Last day in Ho Chi Minh City

On my last night in Ho Chi Minh City and the last leg of my December 2007 trip, I stayed overnight in Red Sun Hotel.


For breakfast, I had a fruit punch, a fruit platter, omelette and bread. This is what I chose because the other set was bread and jam which I am not really fond of.


I met up with my friend Ha who took me for a ride around the city. I bought my own helmet (which I also kept as a souvenir) because it was being implemented as a rule in the city during that time that all bike riders wear one.


We parked first in An Dong Plaza and proceeded to the market beside it.


We went inside An Dong Market. Similar to a typical market, it has both dry and wet goods for sale.


We stopped for a drink where I had a coconut. I wanted to try one of those colorful soft things but I was afraid what exactly they were.


Ha also brought me to a Buddhist temple.


Offerings for dead people


Temple marker


We alo passed by Cho Benh Tanh (Benh Tanh Market) but we didn't stay long.


After the city tour, we had an early lunch in Pho 24. I found out later that we have an outlet of the same chain in Rockwell Center in the Philippines.


For lunch, I had beef noodles which is one of their specialties.


For desert, I'm not sure what it is. It seems like a sweet root crop but it tastes like the Philippine ginataan.


With Ha


This is the end of my trip in Vietnam, after lunch, she invited me to her place to chill out for a few hours and talk about things and then I was dropped off the airport which is near her place.

Crossing the border: Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh

Alas, I had to say goodbye to Siem Reap, a beautiful and laidback city and a gateway to the temples of Angkor. After my short stay in the city, its time for me to go back to Ho Chi Minh. Unlike my bus service from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap which had a stop over and change of bus in Phnom Penh, this trip only stopped in Phnom Penh to validate tickets and possibly to eat lunch off we went to Ho Chi Minh in the same bus. We were even picked up in our respective hotels by a van going to te bus terminal!


I was surprised that they served snacks (pastries) and water twice on board - one in Siem Ream and another one in Phnom Penh. It was the same set of snacks though. Good thing I brought a couple of leftover slices of Pizza from the night before.


We had a few minutes stop in Kampong Thom Market for snacks.


Some scenes when we passed by Phnom Penh


Saw this scene when our bus was about to cross the river. This is a common scene everywhere and you can really feel the country is struggling against poverty.


Cattles crossing the street


Short stop-over at Taleong Restaurant for snacks by mid-afternoon


It was already late in the afternoon when we arrived at the immigration border in Bavet, Svay Rieng, Cambodia. It took us a bit longer (around 45 minutes to an hour) to get cleared because there were more people in our bus this time.


Crossing the border


By the time we arrived in the immigration border of Moc Bai, Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam, it was almost dark. Here it took us another hour to get in.


Bavet border at sunset. A lovely scene from afar.


On the way back to the bus terminal in Pham Ngu Lao street, we passed by a lot of clothing shops.


Upon arrival in the bus terminal, I immediately walked to my hotel (which is just a couple of blocks away), checked in and left for dinner. For about 20 USD per night, this is how my room looks like.


Dinner time, I was so hungry because I only ate pastries that were served in the bus and didn't dare buy food on the stopovers. I went out to eat at Huong Vy Restaurant.


I had an order of a sliced beef dish and a sauteed fish. I like it when they serve their food in a clay pot, the food remains hot and sizzling and (psychologically) tastier.

Crossing the border: Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap

One of my favorite things to do in a foreign land is to try out the different softdrinks available. However, this is not what this post is about. This entry lists my adventure going from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to Siem Reap, Cambodia via bus as part of this backpacking trip.


One early morning of December 2007, a day after I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I boarded a bus bound to Siem Reap, Cambodia. This is a 2-part trip. The first bus took us to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This leg takes about 4 hours going to the Cambodian capital.


The bus wasn't full. In fact we're only 3 passengers that time!


One thing I like about Vietnam and Cambodia is that major roads usually have their own bike lanes so that they won't congest the lanes for the bigger vehicles.


This is me taken at a gasoline station when the bus stopped for fuel refilling.


This is how a bus looked like, typical everyday bus with a small comfort room at the rear end.


We reached the border in less than an hour in Moc Bai, Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam. This will be our exit gate from Vietnam and crossing forward, it will take us to Cambodia.


We waited for about 30 minutes. It was our driver who processed the papers for our exit in Vietnam.


Right across the Vietnamese border is the Cambodian border. We boarded the bus again and inless tha a minute we are already in Cambodia. The border is located in Bavet, Svay Rieng, Cambodia.


Unlike in Vietnam, in Cambodia we stayed in our bus until we were given a go signal by an immigration officer that we are all cleared.


near the Cambodian border are a few Casino houses


So we are now officially inside Cambodia. The trip continued further towards Phnom Penh.


It was a very pleasant day trip. Comfortable bus, beautiful scenery and lovely places!


There was a part of the trip where the bus have to cross the river. We waited for some time because there was a long line of vehicles ahead of us waiting for their turn.


It was a busy place. For those who are hungry, there are vendors who can serve your stomach needs.


monument


After about half an hour waiting, we got our turn and our bus boarded the ferry together with the other vehicles behind us for a 15-minute crossing.


After we got off the ferry, the trip continued towards Phnom Penh.

field workers


We also experienced bad traffic because roads were being constructed.


Around lunch time we reached the city of Phnom Penh. It is very similar to provinces in the Philippines and in some parts even our capital Manila.


marketplace


houses and shanties by the river


city congestion


We got to the bus station just in time. We need to transfer buses and hurry because it is about to leave. We must have been stucked long in the traffic because we are supposed to get at least an hour leeway for lunch eating.


We boarded another bus in Phnom Penh, this time going to Siem Reap. It was the 2nd leg of the trip and took us about another 4 hours.


temple


2 hours after, we had a stopover in a restaurant. By this time I haven't had my lunch yet and decided to come down to eat.


Looking at the streetfood, I tried to look for something edible. However I decided not to eat and lost my appetite when I saw what they were serving. Are they insects?


Past 6 in the evening we reached the Siem Reap bus terminal. It was very chaotic and to go to my hotel, I need to ride a motorcycle which charged me for 1 USD.

In Siem Reap, I stayd in City River Hotel. A decent but cheap place perfect for budget travellers.


So this is my room, clean, quite spacious and comfortable for a cheap price of about 27 USD a night.


This is the backpack I have been carrying all this time. It contains my laptop, camera gear, and some clothes. This is the only bag I had for 5 days.


Because it was still early evening, I walked around the nearby places looking for something to do. Right in front of my hotel is a river.


I also passed by another guesthouse but that's about it.


It seems that there are not a lot of things to do in the area. I also saw some salons, parlors and restaurants. Because I haven't eaten lunch yet, I decided to eat dinner in Restaurant 89.


This is what I had for dinner, grilled beef of some sort, vegetables and rice.


It was still early when I finished dinner but I was so exhausted and decided to take a rest and stay in my room for the rest of the night and get ready for my adventure the next day.

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