Cu Chi, Cu Chi, Ya Ya Dada (Hey, hey, hey)

At exactly 8am this morning, we we're picked up by a tourist bus with an over-energetic tourist guide for our Cu Chi Tunnel tour. Since we were the last ones to be picked up, we were all seated separately.

The trip to Cu Chi took about two hours. We had a quick stop-over at the Handicapped Handicrafts, where, obviously, all the workers are handicapped. Instead of going directly to the stores, we were ushered towards the working area and were given a quick lecture on the process of making the handicrafts. It's quite educational... But it would also make you feel too guilty to bargain for cheaper prices. Hehehe! (Alia, though, bought a pair of sandals with straps that were customized to fit her feet perfectly... Causing the bus to wait for her and the other tourists' eyebrows meet. Ooops...)

After a few minutes, we finally entered the Historic Relics and Cu Chi Tunnel Complex. We were directed towards a room with a TV monitor to watch the history of the Vietnam war and the Cu Chi Tunnels. The room also has a map which outlines the complex tunnels of Cu Chi, with some going straight to Ho Chi Minh City. There was also a diorama to show the different levels of the tunnels and how each level functions apart from the rest. It's really interesting, though, and we can't wait to see what these tunnels look like.

True enough, the second part of the Cu Chi tour brought us to a small entry to the tunnel. After our over-energetic guide explained how this entry is being used, another guy, dressed as a Vietcong during the Vietnam war, demonstrated the clever way of finding these types of entry points, getting into one and camouflaging the lid. Tourists were also encouraged to try this out and of course, we we're in the forefront! Papahuli ba naman kami?! (Photos in our Multiplt site: 2008 - Vietnam)

Other parts of the tour were the demontrations of paper making, a mechanical dramatization of how weapons were made during that time, the different traps to kill the enemies, the shooting range, etc. The highlight, of course, is getting and walking inside the tunnel!

All of us went inside the tunnel, from the smallest (Francis) to the biggest (Dennis) in the group. The walk (or should we say, crawl) was just short but walking duck-style or walking in a bent position was really hard, not to mention how hot it was inside. Despite the difficulty, we managed to take several photos inside as the rest of the tourists behind us complained. Getting out of the tunnel was, indeed, a breath of fresh air! How on earth did the Vietnamese do this during the war? Whew!
There were still other interesting sights in the area, but we're really beat. The tunnel could really take up a lot of energy... So in the 2-hour travel back to the city, we we're all asleep.

At De Tham Street, we briefly had lunch at one of the restaurants there. The manager was kind enough to give directions to Ben Tanh Market. So immediately after lunch, which was about 3pm already, we braved the streets of Vietnam to shop at the market.

Streets of Vietnam: Cross at your own risk.

Ben Tanh Market is a piece of heaven for all shopaholics! It's a market, alright, very much like the Divisoria malls we have here. It's clean, it's crowded, but most importantly, it's cheap! There were so many things to buy, but we had little time to shop. The stalls close at 5pm and the entire market at 6pm. We went back to our hotel promising to start the tour early the next morning so we can go back to the market before we leave for Singapore.

For more of our Cu Chi photos, log on to Multiply, add us as your contact and check out photos: 2008 - Vietnam .

The Heat is On in Saigon!

Around 1pm today, we boarded the Sapaco Tourist bus bound for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from Phnom Penh City, Cambodia. Though the group is fewer now, -- Rico has gone back to Manila while we were still in Siem Reap; Manang took a flight back to Singapore yesterday so she can return to work in time for Monday; Nova and Ellen will take the flight back to Bangkok later that day, then take another flight back to Manila tomorrow -- this did not dampen our usual high (and wanderlustic) spirits. But the long route ahead made us all fell asleep.

Around past 4, our bus suddenly slowed down causing each one of us to wake up. There seemed to be a commotion outside. But really, there was none. The bus merely slowed down as it queued in line for vehicles boarding a barge, and there we're a lot of vendors outside selling to all the vehicles that are about to cross the Mekong River. Yup, we're crossing the Mekong River again, but this time, there's no bridge. Thinking that this scenario is similar to the Philippines' roll on - roll off (roro) system, we slowly fixed our things and readied ourselved to go down. Ay, hindi pala! The bus went straight to the barge, and before we knew it, we were already at the other side of the river.

Okay, back to sleep. By 5pm, the bus had a quick stop-over so the passengers may be able to eat an early dinner at this not-at-all fancy restaurant. Our group went straight at the back, to where the comfort rooms are. Passing through the kitchen and the preparation area, and seeing all the food laid down in the open and how they are being cooked, you'd definitely lose whatever appetite you have. So, instead of buying noodles, rice or any other meal, we decided to buy the ever-reliable (and clean?) Pringles on display.

Oh, and the comfort rooms... There were a lot of comfort rooms alright. But once you're inside the "cubicle", you'd ask the question: "So, where do I pee?" Hehehe!

After several minutes, we were all back inside the bus, not knowing that we were just 5 to 10 minutes away from the biggest and most posh hotels and casinos in Cambodia! (Sana, dito na lang kami nag-stop-over.) The hotels and casinos are situated near the Cambodia-Vietnam border. Looking out through our windows, it doesn't seem like we're in Cambodia at all! There had been a complete landscape overhaul!

At the border, we were all asked to go down so an immigration officer can check each one of us and our passports. We didn't have any travel documents with us, except the immigration cards, which the bus company have already taken cared of. Philippine passport holders are also not required to secure a Vietnam visa before entering the country.
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As soon as each of the bus passengers have been accounted for, we were asked to go back inside the bus. A few meters later, the bus stopped in front of the immigration building. Again, we were all asked to go down, this time, with all our belongings. It was a tedious process going down and back to the bus for several times, but since everybody and everything needs to pass by the immigration, we hurried to bring down our things so we can queue in line ahead of the rest. But since the bus company handled all our travel requirements, the queue was worthless. The immigration officers called out the names of the passengers one by one, at no particular order. Once our names we're called, we collected our passports, then gave the immigration cards to another officer in another booth, and then we were sent out of the building back to our bus. And no one even bothered to check our luggages!

At last, we were in Vietnam... And we still have more than an hour of travel time to get to Ho Chi Minh City.

It was almost 7pm then when we arrived in the Pham Ngu Lao area. The bus let us off a block away from where we were staying. Since it was just a block away, we decided to walk towards De Tham Street with all our strollers, backpacks and other bags. If we were just carrying backpacks, that would have been a pretty site... And you could just simply call us backpackers. But we're not. We had strollers of all shapes, sizes and colors strutting down Pham Ngu Lao Street.

Hoang Linh Hotel at De Tham Street is indeed a mere walking distance from where our bus let us off... But since we had tons of bags with us, it seemed like a kilometer away. Our hotel is situated, as usual, in the backpackers' area in the city. There are a lot of hotels to choose from. We chose Hoang Linh Hotel as it is the only one who replied to our e-mail queries and allowed us to reserve for rooms online without any deposit.

Hoang Linh Hotel is quite nice. For one, it has an elevator that stops at every floor (so we didn't have to carry all our bags to the top floor!); the rooms are pretty big (and the bigger ones for a larger group has tubs in their bathrooms!), all with air-conditioning units, refrigerators and TV sets (with cable!).

As soon as we settled in our respective rooms, we all went out to a nearby fast food joint, Lotteria. We'll check out the other restaurants with Vietnamese cuisine tomorrow. For now, we're all hungry... and a fast food is definitely the answer to our growling stomachs.

For more of our Vietnam photos, check out our Multiply site: 2008 - Vietnam (Ooops! You have to be our contact first to view our photos...)

Khmer Phrases

Here's a short list of Khmer phrases given to us by Golden Temple Villa when we checked in. It's quite helpful for tourists.

ENGLISH to KHMER

Hello - sua s'dei

Goodbye - lia suhn hoo-y

See you later - juab kh'nia th'ngay krao-y

Excuse me - sohm toh

I'm sorry - sohm toh

Thank you - or kohn

No thanks - te or khon

How are you? - Niak sohk sabaay te?

Yes - baat (for men)

Yes - chaa (for women)

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Cambodia Overland (Phnom Penh to Siem Reap)

To get to Siem Reap, Cambodia, as usual, we took the long route for a cheaper price: land travel.

There are a lot of bus companies that ply the Phnom Penh - Siem Reap route, so there really is no need to worry. Time also isn't problem. If a bus company doesn't have hourly trips, for sure, there'll be other bus companies that has trips during that time... You just have to look somewhere else. Most bus companies can be located in the old market so it's not difficult at all.

As for us, since Rico went to Phnom Penh a day before the rest of us, he chose the best bus from all that he saw, Angkor Express. Unfortunately, our taxi drivers brought us to another bus station, Paramount Angkor Express. Thinking that it was the same bus company, we bought all our tickets for a 9:30am trip at US $6. When Rico arrived, ay! mali pala... The Angkor Express he was referring to was just around the corner. Oh, well. Paramount Angkor Express is cheaper by US $3, so what the heck! The additional $3 for the original Angkor Express includes wider seats, snacks and comfort room inside the bus. Oh, well...

Here are the contact numbers of Paramount Angkor Express:

Phnom Penh Office - 125Eo, Sisowath Blvd., Khan Daun Penh, T: 855 92 429 505, 855 23 998 786

Siem Reap Office - T: 855 92 523 229, 855 12 692 801

Shihanouk Ville - T: 855 92 638 699, 855 16 670 489

Here are other bus companies that we got from researches over the internet while we were still in the Philippines:

Neak Krorhorm Travel - Corner of Street 110 and Sisowath Quay (#127Eo, St. 108); T: 855-23-219496 & 7, 855-12-495249; F: 855-23-219496; Time: 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:30, 10:30, 12:30; Fare: 16,000R/pax

Mailinh Open Tours - PP Station: #391, Sihanouk Blvd. Tel: 023-221666; Departure Time - 7:00, 14:00 Phnom Penh Sorya Transport, PP Station: Near the southwest corner of Phsar Thmey (Corner at Rue No 217/67 – Sorya Theater); T: 855-23-210359 / 210859; F: 855-23 992 569; W: www.ppsoryatransport.com; E: 168@ppsoryatransport.com; Time: 7:00, 7:45, 8:45, 11:30, 12:45, 13:45; Fare: 16,000R/pax or $4.5

Capitol Guesthouse - PP Station: Corner Streets 111 / 182 Tel: 023-217627; Departure Time - 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 10:15, 12:00, 13:30; Fare: 16,000R/pax

Mekong Express - Deluxe a/c buses, PP Station: #87 Sisowath Quay at the corner of Street 102. Tel: 023-427518; Departure Time: 7:30, 8:30, 12:30, 14:00; Fare: US$10/paxRaksmey Angkor Corp. - Deluxe a/c buses. PP Station: #1Eo Street 106 at Sisowath Quay. Tel: 023-884179; Departure Time: 8:30, 13:30; Fare: US$10/pax

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Hayyy... Oh! Hayyy...Oh! Ho Chi Minh...

For the sake of going back to Ben Tanh Market for more shopping, we started our day tour quite early.

Our first stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral.

We took a cab to get there as walking several blocks might take out precious time from our shopping spree. Wrong. Ho Chi Minh City is very much like Makati with a lot of one-way streets and heavy traffic. Well, at least, we didn't consume our energy from walking (reserving more for the shopping spree part 2, hehehe).

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Notre Dame Cathedral isn't anything new to us. Ooops! Don't get us wrong. The building is architecturally spectacular and if you're a Catholic, a first-time tourist in Vietnam, or an architectural or historical buff, this cathedral is a must-see. But what awed us more were the flocks of birds in front of the cathedral. Europe ba ito?! The birds against the cathedral was such a sight! And the child in us came out... We startled the birds a lot so they would all fly out of panic and then... CLICK! Picture perfect... Hehehe!

We also went to the Central Post Office, which was just adjacent to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The exterior of the building is a testimony to Vietnam's French colonial past. But wait 'til you see the interiors! Based on later research, the building was based on the design specifications of French architect, Gustave Eiffel (yup, same name as the one who built the Eiffel Tower in Paris and our very own San Sebastian Church in the heart of Manila).

After writing and sending photographs to friends in Manila, we walked towards where we thought the Opera House might be. Armed with the sketch that a friend of ours made, we strolled along the Vietnam streets again. This time, though, the sight was different. We were in the central business district, at Dong Khoi Street to be exact, where most of the high-end shops, boutiques and hotel are situated.

The Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theater, popularly known as the Opera House, again, is reminiscent of the French influences in Vietnam. Unfortunately, the theater is closed so we simply delighted ourselves with photos of the theater's entrance area and the Lam Son Square in front of it.

After this... Shopping time! We took a cab going to Ben Tanh Market, choosing the same type of vehicle that we had early in the morning. This way, it'll be cheaper for all of us... But lo and behold! This driver wants to charge us at a higher price! Kontratahin ba kami?! Sya, sya... We're in a hurry to shop, so, sige na nga! Kainis!

We we're shopping like crazy at Ben Tanh Market, constantly checking our watches to make sure we have enough time to squeeze our newly bought whatever into our luggages and make last-minute preparations before we head to the airport.

First to finish the shopping spree were Barok with Francis, Os and Roselle. To get to the hotel faster, we decided to take the cyclo (3-wheeled bicycle-richskaw) as the the two men said that the trip to De Tham Street would only cost us 15,000 dong (almost US $ 1).

The cyclo ride was both exciting and scary. Imagine, sitting in front of the "driver" on a transport so open one can easily fall out in the middle of the crazy traffic of Vietnam! We were left off a block away from De Tham Street. According to our "driver", cyclos were not allowed in there. Worse, he's asking us to pay 150,000 dong!!! WHAT???!!! Eh, psycho pala 'tong driver ng cyclo eh... Obviously, we've been swindled (again!). Instead of wasting the time to argue with our "drivers", we paid whatever money we have left, 100,000 dong (around USD 6). We left them and prayed under our breaths: Makakarma din kayo!

As soon as we all got back at our hotel, everything was rushed. We had so little time to buy lunch and re-pack our things. By 12nn, our taxi cabs were already there to bring us to the airport, which we earlier arranged with our hotel for US $ 2 per person.

At the Tan Son Nhut Airport, our taxi cab drivers asked for our payments. Ha? Ano na naman 'to?! Grrr... After a few minutes of argument, we called the hotel again. It turned out, the misunderstanding was between the hotel and the drivers. SIGH... Wala na kaming pera 'noh! Even if they stripped down our clothes, they won't find any more money from us... We already bought our North Face, Roxy, Kipling, and Quiksilver bags! Hehehe!

Click here for more of our Vietnam photos in Multiply!