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April 2011

Vietnam Travel Adventures: Ho Chi Minh DIY City Tour

Saturday, April 30, 2011 Category : , , 0

   



     I was pretty honest when I said before that there was not much planning for our trip to Vietnam. Although we booked tickets way ahead, like more than 2 months before our trip, I just booked our tours quite late; 2 days before we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City.  It was so late that the Sinh Tourist Office had to send me a payment link for the Cu Chi Tunnel tour because it cannot be booked anymore via their website.  Oh well.  The beauty of taking tours - you can just sit back and relax after booking one.

     On the other hand, DIY tours are more flexible when it comes to time management.  You can take all the pictures you want; there's no need to rush, unless your travel companions are impatient.  Heehee.  However, DIY tours are quite taxing; you need to research, research and research.  And despite making all the preparations beforehand, you'll probably still end up asking locals for directions.  For  lazy people like me, DIY tours are a welcome challenge.  But, there are still times that I just get so busy with no time to spare for planning a tour.  And, that is what precisely happened in Vietnam!


     I told my friends that we're probably better off if we do a DIY city tour of Ho Chi Minh.  After all, according to just about everybody who has done a HCMC tour, it's relatively easy, and the attractions are nearby each other.  Yipee!  Hearing that, I was convinced I didn't need to thoroughly research our destinations.  So, I just printed some Google maps and the wikitravel entries for HCMC.  Really, that was all I did and I left everything else to chance.

     We started our tour by taking a taxi to the Saigon Opera House.  It's such a beautiful building, and it was a Sunday so there were not a lot of people and vehicles around.  In fact, we were able to take pictures of one another in the middle of the street.  Not knowing where else to head to, we went to the Caravelle Hotel, well, to use their wash room.  Lol!

     There is a fountain between the Opera House and Caravelle Hotel and it looked so picture perfect.  We took some photos there, even stepping on the grass; there were no signs saying, "Keep off the grass."  Apparently, we were not the only ones who thought that the area is good place for a photo op.  When we got out of Caravelle Hotel, we saw a bride having her wedding photo shoot in the small garden/fountain area.  Naturally, I did what most curious tourist would do; take photos of the bride.  She was so pretty!  But then she caught me from across the street and since my lens were zoomed in, I saw her not-so happy face.  Heh!







A bride's photoshoot.


      We wanted to go to the HCMC People's Committee Building, but we didn't know how, despite us having a map and all.  It was easier to ask around, and easier to spot some tourist information officers on patrol.  They're in uniform; if I remember correctly, they're wearing green.  We asked one, and then another.  They all know how to speak and understand English.  We just pointed the place on the map and they answered in English.

      So, apparently, the HCMC People's Committee is just on the next block.  Our markers were the circular water fountain and the Rex Hotel.  And, beyond the garden outside Rex Hotel lies the HCMC People's Committee!  Yay!





     We saw a statue of a man with a child, guess he's called Bac Ho, as the brass plate on his statue states.  We were having such fun under the noonday sun in the garden but then again, some caucasian man past his prime shouted rudely at us, telling us to move away from of the statue.  My temper flared and I wanted to shout back at the rude guy.  Who the heck he thinks he is?  The place is public; if he wants to have his picture taken, wait for a turn.  I decided not to engage in a verbal tussle since he was quite at a distance (yes, he was like 15 meters away from us so just imagine how loudly he shouted).  But I really, really hated that impertinent, impatient, rude tourist. There were only a handful of tourists loitering around the area, like, just us, so there's no need to crudely rush the people, us, who got to the statue first.  Yeah, damn that caucasian tourist.


The statue the rude tourist was so intent to take a photo of.


       Anyway, we moved, but only after shooting dagger looks.  We asked a local who was sitting at one of the park benches for directions going to the Notre Dame Cathedral and she gladly helped us out.  Apparently, we only had to go right from the People's Committee until we reach the end of the block, Dong Khoi Street, and from there, we just walk straight the road until we see the cathedral.  Along the way, we saw the Vincom Center and a lot of art galleries.  The roads were almost deserted and our walk had a leisurely feel to it.  It reminded me of walking around the Makati Central Business District.

     The cathedral was beautiful; it was like straight out of a foreign movie about something scary, or about the war bombings because the Blessed Virgin Mary's statue was in a small plaza outside the cathedral.  I was half-expecting Mama Mary to shed tears of blood, and the red bricks just bring out the beauty of the church, and if you're a fan of horror/suspense movies, to its mystery.  And the twin bell towers are so picture-perfect.  Ah, really, churches are such works of art!





 Street view of the Cathedral, Diamond Plaza and the Post Office.


     We walked across going to the Post Office and it was open despite being a Sunday.  There were a lot of westerners here.  I think, I was the only Asian inside, aside from the staff and shopkeepers.  My friends, the other Asians, were outside and didn't come in.  I really did not know why the tourists were concentrated in this building.  I get that the Post Office is structurally beautiful but really, the number of western tourists inside was astonishing.




     There were shops inside, and two-rows of telephone booths reminiscent of the ones I see in the movies, you know, made of dark wood and all.  And, with all the caucasians inside the Post Office, I had the weird feeling that I was in a western country rather than one in the East.

     And oh, the street vendors outside have bloated prices for mineral water and other refreshments.  I wanted to buy a mineral water and I was told it costs VND 20,000. I was like, lady, that's more than thrice the amount for a bigger bottle at that, and the same price for a Coca Cola on a plastic bottle.  Of course, I didn't buy.  I was stingy, and well, so what if I was thirsty?  I mean, she called me out after I left the vendor's area, saying that I could get a discount.  So, she was really just taking advantage of me being a tourist and all.

     Our last destination for the day was the Reunification Palace.  We just took photos outside and just sat at one of the benches in the park adjacent to it.  We didn't have time to go to the malls or something, but we managed to hail and cab going to Ben Tanh Market for some last minute goodies.  We bought some dried fruit and veggie chips and ground coffee, weasel coffee to be precise, to bring back home.

     We went back to the hotel and freshened up.  There were a couple of hours left before our flight so we shopped near the hotel and bought some souvenirs as well as some allegedly factory overruns Crumpler bags at Bagsvina a couple of steps away from the hotel.  We also had some dinner before we finally said goodbye to Ho Chi Minh City.

Thoughts: Waiting for Flight from Taiwan to Manila, Stories and More

Monday, April 25, 2011 Category : , 0

     I'm at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan waiting for my 1:25 a.m. flight back home.  I had a few stories to tell which I would like to share with you in the coming days.  For now, I'll tell the story of how I got into the airport.

     Before I left the hostel where I stayed, I asked the staff for a cab because I didn't want to endure a 10-minute walk carrying heavy luggage around.  But the staff gave me the directions going to the bus terminal, based on her advise since it'll be too short of a ride.  I asked her if the terminal is the same terminal from where I got off when I came to Taipei, and she said yes.  So I waited at the bus stop and guess what?  The terminal for the express bus is located at the new Taipei Bus Terminal.  Good thing that the bus driver I asked was nice that he took me to their station and helped me from carrying my luggage and buying the correct ticket.  Mr. bus driver was really so, so nice.  I was profusely thanking him for letting me hitch hike on his bus and for helping me find my way to the correct express bus to the airport.



     A similar thing happened my first day in Taiwan.  Our flight to Taiwan was delayed, and so, I didn't catch the last Kuo Kuang bus.  So I waited for the next bus, the extra 3:00 a.m. bus.  When I got into the hostel, it was past 4 already and gosh, I had to leave at 5:30 a.m. to get my train ticket to Taichung.  I planned to go to Sun Moon Lake via train and then via the Taiwan shuttle bus going to Sun Moon Lake.  But when I got into the Taichung station, I couldn't find the waiting area for the shuttle bus.  So, I walked to the direction I was told to by the station staff but the area didn't look like the one I researched via Google maps.  It's totally alien.  I decided to enter a hotel and ask the reception about the Taiwan shuttle and they told me the directions, and they even hired me cab going to the Taiwan shuttle bus stop.  I was so thankful for their help.  I was already contemplating then to ditch my Sun Moon Lake plans if I wasn't able to find the stop.  Sometimes, all you have to do is to seek and perhaps maybe, you shall find.

    To all those who helped me find my way when I was lost or confused, thank you very much.  Xie xie!

     And oh, my tour guides last Sunday could not even believe that I'm Filipino.  They were expecting someone with dark skin, and they were surprised when they saw me who has a fairer skin that theirs.  Heehee.  It was really funny.  And also, I was mistaken for a Korean in Jinguashi.  A young male Korean who was with me during a tour around the Four-Joined Houses greeted me, "Anneyeong haseyo."  I said, "Anneyeong haseyo, but I'm not Korean."  Then all in the group laughed (there were four of us including the guide).  The guide told me that I'm really pretty.  Awww.  But she's an old lady...  Would it make a difference if a male told me that?  Yes, and a lot.  *wink*

     Before I forget, I don't think I look like a Korean. I have big, round eyes, although the guides I had last Sunday told me that I could really pass off as Taiwanese because of my fair complexion.  And oh, they all thought I was a student, in my early 20s.  How could that be possible?  When I was ten, everybody thought I was 15 0r 16 already.  It was worse when I was 12.  I looked like I was in college already.  By the time I got into high school, I looked like an OL (office lady).  And now, I'm almost 32, and people are mistaking me for a college student?  So, when I age, I become younger?  The guides told me that I have a baby face.  Maybe because my face is so round and full (of fat)?  Huh?!  Hahahahaha!

     I'm so tired already...I think it'll be boarding time soon.  Till then!

Thoughts: My Travel Plans for Taiwan this Week

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 Category : , 0

     Last week, I was so sure that I'll be visiting Sun Moon Lake and Alishan.  But after much thought and reading some information about some other places which are within reasonable distance from Taipei, I decided to ditch Alishan.  It broke my heart, really.  I so wanted to see Alishan.  Sadness.

      Instead, I decided to go to some other places that I've already visited, but not as thoroughly as I wanted to before, and a couple of new places.

     Here's an outline of my travel plans:


 
Day 1 Friday

Sun Moon Lake adventure!  I booked a ticket via the TRA website going to Taichung and I was successful!  Yay!  From Taichung Train Station, I'll take the Taiwan Trip Shuttle Bus going to Sun Moon Lake.  Then, I'll go on a boat tour (TWD 300), and ride the cable car (TWD 300).  As much as I want to go to the Formosa Aboriginal Center, I don't think I have the time.  But I'll take the round-the-lake bus (unli ride TWD 80), and really try my hardest to climb the Ci En Pagoda.  If not, I'll just be content taking its picture.

Day 2 Saturday

This one I think is easier for me.  I'll take the regular train going to Riufeng, then change trains going to Shifen to see the waterfalls they call Little Niagara or something, and the train tracks that cuts through the village.  Heehee.  I think the park opens at 8am for TWD 80, if I remember correctly.

Then I'd train the train back to Riufeng then catch a bus going to Jinguashi to see the Gold Ecological Museum, a place I really, really want to visit because of the Corner with Love tv series.

Afterwards, I'll take the bus to Jiufen and stay there till sunset.

If I still have the energy to go to Shilin Night Market, I'd do so.

Day 3 Sunday

I'll be having a Danshui tour in the morning and I'm hoping to catch the last day of the Calla Lily Festival up in Yangmingshan.  If I don't get to see the Calla Lillies, I'd be really, really, really sad.


Or perhaps I'll just go to Daxi Old Street instead of going to the Calla Lily Festival.

I'd go to some other places like Ximending, Xinyi, etc.  Who knows? I might even watch a movie at Miramar and ride the ferris wheel there.

Day 4

I'll go to Longshan Temple and tour around the area in the morning, inspired by the movie, Monga.

I'm contemplating on going to a hot springs resort in Beitou late morning.

Then, I'd go to the last day of the Taipei Flora Exhibition.  Since it's too large, I think I'll just have to see the Japanese garden and some other gardens as well.

Afterwards, some late shopping.

     It's so hectic, but I think I can manage to visit all these places.  Or more.  Heehee!

Thoughts: Taiwan's New Logo and Slogan

Thursday, April 14, 2011 Category : , 0

     I was mildly surprised when the Taiwan tourism website (http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/) showed an unfamiliar slogan and logo on its homepage.  I mean, the last time I looked at the website was around Chinese New Year, and when I checked on it today, lo and behold, there's a new logo and slogan!

     The former slogan for Taiwan's tourism is Taiwan Touch Your Heart, and the logo is all sorts of colorful.  Now, the new slogan is Taiwan the Heart of Asia, and the logo is now a representation of Taiwan: tea, Taipei 101, snacks, Lantern Festival, nature, etc., all packed in a heart-shaped design.  The colors are muted and in the tones of brown, orange, green and blue.  You get a very earthy feel from it.  


  

     These are the logo and the slogan.  I just lifted both from the Taiwan Tourism website and incorporated it on a single photo so you'd get a holistic idea.

     Here's a video of the move from the old, and new logo and slogan.  You can view this video as intro to the Taiwan tourism website.  Very kawaii!  I got this one from Youtube, though.



     So, don't be surprised if you see these new logo and slogan when you arrive in Taiwan.  And for those who will go to Taiwan, like me, be ready to explore the heart of Asia, Taiwan!

Thoughts: My Taiwan Visa Application for the Second Time

Monday, April 11, 2011 Category : , , 0

    

     For the second time, I applied for a Taiwan tourist visa at the TECO in RCBC Plaza, Makati City.  I arrived at the building around 8:30 am and the counter at the reception area for the TECO already had a queue!  I was number 17.  I needed no further instructions as I already know the process.  I signed up to get a number and waited for the TECO receptionist near the exit going to the smoking area of the RCBC Plaza to get my number.  After getting my number, I went to back to the reception and left my government-issued ID in exchange for a visitor's pass.  If you do not have one, they'll ask you to leave a valid ID plus your cellular phone.

     When I got to the 41st floor where the TECO is located, the counters are already serving applicant number 4.  So swift, right?  By the time my number was called, I've been sitting for around 15 to 20 minutes.  Then I was done.  All in about 30 to 40 minutes, including the waiting time at the lobby.

     Some observations to help you in your application:

     1.  The counters for visa processing are counters 1 to 5.  Your number will be called via the numbering system overhead indicating which counter you should go.

     2.  The visa processor will check if your documents are complete and they'll ask you to wait to be called for payment.  The visa processor would ask you if you want to have your application expedited or not.

     3.  Payment for the visa is over at counter 6.

     4.  It takes 3 working days for the visa to be processed. 

    

    
    

Vietnam Travel Adventures - Day 2: Cai Be and Vinh Long Mekong Boat Tour

Sunday, April 10, 2011 Category : , 0


     Once again, me and my friends took a tour with the Sinh Tourist.  Usually, the tours I get uses a van and there are either just us or some other people on board.  But the Sinh Tourist tours are different.  They use tour buses.

     We arrived at the office just when the bus was about to depart.  Heehee.  We were the last ones to board the bus and we were seated at the very rear because the bus was already packed.  Oh well.


     Honestly, I could not remember much about our trip going to Cai Be.  All I remember is that the ride was long, like around 2 hours, and that I slept for most of the time.  Well, the tour guide made a very good effort to keep us awake by telling us general information about Vietnam and the Mekong River.  He even made a pass about Thailand being number 1 in terms of tourism but that Thailand only shows the beauty spots.  Hmm.  Even though the guide was talkative, just like our guide the previous day, his enthusiasm was not enough for us to stay focused...we fell asleep 30 minutes into our travel.  I think I had a good hour of sleep, more than what I needed for a power nap, but you see, sleeping is such a blessing!  I really love to sleep, a lot!

     I think I finally woke up 30 minutes before we reached our drop-off point in Cai Be.  Probably, if only Vietnam looked a little more exotic, then perhaps, I would have been awake our whole travel.  But all I saw were the same rice fields, animals, kinds of houses and structures.  It was as if I was travelling on board a provincial bus headed to anywhere in the Philippines.  The only difference were the signs, in Vietnamese of course.  And there seems to be tombs of some sorts in the middle of the rice fields and farm lands, something which is new to me.

     So, we went straight into a small community which was very much like your typical rural village in the Philippines.  I swear.  Everything was almost alike.  Heehee.  It seemed as if I never left the Philippines.  Anyway, we hopped into a fairly big boat, capable of ferrying around 20 to 30 passengers and we traversed the waters of the Mekong River.






     The river was huge!  It was really, really huge!  And in fairness, the water was clean.  There were villages on the riverbanks and we were able to see the people's daily lives.  It was not much different than the daily life back home, only that there was a floating market of some sorts in the river selling food products.  But really, I was expecting to see a floating market reminiscent of the floating market I saw in Thailand.  The one in Cai Be, though, was entirely different.  It was not touristy at all and the boats carrying the goods are huge!  And since it was already around 10 a.m., the market's busy activities had already died down when we reached the market place.  So, we were only able to see a couple of boats selling watermelons and tapioca.


 We rode a similar boat like these.


  I told you, the Mekong River is huge!


These are some of the boats selling their merchandise at the Cai Be Floating Market.


     Some of the boats we passed by doubles as a house for some.  Also, we saw a couple of small businesses along the riverbanks: a boat repair shop, general merchandise store (sari-sari store), and the likes.


     Villagers' daily life by the Mekong River.


     After some 30 minutes plying the river, and soaking up life at the riverbanks, the tour guide told us that we're going back on land to go to a village for a taste of village life.  We docked our  boat at a quaint village which reminded me so much of the provinces back home: sleepy, tranquil and serene.




     First, the tour guide led us to a restaurant of some sorts where we were allowed to hold up a block of honeybee comb with live bees for picture taking and for some information about royal jelly which the village produces and sells.  We had a taste of their tea and some candied delicacies, similar with the candied delicacies we have back home.  I didn't buy the royal jelly, although I was tempted to.  I should have bought one just for the sake of having bought one.  Besides, its good for the body.  Perhaps, next time.




     Second, the tour guide brought us to a similar shop were a snake wine can be bought, tried and tested.  Nope, didn't try it!  Not ever.  My friend did, though.




     Third, we went to another place and this time, we saw how the rice paper's made.  Rice paper's the one used in wrapping those yummy spring rolls.  Again, the process reminds me of how the Philippines' version, the lumpia wrapper, is made.  We also had a look at how a dried coconut is stripped-off it's skin until only the shell is exposed.  Well, sorry if I say this once more: it is something that is also being done in our country.  In fact, the lumpia wrapper making and the coconut husk stripping can be seen in public markets in the Philippines, even in the city.  Yup. 





     Our last stop in that village is for the making of rice crispies.  Yup!  I've eaten rice crispies as a kid, and we have it either in round balls or in rectangular strips.  It's very local in the Philippines, although I haven't seen one lately.  But it's my first time to see how it's done so there's something new that I learned.  Apparently, the rice's put into a big wok or something with black sand.  Then, the rice will pop while they get swirled in the wok.  Then, they'll be put in a big strainer to separate the sand from the rice, then it's done!  The rice pop, as they call it, will be ready for processing into a snack.




     What I enjoyed most about our village experience were the little kids who were calling to us, saying, "Hello!"  So cute.  Teehee.

     Then, we boarded the boat again, and the tour guide told us that we'd be going next to the restaurant to have our lunch and that it'll take about an hour by boat to get there.  Wow, so we had an hour just sitting on the boat.

     I was sitting by the window, and it was hot but bearable.  My arm was exposed to the sun light; it was nicely warm.  Sunlight was hitting my legs directly, so I put my cap over my legs then I forgot about my exposed arm and dozed off.  When I came to my senses, we're in nowhere.  And, my exposed arm was burned crisp red.  You'd think I had some allergic reactions.  Hehehe.

     So, the ride was all water, of course, with just some strips of land here and there.  Then, we came nearer our destination. And mind you, it looked more provincial than the village but what we saw up close was like a mini paradise!  It was so beautiful!  The garden was so sublime!  Really!  There's even a dragon-vine-shrub whatever plant structure and a whole lot more!  God, this place was beckoning me to take a rest and enjoy the nature. 


 The restaurant was located somewhere near here.

 I'll post some more pictures of the restaurant once I get it from my phone.
I ran out of battery for my camera, so I used my phone.


      So, finally, we had a lunch at a banquet hall, a traditional lunch, they say.  We had a fried spring rolls of some sort which we had to dip into fish sauce...As you know, patis is very salty so I dipped my roll very gently into the saucer.  Then we had rice, yummy veggies, some soup that I could not eat because it had some shellfish, and the main course, a river fish called, Elephant Eared Fish.  Everything was delish!




     Sharing our table was an older lady from Sweden, and a very kawaii, gakkoi college-aged guy from Japan.  His frame is so tiny!  He's really polite and well-mannered and I want to have him as a brother.  Ah, it'll be nice to have an otouto like that.  Apparently, he lived in the Philippines for 3 years and his parents were expats so he knew right away that we're Filipinos.  He said he'd be heading back to Tokyo that night, with everything that's been going on with their country and all.  I mean, it was just a week since the Great Tohoku earthquake, and the young guy said that he needed to go back home.

     Later after lunch, I saw him talking to group of Japanese girls his age.  He now found someone he could relate to more, and hung out with the girls who sat with him on the boat ride going to our next destination, Vinh Long.  If it wasn't Vinh Long, then, my bad for not listening to the guide.  Heehee.  Oh, I thought the Japanese guy would stick with the girls but we guessed that he got scared because one of the girls was staying too close to him.  Hahaha.  Think he got an admirer there.  Later on, we saw the guy saying goodbye to the girls and roamed the streets on his own.  Heh.

     So, what was there to see over at Vinh Long?  Nothing much, just your regular market, the ones very similar to the markets here in Manila.  But at least I saw green mangoes as big as my face, but then again, I've seen and eaten one last year, so it was not novel at all.  We did get to drink our favored iced coffee from a small restaurant.  It was refreshing and cool, plus, it's really cheap!  Just don't stir well if you don't want the sweet taste of condensed milk.

    We only had some 30 minutes in Vinh Long and we were hauled back into the bus to return to Ho Chi Minh.  And oh, we passed by this wonderful bridge donated by the Australians to the people of Vietnam.  It was really pretty seeing it in the horizon.

     Well, I didn't have pictures to post yet of the Vinh Long leg of our tour as I ran out of battery for my camera.  I had a couple of pictures in my phone but I have yet to retrieve them.  I'll put them up sometime this week.

     For the two hour ride back to the City, I slept again.  Heehee.

Vietnam Travel Adventures - Day 1: Taking a Break, Dining and Night Market

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 Category : , , 0

     



     From the Cu Chi Tunnels, we came straight back to the Sinh Tourist office.  By then, we were already famished.  It was past 1:00 p.m. already.  We just picked out a place to eat near the area.  We would have wanted to have some Vietnamese food but we have not yet scoured the area, and all we saw were those western-styled restaurants since we're in the backpackers' area.  We picked the Buffalo, and dined al fresco.  Prices were reasonable considering the taste.  I got a lasagna, because I'm Garfield and I love lasagna, and my friends got some subway-like sandwich, similar to the ones sold by the street vendors in Ho Chi Minh, and some steak.  My lasagna was really yummy; the sauce was made of real tomatoes and it was served in a clay pot. Very cute.  It cost around VND 110,000 and I ordered some Vietnamese iced tea (iced loose leaf tea sans sugar), and paid 10% service charge.

    Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to rest for a while before we head out to Saigon Square.  But the bed was so inviting that I slept from 2pm to 7pm.  No kidding!  Half of my day was gone!

     Oh well.  Guess we were dead tired for not getting enough sleep during the previous day with our late flight to Vietnam and all.  So, we just went to Ben Tanh Market to get some dinner.  According to the hotel staff, the night market is open till midnight or so.  We asked for directions and the competent staff gave us their version of a map where all the places of interest are pointed out.  The hotel staff told us that we could walk to Ben Tanh Market from our hotel.  We finally decided to check out the market and pick up some souvenirs; after all, we only had 3 days to spend in Ho Chi Minh.  Also, we'd be out for the whole day the next day for our Cai Be, Vinh Long, and Mekong Tour.

     Since Ben Tanh Market is just walking distance from the hotel, we really walked all the way there!  It was not far away and the hotel staff made us walk the busy streets, not the dimly-lit ones, where there are a lot of people and vehicles passing by. So, even if it was night time already, we felt completely safe.  But still, crossing the street going to Ben Tanh was a challenge; there was no stop light.  Haha!  But the motorists were kind enough to let us pass through, or at the very least, they tried not to hit us.  Heehee.




     Well, the night market is not a huge place; just a couple of short streets on both sides of the Ben Tanh Market.  The items on sale are touristy, with some bags, shirts and home decor and paintings thrown into the mix.  Naturally, we bought the usual Vietnam key chains, bookmarks and souvenir shirts from the night market stalls.  Some of the storekeepers were willing to accept USD and Philippine peso in lieu of Vietnamese dong, since we said we didn't have VND with us while shopping.  Some will tell you that they have not yet made a sale and will plead for you to buy, and some will not let you leave the stall without buying anything.  Apparently, if you leave without buying, people will think that their prices are expensive.  Some will get angry with you if you just ask without buying anything.  The sellers at the market employ all marketing tricks to entice the buyers, especially the foreigners, to part with their money, in whatever currency it may be.

     Apart from buying all those touristy trinkets to bring back home, we also had our dinner at Ben Tahn.  There were a couple of similar-looking makeshift outdoor eateries, the ones with the plastic seats and/or stools.  All were serving Vietnamese food and we just picked one of those eateries and we were quite happy with our choice.  I had some noodles and they gave us plateful of green, leafy veggies, including fresh mint.  It was a treat, really, to eat fresh veggies with our noodles.  The food are priced cheaply, very affordable and the taste is great!  Very satisfying.

   
     I think we just stayed there for less than 3 hours and then we returned back to our hotel, well, to sleep again.  We need to leave the hotel very early in the morning for our Mekong river tour the following day.


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