i'm moving.

Friday, December 28, 2007 @ 7:44 PM

*this post took me a week to blog ok and it's a truckload of pictures so bear with me*

This marks the end of my job as a procrastinator during the holidays.

I've been a good girl this year and every other year. (like real)

Holidays came and it has almost reached the end.

WHICH MEANS

Attachment is starting and there goes all my late night sleep.

I'm embarking on the sleep early wake up super duper early regime.

Who ask the company to be located so far. Or rather, who ask me to choose them!

Anyways, Christmas came and went but it was good this year.

We had family gathering at auntie Veron's house and had heaps and heaps of meat dishes.

This is the time where we get to see PRINCESS EDNA!

This 11 month babe is so damn bloody cute la.

At this age, she only know how to speak "mum mum"

She just knows what can be eaten and just gooooo "mum mum..mum mum..."

Look at her bambi eyes! Totally twice the size of mine hor:(

Mummy fed her mango and she really ate a lot that day.

the fruit cake

This marks the end of my Christmas.

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Vietnam 6-11 Dec 2007

We reached the airport at 1030 but I wasnt in the mood tt I'm actually just hours away from Vietnam! I dunno why also.

We took budget for the first time and it was alright la.

Not as bad as what we think.

Only thing they dun have aerobridge and the whole building is so erm...cheapskate like what my aunt feels too! Hahaha..

The Tiger plane we're taking.

The cheapskate boarding pass using carbon paper vs the boarding pass in Vietnam using better quality paper.

When we departed, it was raining pretty heavily but luckily we had 6 days of sunshine in Viet!

Plane eye view of Vietnam!

Our cockroach room (really stupid story so find me then i tell you) and the really OLD OLD OLD dressing table. Aunt really cannot stop laughing at the dressing table. And she told everyone it's older than Ah ma's oldest dressing table..hahaha

Aunt didn't expect to stay in such hotel. She expected Novotel and she swear that the next time she comes, she will stay in Novotel or Marco Polo. Those hotels are located just stone's throw away from Vietnam's 'orchard road'.

The liang teh aunt forces me to drink every night without fail so I won't "pu zuak"

The small stools an tables that locals have meals on every other day. You practically see it everywhere.

We had a hard time getting this auntie to stand behind her stall. She kept getting into the wrong position.

Xiao Jie, sorry I wont even catch a single ball if you sell to me la so please sell to other uncles.

Their simple way of life. Plucking vege along the roadside that looks just like her home.

We bought steam peanuts from her and the tourguide told us we were overcharged.

Then she sold this plastic thing with chilli sauce and herbs to some local girls. They say it taste good. Lucky for us, the know how to speak english.

"Uncle, buy this Versace. It just came in this morning from Italy. Only $2!"

But he came for 3 consecutive days awaiting us in the morning and say the same thing everyday. How to believe him?!?!?!?!

As this trip is actually organised by one of the local monk, we went to many temples!

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This is the Independence Palace.

It's during war time between the Viet congs and Americans that the Americans built this palace as a headquarters. During that time, this palace is just like the white house.

Quite an interesting place. Cus you get to see how the Americans work during the war and they have everything inside!

The meeting hall

Another meeting hall

elephant legs in 3 sizes

An antique car used 20-30 years ago

Look at their kitchen. It has stoves and woks as huge as my butt!

Their really bad command of english.

This is where they have the maps all around Vietnam and where they make calls ard the country to check on their men and operations.

Cinema

From the top of the palace, this is what you see. Rather peaceful if not for the traffic.

This marks the end of the tour at the Independence Palace.

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We passed by the Post Office. This is one of the few buildingsleft in Ho Chi Minh that still preserve the British architecture.

I think they call this the Red Church also. Another British architecture.

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Welcome to Chinatown!
The marketplace just next to chinatown. You really see them setting up their non-existant stall with just baskets of vegetables and poultry or seafood right next to a busy street okie! Even the Yong Tau Foo stall (cooked ones) is just next to the RAW porkie stall.

We saw them selling goreng pisang, bread and satay-like stuff but dare not try cus the air pollution in Viet is so bad your pi sai is almost black. Joking la! But the air is indeed bad.

Look at the number of motorcycles la. Air how to be clean?!?!?! Vietnam got the world's most number of motorcycles and scooters. If you kana the morning jam, you prolly gotta prepare 2 hours to be stuck in one if you're driving. This is the reason why they ride!!! It saves a lil more time..haha

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Vietnam is well known for their laquer ware. The intricacy of the pictures just awed me.

We took a 2 hours long bus ride and were brought to this factory owned by the government and they employ mostly the disabled. I salute these people la! Even with their disabilities, they are able to create such craft that I will nvr get to learn one hor!

First, the duck egg shells are baked to get different shades of brown.

Then they shells are used to create pictures according to the different shades needed.

With just a sharp blade, a flawless picture can be created!

cracking the shells into smaller pieces to fill the gaps

you can make into whatever shapes you want with just these shells you ask your duck to lay. Free one leh! Don't need money to purchase raw materials.

You can even make vase.

This man will draw the design
Then another man will start sawing. When I see how fast he saw, I was shocked. Every fine like is so carefully sawn without mistake leh! Peifu peifu...

This laquer ware is made from mother of pearl. Which is nicer than the egg shells and definitly cost more la. Imagine my aunt bought an egg shell portrait of a lotus flower for USD100 and the mother of pearl cost much more!

Finally when they're done with the final touches, they will wash the laquer ware.
Finally the polishing and it's ready to be sold!

You see the many portraits and furnitures made to be sold. They're really nice products:)

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Another hour no less bus ride to reach this treetop in one of the open air restaurant for lunch.

After lunch, we came to this temple. It's a very different temple we see locally and anywhere overseas.

This is a temple which houses 3 different religion, namely Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. They have a name for it. It's called Caodaism or the One-eye religion. But the temple was built in the 1920s from the idea of a church. I dunno why though.

This architecture took 10 years to build without any help from engineers or anybody. They were just built from the people living around this area.

During the time when they were building this temple, no one was to get married. Weird right?

But looking at the rich colours and study building, I cannot help but feel that people then were very smart.

The Interior of the temple

The 4 gods with Jesus being the 3rd from the top. You see the eye at the bottom right of the pic? That's the one-eye that's where they got the name of a one-eye religion.

When we were there, we were lucky to be able to witness their prayer session which is held everyday at 12 noon.

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After which, we took another 2 hour bus ride to Cu Chi Tunnel.

Cu Chi Tunnel is the strong base that is created for the resistance against the enemy (Americans) and is now the place known for national unification.

It is a war between the North Vietnam and Americans which was supported by the South Vietnam. The Americans eventually back out of the war in 1975 because of the crazy tunnel system that they know they cannot fight against.

We went to the Ben Dinh Tunnel (part of the Cu Chi Tunnel System). It is a well known revolutionary historic relic, 60Km North-West of Ho Chi Minh City.

This was the base of the former leadership and Party Committee of Cu Chi District, for their accomodations and meeting. It's also a place of unique tactical deployment ontributing to the national defending resistance against the enemy.

Now, I shall bring you into the jungle where thousands of lives were lost.

This is one of the trap the Viet Congs, also known as Vietnamese communist lay ard the forest to kill American soldiers.

There's a lot more to just these photos can show but it's a very interesting place and anyone who visits Vietnam should go and visit this place.

This is one type pf air vent so they can breathe in the tunnel. Smart of them right?

But the americans also quite smart la. They brought dogs to sniff for "vietnam" smell.

However, the Viet congs are smarter. They bought bottles of american shampoo and rub on these air vents so the dogs would think they're americans.

Those small holes that led to a tunnel.

Now you see it, now you don't!

They viet congs are evil. They set up many diffeent kind of traps to make sure they want you dead. Once you step into these traps, you're NEVER gonna get out alive!

The making of bombs,missiles and they dug the tunnel with just a shovel!

Clockwise from top left: Different sizes of sandals forthe Viet Congs, an evidence of a bomb crater, me going into one of the tunnel, me inside the tunnel and i crawled like some mad woman cus the tunnel is so damn small (I'm not standing upright one hor!).

Their kitchen. Even the when they cook, they had to make sure that the smoke dun surface to prevent the Americans soldiers from finding out that they're presence. The smoke will pass through 4 chambers and when it reaches chamber 4, it will be so dense it sinks instead of rising to the top. DAMN SMART!

Their really lousy hospital.

A meeting room with my aunt chairing the meeting.

Followed by me!

All the aunties laughed at us and said, "Lye Hua having meeting with her niece now la, dun disturb them." They're one bunch of happy aunties. I sleep on the coach and they can laugh all the way. Super power!

Me with the dummy Viet Congs. These ppl always have a small bag of rice, a bottle of water, canvas sheets to block them from rain and some basic necessities with them. Cus if they were to come out of the tunnel, they prolly wont get back alive.

End of Cu Chi Tunnel. My body ached the next few days thanks to the climbing up and down the tunnels.

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This is the tradition way of drinking coffee in Vietnam.

They have the sifter and drainer kind of thing and the coffee will drip into a shot-like cup with condense milk.

I love their coffee.

This is a cocoa fruit where the seeds are used to make chocolates.

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Next up, we went to Mekong River, one of the world's mjor river which runs through Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

A few million of Vietnam population live along Mekong river.

Waiting to board the boat and the weather is super hot. I was chao ta when I returned back to the coach.

All of us on the really unbalance boat.

The people making a living along Mekong. From trading rice to selling fishes.

One of those kelongs rearing fishes and transporting of sand as seen on the btm right picture.

We finally reached the village for lunch. I'm indulging in the OH-SO-CHEAP coconut! I think cost only 50 cents!!!

Just nice there was a wedding going on in that village themed restaurant but I dare not walk in to disrupt the wedding cus they might throw coconuts on me.

Vietnamese kids have that kind of typical look like the little girl below.

After lunch, we changed to a smaller boat (8 seaters) to a place where they make coconut candy.

The coconut candy is super nice!

First row: Coconuts is "unhusked", Cracked open to throw away the water, Coconut is grated and juice squeezed out,

Second row: Coconut juice is cooked till brown, Coconut juice left to cool, Juice became candy and cut.

Third Row: The cut strips of candy is spread open into longer strips and cut, Packaged, Ready to purchase!

There you are, our 8 seater boat. Not too bad la cus the next boat ride is only 4 person.
Ah Gu uncle saw this pomelo and became super high. Keep saying Huat Ah!! Huat Ah!!

In the end, Aunt ask me to take photo with it.

I help aunt took also. Dunno why all the aunties joined in and want a piece of that pomelo.

The people dun build bridges to cross a BIG DRAIN. They use coconut tree trunks and I almost slipped and fell okie?!?!

Entering the fruit plantation...

I got to pretend like a sumsui woman or dunno what you call them. Not easy to balance the thing.

We enjoyed the singing session with these pretty babes while enjoying tropical fruits.

The 4 person sampan ride.

Aunt and auntie Su Mei

All we see is rows and rows of attap trees and muddy water.

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This is the best temple I've ever been to. Very very serene. When you enter the compound, all you get is peace and greeneries.

These are whom they call xiao3 sa1 mi3. And I call them Hay Bee ( th dried prawns cus it sounds like it la) Before they graduate, they are not to shave off the fringe.

We see many many Bonsais all around the temple and they're anytime bigger than the ones we see in Singapore hor!

The small little garden that made me look like giant.

I'm in the library with erm...I forgot who

The small bell

Then I tried on the Big Bell..
The place where they dried herbs for the people living around the temple for various illnesses. Damn zai hor and their weather is so good to dry them.

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We went to this place like sentosa.

They have themepark, very very beautiful garden and this palace place.

It's not open till 3 years later but the monk knows one of the person who's building this place and brought us all in to look at it.

Extremely amazing place!

I'll go again in few years time.

The entrance to the palace place.

I was just resting by the moat.

They have the portrait of Ho Chi Minh and some Buddha inside but what interests my aunt and I was the surrounding. Hahahaha...

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I think Vietnam produces the prettiest fruits.

The dragon fruit is 3 times the size you see in Sg, you see papayas, longans, starfruits on trees. pink guavas and white jambu lor! Even fresh lotus are sold!

On the last da, those aunties wanna buy fruits back so we went to Ben Thanh Market for the last shopping spree.

But Vietnam has nothing much to buy. Even though laquer ware is pretty, most are useless to me at this age la. You see mostly chopsticks and plates and more plates in this market.

I'd love to go back to Vietnam one of these days. Maybe next holiday la. But I'll prepare myself on where to shop and sight see before I come.

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