Christmas In Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City - Part 1

Following on from our brief stint in KL, by the time we reached the airport (LCCT) at 8am, my friend, by now used to the unexpected, and obviously tired from the night's exertions, asked, and then reacted calmly to, where we were going.

"Oh Vietnam. To visit your mother? Whereabouts over there?"

"Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Dao. First stop, my aunt's place, where we will be having lunch. Come to think of it, it's virtually the same itinerary which Jac and I had in January. (http://theslogreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/ho-chi-minh-city-on-16-jan-2010.html, http://theslogreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/grey-hound-racing-and-seafood-in-vung.html) So look sharp, for I think some people will not be able to resist a comparison..."

"Orh..." she said.

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It was a bit scary thinking about the relentless passage of time and how it felt just like yesterday when I walked down the same narrow side-alley to my aunt's place in January with Jac.



And eating exactly the same food which we ate 11 months earlier - vegetables and some kind of crispy rice cracker which one dips in/ piles on with lots of tiny shellfish...



Bun Bo, a type of beef noodle. It's similar to, but distinct from Pho. While the latter originated from the South (I believe), Bun Bo hails from Central Vietnam (Danang and the surrounding areas), which was where my Mum grew up.



Downed with a local Vietnamese beer, which, due to my non-discerning palette for all things alcoholic, tasted like, well, any other beer...



After lunch, we paid a visit to the school my Mum runs...



Passing through familiar busy roads chock-full with motorcycles as usual...



Did I tell you that when I first went to Vietname some 13 years ago, there were hardly any motorcyclists who wore helmets. Everybody does nowadays so I suppose that is a requirement enforceable by law. Glad to know that it's not a problem getting one though...



This is a drink stall right outside my Mum's school. When was the last time we saw bottled soft drinks in Singapore?



And this was a locally-manufactured bottled drink we had. My friend liked it, but I thought it rather tasted like Woods Peppermint Cough Syrup, which I had been consuming sporadically throughout the week due to a minor but nagging cough...



But the highlight of the first day, as we retraced the voyage I had with Jac (it's weird, I know) was not Saigon but Vung Dao, and to reach there, we had to take a ferry down the Bach Dang River...

My Blog...

I like an order to things, especially a chronological one, so it's with some regret that I have to interrupt my posts of my travels (and travails) over Christmas with a totally unrelated article.

You see, the trauma of losing my handphone, as well as all the information inside it, has still not ebbed and I am rendered relatively inarticulate.

That said, a friend of a friend told me recently that she prefers reading Jac's blog...

"Her writing's more readable," she said. "At least she doesn't try to show off"

"B-but... I don't try to show off, I said. "And my writing's readable!"

"Take your appeal to anybody who had a spare handphone and was willing to lend it to you for a day, for example..."

_______________________________________
My Friends,

I am grievously stripped and naked, for in the morn, providence dictated that I was parted with my handphone in circumstances as unwitting as the loss was unwilling. I do beseech and implore you all thus, most beloved friends and/or colleagues (or both):- If thou be possessed, in the nearby environs, of more than one unit of the said contraption mentioned above such that no utile would be served to let said contraption lie idle and metaphorically festerant in a drawer, cabinet, armoire or any otherwise concealed circumstances, to find the rare charity to verily lend me the same for a few score hours, after which I would, having been given most fortunate respite, have opportunity to find the safe haven of my abode without being ravaged by the vagaries which plague life’s travelers who attempt to traverse the meridiens without the tools that make life bearable, if not liveable.

And you would thusly have my word and attendant bond that upon the rectifying amelioration of my deficient circumstances, I will verily, without need for express demand, render the borrowed item back into your possession with urgent dispatch.

Your Most Sincere But Troubled Colleague,
____________________________________
"I'm not even sure it even makes sense, if half the words you used even exist" she said.

"It probably doesn't, and they probably don't. But that's the point. People still get what I'm trying to say even if I coin words because it's all context. It's humorous, and besides, in response to critics, I sent another e-mail appeal using more... proletarian language..."

____________________________________
Oh I’m Sorries,

Peoples says they canst understands me.

All I wants to says is that this morning I loss my handphones and I very sad.

But lives must goes on and I tells myselfs to be strong. But in the meantimes, if anybody has got a spares handphones in the office, can lend me? I sure return wan and I whole live loves you (as a fren only, of course).

Once again, thanX. With lots of KISSES….

____________________________________
"That's still showing off. She said. Besides, Beng-speak is not like that. You're not a natural.... It's all about balance," she added.

Balance... I tink hor, dat perchance people verily misunderstand my intentions. But neh mind... I will continue to bear wif fortitude and forbearance any criticism which people say 2 me wan....

Christmas Eve In Malaysia

When I brought my friend across the Causeway for our "Christmas Escapade", she was skeptical...

"KL again?!!?"

But she followed dutifully anyhow...

And the trip did get off to a good start. The anticipated jam at the Causeway almost non-existent, we managed to tuck into delectable favourites at Old Town White Coffee, whose Malaysia prices are virtually equivalent to those in Singapore, only they are in Rinngit...

The Prawn Mee...



As well as the Curry Chicken Noodles



were both very good.

But it all went downhill from there. Our 4pm bus left Larkin Bus Complex at 5.30pm and trundled along slightly faster than a tortoise on valium with the result that we reached Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur at 11pm, after which we hurriedly caught the last train into the city... You may be able to tell how crowded it was from these pictures despite the late hour.




When we reached Bukit Bintang, our intended destination however, my friend gasped. "I'm not going down there!!"

And this is why...






Not only were the streets crowded and thronging with people, the vast majority of pedestrians seemed to think that the best idea of fun as we counted down to Christmas on a balmy night was to have massive foam fights... I'm the sporting sort, so ignoring my friends protests, I yanked her along with me so that we could soak in the atmosphere... And a little of the foam.




That didn't dampen our appetite, however, as we headed for an alley full of hawker stalls near the pub stretch for a late night supper...




Where we ordered this....



And shared it with this little fella...



The pub stretch was, as usual, the pub stretch... And it is there where we had some cocktails to while away the time before the crowd on the main streets thinned. They were mild compare to some of the hard core stuff my friends take, so I won't bore you pictures of those.





By 2:00am, the streets were sufficiently empty for us to walk around leisurely, surveying the aftermath of the friendly pitched battles that had raged throughout the night.






I was stunned at the amount of used spray canisters strewn all over the place and wondered how much OT the cleaners for that night would be paid. (Incidentally, upon my return to Singapore, I was told it was no different at Orchard Road). What's into kids these days? During my time (when I was *sniff* younger), even though my family never really did celebrate Christmas, my friends who did told me it was a time for pleasant dinners and yuletide carolling. Oh well, times change.

An hour later, after a foot massage at a 24-hour parlour, my friend asked, "Now you're gonna tell me that we have to go to the LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) via KL Sentral again, right?"

"Well done!," I said...

"And we are going to walk there right?"

"Like totally!"....

"Hahaha," she said... "Bukit Bintang to KL Sentral. That's a good one. Hahaha..."

Famous last words indeed....



"You and your great idea..." my friend said as we stepped around a puddle on yet another dirt track under a flyover.



"Oh come on," I replied. "Think of all the places that we would not have seen without being disturbed if we had not walked..."

"There was the distinct British-Islamic architecture for buildings in the city centre.."




"The old Court House at Merdeka Square which was radiantly lit up at night..."





"Wasn't it fab how the lights changed colour every few seconds?"







"We also managed to have breakfast at the old train station, which we shared we two horrendously cute kitties..."




"And we managed to look at the exhibits of that historically significant place..."



"Hmm..." she said ponderously. "But you said the bus bay for coaches to the airport was just round the corner. I'm gonna smack you if it doesn't appear like in the next few moments..."

"Like magic..." I said.

Another Random Adventure

One day before Christmas eve, my best friend got an e-mail from me.

"I'm hatching another diabolical plan," I said. "Bring your passport and pack for a tropical climate..."

"You're not going to tell me anything, are you?" she replied.

"Err...No, not really."

"*Sigh*", she said.....

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Watch this space....

Random Pictures Of Pussies

Apologies for the title but I'm going to milk that 'key' word for all it's worth, such are the hits it gives me in terms of keyword searches....

Just a few more pictures of my furry friends, who my sister says are hers actually. So, once more, shamelessly.... When I talk about one of my cats, it's actually my sister's pussy we're talking about (now, what's this going to do for my hits?)

Anyhow, this is a picture of them randomly lazing about, as befits the title of this post....



Though the above be is a common occurence, on some occasions, they exhibit quite startling symmetry...