miracles

im one lazy blogger! :p
still, i think i should blog before i forget everything..
so once again..here goes,

Cambodia + Vietnam trip
[March 22 - March 28, 2009]
(photographs by sueteng)

22nd March, Sunday
took an early plane from Penang to KL with my parents and my father's two other friends (one is the uncle that is in charge of this trip). then from KL to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. once reached, straight to hotel, Royal Palace but the guy took us to the wrong hotel, something Royal, which is beside the beach (somewhat) with flags along the road and look what flag i spotted!

MALAYSIA TAK BOLEH!! :x

Korea and Japan ♥

Royal Palace Hotel..
beside the road and it's just an okok hotel.
we slept till evening.
then me and my parents took a 'tut-tut' car (the one where motorcycle with passengers behind)
to Casino there.

the casino pic which i took on the way back in the tut-tut car

this is actually taken inside the casino..
the clouds and trees look too real

they even have a self-played piano there.

after that we had dinner in...

Sorya Supermarket.

the building..it is considered as the most famous one there but seriously,
it's worse than our jusco :x
we really should be thankful!
after that, we went back to hotel..
is my trip weird? yea..definitely..
the real thing didnt start yet..
continue to read for more..LoL

23rd March, Monday
had breakfast in hotel and went to have a walk in their market..
it is so hard to buy anything when communication break down.
nothing special bout the market and it's quite dirty and
they sell the same thing at the same place ==
if you see one shop sell sugar-canes,
then u can see a few shops next to it selling sugar-canes.
we went back to hotel and watch tv until around afternoon..
the others that are joining us in this trip arrived!
(yea..they came one day later than us)
NINE of them which are all guys/uncles and penang ppl too.
so that means me and my mom is the only girl in this tour.
and im the one and only teenage girl!! T_T
we began our journey to Siem Riep with a van for FIVE hours!
hmnn..the uncles are really funny and the crappiest group i've ever seen.
whatever they talk, they make it into a joke.
they even talk dirty!! gaahhh..sigh.
on the way, we stopped at a somewhat rest place
we saw ppl selling fruits, breads and...

SPIDERS! okay..i dont know how they cook it till it became black.
didnt get the chance to taste it.

and cengkerik! urmm..is it called cengkerik (crickets)?!
whatever it is, i ate one of those.
well, it look ewww and disgusting and just ewwww..
but i wanted to try.
it's crispy and doesnt have much taste..
seriously..it's not that bad! (:
we stopped at Arunras Restaurant to have a short break too.
as usual..i spot flags again!

reached Siem Riep, we went for dinner straight in Angkor Amazon.
buffet style..their food is more like chinese food.
and there's traditional dance performance..

the dance performance.
my camera just dont work well during the night..
blur blur blur..anyone any advise for me to take a un-blur pics at nite?!

after that, head to Monarch Angkor Hotel for the night.

i took these pics on the next day when we leave.
i just smile when i saw the bathroom cause of...

the dolphin-printed shower curtain.
just remind me of someone so much. ^^

24th March, Tuesday
breakfast and met with our tour guide of the day, Xiao Xie.
our purpose, Angkor Wat!!
ermmm..there's 292 temples altogether but we only went to the main ones.
for history, pls search wikipedia! lolz

just love the view
but yea..it's so HOT there.

the libraby if im not mistaken.

like the reflection..

this is where the king pray last time and
it's hard to get up cause the stairs are not even 45degree
usually visitors would go up with all fours
but it's closed now for construction..
didnt have the chance to go up!

another view of it.

one of the statue that they pray..
a LOT in there

this couple came to take photos for their Wedding!

this is the "warriors" statues side
the "demon/bad guys" statues side couldnt take the pics
cuz i took this pic in the van facing the "warriors"

group pic at the Bayon Temple~

yesh! SNOW!!
nahh..it's just cotton tree (:

there're many stone faces.
this one is the most famous with the widest smile!

the uniqueness here is most of the trees grow on the roofs/building

my parents!

the movie Tomb Rider took place around here..

i just love the sky.. ^^

after that, we went for lunch and back to hotel to pack.
took the same van back to Phnom Penh..
yeap, another 5 hours ride!
reached Phnom Penh, dinner and back to the same hotel, Royal Palace.
i got to know that the citizens there earn a little.
for a police is only around 30USD. and so they makan duit kopi too.
waiting accident to oocur so they could get a few more USD.
as for teacher...he/she brings sweets to school to sell to their students.
if the student didn't buy, the student wont pass his/her exam!
omg..that is so wrong..sigh!
be grateful malaysians! LOL

25th March, Wednesday
new tour guide, Xiao Xiong (Xiao is just a word they like to put in front of their names)
first destination is the palace..
i think partly of the palace is opened for tourists.

no idea what tree/flower is this!

my parents.
background : Victory gate - where all the soldiers use when they won a battle..
if they lose, they use another gate.

made of GOLD!

this is what the servants wear..
one day one colour.

the previous king and our Tun Abdul Rahman!~

the king (his father behind).
he's around 55 years old and not married yet!
reason? no one knows the truth..

after that, we went to a museum with all the statues
of vishnu, brahma, siva etc and also some from angkor wat itself.

the museum..

only these 3 pics i took outside of the museum
not allowed to take pics inside..

later..went to a temple.

it's weird but i only have these 2 pics ^^"

it's a gigantic clock..
dont ask me how it actually function!

had lunch in Tonle Bassac restaurant.
and after that, went to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum
(google it cause it's interesting but gruesome!)
it was actually a school but after that, it is used as a place
for prisoners and tortures to take place!

Pol Pot. he was the 'ketua'

this guy is the 'pembantu'/right-hand guy

i dont know who this artist is but he's one of the victim.

the victim's grave and the explanation board..

the bed and the box thingy is their 'toilet'
this is in building A.

this is sick!

the pile of victims' clothes..

lots of victims' pics

building B.
to prevent the victims who cant stand the torture and jump down from the building to commit suicide, dense barbed wire was used to surround the building..

the cells..

these were used to chain the victims' legs..
just like the pic below..chaining the children legs
they must not produce any sound or they will be beaten/tortured.

the tools/weapons used for torturing.

this guy was one of the victim who survived and
painted a pic of himself and also what he saw (pics below)

the 'bed' used to torture..

next, we went to walk at a market..
the market was big and inside were like an oven!
things are just sssoooo expensive.. =.=
went to Sorya Supermarket again before went back to hotel..
at night dinner in a normal restaurant.
and so..Cambodia is not too bad.
but their traffic, you would not understand..
they basically avoid each other on the road while driving.
if we malaysians drive there..
i think we would bang a lot of innocent souls there..
and there's a lot of motorcycles but they dont wear helmets!
they love to go around the city with their bike at night too..
it's some sort of their entertainment.


26th March, Thursday
after breakfast, we went to the bus station.
we took a bus to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, which is
a SIX hours ride! ):
(i slept most of the time anyway. ehe)
reached, took our in-charged Happy Tour Travel Agency
mini bus to ARC-EN-CIEL Hotel with tour guide, Bruce.
(wait..isnt there a jap boyband with the name Larc-en-ciel?)
did not do anything for the whole day till night.
dinner in a cruise.
some pics i took during the cruise. (as usual my cam s**ks)

27th March, Friday
went to Chu Chi Tunnel.
it's a tunnel dug out by hand by the viatnamese
during the struggle against the colonial power.
it's about 200km long. O.O

they got in with just this size of hole..

it's just the right size to go in.
(altho it dont look like you could actually fit in)

just amazing~ cant even spot it.
and for woman..the size is half of the guy's
and babies..the size is even smaller!

belonged to the US..

the traps..

door traps.

wax ppl showing that they reused the bomb

various sizes of bombs

and there's a shooting field..
had to buy the bullets.

i went in this tunnel!! well, its not the real one..
but u still have to duck walk inside it.
(the real one, u need to actually crawl on all four!)
and dark at certain part cuz no light!
good experience and all i can say,
they are very smart building the traps and tunnel.

after that went to War Remnants Museum
well..everything is just too cruel that i didnt snap much pics.
(i cant stand the cruelty so no such pics)

as you can see..put ur head there, the hole..
CHOP and ur body will fall to the box at the side.

next, to the....

they are using egg shells..

woww..

i like this personally
and my dad said i like it cause the girl's nose is
just like mine! PENYEK~ =.="

as usual..everything is just so expensive.

next..we pass the Notre Dam Cathedral.

i love this pic (:

opposite it is the Centre Post Office.
well, it's a post office and became a tourists place.

for international calls etc..

from outside.

we didnt get to go in the Reunification Palace but
stopped to take a pic. i was too lazy to get down the bus so yea....

then went to another famous big market.
most of the stalls sell the same thing.
and for non-shopper like my parents,
we walk a while and just wait there for the rest ==

this kid cheated my dad. :x
my dad refused but he insisted and took my dad's shoes and polish.
he said for USD1 but after he finished he said USD8/9 =="
but my dad just gave him USD3 in the end.

that's the end of the day.
dinner and went back to hotel.
Vietnam is very similar to Cambodia.
you just have to close your eyes and
raise your hands while crossing the road.
but they look more like chinese compared to
cambodians (looks like malay).
and there's KBS channel in Cambodia and Vietnam.
so i was watching Boys over Flowers and Music Bank there. LoLz

28th March, Saturday
planned to go China Town but did not have time
went straight to airport and take a flight back to KL then Penang.

took these pics in the plane..

reached home, unpacked, bath and
miss su & her bro came to fetch me to her hse..
reason..to help her mom cause her mom needs to cook for the temple the next day.
i wanted to go pray again at the temple for some reason
and so i volunteered to help (:
well, i did not help a lot except cutting/slicing (or whatever you call) the veggies etc.
around 10, we went to the temple in penang. prayed.
went back to ww hse..help around again till 2am.
then went into the room..talked to ww till nearly 3am then sleep!
BUT i woke up at 5am to watch AEC, TVXQ! TV special ^^"
(ww didnt notice i woke up but i told her beforehand that i wanted to watch and she taught me how to on the tv etc)
well, im just curious but after watching i realised i watched before online...
didnt bother but continued to watch till 6am.
ww's mom did not sleep that night..too busy and she caught me watching!
i bet her mom must be thinking im crazy or sumthing~ T-T
after watching, i asked her mom if she needed any help but she don't.
after talking a while, i went back to sleep! :x


29th March, Sunday
woke up 8sumthing.
helped around again then went to the temple in penang..
after that, went to AC Oldtown.
then back to ww hse.
we watched The City of Ember!
ermm..the movie was not bad but im not satisfied with the ending!!
watched a few short ghost stories till my parents came to fetch me.
went to the airport again to fetch my 1st sis who went for a short trip to KL&Melaka.
dinner in look yuen and back home!
Home Sweet Home~ (:


ps : more Cambodia+Vietnam pics in Facebook SOON!
pss: i hate hot countries cuz all my pimples will pop out! ==
psss: some of the pics are taken in a rush so...yeah + my skill cacat.
pssss: i hate this post..took me such a long time!

♥

memories...