6d5n of Sailing (Part 2)

4th Day (22.10.08): Ho Chi Minh City ~ Interesting
it is fun 2visit a new country -- Vietnam.we join the trip called "Highlights of Ho Chi Minh".therefore in tis trip,we hv travelled to sum well-known tourist destinations in Ho Chi Minh City.firstly,we went to the city square.There are Reunification Palace,where a Ho Chi Minh statue is standing in the middle; Municipal Post Office,where vietnamese go there 2 pay bills n make long distance call; Reunification Palace,where the president lives i guess.




Took in front of the City Hall.
That is the statue of Ho Chi Minh.
The building behind is City Hall i tink.it was built by French which has dominate Vietnam b4.









"look,i m pointing at number 2,my class number."
hihi...Actuali i was standing in front from a room where ppl make long distance call.






Later on,we went for a pedal cab ride.it was droven by a man.during the journey,the cab crossed the road 'vigorously'.the Vietnam road was full of motorcyclists.u cant imagine how bad the traffic was!i was terrified cz the motorcycles were passing around me such a speed.The Vietnamese hv used to the dangerous situation but i m not!my mom even screamed when she thought tat she was goin 2 b knocked down by a motoristX.X


The busy road in Ho Chi Minh.
Look at the "wayar" in the photo.
Vietnam is nt as developed n modern as other countries in South East Asia.the "wayar" are still SO VISIBlE!
they r like in bunches of shape.








The final destination of the pedal cab ride.
it is the Notre Dame Cathedral.
i jz took sum photos there.
tis photo was taken on the cab:P











Some photos taken in the Museum of National History.
Left: an enormous pair of elephant's gading.
Right: a Vietnamese traditional well model for agricultural purpose i guess.
Left: we watched the Traditional Vietnamese Water Puppet Show.eventually,we din reli understand the story cz it was spoken in Vietnamese language.but roughly we can understand a little bit.the puppets were "swimming" around in the water.there are puppets of man n woman,tiger,ducklings and dragons.it was quite interesting thought.it is good to learn others culture n traditions in different countries ~.~
Right: we had ur buffet lunch which includes international cuisine and some Local Food.i ate quite much as the food there r special to me.there is a performance on the stage.we watched some Vietnamese dancing their traditional dance.


After lunch,we went to the Thien Hau Pagoda in Chinatown.The Pagoda is dedicated to Thien Hau- The Sea Goddess who protects fisher folks, sailors, merchants and anyone who travels by sea.my family pray there as it is a Chinese temple.
Right: the tour guide told us tat the patung standing on the roof has history of 300 years.everything in the temple were renovated b4 but oni these ceramic patung remain unchanged.
Lastly,we went to Ben Thanh Market.it is a huge market selling all sorts of local products n souvenirs,range from food, clothes to decorations.i din buy a lot there.i was so confused ising the local currency.It is called 'long'.1 ringgit equals to 4000 long.better to use US dollar there.i jz bought myself a vietnamese mirror n comb.nt being a shopaholic there.n a little wooden dragonfly.it can balances on my fingertip!

Left: i had a bad headache when i was watching the water puppet show due to the hot weather there.the photo was taken in the bus.i put an icy towel on my forehead to make me feel better.on my fingertip is the wooden dragonfly i mentioned b4.i m goin 2 give it out as a bday present.it is nice to watch it turning rounds n rounds when u move it @.@
Right: a view in the Ben Thauh Market.it was riuh-rendah.full of tourists from the ship!

5th Day: High Sea ~ Gala Night
again,we are sailing on the sea.we r sailing on the South China Sea,which was quite wavy n i could still feel the shaky-ness on the ship.the ship was sailing in high speed,rushing back to singapore.today,there are still a lot of fun activities.however,me n my brother spent a whole afternoon sleeping in the cabin!OMG!i had planned to go 4 some lessons such as Origami lesson n Art&Crafts lesson.maybe yesterday too tired travelling almost a whole day in Vietnam.Eventually,me n my brother promised to bring my relatives to have a proper Western lunch in Bella Vista Restaurant.tis job took us quite a hard work bcz we have to explain the English written menu 4 choices of meals to them n let them choose.we had a warm lunch together:) i finished everything including appetizer,soup,main course n dessert.it made me feel so full!burps...
Today is the last night staying on cruise.As usual,there is a Gala Dinner tonight.it means tat u hv to wear elegantly in ur evening gown or suit and join the cocktail party b4 the dinner.we hv joined it whenever we went 4 cruising.actuali we r nt interested in taking photos v the captains there,nor listening to the talk given by the captain introducing some high position management lvl ppl.however,my 3rd uncle had a few glasses of wine n he almost drunken.haha..
wearing my white blouse n skirt,me n my 'handsome' brother joined the party.we simply enjoyed sitting beside the grand hall chatting v our relatives.we can choose either the western or chinese cuisine n we hv chosen chinese.the lauk pauk was quite great.there are lips of fishes,prawns,fish,sea cucumber...but we were too full cz we had our dinner b4 tis at the mediterranean restaurant earlier.i like the dessert thought.it was "gui ling gao" v sum mango sago juice.it was nice n sweet.

Left: i know i look like a Japanese Ghost in the photo.v my messy hair curling around my face.the photo was taken on the deck 13(the highest deck).the sea wind was so strong n it almost blew me out from the ship.(exaggerated)luckily,i m heavy enough gaining too much weight after having a large portion of food every meal on the ship.hihi..
Right: i took this photo on deck 7.it looked like it was goin to rain(maybe it was raining far far away).i like the clouds and the sea.they were so calm n peaceful,v their very original n special blue colour.told u,it is nice to go cruising.it is relaxing n nice
Me and my brother making up in the cabin's washroom.i was making up v my little accessories while my brother was gelling up his hair in the washroom.as u see,i m a 'make up NOOB',i dun reli know how to make up so i jz simply did it.the effect was awesome!my eyes were a failure.the eyeliner was...erm...drawn very uglily.i forced my bro to take photo v me n for me.unluckily,the photos he took were so un'see'able.tis was taken by me!nice rite?(nt me,him!i m such a professional photographer.)

Left: in the Gala Cocktail Party.i was having a Fruit Punch Mocktail i guess.i look so unnatural in tat 'holding glasses' position.hihi..did i look pretty?haha..
Right: my 1st aunty.she is my mom eldest sister(my mom has 8 siblings,2 brothers n 6 sisters while she is the youngest).she takes care of me since i was young b4 entering primary school.she loves me a lot n the nephews n nieces i mentioned b4 in my previous posts r her grandchildren.she still looks young n beautiful rite?n she kept mentioning tat she was much more prettier than me when she was at my age.i believe tat she is true...

6th Day: Singapore Harbour ~ Bon Voyage
The ship reached Singapore port at bout 6am while we were still sleeping soundly in our cabin.when we woke up, we had our breakfast n quickly kept our clothes into our bags.byebye Superstar Virgo,we are leaving here after 6 days sailing v u.Sayonara,i wish i can sail on u again.(actuali,my mom has planned to go on cruise again next Chinese Lunar Year holiday.zd?)



Finale:
we reached KL at bout 2pm on a van.i still couldnt suit myself on a safe n stable land bcz my body has used to the shaky ship n wavy sea after 6 DAYS!it was actuali a fun experience staying on cruise for a few day.moreover,u can travel to so many places on cruise besides relaxing n enjoying the food n facilities there.u can oso enjoy the sea breeze,walking on the deck,enjoying the city/port/sea/island views.(it's real!nt making an advertisement 4 starcruises)
Besides,i m glad tat i have travelled to another new country--Vietnam.i realised tat it was still undeveloped although it is developing very fast.the road we passed on the bus towards the city was muddy,the traffic was still bad while the "wayar" were so ..(=.=lll)but it is fun to explore another country,althought it was in a "Vivave" pace.haha..("walk horse see flowers")
missing 3 days of school,cant imagine how will i suffer in the next lessons of math n physic.miss everybody!Laopos,teachers n frens...i called munkit when i reached Vietnam on Wednesday bcz there is no network coverage on high sea.gt 49% for my physics,alright,i m satisfied v it.thinking tat it would be around tat mark.heard tat there is a replacement class on 28th Oct,confirmed v KokXian tat the lesson will be held from morning to 12pm.hihi..wish tat our class can watch High School Musical 3 together,as there r a lot of HSM fans.wish to c u guys in school soon.miss u all so much!

Finally,Happy Deepavali!