Day 4 - Pratna Guesthouse - Mekong Express Terminal - Mekong River - Flower Restaurant - Cambodian Border - Vietnam Border - Koniko Backpacker's Hostel - Viet Restaurant - Saigon Post Office - Notre Dame Cathedral - Independence Building - Night Market - Sozo
Today, we shall be leaving Phnom Penh. Such a short stay! :(
We just hoped our next destination would fill the sadness in our hearts. So, our energies were up again! For the first time, we'll be going to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam and much more excitement I felt coz this would be my very first time to cross a border!!!
We were fetched by a Mekong Express mini-bus from our guesthouse again. Our trip to Saigon was scheduled at 7:30 AM. The mini-bus brought us to the Mekong Express terminal.
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| Sunrise at the riverfront |
This is not the same terminal we've been yesterday. This is actually adjacent to the Russian Market. And I only saw Mekong buses here.
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| Buses for Vietnam |
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| the Russian Market |
So, that was the Russian Market. Though I wasn't able to explore inside, I'm glad I was still able to see it.
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| the Mekong Express office and waiting area |
We bought packed breakfast (rice, eggs and meat) from a street vendor and after organizing our luggage in the compartment and finding our seats, the bus started its 7-hour journey. The attendant started her job explaining the route and cross-border guidelines. And I was excited!
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| our attendant for the trip |
Our journey from Phnom Penh was much like the same with that of Siem Reap. In sight is the rural living in Cambodia. The only unique thing here was that the bus had to board a barge and cross the Mekong River for around 5 minutes.
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| the port |
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| crossing the river |
After crossing the legendary Mekong River, the bus continued its journey. Around 11 am, we stopped by a restaurant for lunch. Everyone has to get off the bus. We ate so much during breakfast that we didn't feel like eating. We had picture-taking instead.
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| the restaurant |
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| our bus |
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| Ho Chi Minh City is 80 KM away |
A few meters away from the restaurant were buildings abandoned or simply opened at night? I didn't know.
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| a hotel, i guess |
The bus moved on and stopped at the Vietnam Border. They're much stricter as we needed to bring all of our things with us as we waited for the immigration officer to stamp our passports. They didn't ask any questions as well.
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| lone pic of the Vietnam Border (Moc Bai) |
Hello Vietnam! We are around 70+ km away from the largest city in Vietnam. So, we just rested and enjoyed the ride!
After a few hours, we were greeted by a lot of motorcycles in the street. Amazingly, they have their own lanes!
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| motorcycle lanes |
We have just entered Ho Chi Minh City. The bus made a lot of turns and finally stopped. Luckily, the bus stopped so near our booked hostel, the Koniko Backpackers Hostel. It's in the heart of the Pham Ngu Lao, a backpacker's district.
Actually, all of the establishments are numbered. We started finding the hostel. After how many wrong turns and through the help of a Vietnamese lady, we realized it was so near the bus indeed.
There are so many hostels, restaurants and bars in this area. And so so many tourists as well!
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| a backpacker's haven |
We checked in and rested for a while.
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| cute interiors |
Then, we ate at a nearby Viet Restaurant. Vietnamese food is love!
We had our dollars changed to Vietnamese Dong. We could say we're millionaires in Vietnam! Haha. The value of dollar is so high!
Okay, since our next stop is quite far, we opted to hail a cab to bring us to the famed Post Office and my once excitement turned into an unforgettable nightmare.
EYES HERE my dear reader. Hailing a cab is no problem in Vietnam. There are a lot of them. Hailing the RIGHT CAB is way more difficult. My only tip is first, ask if the driver knows English. Second, agree with the driver that he would use METER. Upon arrival at the agreed destination, just make a very simple calculation using the guide pasted near the dashboard. If he does not accept your payment and confuse you a lot more, DO NOT ask the help of just a civilian in the area. Go to the nearest tourism or police station.
In our case, we did otherwise and ended up regretting it. It's just ironic, we're accountants. Of course, we know how to follow a certain formula to come up with an answer. We were right and we knew it. Asking for help from a passerby was a grave mistake. We ended up giving 530,000 dong instead of just 53,000. So painful to learn it the hard way.
Anyway, we did not stop our Saigon tour because of it. So, we just moved on to our first stop, the Central Post Office.
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| it's the architecture! |
This Post Office, though full of tourists, is still operational. As this is mostly packed with people, a lot of souvenirs can be bought inside.
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| amazing! |
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| the cathedral |
The rain started pouring in. So, we stayed in the Post Office for awhile. When the rain stopped, we continued our journey. And there, we witnessed the overwhelming traffic in Saigon. Crossing the streets was so stressful! Our only consolation was the view around us.
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| traffic!!! |
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| the Reunification Palace at the back |
Our map says the Ben Thanh market is just a few more blocks away. To have a better feel of the city and because of the bad experience we had with a cab, we walked.
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| it's the Bitexco Financial Tower behind us |
We finally arrived in Ben Thanh Market. However, almost all stores inside the market were closed. We bought some souvenirs in the remaining opened store. We then went out and learned that there's a night market outside.
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| the night market |
Before checking the stores, we had dinner at one of the many stalls. There were Filipinos eating there too!
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| yummy! |
And who would miss Saigon's famous beer? We dared not!
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| very smooth beer - taking the spot of Angkor! - our new No. 1! |
We then exercised our haggling skills. Just don't let a store owner know that you're comparing prices! You might end up being shouted at just like my friend!
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| very nice decorations |
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| i bought one of these! |
You can buy a lot of magnets, keychains, t-shirts, pouches and a lot more souvenir items from this market. After about an hour, we started to go back to our hostel. We really tried to. But after a few more minutes, we just didn't know where we were!
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| lost in the city! |
We, however, enjoyed it! It's good to be lost sometimes! Haha.
Thank goodness, we managed to find our hotel. The nightlife here was just so unbelievable. The crowd almost occupy the streets already! They don't even have tables anymore. They're just bringing their beers. I've never seen something like this in any of my previous travels. Most of them were actually teenagers. Having the time of their lives!
We were a few meters away from our hostel when the rain started pouring again. Luckily, we made it!
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| view from the hotel window |
My friends were already exhausted. And I still want more exploration done. So, I went out the hotel to this cafe for a cause named SOZO. It's just a few steps away from the hostel and they were about to close. Thankfully, they still entertained me.
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| too bad i didn't think to order |
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| scrolls for sale |
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| coffee for a cold, rainy night! |
I really regret not trying their sweet treats nor buying a shirt or a scroll. I'll try to find them in the web later. So, after drinking cappuccino (not a Vietnam coffee), I slept with the other 2. I'm just really happy I made the decision to go out and helped change lives. Good night. :)
Day 4 - Pratna Guesthouse - Mekong Express Terminal - Mekong River - Flower Restaurant - Cambodian Border - Vietnam Border - Koniko Backpacker's Hostel - Viet Restaurant - Saigon Post Office - Notre Dame Cathedral - Independence Building - Night Market - Sozo
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