10 July 2009 (Day 5): Killing Fields, S21, Phnom Penh

A visit to the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng (S21) Genocide Museum provided stark reminders of the atrocities committed by the scum of humanity against their own kind. I will never forget the descriptions of how children were killed by swinging them against tree trucks or how babies were slaughtered by throwing them into the air and spearing them with bayonets.

Millions died under Pol Pot's regime, yet he got away scot-free, dying of old age while in exile. I believe he will eventually pay for his crimes; God will never let him get away with it. It is sickening to hear how the Khmer Rouge cadres hung a radio on a tree at the Killing Fields to drown the cries of those being executed or how they sprayed chemicals into the death pits to mask the stench of decomposing bodies. It was organised murder; cruel, calculating and totally planned.

Our tuk-tuk driver was great. He acted as our guide and he knew his history. We learnt a lot on the trip. Lim Hwee was elated when we visited the range at the Special Forces Airborne 911 camp. The selection of weapons was quite tempting but the price was a put-off. If I remembered correctly, it was about USD25 for a magazine of 15 rounds (M16, AK47, M1 Carbine). The shotgun rounds cost USD15 for 5 pellets. In the end, the guys still went ahead to fire the AK47 and single pump-action shotgun.

We visited the Go-Kart circuit next. It was also quite expensive at USD12 for a ten minute session so Lim Hwee and I shared one kart. As I got into the kart, I realised there weren't any seat belts. The helmet did not even have chin straps! The kart was a blast, hitting top speeds of 80km/h. As I took the bends at high speed, I could feel the G-forces acting on me, threatening to throw me off the kart. I had to reduce my speed quite dramatically at several super tight corners. Anyway, the fun lasted 5 laps and I pulled in on the last lap to hand the kart over to Lim Hwee. =)

Getting back to Phnom Penh, Amanda went for her Cambodian dance performance and lessons while we visited the S21. We got back rather late for dinner but the Genocide Museum was really worth the visit.

Total expenses over 18 days: S$535
Participants: LSH, Zi Kai, Jing Kai, Lim Hwee

9 July 2009 (Day 4): Saigon - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Taking the 1am bus back to HCM, we had Vietnamese sandwich to fill our stomach before washing up and surfing the net at the tour agency. Thereafter, we found ourselves on the 7hr bus to Phnom Penh on which Zi Kai got acquainted with Amanda, his new friend from China. =P

After surviving on snacks for lunch, I was glad to locate the highly recommended Capitol Guest House and we had a great dinner at an open roadside hawker. Cambodia food was not particularly cheap too but it was not as expensive as it was in Vietnam. We walked the city in the night, took in the sights and bought some essential supplies at a very expensive supermarket (prices were in USD).

Total expenses over 18 days: S$535
Participants: LSH, Zi Kai, Jing Kai, Lim Hwee

8 July 2009 (Day 3): Mui Ne, Vietnam

At around 7.45pm, we caught a bus to Mui Ne. There was this Korean lady who was travelling alone and I always marvel at the independence and strong wills of backpackers and adventurers who do it solo.

I bought rambutans along the way and it was literally my lunch. When we reached Mui Ne, we had a rented jeep and the driver took us to the first stop - the Fairy Stream. It was beautiful but the kids who acted as guides were persistent and very demanding in their requests for tips. Their greed was insatiable although we gave them quite a bit of money. Next, we visited the floating village where we collected some shells. The most fun stop was the white sand dunes where we basically destroyed a rented slide with our antics. There, we happened to meet a group of Singaporeans too. The yellow sand dunes was the last stop and I discovered my phone was jammed with sand. I had quite a big problem knocking out the sand which caused scratches and jammed both the slider and the keypad.

The jeep dropped us off at the tour agency and we went off in search of dinner. Coincidentally, we ran into the same group of Singaporeans and we had a BBQ dinner, which was not too great in my opinion. The other group found it good though. Time flies when we are having fun and it was soon time to part ways.

We never expect the best part to be back at the tour agency where we found ourselves playing with the local kids. Our bus was scheduled to arrived at 1am (GMT + 7hrs) and we had so much time to kill. The kids (Hong - 16, 14, Na - 12, Long - 8, May - 4 and 2) hung around the tour agency and they started playing with Lim Hwee and before long, we were all running an amusement park. The lady manning the agency closed shop at around 10pm but we continued our fun late into the night until the kids had to sleep. They were so reluctant to leave! I guess we all felt sad that when morning came, we would be long gone. I am sure they will remember us for a long time.

Our bus came a little late along the opposite side of the road and we were alarmed when it did not stop for us. When it came back down the road, we waved and stood right in front of the bus. Goodbye, Mui Ne.

Total expenses over 18 days: S$535
Participants: LSH, Zi Kai, Jing Kai, Lim Hwee

7 July 2009 (Day 2): Cu Chi Tunnels, Cho Lon, Vietnam

I had cheap vegetarian noodle soup (10000d/S$1) for breakfast. If there was meat, it would have been twice the price. I believe most locals prefer to eat at home instead of out as food in Vietnam is typically expensive for their standard of living.

En route to Cu Chi, we stopped by a handicraft centre where we witnessed handicapped individuals creating pieces of art and souvenirs. I was definitely impressed by their skills. We visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. Entry fees were certainly expensive and Lim Hwee was not very pleased with this but since we had come so far, it was worth the experience. I particularly like crawling through the tight tunnels but I can imagine how unpleasant it was during the war. I think Singaporeans are generally slightly larger than Vietnamese and we had a hard time squeezing through small parts. Caucasians cannot even fit the actual tunnel size dug during the war!

At the end of the tour, we had a tapioca tasting session and most of the foreigners didn't like it. For the four of us, it was definitely not worth our money to pay for the tapioca and we were hungry, so our bowl of tapioca and cups of tea were quickly finished!

The Cu Chi Tunnels tour ended mid-afternoon back in Saigon. Lim Hwee and I caught a local bus to Cho Lon, the Chinatown of Saigon, while Zi Kai and Jing Kai headed to Binh Thanh for some shopping. Food at Cho Lon was great, I had both dinner and desert there, but other than food and fruits, there was nothing much worth buying and we headed back.

Total expenses over 18 days: S$535
Participants: LSH, Zi Kai, Jing Kai, Lim Hwee

6 July 2009 (Day 1): Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

I left home on Sunday night for Zi Kai's place and he showed off his new driving skills by picking me up from the MRT. Early the following morning, Zi Kai's dad was kind enough to drive us to the airport (we had to check in at 5.15am) and we flew into Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam) by Tiger Airways TR326.

After clearing the Vietnamese customs, we trekked about 8km to Saigon's (sounds nicer than HCM) city centre (District 1). It was a pleasant surprise when we ran into Don, Wen Loong and their rugger buddies and they recommended us a guesthouse at the backpacker district along Pham Ngu Lao. We checked out several hotels near Cho Ben Thanh but found the better deals around Pham Ngu Lao, hence we checked into one for USD5 a night (per person) and proceeded to visit the War Remnants Museum.

It was interesting to view artefacts left over from the war (mostly from the US forces) and accounts on the horrors of Agent Orange. Not surprisingly, there were some bias in many of the accounts and write-ups. Late in the evening, after our museum visit, we stocked up on essential supplies at the nearby supermarket before walking to the other attractions in Saigon, such as the Reunification Palace, the Notre Dame Basilica and Central Post Office.

Both lunch and dinner at road-side stalls were expensive by local living standards and it was rather consistent through out the different districts in Ho Chi Minh. After a failed attempt to find the Singapore Tourism Centre, we decided to retire for the night.

Total expenses over 18 days: S$535
Participants: LSH, Zi Kai, Jing Kai, Lim Hwee

The Drop

I had fun mountain biking this morning at Track 15 and Scorpion with the guys. The weather was dry and traction was good. It was a splendid way to get some fresh air and some speed. I forgot all my woes as adrenaline coursed through my blood once again. The rather mild Track 15 made it perfect to go at higher speeds.

When we cycled Scorpion, I attempted to clear the two drops (I only did the second one last week). I cleared the first one fine but I slowed too much on my approach to the second drop-off. It proved a terrible mistake as my front wheel dipped and slowed too quickly. The momentum pushed my rear wheel forward and I found myself flying over the bars. As I hit the ground front first, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bike flipped through the air. At that instant, my back was exposed and I prayed the bike would not land on me! =P

Lesson learnt. I should have maintained enough speed to push the front wheel off and down or just sail through and land on both wheels. I usually prefer the former as I do not have that much confidence in myself and my bike, but it's prone to fail if the drop-off is too high. Daniel can execute beautiful jumps and land nicely on both wheels. His control is brilliant.

Off topic, I am glad to clear my Class 3 practical test yesterday. I have also prepared most of the stuff for our backpacking trip.

Total distance: 12km approx (off-road), 20km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: Ben, Faizul and his wife, Daniel, Pan, LSH

Sembawang Circuit: 6.3km run (1 July 2009)

This week seems slightly packed, especially towards the weekend. I hope all turns out well on Friday and I can continue my packing in peace =) Saturday will be a good day for a final off-road ride before a 3-4 week break. But I am sure other muscles will be well-exercised during the 3-4 weeks!