Vietnam: My Top 10 Things - Part 2!

6.  Cheat death by crossing the street

See A’s reaction?  Classic!  Katakot naman talaga ang mga motorcycles na yan!

7.  Go on a cruise.  Susyal-sounding but it’s dirt-cheap kaya go na kayo!

The cruise lasted for just a couple of hours

I think we had the semi-vegetarian dinner.  Hehehe

8.  Grab a banh mi to go with your pho

There’s a banh mi stall conveniently located near our favorite pho place

Here’s the lady who showed us how to prepare a banh mi.  Curiously, walang flies sa paligid kahit nasa bangketa ang stall.  Amazing!

For this…I’d go back to Vietnam

9.  Cry a river at the War Remnants Museum

Just like in Tuol Sleng, I cried buckets of tears in this museum

Amen!

10.  Get addicted to Café Sua Da

Yumminess in a glass!

Ahhh!!!

Vietnam: My Top 10 Things - Part 1!

1.  Be an instant multi-millionaire!  Eh paano bang hinde, US$1 = VND 20,810!!!

Na-confuse nako kaka-gastos sa limpak-limpak na perang ito! Hehehe

2.  Eat Pho

Pho dito!

Pho doon!

You should visit this place when you’re in Saigon

3.  Watch the Water Puppet Show

So excited because it’s my first time to watch a water puppet show

Didn’t understand any of the songs but we enjoyed the show

4.  Get claustrophobic inside the Cu Chi Tunnels

Are you ready to suffocate?

Masakit sa likod kaya I still can’t imagine how the Vietnamese lived in this condition for so many years

In fairness, I finished the 100-meter tunnel.  Was out of breath pagkalabas ko sa hole.  Not a nice experience

5.  Appreciate the beautiful French architecture

Anywhere you look, merong mga ganyang building

Always a nice background for a souvenir shot

The Notre Dame Cathedral was built in 1883 and is a reminder of the French rule

Foodie Find: Balkan, Yugoslavian Cuisine!

On the way back to Manila, I mentioned to B that I had a craving for Chicken Kiev.  B, a certified foodie, immediately thought of Old Manila and suggested that we grab dinner there.  And since passenger-mode ako, I agreed but had my doubts din because I think I read somewhere that Old Manila doesn’t have it in their menu anymore.  At tama ang kutob ko, wala na nga sa menu.  So, we left the restaurant disappointed and hungry…I was certain then that we’d end up in our  default Japanese dinner place!  Hehehe

We’re just about to drive away when B saw this restaurant.

Akala ko Banka...Balkan daw yan. :)

I am not well to avoid having to eat something that I'm not comfortable with but I was with B and that means I gotta suck it up. :)  There were just a few items in the menu and they must be authentic since the chef is a Yugoslavian lady.  I honestly did not find anything that interested me in the menu but B wanted to try the lamb...i cringed.

This was what we had…

Jagnjetina (lamb), boiled potatoes and carrots and homemade bread. - P700

I'm sure that citizens of Balkan countries regard this kind of food as the best...as all other people in the world regard the food from their native countries as THE best but I had a migraine after that dinner.  Eh kasi ba naman, when the waitress served the piping hot dish, i had a big whiff of the lamb and it smelled so maanggo (please don't ask me for the english translation!).  B and I agreed that it's the last time that we'd eat there.

Now I understand why L gets whoozy at the smell of beef...kanya-kanyang waterloo lang pala yan. :)

Thailand: Temple Chronicles Part 2!

If there’s one place that you shouldn’t miss when you’re in Bangkok, it’s the Grand Palace.  But if you have time to visit other temples, make sure that you visit the Grand Palace last, para lang may element of surprise.  And make sure you cover up because ladies with their legs, arms and shoulders exposed are not allowed to enter…well, you can always rent a sarong to cover you up.

I love how they trimmed the trees

I was not praying…was playing with my camera lang

Only the members of the Royal Family can change this Buddha’s wardrobe

Guard na naman!!!

Looks familiar?  Remember the monster dancing with the chicken in the Apsara show?

A surrounds himself with gold

I love this…a replica of the Angkor Wat

Wat Benchamabophit was not in the itinerary, we were just duped by a tout.  Instead of getting angry, we thank him pa nga because this stop was the highlight of our Bangkok trip.

The entrance

Don’t they all look the same?

And then we saw a monk ordination going on inside the temple

The parents giving the newly-ordained monk his last gifts

The abbot chanted for about 15 minutes…I had goosebumps.

Yes, I turned Buddhist for an hour.

Thailand: Temple Chronicles Part 1!

And so, the supposedly relaxed phase turned out to be not-so-relaxed after all.

Wat Arun is so accessible, just take the Chao Praya ferry boat and it’s one of the stops.

I remember the old lady who sold us these tickets…she must have been 80 years old.

You can rent traditional Thai costumes…kung type nyo mag-emote.

The shiny Buddha by the entrance

I zoomed in to the topmost portion of the tower…see the birds?

You can actually climb up to the top…but I swear, parusa talaga!

And I couldn’t understand how A can go down…in style. Naks!

Close up shot

Most of the temples have…GUARDS!

Wat Pho is where I got dizzy seeing so many Buddhas!

Just follow the arrow, para hindi maligaw. Hihihi

Sitting buddhas

Standing buddhas

Reclining Buddha

The Big Buddha place, name of which I forgot!

Sabi ko big diba?

Temple na naman???  I was tired na kasi.

And then I saw this kid reading some Buddhist book

A columbarium within the temple grounds