Sunday, August 31, 2008 @ 6:41 PM
Day 7 - Hanoi ; Visit to Ho Chi Minh(HCM) Mausoleum and HCM Museum; Evening bus to Hue
Our overnight train from Lao Cai reached Hanoi at 4.30am. And for goodness sake, the sun is alrdy calling.
We got back to out hotel and they gave us a room to rest for the morning. But we decided to waste no time and hop to Hoan Kiem Lake. When I went to HCM last December, everyone was telling me that Vietnamese start the day extremely early. You can see them at the park as early as 5am doing their daily exercises and they turn in super early. The guidebook did say that we can barely find food after 8-9pm which is so TRUE!It was really an eye-opener. Singaporeans like me dun even get up before 9am on weekends! Sometimes it's simply a blessing to sleep in till noon! HAHAHA!!! I think the elderly in Vietnam live to a ripe old age because they're still so agile even when their hair is totally white.
We manage to catch the sunrise!
Feeling hungry, we went to look for food. We wanted something very local but looked high and low for at least 20 mins!
The streets are so dead at 5.30am. When it's ard 7am, it's bustling with activities.
We found this lil stall in the market selling what we think is Chee Cheong Fun. Heck la...we just sit down and ordered! We dun even know how to tell them we want to eat..cant speak a single shit so we just point point lor.
I dunno what ingredients were in that tub. We just ate and nth happened. It was superb!
We were given each a bowl of sauce to dip. It was light and NICE! I dun really like eating the leaves raw though. It taste better with soup noodles. I think it's a mixture of mint leaves and some weird plant.
After a short rest, we proceeded to HCM Mausoleum and the crowd was overwhelming! Is Uncle Ho (another salution the Viets call) really so good to visit? He was embalmed against his wishes and yet everyday except Monday, thousands of ppl flock to see this man in a building with 4 guards at each corner of his 'bed'. Maybe seeing him once is enough. I pity him leh. If I dun want my body to be embalmed, I wouldn't even want ppl to keep seeing my body everyday. Feel so bare isn't it?
Somemore these ppl hor...push like no body's business one lor. Even if they say sorry, I dun even understand a shit. Anyways, Vietnamese language is so vulgar, unlike the Thais.
HCM Museum
Behind this wall is the One Pillar Pagoda but it was simply so crowded and we're all CHAO TA so we decided to give it a miss.
Inside the Museum...
I go se his statue also not so pek chek. Got aircon some more!
I like this phrase of his! It's the best words of wisdom I brought back for this trip.
We got so bored by the really meaningless museum except to see HCM Statue because the history of Vietnam is not in order. Suddenly they show certain old documents that HCM or some big shots who signed. Then nth was in chronological order.
So, we decided to eat apples.
Oh ya, I didn't know my parents actually help me to create an ADULT DIAPERS label in Vietnam. I was kinda shocked to see it myself. And what a lousy cover picture! Hahahaha!!!!
We ended our trip in and around Hanoi. Our Hotellier, Dut on the extreme left and beside Idy is I can't remember what's his name. Haha...
We took the overnight sleeper class bus to Hue. We wanted to take the train but was thinking why not try the bus since Dut promised it was good.
It was so so only leh. I had backache when i woke up. The journey was 11 hours and I slept throughout. The 3 of my gang can vouch for it. Weilun even though I was dead and got Idy to check if I ws breathing. But I was seriously tired ok! Then since we cannot do anything on the bus, just sleep lor.
Day 8 - Perfume River; Cycling around Hue
Reached Hue at ard 8.30am and checked into Sports Hotel. There's lift! But got timing one leh. They even play cheat lor. Just because they wanna save electricity, they cut off the electricity for the lift and our room got no light and aircon.
We booked for a tour along Perfume River, just a stone's throw away from our Hotel.
The river dun smell like they throw Hugo Boss or Estee Lauder perfume in it la. Just a name and I dunno the history.
First stop was Thien Mu Pagoda.
Saw a ladder and itchy legs started to climb.
But I didn't dare to climb up cus I scared I fall down again.
View from top...
We wanted to do jumpshot but failed badly and this is the unglam shot taken before...
...I fell to the ground. So, I did fall down again! Bruise on the other knee...super sian! I'm like scarred all over my legs!!!
I quite like this candid shot for I dunno what reason. 
They're washing stuff along the river I guess.
Enjoying the breeze while the sun shine brightly outside. It was damn hot la! U just cannot cool down!
See how burnt Idy was?
Next up was Minh Mang tomb. But seriously ar, we didn't see any tomb that states Minh Mang Tomb. We simply paid 55,000 Dongs per head and felt ripped off! But what to do, pay liao just take pics and try to enjoy the "scenery" lor.
Nth to play so play with statues again...
I only found a horse to 'ride'.
Maybe this is the tomb but there isn't english words that we could read.
All in all, Vietnam places of interest sucks la.
We happen to see a train pass by and I think back, their best transport was the VIP sleeper class train! I miss it!
We got back to land and rented 4 bicycles to roam Hue town. I almost didn't survive the ride because I feel so intimidated cycling on road. Almost lang-gar with this ah pek and they dun even understand 'excuse me' and the bicycle dun have bells! Then again, it was a great experience cycling on a road with directions oppo of singapore. We really got messed up!
Got so super hungry and hunted for food. Saw this woman barbercuing and it smelt GREAT! We all got the the bicycle fast, ordered and just chew on alrdy.
I had the chicken and squid stuffed with pork and it was yummylicious! We wanted to eat it again but didn't have the chance the next day. I'm salivating as i'm typing this!
Cycled and stopped by for a fruit juice. It was damn shiok!
Cycled across Truong Tien Bridge (the bridge changes keeps changing colour but I dunno what happened to the photos Lun took, it just wasnt with me).
Hotel Saigon Morin. This is one of the better hotels we can't afford to stay.
Day 9 - Lang Co Beach; Hai Van Pass; Cham Museum (Da Nang)
We chartered a 7 seater Innova MPV and a driver to bring us to Da Nang and back. Just so we can stop whenever we want and not oblige to tour group timings. I dun really enjoy tours...they can be a pain sometimes. Either too much waiting time or we have no time to do what we really want.
Reached Lang Co Beach and it was not very touristy. U see more of locals holding umbrellas on a beach than you see tourist basking under the sun. I think I only saw 2 angmo who walked by us and said smth like,"It's so hot!" I think we, as tourist felt more out of place than the locals.
But anyways, we just enjoyed a little before we leave. Afterall, we're alrdy here.
Jump shot that was jump to perfection after tiring our legs out!
I realise Lixia didn't jump at all! Because while we're all jumping, she's happily soaking in the shallow clear sea.
I was browsing through the pics and found that lun kept his thumbs up. He wasn't trying to say Lang Co was a good beach. It was just because his hand was injured remember? Thanks to another 'beach'. HAHAHA!
While cubicles are taken up, Lixia did the most marvellous-time-saving thing. Wash hair in the open! I almost laughed my lungs out.
After Lang Co, we proceeded to Da Nang via Hai Van Tunnel that was build because Hai Van pass was too dangerous and I think many accidents happened on the pass. We're gonna take Hai Van Pass when we come back because that's the highlight and one main reason why we paid more to charter a car!
Approaching the tunnel...
It's just like out CTE la...nth interesting except that they drilled 2 holes - one for each direction.
Reached Da Nang very quickly and was driven to Cham Museum. I seriously dunno what's with this museum. Guidebook say go visit and when we're there, again they DO NOT have brochure. They even ask us to buy a book on Cham Museum at a whooping price that I forgot! haha... Anyways, we didn't think that buying the book would let us understand the place further. W
We walked around and all we see was sculptures that I presumed was dug out in the past. Some had legs and hands broken and some were headless. One only had the feet left.
Saw a drum and drummed it with the cammie.
This is what we did with the headless sculpture. Hope nth goes wrong after that!
Talking abt pretty sculptures, our driver brought us to this sculpture factory on our way to Black moutains.
Damn pretty! I would want one in my house someday :)
Anyways, when we learnt that we need to climb up to black mountains, all of us agreed in synchrony! We had enough of walking and black mountains is just a mountain made of marbles.
I touched Hai Van Pass. Hai Van Pass is the highest pass in Vietnam. Hai Van means sea clouds.
So our journey of windy roads begin!
Hair pin bend was marvellous
The view at the top of Hai van was simply breathtaking! The slight breeze and cool clouds made me wanna stay there longer.
It was foggy moments ago but clouds do float away.
Their choices of english words always make my belly stronger.
Seriously picture perfect!
This structure probably just show that it's Hai Van Pass.
Map of Hai Van I think because it does look like one.
Hai Van Gate
We managed to catch the sunset because Lun left his tripod at the Hai Van gate where we rested for a cuppa coffee. We made a U turn back to the pass and caught the sunset! Also, we managed to get back the tripod! Thank goodness else money is wasted.
I think this sums up our trip from Hanoi to Hue and Da Nang. I'm so glad everything as pleasant and next up will be our super interesting trip to Laos.
I'll leave that to another day. It's high time I should go study a lil.
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