A cybercorner filled with travel stories & a huge collection of travel photos
taken from around the world, TravelerFolio is an award winning travel photo blog
made in Singapore on April '08
Wait wait! Before you read on, pls VOTE for TravelerFolio (Best Travel Blog Category) first! 3 more days to go… The voting widget is on the right sidebar, above the Shoutbox. A Big Thank U!
This year’s post on Mid-Autumn Festival: No more pictures of moon cakes; I grew tired of them. They are high calorie, high sugar, unhealthy, and don’t come cheap! At least I save some calories for other sinful food.
OK! Brought back some pics and a video clip from Mersing as we spent the occasion over the weekend in Malaysia. You know, Mersing is a very small coastal town and it’s popularly known as the gateway to Tioman island and other exotic islands off the east shore of West Malaysia.
Here is a short video clip of families and friends walking in the lantern parade together with some performers on decorated vehicles. The lantern parade was privately organised by an established temple in Mersing.
Nowadays, at least in Singapore, most kids carry different shapes and sizes of lanterns that are battery operated. So it’s really nice to see traditional kind of paper lanterns lit with candles. As a kid, I like lanterns with candles ‘cos I like to play with fire. -_-||| And it hurt when hot wax dripped on my hands… And disappointments over burnt lanterns…
The legendary Chang’e and her companions on the Moon – the jade rabbit that manufactured elixirs and the woodcutter Wu Gang who was banished to the Moon.
Little Chang’e scattering flower petals down the road during the parade.
On the same night as the Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 (aka Moon Festival or Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival..phew!), the folks were also celebrating “Tua Pek Kong 大伯公” God Festival. You will see this old yet colourful Chinese temple known as Hock Soon Temple at the entrance of Mersing town.
A life-size paper boat that, I supposed, would be burnt as an offering for prayer. Typically, you’ll see lucky numbers on offerings during such an occasion… 6618, huat ah! LOL
The man was cutting up a big roasted pig and later distributed the meat and other food to the devotees. Mind you, each kind of food on the table has prosperous meaning to the Chinese OK! As usual…
Ceremonial food offerings laid out on the altars.
Next, we adjourned to a hall next to the temple for a singing concert. Don’t expect it to be like the F1 Rocks Concert! Nevertheless, it was good entertainment on the Lantern Festival night in this quaint little town. BUT! Jacky suddenly popped out a question,”The Hungry Ghost month is over, isn’t it?” During the Hungry Ghost month, there are “Getai” (make-shift stage built for performances) everywhere and it’s a tradition that the front rows are reserved for the spirits… eeee… so do you see that the front rows were empty below? No, I didn’t sit on the reserved seat!
One of the singers with a sexy fancy outfit.
A typical scene of the rustic fishing town, with many fishing boats lining along the river under the blue sky. Unfortunately, trash is also floating around the river. Spot the largest trash. It’s fuming!
Picturesque. If only I could paint.
There are many pondok (Malay word for such a structure) along the roadside. Btw, these photos were taken from Pasaraya Kini (supermarket) near the bus terminal in Mersing town.
Where to eat in Mersing? We always go to this coffee shop “Restoran Al Hamid” for the Cendol, which is a shaved ice dessert with coconut milk, green starch noodles with pandan leaf flavour, soft red beans and palm sugar. It’s said to have the best Cendol in town. Also, you can try their Roti Canai (aka Roti Prata in Singapore). The Roti Canai is not oily at all yet it’s crisp on the outside. Usually, I will ask for fish curry as it’s less oily. This coffee shop is located along Jalan Dato Mohd Ali, opposite the yellow/orange Mersing Hotel.
Public buses at the terminal. Many years ago, I ever boarded a similar non air-con public bus and stood all the way for 2hrs to Mersing. Not a comfortable ride as some inconsiderate passengers were smoking on board. :S Hopefully things get better now. Anyway there was free flow of music as some youngsters were playing guitars on the bus.
The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Here are some photos taken from the Niagara Falls at New York side during the white winter in Dec 08 by Kelly.
Firstly, enjoy my slide/video from the Niagara Falls during our summer visit in 2007! Opps! The video has some problem with Youtube now. Let me fix it first…
Kelly and her friend encountered a very heavy snow storm while on the way to the Niagara Falls. They were supposed to cross to Canada to view the falls but the tour was cancelled due to the harsh weather condition.
The startling green colour of the Niagara River is a visible tribute to the erosive power of water. An estimated 60 tons of dissolved minerals are swept over Niagara Falls every minute. The colour comes from the dissolved salts and “rock flour”, very finely ground rock, picked up primarily from the limestone bed but probably also from the shales and sandstones under the limestone cap at the Falls.
Terrapin Point, Horseshoe Falls.
Left bank: Buffalo, New York, United States.
Right bank: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Hey guys! We took some short videos along Orchard road! The quality is not that good but you can take a glimpse of how Christmas looks like without snow. XD Anyway you will hear some songs that were playing on radio at the time of recording, like “Turn back the clock” and “Womanizer”! XD
The Sweet mascots were dancing, I think it was a game show, with volunteers wearing the mascot costumes. Can you spot me?
Below are some travel tips and advices given by the locals and experiences gained during my trip in Ho Chi Minh City or HCMC (abbrev.), aka Saigon, in Vietnam. As I did not travel much around HCMC, please feel free to contribute your tips in the comment box here, so that I can add on to benefit everyone who is going there.
1. Crossing the roads with full of motorcars!
HCMC is the capital of motorbikes, with motorists ignoring red lights, not stopping for pedestrians on marked crossings and driving on the foot paths. We hardly saw any traffic lights for pedestrians, so most of the time, we really have to watch out for the traffic and cross carefully.
Ok, how to cross the roads in HCMC? My two-cent worth of advice:
If you are crossing a two-way traffic, look at your left first for any oncoming motorbikes and other motorcars, cross at a normal pace so that the motorists can sense your pace of crossing and usually, they will slow down when they are near you to let you cross the road. Then when you are near the middle of the road, look at your right for the opposite traffic. Similarly, cross steadily at a normal pace, the motorbikes will slow down to let you cross.
However, when a car, bus, or bigger vehicle is going to cross your path, you have to be extra careful. I will only cross the road after such vehicle crosses my path. It’s sheer madness, yet if you cross steadily like I mentioned above, rest assured that you will always make it to the opposite side of the road!
2. What to do during your stay in HCMC?
Cu Chi Tunnels
This is a must-see attraction! Cu Chi used to be a bitter battle ground for many years during the Vietnam War. It’s an underground village with an intricate network of over 200km of tunnels at Ben Dinh, 50km from HCMC. You will get a chance to crawl in the tunnels! It is recommended to take a bus tour to Cu Chi Tunnels instead of taking boat. Price for a half-day trip to Cu Chi Tunnels: USD 5 per person, inclusive of air-con bus and tour guide; exclusive of Tunnels admission and video session fees at 80,000 VND, which is around USD 5.80. Departs daily. (Read post on Cu Chi Tunnels!)
Full-day Mekong Delta
If you like boat trips, this maybe the right one for you. I have never hopped onto so many boats within a day in my life before! If you don’t live in a tropical country, you can opt for the trip with tropical fruits tasting. If you live in a tropical country like me, those fruits are as common as what we always eat. Don’t worry, no durians for the faint-hearted! … And I love durians!
Along the Saigon River, you will see typical Saigon houses at the river banks. This trip also includes a cycling session around the village. Again, if you understand the word “kampong”, it’s just like cycling in a kampong!
Price for a full-day Mekong Delta tour by boat – USD 17. This can be cheaper depending on the mode of transport that you take, eg. by bus. But it’s recommended to take the boat trip to enjoy the sceneries. Time: 7.45am to 7.00pm.
City tour
In fact, we did not join any city tour. The main attractions like Reunification Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, City Hall are easily accessible by taxis within District 1. You may even unknowingly cross the paths of the attractions while doing some shopping and dining in the area.
Price for the full-day City Tour: USD 8 per person, inclusive of air-con bus, tour guide and lunch; exclusive of any entrance fees. Departs daily. Time: 8.30am to 5.00pm.
Prices quoted for the above tours are based on Delta Adventure Tours packages. This tour agency is recommended by the staff at Blue River Hotel as a reliable tour agent. Another popular tour agency is Sinh Cafe. Their prices are similar too. Book the local tour packages when you are in HCMC, you will save a lot more than most online bookings in your own country.
3. Accommodation – Review on Blue River Hotel
I read about reviews on hotels in TripAdvisor and came across Blue River Hotel which is ranked at no. 2 out of 116 hotels (effectively on 28 May ‘08). So, I picked this hotel and stayed there throughout our Saigon trip. Blue River Hotel is conveniently located in the backpackers’ area in Pham Ngu Lao Str. District 1 HCMC.
The backpackers’ area, or Western Quarter, has plenty of cheaper eateries, cafes, pubs and travel agencies, all within walking distance. A plus point for budget travelers like us is – a room for two at Blue River Hotel is only USD20 (without window view). Most importantly, the hotel is clean, friendly service, has hot bath, a TV with plenty of channels like Chinese news, English movies and surprisingly, English Premier Leagues. Though it’s not the cheapest, I can say that the staffs are some of the friendliest and most helpful people I have ever met. They are just like your helpful friends. Photos of Blue River Hotel.
The famous Ben Thanh Market is about 15 mins of walking distance away from Blue River Hotel. It’s easy to get a taxi at the hotel area too. For about USD1, it will bring you around District 1.
4. Taxis in District 1, HCMC
If you are staying in district 1, three types of Taxis that you should look out for at a cheaper rate, are:
• Vinasun Taxi (white) / Tel: 8272727
• Vina Taxi (yellow) / Tel: 8111111
• Mai Ling (green/white) / Tel: 8262626
Once we took a taxi that is not mentioned above, we were charged almost double! The meter was running fast!
5. Bargains at Ben Thanh Market
After visiting a few shopping malls, boutiques and stalls, I would say Ben Thanh Market has better bargains. Some say that Ben Thanh Market is a tourist trap. But if the market is conveniently located to where you stay, I think it’s still fine to buy some souvenirs there after bargaining. I may not be a hard bargainer, but I hope the following pointers can help:
If you want to buy coffee powder, you may ask them grind the coffee seeds on the spot. Different coffee packages are priced differently; you just want to make sure that you are buying the “right” coffee. I could get a pack of 1kg of freshly grind Blue Mountain coffee powder at USD 10. Blue Mountain is said to be more expensive than Mocca and Arabica coffee powder. Who knows, you could get it cheaper than me.
If you want to buy souvenirs, bargain for the lowest price at a few stalls. Compare and go back to the one that offers the best price.
For ladies, a pair of handicraft wooden shoes (black with seashells designs) can cost USD 3. That was what I paid for.
For ladies, two hair-bands with diamond crystal designs can cost USD 5. That was the best I could get after much haggling.
A set of Vietnamese traditional costume (top + bottom) for a seven-year-old girl can cost USD 5. No reduction even after much haggling!
A handicraft wooden box with seashell design and 10 pairs of wooden chopsticks can cost USD 5.50 if not lower. I bought the set at USD 6 after much reduction from USD 10, and it was still not the best bargain.
Happy bargaining! Remember to check your goods to make sure that they are in good condition. The sellers are usually very fast in packing your goods even before you could check them for any defects! I had such bad experience with my two pairs of wooden shoes that I had to go back to Ben Thanh market the next morning to fix them.
An additional notes
It can cost as low as 12,000 VND for a 5-litre tub of pure drinking water at the supermarket. We bought an “expensive” 5-litre tub at 20,000 VND at a grocery shop along the night market near Ben Thanh Market. The night market is not as popular as Ben Thanh Market in the day. Ben Thanh Market only opens until around 6pm. Some suggest that An Dong market near Chinatown is better and bigger than Ben Thanh Market, though the latter sells certain things that you probably can’t find elsewhere, such as some handicraft souvenirs and lacquer ware.
Just like in any non-English speaking countries, if you see an English menu, be prepared to pay more for the food. We had a meal at Pho 24, a middle-range restaurant with quite good food. One bowl of soup noodle with chicken/beef costs around 38,000 VND. Raw vegetables such as bean sprouts, lime, basil and peppermint leaves are served in a plate. You may add them into your soup.
We also had lunch at Quan An Ngon restaurant, which is located somewhere in between Nguyen Du St and Han Thuyen St.. This restaurant is featured in a popular Taiwanese variety show and is a touristy restaurant with a nice ambience. But I find it rather expensive with the Vietnamese food that it offers. The quality of the food is just average; however, you may want to try the food there. You may walk to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office nearby.
Try the Vietnamese Coffee. It’s strong! The downside of it is, after the coffee has finished dripping from the steel container into the glass, the hot coffee turns much cooler…
Another popular restaurant to try the authentic French cuisine is Le Caprice, located on the 15th floor of Landmark Building, where you can view the Saigon River. Lunch should be around USD 30 and dinner costs around USD 50 per person. My friend had tried the food and strongly recommends this restaurant. If you are staying in the backpackers’ area like us, you can try the food and drinks at La Vang Cafe located at 169 Bui Vien St. Prices on the menu are reasonable, with good service.
Generally, female travelers like us feel safe walking along the streets in HCMC, especially in District 1. However, just like touring in any countries, using common sense is important. Avoid dark lanes and… watch out for the traffic!
If you have any, please post your suggestions about traveling Vietnam in the comment box below, so as to benefit everyone who is planning to visit Saigon, Vietnam. Thank you!
We boarded the hotel shuttle bus around 7:50am and took the designated bus at Disney terminal to Magical Kingdom first as we thought it would draw more crowds later in the day due to firework display at night.
Having done with Magical Kingdom in the early afternoon, we hurried off to the last theme park on our list – MGM Studio, a movie theme park drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood.
We were just in time for the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade. It was drizzling during the parade. Read More »
Recent Comments
mylo: Gorgeous Peach Rose. Amazing close-up shot!!! Does it smell like peach? The bundle...
Cecil Lee: Until next time... congratulation to all winners as well as the travel...
Tala Jolie: Hi there! I'm just a random visitor. My friends are going to...
alana: Hi! Where did you book your cu chi tour? Thanks!