The Venetian Macao

 Random photos of The Venetian Macao

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

 

Novatel City Gate Hong Kong Review

 Open concept hotel room

 

 

 

There is no wall between the bathroom and the bedroom

So just beside the bed, is the sink

2 doors beside the stink which leads to the shower and toilet bowl

 

 

Coffee maker with 3 complimentary coffee

My SO's favourite

 

  

Hard Rock Hotel Review

 The pretty hallways in Hardrock Hotel

 

 

Displays at Hardrock cafe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double queen sized bed

 

  

Bathroom

 

 

 

 

The views from the room

 

 

  

It's first of March and I guess my holiday is officially over *pouting* I learnt alot during my 2 weeks Vietnam holiday and majority from the people I met. I guess the difference in travelling alone is that 50% you are experiencing the place, another 50% you are experiencing the people. Believe me, you will talk alot to strangers.

Things I have learnt :-

 1) Vietnam is not as dangerous as everyone claims. You just need to be streetsmart and adventurous. I never been rob or threaten. No petty thieves around me. There is a few times people get too close to my bag or they tried to cut my queue. I changed from my innocent little girl look to teeth baring tigress look. It's help. If ganna horde by locals (either want you to buy some stuffs or try to sell their services), give innocent puppy looks, yap like helpful puppy and keep waving NO with your hand. Sooner or later, some angmo old couple will come rescue you *true story*

2) No matter in Singapore or Vietnam, I always look like 18years old. I tried to tell them my real age, but everyone just think I tried to hide my actual age. Then I tried telling them I'm 25yrs, they insist I'm 18years old. Oh well, you caught me. I'm 18 *shrug*

3) Generally Vietnam people are very friendly. They willing to take you on their bikes and tour around the city. Bring you to eat local foods, and I tell you some of the food I don't even know what is that. Prawn paste otah, but is really the whole prawn. So I ate the whole head and shell too. Rojak noodle - Noodle mixed with dried pork skin, dried fruits and some sauce. Oh ya, beware of male bikers, they are lousier than female. But 1 thing amazed me is that Vietnam guys are not shy. If they like you, they will tell you directly and even serenade to you.

4) My white shell & mussels dish is well received by Vietnamese too! They ate everything! I don't even have chance to eat my own food *EMO*

5) Babies in Vietnam is much easier to take care than Singapore. They cried to catch your attention and show you what they want. They raise their arms means they want you to hold them. They wobbled wobbled means they want to dance to the music. They are really interactive! Unlike Singapore babies, I never know what the hell they are crying about. Furthermore they are given less but very contented. I seen babies with head as big as their bodies. I seen babies born with a twisted body. I seen babies can't even swallow water and need to be drip thru their noses. But believe me, they don't cry as much as Singapore babies.

6) I guess most fruitful is all the people I know. A Hungary couple whose honeymoon is cycle around the world and they have been cycling for more than a year. A Vietnam family who never seen foreigner in their lives and welcome me with open heart and big fat meal. A Taiwan husband & Vietnam wife whom is always full of love for each other and they are married for very long time. Catch is their age gap is more than 10years. A Vietnam divorcee that came from Hanoi to HCM because of too much gossip. Her ex hubby divorce her because she cannot give birth, but she remains happy and now have her bf who loves her. A Japanese girl who started travelling the world when her bf of 10years broke up with her, and she been travelling for more than a year. A young China girl who just started travelling last year October before she finally head to her world holiday in New Zealand. A Vietnam guy learnt several languages by his own, because his family is too poor to send him to school. And by his own hardwork, he managed to work in tourism and will be coming Singapore soon.

7) I lose 3kg! Too much exercise!

8) For those who visiting HCM, please send some time volunteering in Go Vap Orphanage. As you may know, I always swear off doing good deeds due to some special circumstances :P But these kids really need your help. If you can donate some money, it is even better!

9) Vinaphone is 1000 times better than M1, Singtel or Starhub! Even I'm at highlands in Sapa or Bana Hill, or even somewhere out in the ocean at Halong Bay, the reception is good. Unlike Singapore telecoms, I have limited reception when I'm at Jurong & Tuas. Furthermore just $50,000 dong (which is around SGD3+) can last me for 1+ weeks! I surf internet, make calls and sms throughout my trip.

 

10) Will update my trip in my blog soon. Afterall I have post most of the photos up in the facebook. I guess I just extract some good ones into my blog.

Total amount spent for 15days is SGD1008.82:-
 

-> Air ticket for (SG to Hanoi)+ (Hanoi to Hue) + (Hue to Danang) + (Danang to SG): SGD202.50 + VND2,711,487 + VND1,595,000 = SGD463.50

-> Halong Bay Cruise:  USD132 = SGD106.45

->  Sapa 2D1N tour, inclusive of hotel & overnight trains: VND2,280,000 = SGD138.19

-> Hue to Hoi An tour by motorbike: USD42 = SGD33.88

-> Hotels / Homestay for Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An & Danang = USD24 + USD14 + USD19 + USD28 = SGD105.40

-> My Sons Tour = USD8 = SGD9.92

-> Tam Coc and Hoa Lu Tour = USD25 = SGD31

-> Hue Imperial City Entrance fee = VND80,000 = SGD4.85

-> Hanoi Ho Chi Minh Museum = VND15,000 = SGD 0.91

-> Hanoi Literature Temple = VND10,000 = SGD0.61

-> HCM Reunification Palace = VND30,000 = SGD1.82

-> HCM War Remnants Museum = VND15,000 = SGD0.90

-> Bana Hills = VND400,000 = SGD24.24

-> Total Taxi Airport Transfer = VND1,438,000 = SGD87.15

The airport transfer cost between USD10 to USD15. The food costs about USD1 to USD5. You be wondering why some of the places I didn't stay at hotel. Because I couchsurf someone's house. Some of the places I walk around by myself, so I saved on the tours.

P.S: I will slowly update my travels... as and when I'm free during the day :P

Day 10 & 11: Danang & Bana Hills

At 10am, my couchsurfing friend bought me to the nearby goddess of mercy temple. You can view the big white statue just by standing at the Danang beach. When you reached the temple, you can really see how big the statue is. It also my friend's first time to the temple, so he didn't know where is the front door. So we climbed through the locked back door and into the temple. We are not the only one doing it because in front of us, some of the locals are doing the same thing. So I guess climbing over locked gate is a norm? Beside the goddess of mercy, there is also buddha and the 18 arhats guarding him. At the back of the temple, there is also laughing buddha. Vietnamese is as faithful as Thai when praying to the gods. Even little children knee and bow while praying. After that, my friend wanted to go Monkey beach but I guess he can't find the way there. So end up after lunch, he sent me back to the hotel.

 

When I reached my hotel, I surf internet for awhile and send several messages to my other couchsurfing friends in Danang. Sadly, no one is free. So end up I roam around the beach area. I guess the weather is consider bad, cloudy and drizzling. So there is absolutely no crowds at the beach. I want to take my book and do some reading before dinner. But the weather is really too cold. It doesn't make any sense to read my books on the beach while shivering in the rain right? So I have a early dinner, tabao some food back to my hotel. Send rest of my day watching drama and surfing internet.

 

Next day, my plan is to go Bana Hills as recommend by the hotel. PLEASE DO NOT GO THERE! I would say more than 50% of Bana Hills is not completed yet! There is only fantasy amusement park and 2 temples there. I want to see the french town and is totally in construction! I guess the only thing I find worth it is that the restaurant is pretty cheap for a nice bowl of beef noodle! They might have the longest, coolest cable car ride. But you can only view the scenery for first half. Then later is all covered with fogs and you can see nothing. Maybe you try going during summer time when Bana Hills is 100% completed. If not paying VND400,000 is totally waste of money.

 

Later in the afternoon, I headed to the airport and make my way to my last stop HCM!

Day 9: My Sons + Hoi An Heritage Old Town

Due to lack of time, I decided to go My Sons early in the morning and Heritage Old Town in afternoon.

 

5am the tour bus picked me up from my hotel, brought me to collect my breakfast at some restaurant and off we go to My Sons. Everyone is napping at the bus until the tour guide announced that we are reaching within 15mins time. I guess we are the first batch of visitors (afterall we are 5am group!), the whole place is quite secluded and serene as well. Please spray yourself with entire bottom of repellent. Because you will be swarm by mosquitoes and other funny insects! The sky is cloudy & drizzling, and I can see mosquitoes here and there. I can't imagine on a hot sunny afternoon!

 

The first site is the grandest and several tombs. You can go into two of them and view the tombs inside. There are alot of stone carvings that they have collected. Subsequent site, there is lesser tombs & statues. As the tour guide only accompany us to the first site, we have to navigate ourselves to the rest of the sites and make our own way back. Initially, my instinct told me to walk the long secluded road, but upon seeing some of the tourists walking back from there. Another group is walking another way. I decided to follow them. WRONG! End up we walked back to the initial way that I walked. Next time trust my own instinct! After everyone gathered at the shelter, we board the bus and made our way back to Hoi An.

 

When I reached Hoi An, I made my way to Heritage Old town. Once you entered the town, you find that you are inside those ancient kungfu drama or movie. The buildings are exactly same! As adapted from lonely planet, below are the core places you can consider to visit.

 

Japanese Covered Bridge 
(Ð Tran Phu & Ð Nguyen Thi Minh Khai) 
Hoi An’s iconic bridge was constructed in 1593 and has a roof and a temple built into its north-ern side. According to one story, the bridge’s construction began in the year of the monkey

Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation 
(opposite 35 Ð Tran Phu; admission by Old Town ticket;  h7am-5.30pm)
Founded for community meetings, this hall later became a temple to worship Thien Hau, a deity born in Fujian Province in China. Check out the elaborate mural, the unhealthy skin of the statuary, and the replica of a Chinese boat.

Tan Ky House  HISTORIC HOME
(101 Ð Nguyen Thai Hoc; admission by Old Town ticket;  h8am-noon & 2-4.30pm)
A lovingly pre-served house from the 19th century, which once belonged to a Vietnamese merchant. Japanese and Chinese architectural infl u-ences are evident throughout. The house is a private home, and has been in the same family for seven generations.

Tran Family Chapel 
(21 Ð Le Loi; admission by Old Town ticket;  h7.30am-noon & 2-5.30pm)
This chapel was built in 1802 for worshipping family ancestors by Tran Tu, who ascended to the rank of mand-arin. Its architecture refl ects the in fl uence of Chinese (the ‘turtle’-style roof ), Japanese (triple beam) and vernacular (look out for the bow-and-arrow detailing) styles.

Quan Cong Temple 
(Chua Ong; 24 Ð Tran Phu; admission by Old Town ticket) 
Dedicated to venerated Chinese gen-eral Quan Cong, who is worshipped as a symbol of loyalty and justice, this temple has some wonderful papier-mâché and gilt statues. When someone makes an offering to the portly looking Quan Cong, the caretaker solemnly strikes a bronze bowl.