Travel in Vietnam and Cambodia

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By allwiz

I traveled in Vietnam and Cambodia for 8 days from December 20th, 2008 to December 27th, 2008. It was a amazing trip, even though it was short trip. I met many good people, and I experienced lots of things, and I think I have to improve my English skills, because if I speak English well, I will be able to talk with many people.

I visited
Ho Chi Minh city,
Vinh Long,
Chau Doc, and
Phnom Penh city. However, I couldn't take pictures because my camera was broken.

Source :
Vietnam Travel Guide
(Image :
Vietnam Map)

(I want to get permission about using this map from Vietnam Travel Guide, but I couldn't find their e-mail address. If Vietnam Travel Guide doesn't want me to put this map into my blog, I will remove it.)

Travel is not just about visiting, it's about experiencing. -
Lonely planet Vietnam, pp.20


I like this, so I could start my trip alone.


•
Day 1 : Ho Chi Minh City (Saturday, 20 Dec 2008)
I arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh city. I could feel foreign country there, because these days Korea is cold winter season, but the weather is hot in Ho Chi Minh city. After I look around the airport, I took a bus to go to De Tham where many foreigners stay.



You'd better take a airport bus
#152
to go to De Tham(Pham Ngu Lao area). Most of all, it's very cheap(4,000d. When I visited there, the offcial rate $1 = 17,000 Dong). You can take it in front of domestic terminals. After you come out of international terminals. you can find domestic terminals, if you turn right along the pathway. You should talk to a bus guide about your destination, but he can't speak English, so you need to show him your destination. For example, you can write it down on the paper, or show map.
(※ If you have large bags, the bus guide can ask money for the luggage. (plus 4,000d))

If you don't have information about Vietnam, you'd better go to De Tham. There are lots of tour agencies on the street. You can take part in their tour program to enjoy your travel.


When I got off the bus, I just walked around the street. Whenever I arrive at the city where I don't know, I just walk to see the town and people. In addition, I like walking. I went to Pham Ngu Lao area, Ben Thanh Market, and looked lots of things, and then I came to Pham Ngu Lao again to look for a hotel.


I checked Lonely Planet to find it, and I decided to go to the
Miss Loi's Guesthouse. This guesthouse was author's choice. However, it was a little difficult for me to find it, because I didn't know about this city. It's too far from De Tham, it takes about 10 minutes to get there from De Tham on foot, and it is located in an alley. Nevertheless, the guesthouse is good, it's neat, and the staff are kind. They made me comfortable. Besides, It cost me twelve dollars with air-conditioned room a day, it was cheap, and they served breakfast. (You can find this guesthouse
here.[#18]) After I took a shower, I went to De Tham.


I had dinner on the Bui Vien street. It was called Pho Bo. It's beef noodle soup, and I went to the pub for a drink. It was a small pub, there were tiny stool and tiny table, but many people enjoyed beer. I drank bia hoi beer. It's not brand beer, it's just in plastic bottle with no cover, but it's good, and it is also cheep(1 bottle is 10,000d).  If you are here, you can become friends with people easily, because you can talk with other people confortablly.

I met some travelers and Vietnamese there. They were very friendly. Especially, Coung and Juliet who are Vietnamese, they are kind people. We talked about Korea and Vietnam. Moreover, when I told Coung about my trip plan, he gave me some information. He let me know how to take a bus to go to Vinh Long, because I wanted to go there to have a homestay with Mekong family. Lonely Planet says Vinh Long is the best place to arrange for homestay.

•
Day 2 : Homestay in Vinh Long (Sunday, 21 Dec 2008)
I went to the bus station to go to Vinh Long. It is located opposited Ben Thanh Market. I think you can find it easily. There were lots of bus. I took a #102 bus to go to Mien Tay bus station, because I had to transfer to another bus heading for Vinh Long. It took about 1 hour to get there from Ben Thanh Market to Mien Tay bus station.(4,000d). I transfered another bus in Mien Tay. It cost 42,000d. It took about 4 hours to get to Vinh Long. I took a bus with Vietnamese

When I arrived there, I started walking to look for a homestay, and I looked aroud the town and market. There are lots of fish and vegetables in the market, so I had lunch there, even though I didn't know the name of food. It was delicious. Futhermore, old lady who sold the food wraped it up for me with vegetable, and I felt she looked like my grandmother. After lunch, I tried to find a homestay again, but I couldn't find it, so I went to Cuu Long Tourist near river. I read about the tour agency from Lonely Planet. The book says it's cheap(about $10). However, when I asked travel agent about homestay, it was very expensive. I said to me the cost was $65 included tour program and homestay. I tried to ask another Cuu Long Tourist, but it was also a little expensive($45), so I decided to find another tour agency, and finally I found Mekong Travel, tour agent told me it cost $17 included homestay and Mekong river tour, so I could cross the river.

When I went to homestay house, I could meet Mekong family and german couple, Andy and Anna. We made dinner together. While I was having dinner with the couple, I talked with them about tour, Vietnam, Korea, and marriage. It was good time for me. Andy said to me why I would go to Cambodia. In fact, I didn't know the reason, but I just wanted to cross the border by boat. I would like to experience it. and I saw a lightning bug at night, it's difficult to find it these days in Korea. It's wonderful!

•
Day 3 Cai Be Floating Market, and Tour (Monday, 22 Dec 2008)
After breakfast, Andy and Anna left for Ho Chi Minh city, and I participated in tour program.





I saw Cai Be Floating Market where there were lots of ship to sell their product. It was interesting, and I visited some small factories that people made cookies with coconut milk. I could taste them, they were so good, and tourists rode a bicycle on the road.
(Picture Source :
Sapa-Vietnam)

After Mekong river tour, I took a boat to go to Vinh Long, and I would go to Chau Doc, because Chau Doc is a town near the Cambodia border, so many people pass through there to go to Cambodia. I asked guide so that I could take a bus. However, he said there was no bus to go to Chau Doc directly, if I want to go there, I should go to a big city like Can Tho, but his tour agency had a bus to go there, so I decided to take their bus. I thought I had to save time at that moment.


•
Day 4 Chau Doc Tour, and Phnom Penh (Tuesday, 23 Dec 2008)
I went to fishing grounds with other tourists in the morning. It was distinctive, because there were fishing grounds under the house, and there was a small square hole on the floor. As soon as people fed the fish in the hole, many fish gathered to have them. Guide told us that there would be about 150,00 ~ 200,000 under the house, and then I visited Cham community.

When I went there, a woman was weaving a fabric, and there were many children. I heard Cham people are muslim, and they are ethnic minority. Their house were also distinctive, because they put up four poles and built the house over the poles. I thought that the house was built like this against flooding.

After finishing tour, I took a boat to go to Phnom Penh. I met Alfred who is a Hungarian while I was taking a boat. He is a trader who runs family business. He has imported lots of things from Asian countries into Hungary, so he has traveled many countries. He said he usually stays in China, but now he was going to Thailand to meet his friends. He has known well about trip, so when I wrote entry visa for Cambodia, he helped me.


When we enter Cambodia along the Mekong river, we need a visa. We are usually overcharged $20 for the visa. However, guide asks $22 for a visa on the boat. In my case, I don't have a passport-sized photograph for visa, so I paid $23.

The guide suggests that tourists can exchange dollars for riels(Cambodia money) on the boat.($1 = 4,000R) However, you don't need to do it, because Hotels and restaurants of Camboida usually use dollar.


After I got to Psar O Russei(Market) in Phnom Penh, I parted from Alfred. He took a
tuktuk
to go to the hotel, and I started to walk around the city. I wandered from place to place, and then I got lost. However, I saw many things. Especially, there were lots of people in front of school, they were waiting for their children, so I thought many people have started to be interested in education in Cambodia. I think education can change the future of country. That is a good phenomenon.

I took a tuktuk to look for accommodation, and I found a hotel where I could spend a night near river side in the evening. There were a lot of hotel and restaurant, and lots of tourists. If you don't know well about
Phnom Penh, you should talk to tuktuk dirver that you want to go to river side. While I was walking, I didn't find the book store. In addtion, since there was lack of information about Cambodia, I bought Cambodia travel book on the street from a little boy. The book was a copy. Even though it was very cheap, it had light print.

•
Day 5 Visiting Royal Palace, and Killing Fields (Wednesday, 24 Dec 2008)
After breakfast in La Croisette, I went to Psar O russei to join the tour program to go to
Killing Fields. However, tour agent said to me that they needed minimum 3 people so that they could go there, so I registered my name the list of participants, but when I came back there again to check it, there was no enough people, so I decided to go to
Royal Palace, after I booked a bus to go back to Ho Chi Minh city.




Royal Palace opens twice a day from 8 to 11, and from 14 to 17. There are lots of beautiful buildings in Royal Palace. However, the most impressive things were that I met a fortuneteller and played the traditional instrument in the palace. When I entered a small building, there were a Cambodian couple and an old man. I wondered what to do. After they talked with each other, the woman held up small book above her head, and then she selected one page of the book with a small stick. When she handed the book the old man, he opened it and read loudly. A couple smiled, and the old man talked to me, but I couldn't understand his word, so I just smiled. After I left there, I looked around the palace. At that time I could listen to music, so I went to the place where is located at the end of palace. An old man and two children were playing Cambodian traditional instruments. As I saw their performance, the old man gave a signal that he allowed me to play the instrument, so I played it with them. The instrument looked like
xylophone. It was a good experience, even though I didn't know how to play. (Royal Palace picture source :Wikipedia)




After I finished visiting Royal Palace, I took a tuktuk alone to go to Killing Fields. It took about 30 minutes from river side to Killing Fields by tuktuk. (Commemorative stupa picture source :Wikipedia) When I looked around there, I saw a commemorative stupa filled with the skulls of the victims, and I felt sad. How terrible human killed human! What's more, the skulls of victims have been exhibited in the stupa. I thought they should bury in grave. They need a rest.

When I came back to the river side, it was time to have dinner. This time I wanted to eat Khmer cook, so I went to
Khmer Borane Restaurantwhere Lonely Planet author recommended. I met Rona at the restaurant. She took a boat with me when I crossed the border, so I shared a table with her. She was going to Singapore to meet her boyfriend, and she likes traveling. We talked about Korea and Philippines, while we were having dinner and drinking beer. It was a good time.


•
Day 6 Coming Back Ho Chi Minh City, and Sick (Thursday, 25 Dec 2008)
I got up early to go back to Ho Chi Minh city, and I went to the bus station to take a bus. However, I felt sick. I had a fever and diarrhea. I thought I might have bad food yesterday, so I just drank water all day long. I have remembered a proverb. "Feed a cold and starve a fever." When I arrived in Ho Chi Minh city, I went to Miss Loi's Guesthouse again, I'd like to go to the familiar place, because I was sick. After I entered the room, I slept long, even though it was Christmas night.

•
Day 7 Ho Chi Minh University (Friday, 26 Dec 2008)
When I got up, I felt better. I was cured of fever and diarrhea, so I went to
Ho Chi Minh University(University of science). Whenever I go abroad, I try to visit the University of the country. I looked many students there, they were studying hard. It was very impressive. I thought they would have tests, so I asked a student who was looking at the board. She told me that students had tests and she was getting some information about the exam from the board. We started to talk drinking coffee. She and I were not good at speaking English, so we had a conversation by writing. She was a very kind person and cute. She said to me that she was afraid of me. I could understand her, because I was a stranger and foreigner. Since she had tests, we made a promise to meet again at 2 pm. I thought I had enough time until the appointed time, so I went to ChoLon.


When I rode a motorbike to come back to the University, the driver brought me the wrong place. He went wrong, so I was about 25 minutes late. As I went to the appointed place, I couldn't find her. I felt sorry for her.

However, when I turned my head, I saw her shaking hand. We kept talking in the University, and went to shopping mall Nowzone where there was in front of the University, we listened to music there. Whenever we both walked across the street, she protected me from lots of motorbikes. We also went to pagoda, and we rode a motorbike. She brought motorbike because of me. There were lots of motobike on the street. Besides, it started raining. I was worried about her, but she was a good dirver, and she guided me around Ho Chi Minh city. I have been thanking for her, and we went to the Vietnam restaurant. We had shrimp and noodle. She pared the shell of shrimp for me. It made an impression on my mind. After we spent more time, she took me my hotel. I said to her that I wanted to meet tomorrow, but she had work to do. Even though it was very short time, I have appreciated her.

•
Day 8 I Got into an airplane (Saturday, 27 Dec 2008)
My flight was scheduled to leave at 11:20 PM, so I decided to walk around the city to see more. When I went to the park, I could see a Korean man. He was a business man who runs a company in Vietnam. He told me about Vietnam and his life. It was good time, and he treated me to lunch. That was Korean food. After starting this trip, I didn't ever have Korean food, so that was really good.

Fortunately, I met many good people through this trip, and I got good experiences, so I am very happy.

fuyun

是个韩国人

kitty

囧 看不到他的空间。。。

vivicat

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