Thailand: Touchdown at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Because I'm such a sucker for seat sales, I more often than not end up getting the evening flights. This works for me as I can still go to work during the day and go straight to the airport at night. My first time to Thailand was no different, except that this time I snuck out of the office with two other officemates. Barely two weeks after I got back from my Vietnam-Cambodia trip, here I am out of the house again. Fun!




One of the many that will greet you upon arrival



Suvarnabhumi Airport is huge. Getting to the Immigration counter was a bit confusing for us though since even at almost midnight there were so many people and so many shops that you'd think you're already either on your way out of the airport or you're near the pre-departure area waiting for your flight out. I always had this notion that before anything else, the first thing you'd be able to do is pass thru immigrations, no shopping on the side first. Succeeding trips told me otherwise.



Immigrations



Cambodia: The majestic beauty of Angkot Wat and much more.



Sunrise over the Angkor Wat



By 5:00 a.m. our driver and guide Sarath were already waiting for us outside Golden Temple Villa. Since there were 4 of us we decided to rent a van instead. Our van had a small cooler inside with cold water provided for us by the guesthouse. Sarath spoke pretty good english and I think he was getting a bit stressed that we might miss the sunrise. The sun was already breaking out in the horizon when we reached the ticket counter to purchase our Angkor day pass for $20. I could no longer contain my excitement. Going to Angkor Wat has been a dream of mine for a long time. I never thought that I'd be able to see it within my first year of working. Small blessings I'm forever grateful for.

Crossing the moat surrounding Angkor Wat, we could already see how many tourists also wake up this early to witness the majestic sunrise. I read about how busload of tourists would arrive for the sunrise and immediately disappear after to go back to their hotels for breakfast. I didn't think that the articles actually meant hundreds of tourists! The peace and tranquility one would feel walking into the halls of the Angkor Wat immediately disappears at first sight of a huge group of camera-toting, noisy and perky tourists, but they still weren't enough to ruin my mood :-)

Vietnam to Cambodia: Overland Travel

We were to meet up outside Sihn Café to ride the tour bus to Siem Reap. The trip would take approximately 12 hours excluding the stop over at Phnom Penh for lunch. Since there was a ban mi stall right across Sihn Café we decided to buy a few baguettes just in case we get hungry on the road. We exited Vietnam through the MocBai border. We didn’t have to bring our luggage went we went down to pass thru immigrations. Our bus will just meet us at the other side of the building. From the MocBai border you can already see the immigrations building of Cambodia. The difference of structure is immediately apparent. 

Immigration building at the MocBai Border - Vietnam side

YOu can already see the Cambodian Immigration Building on the other side of the gate

Cambodian Immigration Building from the bus window

 

Vietnam: Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnel

Cao Dai Temple

After a breakfast of Ban Mi (again), of we went to see the Great Temple or the Cao Dai Temple which is the center of the Cao Dai sect. It took about 2 hours to get to the temple and from afar we could already see this very colorful and ornate building in the middle of a beautiful garden. We were told that there would be a ceremony in 30 minutes so we should take pictures of the great hall now because later all the guests must go upstairs and watch the ceremony from the inner balcony. You have to remove your shoes before going inside the temple. Also you are not allowed to step on the tiles with ornate designs, outsiders can only step on the plain colored tiles which form the outermost path along the walls of the temple. The center area of the great hall is only for the members of the sect. When the ceremony started, the members of the sect started entering the great hall and kneeling on the floor in straight rows. Most of the laymen were in white robes although there were a few who were in blue, red and yellow robes. I think they were the priests and bishops and occupied a higher rank especially since they were positioned in front.

Priests and Laymen during the mass

Temple grounds

Inside the Cao Dai Temple

Lunch was at a roadside restaurant on the way to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The kitchen was open and located near the entrance of the restaurant and you can hear the cooks and servers speaking in loud voices and appearing very frazzled and cranky and practically at each other’s throats. But I guess that’s really just how they speak and also knowing that the tour group has a schedule to follow they have to make sure that all our orders are delivered promptly. I forgot what we ordered but there was chicken and fried rice and lots of vegetables. It was surprisingly very delicious.

Open Kitchen where everyone was so intense

Next stop is the famous Cu Chi Tunnels which is basically an underground network of tunnels used by the Viet Cong guerillas as their hiding spots, hospitals, living quarters etc. The Cu Chi Tunnels are located in the middle of a thick forest which served as a perfect backdrop to cover all the trap doors and booby traps in case the Americans venture near their hideouts. There were some trap doors “modified” for tourists meaning it was enlarged a bit and yet only kids and really thin adults could fit in it. Goes to show how small the guerillas were. We went down inside one of the tunnels. It was really small and dark although the first 20 meters was already adjusted and made bigger for the tourists. My friend and I decided to continue for another 20 meters and man did claustrophobia start to set it. There were no floor lights anymore and the walls were practically hugging me on both sides. I was still crouching and not crawling on the floor but my backpack was practically scraping the tunnel ceiling. After a few minutes a bright light shone on my face then I saw this guide telling me to exit as they have blocked off the rest of the tunnel. I did 40 meters of the tunnel and that’s enough for me.

Trap doors that can only fit kids or very thin adults

Booby traps in case american soldiers attack. Those metal spikes are about 2 feet long!

Back in HCMC we asked to be dropped off in the street where we saw this shoe store the day before that I wanted to go back to. Afterward, we did a quick trip back to Saigon Square because at the last minute my friend decided she also wanted a TNF backpack like mine. Dinner was at the Ben Than Night Food Market. Tomorrow we are heading off to Siem Reap in a 12 hour bus ride. Exciting.

Ben Than Market at night

Walking Tour of HCMC

I set out early to buy our Cu Chi Tunnel tour tickets and bus tickets to Siem Reap from Sihn Café, which I read to be a pretty affordable and reliable tour company. I noticed that people in HCMC wake up early and like having coffee in the streets sitting on small monobloc tables and chairs. I found Sihn Café and got the Cao Dai Temple + Cu Chi Tunnel tour for $8 each and round trip bus tickets to Siem Reap for $27. Next is to find a new place to stay. I was in the backpacker’s area so I figured I won’t have a hard time looking for a decent place to stay. I made a right onto Pham Ngu Lao street where I was greeted for the first time with the sight of dozens of motorcycles at the intersection waiting for the green light. Man, were there a lot of them! Anyway, walking down the street I saw Lele Hotel which I remembered from my researching prior to the trip. I walked in and asked if they had available rooms for the next two nights. They said yes and so I asked if I could check them out. I was showed the room in the same price range as Phoenix’ and it wasn’t much better. I asked what the next biggest room was and for $20 (or $6 more than the small box I was shown) the room had two double beds with a big bathroom and ample room to do cartwheels. I was sold and so I booked our rooms and texted my friends the change of plans and the address of our new hotel.

Breakfast

Motorcycles everywhere!

While waiting for my friends to arrive I walked around in search of breakfast. This was when I had my first encounter with Ban Mi – the French baguette deli sandwich sold in roadside carts for 15,000VND. Except for the coriander, it tasted great. They even use Laughing Cow cheese which makes it perfect for me! This was the first of many Ban Mi sandwiches I will consume during the trip.

Ban Mi stall

After my friends arrived and got settled in the hotel we set out to do the walking tour of HCMC armed with printouts of maps and notes of where to go and what to eat but with no fixed route to follow. One of the things I like doing when I’m in a new place is to just walk around and taking in all the sights at my own pace. Getting lost is a fun part of walking around too and thus should always be factored in when making schedules.

We started the tour walking towards Ben Than Market although we didn’t go in yet as most of the stores were still closed. Lunch was at Quan An Ngon restaurant, which was basically a one-stop shop of all Vietnamese hawker fare. There are stalls lining the courtyard where you can point at what you want and see your food being prepared before you or you can also just order from the menu and the waitress shall be the one to place your orders and just have your food delivered to your table. This was where I had my first taste of Vietnamese iced coffee. It was love at first sip.

Ben Than Market

Food at one of the stalls inside Quan An Ngon

After lunch we continued our walking tour of the streets of HCMC. We walked past the Reunification Palace and decided to head towards the War Remnants Museum first since it was farther. Of course we stopped for a beer at a small store along the road first. The War Remnants Museum experience was something else. I’m not really a museum person and most of the time I find myself just going through the motion of passing thru all the exhibits, but this time was something else. Seeing all the pictures and reading the horrifying accounts of the victims of the war and most especially all the details surrounding Project Orange was particularly disturbing for me. I wonder how all those American tourists who were there with us felt while reading about the dastardly acts committed by the Americans then. Anyway, happy thoughts. Next stop was the Reunification Palace and then the Notre Dame Cathedral and lastly the Post Office where we bought post cards and sent them back home. Since we wanted to try to squeeze in some shopping we hailed a cab and asked to be dropped of at Saigon Square where we bought a few North Face backpacks and other stuff. There are a lot of face TNF bags in Saigon Square as well as in Ben Than Market but there are also factory overruns being sold. Interestingly, the sellers are honest about saying if the bag is a copy or original. They don’t understand it when you say fake or “class A”. We had a quick dinner before passing out in our hotel beds. Long and tiring day but this is just the beginning. We have to wake up early for our Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chu Tunnel Tour tomorrow.

Zippos of American soldiers being sold inside the War Remnants Museum

Notre Dame Cathedral

Reunification Palace

Post Office

Blog Virgin

Here goes nothing.

First blog entry ever. Not counting the invite i posted in the "blog" portion of my old multiply account that is. I've been bitten by the travel bug for the longest time although school and budget constraints were always in the way. My first time to travel out of the country in a DIY trip with friends was August of last year when I was already working. That was the start of me finally realizing my dream to travel and go see the world. 

I've known of countless missed opportunities and experiences because people hesitated too much. Maybe later, maybe next time, maybe when I have more money, maybe when I'm older. Too many maybes, too many excuses. Next thing we know we're already too old or too busy or have too many responsibilities that should be prioritized that the opportunity already passed us by. Sometimes not thinking or analyzing too much can be a good thing. You'd be surprised that some of the most amazing and beautiful things can be discovered and experienced if you just close your eyes, trust your instincts and take that leap of faith.

Talon lang.

N.B. - This was technically my first entry posted hence the statement above, but the other two entries were saved as drafts earlier so when posted afterwards they still appear as older posts. :-)

Vietnam: Touchdown at HCMC

August 13, 2009

This was my first international trip after I started working. The last time I was out of the country was roughly about 6 years ago when I was still in college. My friends were not able to book the same flight as mine that was set to arrive in HCMC close to midnight. Instead, they’re on the first flight in the next day. So for now, its just me.

This being my first DIY trip, I read countless blogs, forums and websites about the place, tourist traps, tips and tricks and all. However, I also knew that no matter how prepared you think you are, always have room for the unexpected and accept that sometimes things just really don’t turn out the way we want them to no matter how hard we prepared for it.

I saw some decent reviews of this hotel called Phoenix 74 which is near Ben Than Market and is very affordable - $14 for a double room. I relied on the pictures posted by one traveler who stayed there before. Not bad I thought and it was cheap so I went ahead and made reservations. 

Immigration Counters at the Tan Son Nhat International Terminal