
Posted On Monday, March 12, 2007 at at 1:39 AM by Alvin
What a day ! We arrived in the middle of the day from Siem Reap and in the middle of the 40's (Degrees Celsius !). We even managed to find a decent place to stay (with air-con !) for US 10 ! Couldn't wait to explore this famed capital but we skipped the human skulls on display at the Genocide (Pol Pot et al) Museum - we thought of paying respect for these unfortunate victims. Still, this city offered numerous interesting sights with its many monuments and really there was quite a laid-back feel to it !
Siem Reap - Atmospheric Angkor Wat and Bayon
Posted On Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at at 3:05 AM by Alvin
Arrived in Siem Reap from Bangkok after spending 12 hours on a bus along a bumpy and dusty road ! Now that's another amazing SouthEast Asia scam story reserved for another blog entry, watch this space !
After a day's rest, we rented two bikes and wandered around the ancient city of Siem Reap. The Angkor ruins were justifiably some of the most enchanting in the world and very photogenic. Over the two days, we cycled through the well-maintained but not overly touristy monument areas and we had our packed lunches next to Khmer ruins of centuries past; we were amazed to find so many "hidden" statues dotted around the city which were hardly visited. We also remembered well that, after a hard day's bike rides, we were well rewarded with an Angkor Beer and the local dish - Amok that was very similar to Thai green curry. Overall, not as touristy as we first thought. The sunset at Angkor Wat was well worth waiting for, the anticipation from the waiting crowds was electrifying. We spent 4 days here to properly appreciate these astounding monuments and also to relax a bit before moving on to Phnom Penh.
After a day's rest, we rented two bikes and wandered around the ancient city of Siem Reap. The Angkor ruins were justifiably some of the most enchanting in the world and very photogenic. Over the two days, we cycled through the well-maintained but not overly touristy monument areas and we had our packed lunches next to Khmer ruins of centuries past; we were amazed to find so many "hidden" statues dotted around the city which were hardly visited. We also remembered well that, after a hard day's bike rides, we were well rewarded with an Angkor Beer and the local dish - Amok that was very similar to Thai green curry. Overall, not as touristy as we first thought. The sunset at Angkor Wat was well worth waiting for, the anticipation from the waiting crowds was electrifying. We spent 4 days here to properly appreciate these astounding monuments and also to relax a bit before moving on to Phnom Penh.
