i had a good break finally @ hcm city, vietnam after a good 4 months of non stop working.

it is my very first time there and i was looking forward to it though am also worried about the weather as it is supposedly the stormy season now. 

anyway, am back now..the weather is surprisingly very sunny! though i received some anxious phonecalls fm my family whilst i was there as there were some reports of floods in north vietnam in the news. thank god, the weather was nice and i'm pretty fine.

contrary to the bad reviews from my friends, i actually quite like HCM city. i spent a total of 4 days there with 2 days at mui ne beach and i totally love the old school charm. everyone was smiley, friendly from the very helpful porter at vien dong hotel to the people at the park. no doubt, the place is pretty dirty, irrigation is very bad (i experienced one rainy evening and there were floods everywhere!), the traffic is horrible, its just like sg 30 years ago and bangkok prob 10 yrs ago, but i feel pretty safe there.  its not like in indonesia where everyone just look dodgy, there were touts everywhere but they just go away once u shake your head.

i went a 1 day mekong delta river tour. the beauty of mekong delta can be described in 1 word and that is Yucky! the river is a very muddy dirty yellow. nevertheless, it is a source of livelihood for the many fishermen in vietnam. the mekong river delta tour is pretty interesting as we visit the touristy places like the rice paper making 'factory' (only gt 5 pple working there), bee farm, coconut candy making 'factory'. i also enjoyed the horse carriage ride and a short ride in the vietnamese sampan. it was a nice break away from the crowded and bustling hcm town.

the mekong delta river cruise

the bananas in vietnam are the small and sweet species. didnt see any del monte look alike species there

this pic is for my DB captain and coach - hello! i nv forget to keep rowing in vietnam lei!

some gross herbal wine that is commonly sold in vietnam. they contain scorpions, snakes, lizards..yucks! widely believed to be highly potent. (ignorant people!)

other places that i visited in hcm city ~ notre dame cathedral church, post office, the reunification palace. just lots of history. kinda regret that i didnt have enough time to visit the war remnants museum though. i also missed the cuchi tunnel and cao dai temple coz my friend was down with gout so we went to the doctor and we stayed in for a day. 

the notre dame cathedral church

with Mr HCM at the reunification palace (honestly, i think he look like the old uncle printed at the chinese medicine oil bottle)

@ the famous Ben Thanh market. Dun believe it when people tell u that its like the Chatuchak market in Bkk, i think its prob 1/50 of CTC 

actually the most memorable part of the trip was the very charming mui ne beach. i didnt bear much expectations about this beach as there were not many reviews on the internet. but i heard a lot about how boring hcm city is and wanted to plan a short getaway to a beach resort. there were not many choices - vung tau (wh didnt hv many reviews as well), dalat (wh was too far away and needed more than 2 days) so mui ne was just an option.

i guessed i picked the right resort. mui ne sailing club was a small quaint resort facing the south china sea. i stayed at the garden view bungalow which was very very pretty. i was completely taken in by the outdoor showers..but learnt that it was only good for show. there were ants everywhere! hahaha!

the most endearing little thing i love at the resort was this little girl named thambi, the resident pet. she's there when there is food. at breakfast time, she will go from table to another and obediently sit while looking at you with pitiful eyes. haha! i guessed she had a good life at the resort - look at her fatty body! and staff said she only like ang mo food like bacon, sausage. hahah! i tried to carry her but she wriggled free. so cute! i will miss her so!

with Thambi, the resident pet of Mui Ne Sailing Club

the thing to note about mui ne is -- it is 5 hours of transport to and fro. so in total i spent 10 hours on the road just to spend 25 hours there. i just spent most of the days suntanning at the beach and pool, had a gd swim and enjoying the waves.. and didnt hv time going to the attractions such as the sand dunes. its a pity - i think 2D1N is not sufficient, 3D would be better if you would like to explore this charming little town. its not too commercialised yet... so its a gd time to visit now before it becomes too commercialised such as phuket or bali :)

sexy women in thong bikinis are everywhere. but where are the sexy men? :(

in total i spent less than 800 bucks for my 6D holiday.

$205 on air tix, $269 on accomodation (opted for better accomodation), $300 on food, transportation, day tours, minimal shopping (its really not a gd place for shopaholics - there is nothing to buy except G7 coffee lor).

i guess it was money well spent. hope i can go again soon! for a longer stay at mui ne beach, to dalat, nha trang, halong bay and hanoi. anyone keen?

criteria for my travelling partner -

* dun mind that i am vegetarian

* dun mind walking all day

* dun mind sun, rain and muddy grounds

* cannot sleep too much

* cannot snore too loud

* healthy (cannot hv gout) ps taking a jibe at someone. heh!

* game for everything