Around & About Ho Chi Minh City

Chao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnel

I took one day tour to Chao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnel. It took about three hours van riding from HCMC to Chao Dai temple. Luckily, an hour driving from HCMC, we stopped by at a workshop for the disable that made several beautiful Vietnamese crafts. We could go in to the workshop where the disable people work to know how the products were made and the next door is the big store where they sold the finished products. Afterwards, the journey continued to Chao Dai temple. My arse was sore because the road to go there wasn’t that smooth and the ride took forever. We finally arrived at the right time when the second mass was about to start. So, I and the rest of the tourists made our way to the second level of the temple and took some pictures when the Chao Dai believers worshiped God. The temple was very beautiful and the religion itself is very interesting which is combination of Budhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism with some Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism and Ancestor worship thrown in for good measure. Sounds complicated, eh?

We then headed to Cu Chi Tunnel, a complex tunnel that was dug by revolutionaries during the war. The place was really exciting. Soon after we arrived, we saw a video about the history of Vietnam War and the reason why they built the tunnel. Then we went inside the REAL tunnel. I was totally shocked to found out the tunnel was extremely small even for a person like me! I bet the soldiers back then were really petite! I found it was thrilling yet scary to be inside the tunnel especially when a girl behind me got freaked out and started screaming all the way from the point we started! Jeezz, I should have brought ear plugs! Haha!

It is not recommended for claustrophobic people since the tunnel is very narrow, dark and stuffy. Uh oh, probably good to bring your flashlight inside or at least switch on your digital camera to get some lights since it’s very dark there! Then, be very careful with the bats because they are flying everywhere!

* Daily tour to Chao Dai and Cu Chi tunnel costs $7.00 (lunch and entrance fee for Cu Chi Tunnel are not included)

One Fine Day in HCMC

A couple of weeks before I arrived in HCMC/Saigon, I’d been exchanging messages with Chaucy, a Vietnamese girl who helped me a bit with guesthouse information. Both of us agreed to meet when I got there. So, today is the DAY! Chaucy came to my hostel and picked me up since she promised me to take me around the city. YAY! Eventhough it was our first day to meet each other, we felt like we’ve been known each other for years!

Chaucy took me to the downtown with her motorcycle! It was a fun ride and I felt completely safe with her! But we didn’t wanna caught in the heavy traffic of Saigon, so we decided to park the motorcycle somewhere and walked around the city.

We visited couple of famous MUST-SEE places around Saigon. First place to visit was the Saigon Opera House which was built in 1897 by French architect. It was under construction when I was there but it looked good from the outside. Then we went to The Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica which was established by French colonists and was constructed between 863 and 1880. Both of us went inside to check out the interior inside and it was amazingly well-preserved. Then we crossed the street to The Saigon Central Post Office which features Gothic architecture styles and was designed to be in harmony with the surrounding ward. We took some pictures and I bought some nice postcards for my friends. We continued walking through a nice garden where mostly local students hanging out to go to The Reunification Palace. But we only found out that the place was CLOSED for couple of days. BUMMER. So we went to different direction and made our ways to The War Remnants Museum. It is a war museum that was inaugurated in 1975 and back then it was called “The house for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the puppet Government of South Vietnam”. This museum basically displays anything that related with Vietnam War. I couldn’t really say anything about what I saw. My heart sank. I hate WAR. It doesn’t do anything GOOD for both parties.

I thought the sadness made us hungry so from there we went to a nice Vietnamese restaurant called Rat Hue. I let Chaucy ordered everything seems she knew everything about Vietnamese food. DUH! The food was great and the place was nice. We ordered the famous Vietnamese noodle soup and spring roll and whatever! I forgot the name but I know it was delicious ;)

Then.. SHOPPING TIME! We went to Ben Thanh Market and looked for some souvenirs for my friends and my family. It was such a big marketplace! They do have different section for local cuisine, souvenirs, handicrafts, clothes, bags, clothes and even the famous Viatnemese dress called Ao Dai! It was nice to have Chaucy around because she’s a local so I got cheaper price!!

After walking for about 7-8K today, having muscle cramps (haha!), we decided to go home and called it a day.

Cruise on the Mekong River

Today is another tour day and the Mekong Delta is the destination. I left Saigon at 8:30 AM heading to My Tho city and arrived around 10:00 AM where we hopped on a small boat crossing the river to visit the coconut production chain.

We saw how the locals made coconut candy using some traditional tools. They showed us how they grind the coconut, cooked and wrapped it until it’s ready for sell. The part I really like the most when we got free candy samples! We could get as much as we want! YAY!

Then, we continued on the river to the Bee Farm. Not much to see in this place other than a small bee farm. But we got to taste the HONEY TEA for free (again??) and it was UNBELIEVABLY good!

My favorite activity of the day was we took a smaller boat which only fit 6 people. Two of them were local women rowing the boat. They gave us traditional Vietnamese hats to wear to keep us from the sun. Then the next 15 minutes we cruise a beautiful little canal in the cool and comfortable shade of coconut trees. We could see closer how the locals lived and experienced the hospitality of the local people. We couldn’t stop waving to the kids because they couldn’t stop smiling and waving. They were gorgeous.

We finally stopped at a small village. I don’t know the name because I didn’t bother to ask. Hehe. The locals served us various fresh fruits like banana, dragon fruit, pineapple and papaya. While we indulged the fruits, we were entertained by couple of Vietnamese songs and traditional music. This was a great end to my day at the Mekong Delta.

*Daily tour to Mekong costs $7 (lunch is included)

Motorbike Ocean..

I had absolutely no idea that there are millions of motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City and the riders never follow the rules! Who knows, maybe that is the only way to survive riding a motorbike in HCMH. Haha! Even though I’m from Indonesia, where there are many motorbikes, I still experienced motorbike overload!

My very first night in HCMC, I had dinner with Trinh a local friend who is Shaun’s friend. We went to the Ben Thanh Market riding her motorbike and I was scared to death sitting and praying quietly! The traffic was CRAZY! Thank God, Trinh is a good driver (DOH, what do you expect, she’s Vietnamese). We arrived safely and had a great meal.

After eating, I roamed around the night market alone since Trinh had another appointment with her friends.

My jaw dropped when I saw a motorbike ocean on the street in front of the Ben Thanh market. Christmas was coming and there was a huge Heineken Christmas Decoration set up around the area. All the locals wanted to bring their kids to go see the decorations and a million motorbikes filled the area. I COULDN’T CROSS THE STREET!!!

I was trying to be brave and just force my way across the street. But, I ended up stuck in the middle of the street and could not move! I was trapped in the motorbike ocean! Pleaseee...somebody helped me to take me out of here!! Within a few minutes I finally could walk across the street and made it in complete safety! Probably because they felt sorry for me! Nyahaha!

I learned my lesson that night and I could give you good advice when it comes to crossing the street in HCMC. Just CLOSE your eyes and cross the street! Do NOT HAVE EYE CONTACT with the motorbike riders! Trust me; they wouldn’t hit you if you don’t have eye contact with them!! Haha!

I chickened out!

PEOPLE!!!!

I’m back!! Hooaa..when did the last time I posted a traveling story in my blog? I think it was ages ago, huh? Haha! Well, the traveling part definitely was AWESOME and UNREAL! But I suffered from Post Traveling Syndrome if that kind of sickness even exists, so I’m kinda having a short term memory problem to recall all the good memories I have had during my trip! Haha!

Anyway, I should start with something! So, here we go guys..

I have thought to do solo backpacking around South East Asia for many, many months. Gathering information from some good Travbuddy friends, researching the internet and reading travel books were my TOP priority activities for the past few months as part of preparation for fulfilling this dream. At first I was very thrilled and confident about my plans. However, a bit before my departure my confidence faded and I was apprehensive. No, probably more than apprehensive, down right nervous about undertaking a solo trip to Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Kuala Lumpur.

Thanks to several good friends, I was convinced that I could handle such a trip, that I was an experienced traveler, that I had a knack of meeting new people while traveling, that I had a half-way decent head on my shoulders and that I should be prepared to have the best time of my life. A little bit of apprehension is a good thing, but I found out that enjoying the Anticipation of a new experience is the best way to start any challenging trip!

I off to Singapore the next day as my first pit stop of this leg. My good friend Najiah welcomed me warmly. She picked me up at the bus shuttle near her house and served me a nice brunch with chicken rice, grilled chicken, soup and sambal. The food was great and my tummy was really happy!

Afterwards, we made our way to the downtown area, but we went different directions. Najiah had to go to her Spanish class and I had an appointment with a friend named Renny at MRT Hall. Renny is an Indonesian woman who works in Singapore. I had a great time with her not only because she was so kind to show me around the city, but also because we could speak our native tongue, Bahasa, in foreign country. Haha!

Then, I made my way to Singapore Cooking Meet Up. It was an occasion which was organized by The Singaporean Travbuddy members. Some people were very kind to cook for the rest of the group! I was quite surprised that I was the first person there, and I wasn’t even part of the cooking crew! But I’m glad I came early because I had a chance to get to know Winnie and her cool son Dylan! Not too much time passed and Bri showed up and they decided to start cooking. I’m sorry, but I’m just not cut-out to be a cook, so, I had to excuse myself and ran away from the kitchen area and ended up playing Monopoly with Dylan in the living room! LAME! Since I was in the living room, suddenly I changed my role to be an usherette because I was the one who always opened the door and welcomed everyone to the Cooking Meet Up! Hahaha!

Around 7:30 PM when the food was ready and everyone had shown we started eating (that part I’m good at!). I had to give two thumbs UP for the cooking crews because they are really talented. I felt a very warm sense of family chemistry that night. Everyone clicked really well with each other and we exchanged stories during the meal just like one big happy family :) A Photo session should never be crossed out from a Meet-Up agenda. So, we took some pictures after eating.

Najiah and I decided to leave the meet up early since I had to catch my flight to Ho Chi Minh City the next morning. I thought I could sleep early. But well, it didn’t happen! Both of us were having a blast talking until the wee hours of the morning and I was only able to sleep for about 2-3 hours. But no regrets, it was WORTH it!

A small note for you...

Dear Friends,

It’s been awhile! I’m kinda caught up with work these days! I couldn’t believe myself how hard I’ve been working for the past three weeks! Haha, I don’t normally work real hard!

Anyway..
In this post I just wanted to let you know that in 3 days I’ll be going for my first Solo Backpacking trip to some countries in South East Asia! The countries are Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. Huuii.. can you tell that I’m so thrilled?? Well, to be honest, I’m kinda nervous as well, but this is something that I really want to do! I wanna experience getting lost in translation by myself, try to take picture of myself which would be really hard (I may ask some people to take my picture..haha), make new friends with another fellow travelers, eat local food, pick up some new foreign languages, etc etc etc..

So, wish me luck guys!
I will try to in touch with you from wherever I am in the next 2 weeks :)

Okie dokie..
Last but not least..for those of you who celebrates Christmas..
MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!! Hope your day is filled with JOY and hope you get your favorite TOYS! Haha!

FOR EVERYONE!!!
Happy happy new yearrrr!!!!

Cheers,
Rintjez

Visiting Alas Kedaton, Tabanan, Bali

Alas Kedaton is a Monkey Forest located in Tabanan, Bali. This is definitely a place for MONKEY LOVERS! Even though the monkeys are more behaved and friendly compared to Sangeh and Uluwatu, it is a must to be escorted by a tour guide when you enter this place. The guide will instruct you on how to feed the monkeys and how to avoid too much L-O-V-E from the monkeys!

As at similar areas, the monkeys are always thrilled by the peanuts! You can buy peanuts at a booth provided in the garden for only Rp. 3000 approximately US$0.30 (30 cents). You are allowed to give the peanuts to the monkeys and they will play and climb on your shoulder, or actually, all over you! Sort of cool, if you like Monkeys, but still, be calm and careful!

Be really careful when you are in very close contact with the Monkeys, because sometimes, if they don’t understand your “affection” they might scratch or bite you. Fortunately, the monkeys are regularly injected; therefore they are tetanus-free.

I had a blast playing with the monkeys at this park! And I know you will too!! So,you should visit this park and experience it by yourself!!

Visiting Elephant Safari Park, Ubud, Bali

My friends and I made it to come to Elephant Safari Park in Ubud. I was smiling when we reached the Park, because there was a big sign says ELEPHANT AREA, BE AWARE!

Not too long, I already sat comfortably on Fitri’s back, the Sumatran Elephant who will take me around the park. Little did I know that Fitri was terribly hungry that time. While we were cruising, suddenly she was off the track and pulled out some small trees around her with her trunk! Oh me God, it was a disaster for me!! My body was tossed left and right and I was really scared to death!

Good thing Fitri’s tamer knew her really well and was able to calm her. We stopped for few minutes to give her time enjoying her food. The rest of the journey was really fun! At the end of the journey, we went in to the small pool where the elephants normally pooped! I'm not joking! Look at the color of the water!! Hahaha! Afterwards, we fed the elephants and had the opportunity to play with them! They are such a smart animals!

At the Elephant Safari Park, we visited the little museum/gift shop there, the guy who was part owner, I think his name was Bill told us his story. At first we were looking at these different tusks that were carved and I think even some for sale, so I was confused because I know that there is an international ban on trade in ivory from elephant tusks, so when we asked the guy he said that all the tusks came from elephants not only dead (duh), but extinct for many, many years.

He told me that he goes up to Alaska, usually by himself, and explores in the creeks and small rivers that come out of the glaciers and there he finds the tusks. These tusks came from Mammoths, ancestors of modern elephants that used to live in that area tens of thousands of years ago. I don't how long Mammoths have been extinct but it was during the time of cave men 'cause they used to hunt them. Anyway, long ago the Mammoths in that area died and their skeletons either got buried in the snow and ice or in the ground, or over time as ice has melted or soil eroded the tusks have reappeared in the creeks and small rivers.

Since that species is extinct, there is no ban on the ivory, not trading in the ivory is not going to save these animals, 'cause they're all freaking DEAD already, ya!

Anyway, it was pretty cool that he would go get these tusks, places where there are no roads, no villages, he has to take an airplane that can land on lakes then brings along a canoe and tries to collect these tusks, which then are really big and not so easy to even get back to the developed world! There's danger of grizzly bears up there not to mention he has to bring with him everything he needs, no stores, nothin' there. He has to be ready when the plane comes back to get him. It's cool to know that the ancient tusks he found in the northern part of North America are now in Bali, a tropical zone, over 10,000 miles away!

Rafting on The Citarik River..

Sikuai Island, West Sumatera, Indonesia

Some friends were a bit skeptical when I told about our plan to Sikuai Island. What worried them was logical since many earthquakes hit West Sumatera and tsunami warnings were announced for the past weeks. However, Fransiska and I were hard-headed and kept our plan going. At the last minutes, 2 others friends, Era and Fajar joined our trip to Sikuai Island which located in Padang, West Sumatera.

A 7 hour car ride from Pekanbaru to Padang was enjoyable. Some “dangdut” songs from the radio accompanied our journey. The most memorable song was AKU BUKAN PENGEMIS CINTA (I’m not a love beggar) by Joni Iskandar!! A lot of stories, jokes, laugh and snores entertained our trip and it was whole lot of fun!

At 2:30 in the morning we stopped in Lubuk Bangko and had our very early breakfast at Terang Bulan Restaurant (it screwed my diet :D) I tried the famous spicy PADANGNESE food and drank TEH TALUA (Egg tea). The taste was really yummy!

We arrived in Padang at 4:30 in the morning and crashed at our friend’s house for awhile and then at 9:30 we headed to Muaro bay (Dermaga Wisata Bahari). It took only 15 minutes by speedboat from Padang to Sikuai Island.

Enjoyment of this trip continues as soon as we arrived on this island. We saw a white and soft sandy beach and gentle waves with crystal clear water decorating the whole island. When we entered the resort, we were welcomed by friendly resort staffs and fresh coconut drinks. We stayed at the only resort on the island named SIKUAI ISLAND RESORT. Two nice bungalows right on the beach with sea view already prepared for us.

Can’t resist of the beautiful nature surround us, we decided to explore the whole island by foot. Every minute we stopped to take pictures. This photo session was full of joy and laughter. Besides taking pictures, we also saw monkey, an eel that was trapped on the reef, a sea snake and different kind of tropical fishes.

After photo session we headed to snorkeling point and had a really good time there. Different kind of tropical fishes such as blue trigger fish, Picasso trigger fish, angel fish, dog puffer fish and trumpet fish are easily found. Surprisingly, I saw a beautiful spotted eagle ray! Amazing, isn’t it?
I don’t know how many gallons of water that Ffransiska and Era drank because the snorkel seemed so big for their mouths. However, they were still had fun to see starfish and sea urchins down there!

Tired and hungry, we went to the restaurant for our dinner. The food wasn’t that great, but the fact that we were starving made the food tasted delicious. Then, we went outside to enjoy the beautiful full moon and watched people fishing. We headed back to our bungalow, turned off the light and zonked like a baby. We were very fortunate to sleep accompanied by the sound of the waves for our lullabies.

The sound of alarm clock awakens us at 5:00 in the morning. We hiked up to the top of the island, a place named Plaza Sunset. Breathtaking scenery accompanied our hiking activities. When we reached this place, we were a bit disappointed to find out that this place is not good for taking sunrise pictures but we still had more pleasure to see Teluk Bayur Bay and small islands nearby like Snake Island and Cubadak Island.

We spent the rest of the day by playing in the water, taking more pictures, snorkeling and packing! More jokes, more laughs and more fun happened and filled our hearts with excitement and joy. We hoped that the fun wouldn’t end. However, we still have to leave this beautiful island. This time we took a big boat instead of speedboat. It was raining so hard when we were leaving, but when the rain stopped we took pictures and just chilled out at the deck of the boat. It was so neat!

It was already dark when we arrived in Padang, so we went to Simpang Kinol right away to taste the best PADANGESE SATAY. Besides we also ordered friend rice, gado-gado, sate jawa (we were starving..). Afterwards, we stopped by at Silungkang, a souvenir place for a bit then headed back home to Pekanbaru. Thought the fun ended, but the car had a mini TV for us to karaoke with choices of Oldies Indonesian Songs.

Heavy-eyed, worn-out when we arrived in Pekanbaru around 4:00 in the morning, however we were happy to make this trip!!

*More information about Sikuai Island can be read below....

Sikuai Island, is a small secluded island located in Padang, West Sumatera. An enjoyable 15 minute speedboat ride from Muara Bay (Dermaga Wisata Bahari) would take you to this beautiful island. As soon as you arrive on this island, you will see a white and soft sandy beach and gentle waves with crystal clear water decorating the whole island.

Get in touch with the nature by exploring the whole island on foot or by beach bike. A nice connecting bridge as well as a cement pedestrian walk is provided for you to make the exploration more fun. A combination of views like white sand, light blue ocean water, green coconut trees, big rocks, colorful wild flowers, all different kinds of wild trees and curious monkeys will certainly entertain your eyes and fill your heart with amusement.

Snorkeling is a must activity to do here. Many different kinds of tropical fishes such as blue trigger fish, Picasso trigger fish, angel fish, dog puffer fish and trumpet fish are easily found. When you are lucky (like me) you would even see a spotted eagle ray!! Amazing, isn’t it?

Enjoy sunset and sunrise at Sunset Plaza which is located on the top of the island. Breathtaking scenery will accompany your hiking activity to reach Sunset Plaza. Take pleasure in the swimming pool while you enjoy the sunset and sunrise views. Beside that, from this point you would be able to see Teluk Bayur Bay and small, beautiful islands nearby like Snake Island and Cubadak Island.

Indulge yourself on this private island. Sleeping in a comfortable bungalow and listening to the soft, soothing sound of the surf for your lullaby will complete your stay on this beautiful island.

Information:
Sikuai Island Resort
Sea view : Rp. 1,500,000
Garden view : Rp. 1,300,000
Include 21% government tax, breakfast for 2 and transportation from Muaro Bay-Sikuai Island-Muaro Bay

Activities:
Snorkeling : Rp. 50,000 per 2 hours for rental equipment
Diving : Rp. 1,250,000 – include diving equipment, snack box, dive instructor and boat transfer to diving areas.
Beach Bike : Rp. 100,000 per hour
ATV : Rp. 500,000 per hour

Once you arrive in Padang, head to Muaro Bay (Dermaga Wisata Bahari) where the boat to Sikuai Island is normally stand-by. You could also take a day trip to this island which will cost Rp. 250,000 per person.

Boat Schedule:
Muaro Bay - Sikuai Island : 10.00 AM and 2.00 PM
Sikuai Island - Muaro Bay : 11.00 AM and 4.00 PM

Berastagi, North Sumatera, Indonesia

Berastagi or Karo Highland is located in the North of Sumatera Island. Berastagi is a small city. However, this place becomes my favorite choice for weekend getaway when I lived in Medan, North Sumatera. If I wanted to be away from crowd city, busy streets and hectic jobs, I normally drove my car to go to this town with some friends for a day to find peace in my soul. Berastagi offers great view of high hills, green rice fields, various vegetable farms and colorful wild flowers.

Berastagi produces good quality fruits and vegetables, a couple of times my friends and I helped the local farmers to harvest tomatoes, carrots and oranges. When we drove the car and saw some farmers harvesting, we offered a hand to help and they always welcomed us warmly. Working with them was really fun. We worked for free! But normally the farmers gave us free and fresh fruits and vegetables to show gratitude!

Some other time, I visited a small church. The member of the church was only about 20 people and most of them don’t speak Bahasa Indonesia. They speak Karo dialect. Despite of the language barrier, it was a good feeling to worship God with them. I could feel the warmness of their hearts from their smiles.

Every time I visited Berastagi, I always tried to stop by at the beautiful Sipiso-piso waterfall. Cemented stairs are provided to make us easier to go down to the bottom of the waterfall where you can relax your minds or simple playing around. Always ready to get wet when you are there!

Sipiso-piso waterfall also offers the view of beautiful Lake Toba from West Coast. It is unbelievably remarkable! I could sit around the area forever just to appreciate the beauty of nature that God has created for us.

* Approximately 50 km away from Medan, this place is easy to be reached. You could drive your own car or take public transportation.