After stuffing ourselves with these Vietnamese delish, me and my bestfriend decided to go to the nearest bar to try their local brew. We actually saw several bars in the area but the most jam-packed that night was the Go2 Bar. I ordered Saigon Beer - I don't know if this is their famous local beer but basing from its name, it might be.
Brand, Brewed and Bottled in Ho Chi Minh city. Isn't it obvious?! :p
I think I downed 6-7 bottles of that big thingy. Para syang redhorse, lupit! :) Hahaha! [translate: It tasted like Redhorse, wow!]. We drank and partied with the people there up until 6AM and to think that we needed to be somewhere by 8AM. WOW! Who needs sleep when you're in Saigon!? Ha! After our slugfest, me and my bestfriend decided to try their local coffee.
Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk: Cheap, tasty and dirty - just the way I like it! LOL :)
I read in several blogs and forums that I should never leave Saigon without trying their street coffee. SO that was what we did. Iced for me and hot for my friend. Because I like my coffee strong and sweet, this was a welcome treat. We got back to the hotel at around 7am, just in time for breakfast and shower before the driver picked us up for the tour.
Our agenda for the day - Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnel. We got the tour for $13/pax (lunch not included). I think it was a 1.5 to 2 hours drive from the hotel to the temple. I passed out on the bus that's why I can't tell you much about the scenery on the way. Haha! I need my beauty rest too, you know! =D
Inside the Cao Dai Temple. Nice noh?
We got there a little before 12nn just in time for their ceremony. We were told that they pray 4 times in a day - 6am, 12noon, 6PM and 12MN.
Wow! I wonder if they ever ran out of things to pray for! It was nice to observe how other religions do their thing. Their ritual is solemn and moving. Definitely a must-see when you're in HCMC!
We were already hungry like hippos by the time we got back to the bus so it was a good thing that our tour guide announced that we will drop by a local restaurant on the way to the Cu Chi tunnel for lunch. It was a quiet resto situated on the highway, forgot to get the name though. Hehe.
The presentation's crappy but boy, this fish almost made me cream in my pants! Harhar!
Spring Rolls
We ordered fish and spring rolls plus an ice-cold Coca Cola. Ooooh-lala! The fish really tasted magnifico. It doesnt look like it in the picture though. Hehe. We paid 180,000 VND for lunch.
It was another 1.5 hours to get to the Cu-Chi tunnels so we slept again on the bus. The sun was already sizzling hot by the time we reached our destination. Anyway for the benefit of those who don't know, this used to be the place where the Vietnamese guerillas hid during the war with the Americans. Whoever thought of making these tunnels should be given good head as a reward! Hahaha! The architecture and the way the tunnels were routed together was really brilliant.
I didn't go all the way in because I'm short so I might have a hard time getting myself up. I looked sweaty and dirty from all the walking and crawling and picture-taking. LOL! Ang hirap pala maging artista, noh? =p
The tunnel was small. There were parts where we had to bend in order to pass through. It was hot as hell inside. No wonder my Vietnamese brothas' were so fit, it's like walking inside a sauna!
We drank tea and their Vietnamese-version of camote. We were told that these were among the things the guerillas ate during the war. It's too bad there were no McDonalds or KFC back then. :-p
It was an afternoon full of fun and adventure. Who knew (re)learning history could be this fun! LOL. Whatever! :D It was a very long day for all of us. We were dropped off at the hotel at around 6pm and as soon as our sexy backs hit the bed, we were off to snoozeland in no time!
Goodnight my sweet Saigon
We were soooo tired from the tour that we didnt even wake up in time for dinner! Ugh! Our stomachs were grumbling the morning after so we decided to start our day early and have breakfast outside. We took a cab (yes, we were told not to take any other cabs aside from Vinasun and Mei Linh) going to Quan An Ngon. The driver charged a fixed rate of 80,000VND. We didn't have the slightest idea if he charged us high or just right. But anyway, paying 80k sounded legit so we agreed to it. Hehe.
I ordered Banh Can Cua - this is Pho with meat strips. While my friend ordered one with lots of seafood in it. Yum! Her food looked and tasted better than moi. O-M-G! It was really yummY with a capital Y. LOL! I ordered Vietnamese iced coffee to go with it. All in all, we paid 132,000VND for breakfast. Not bad at all since the placed looked as nice as the food that we ordered. You guys should give this place a try!
Okay, enough gushing about the food. Hehe. We originally planned to go to the Reunification Palace after brekkie since it's situated near the resto but unfortunately, the palace was close that day. So we were just walking around enjoying the sights and at the same time rearranging our plans for the day when we saw these cycled rickshaws, or Cyclos for short! Because we were feeling tourist-y that day, we decided to try it.
It looked to me like a wheelchair with a driver in the backseat! Hehe! Not minding being face to face with the incoming traffic and the crazy motorbikes on the road, I think riding the cyclo is a fun experience. We rode it going to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the driver charged us 150,000 VND each. WTF?! It was more expensive than riding a cab and to think that the route we took was relatively shorter. Oh well, since we didn't want to argue we just paid the driver and went about with our itinerary.
Sitting by the park (Notre Dame in the background) while checking out those Viet-cong hunks.. LOL!
Lighting a candle inside the cathedral. Wondering what I prayed for? WORLD PEACE! :D
I took this shot inside the HCMC Post office. Nice shot, yes? :)
After taking these customary shots, we then went to Ben Thanh market for some last minute shopping. I bought coffee beans and shirts for my family, other than that wala na. :) The cheapo in me prevailed unlike my friend who shopped to her heart's content. Hehe!
We finished shopping a little past noon so we decided to eat at Pho 2000 - which was just across the street from the market. I've read good reviews of this resto so we wanted to know what the hype was all about.
Lip-smacking goodness!
More pics of our last night in Saigon... :)
My Vietnamese look! :D
It was really the gastronomical pleasure that we had that stood out amongst everything that we experienced during this trip. These Vietnamese hotties really know how to strut their stuff in the kitchen! Thank you people, you certainly hit my gastronomical G-spot! And because of that I now officially call your country "Viet-YUM"!
The Unpure Food Taster,
-=K=-
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Special thanks to these blogs for serving as my reference prior to the trip:
At ndi lang sila basta bastang peklat! Sila ang peklat of all peklats! Hahaha! They're big and juicy! Yakkkkk, kadiri! Hahahaha! Pero wala sa biro, ndi sila ordinaryo. Masakit sila pag natatamaan, minsan nagdudugo, minsan natutuklap.
