Jurong Bird Park

Filed under: Birthday, Places of Interest

Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City

had a short vacation with family in Ho Chi Minh City… 4days 3nights… arrived on Xmas day and reached back last night… alot of walking, sightseeing and not much shopping (partly because it was expensive)… joined a tour on the 2nd n 3rd day to Cu Chi and Mekong River respectively… had lots of good f00d to eat… yummy !~ bought 3 t-shirts at SG$2 each =X … bought some movies, and a pair of slippers… nothing much cause the rest of the stuff was either expensive or didnt catch my eye… heehee…

Filed under: Places of Interest, Vacation, Vietnam

Mekong Delta, My Tho

Vietnam’s ‘rice basket’, the Mekong Delta is a watery landscape of green fields and sleepy villages, everywhere crisscrossed by the brown canals and rivulets fed by the mighty Mekong River. Its inhabitants – sterotyped as friendly and easygoing – have long toild on the life-sustaining river, with their labours marked by the same cycles governing the waterways.
The delta, which yields enoughh rice to feed the country with a sizable surplus, was formed by sediment deposited by the Mekong. The process continues today, with silt deposits extending the shoreline by as much as 80m per year. The river is so large that it has 2 daily tides. Lush with rice paddies and fish farms, this delta plain also nourishes the cultivation of sugarcane, fruit, coconut and shrimp. Although the area is primarily rural, it is one of the most densely populated regions in Vietnam and nearly every hectare is intensively farmed.

Filed under: Places of Interest, Vacation, Vietnam

War Remmants Museum

Once known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes, it is now the most popular museum in Ho Chi Minh City with Western tourists. US armored vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons are on display outside. There is a model of the notorious tiger cages used by the South Vietnamese military to house Viet Cong prisoners on Con Son Island and a guillotine used by the French on Viet Minh ‘troublemakers’.

Filed under: Places of Interest, Vacation, Vietnam

Cu Chi Tunnels

The town of Cu Chi is a district of greater Ho Chi Minh City and has a population of about 200,000. At first glance there is little evudence here to indicate the intense fighting, bombing and destruction that occurred in Cu Chi during the war. To see what went on, you have to dig deeper – underground. The tunnel network of Cu Chi became legendary during the 1960s for its role in facilitating Viet Cong control of a large rural area only 30km to 40km from Ho Chi Minh City. At its height, the the tunnel system stretched from the South Vietnamese capital to the Cambodian border; in the district of Cu Chi alone, there were more than 250km of tunnels. The network, parts of which was several storys deep, included innumerable trap doors, constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens. The tunnels made posible communication and coordination between VC-controlled enclaces, isolated from each other by South Vietnamese and American land and air operations. They also allowed the VC to mount surprise attacks wherever the tunnels went and to disappear suddenly into hidden trapdoors without a trace.

Filed under: Places of Interest, Vacation, Vietnam

Sungei Buloh

since its a public holiday, we decided to go for a nature hike at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve… its was quite a long drive from home… admission fee was $1.00 per person… we had a nice walk around the place… saw some pretty unusual sights, such as an otter at one of the observation huts, a giant spider etc… the last time we had such a walk was at least 2months ago, so it was a good exercise for the whole family… by the time we were done with the place, was around 2.30pm… we had a late lunch at the HillTop Restaurant… its just above Jurong BirdPark… pretty good Indonesian food at reasonable prices… along the way, we dropped by a place call D’Kranji Farm Resort… its a newly established resort in the midldle of all the other farms… seems pretty interesting, chalet-style, but i doubt it will be cheap… but they seem to have quite a few activities to do there…

http://sg.ksdb.com/1240416.page

http://www.sbwr.org.sg/

Filed under: Everyday Life, Family, Places of Interest, Singapore