Snippets here and there

Don’t underestimate the power of roadside RM 1 fried chickens-perfectly crispy skin, juicy center and nicely seasoned.

It comes with various types of chicken parts: thighs, wings, breast.  Fried chicken lovers guarantee take more than 1 piece.

Large numbers of oBike i.e silver and orange colors are available in the campus.

oBike is based on bicycle-sharing concept where the users can park the bicycle anywhere. To make oBike works, I download the oBike app to find the nearby bicycle as well as lock and unlock the bicycles.

I limit myself to ride within 1 hour, as I will be charged for every few minutes riding oBike.

It’s not that good after experiencing. oBike is the heavy bike. I use more energy to pedal it couple with heavy breathing. If on the hilly roads, I get down from the oBike and pushing it up the hill.

 This is sleepy stray or homeless cat lying down to enjoy the sunshine on the tile floor. 

Google image: Doctor X season 5

I never get tired with this medical drama-Doctor X from season 3 to 5.  

I really like the way Daimon sensei portrayed as the good freelance doctor-always prioritize patients more than anything else.

Daimon sensei says these:

“As the doctor you have second chance for doing surgery but the patients have one chance”.

“You can’t remember all your patients because he or she is among all your many patients. Contrary, for patients, you’re his or her only doctor. That’s why I can remember all the patients”.

No doubt and such the true statements.

Coming here for lunch after partner in crime suggesting this place-restaurant under sky road bridge,Changlun (kedai di bawah titi)

I’ve nasi goreng ayam.

The fried rice is quite good whereas the fried chicken sambal sauce adds the flavors to the fried rice.

Imperial Summer Palace, Chengde

It's the avoid heat resort build by emperors to spend the summer season. 

Emperor Kang Xi writes the wrong word. The word “避” has extra strokes. Is he not paying attention or concern what he is writing? Or it is just muscle memory in his fingers?

Male stone lion has a ball under the paw representing weapons and masculine.

Female stone lion is seen with a cub symbolized guardianship over the kids. 

 Main pavilion where the emperor handle the state affairs. 

The decorations are based on 吉 word.

 The secret of Emperor Kang Xi’s youthfulness is praying to the God. So, the first thing he did in the morning is praying. 

Little surprise by the tiny living quarters of the emperors since I expect lavish, large buildings and decorations.

This may look like the ordinary wood pillars but it’s made by Jinsi Nanmu (金丝楠木)-the valuable wood available to the royals for their thrones and furniture.

It’s hard to find Jinsi Nanmu woods nowadays.

But I notice Jinsi Nanmu woods can make incense sticks and we have one box incense sticks.

 Make a wish and hope for the best 

This is not the mini Potala, instead it's in imperial summer palace

No stairs to the upper buildings. It only can access by the stone staircases. Innovative!!! 

 Filming location of My Fair Princess (环珠格格)

The buildings are well-maintained

The gardens and lake are so beautiful. I could for the long time for watching. 

✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌

"Chengde Foods"

Roasted chestnuts are on sale.  

While in Beijing, roasted chestnuts turns into mobile street foods. The chestnuts vendors set up the selves connected to the back of the motorcycles or tricycle. 

Donkey rolling/lu da gun (驴打滚）- a cake made with sweet red bean paste and sticky rice flour. 

 Mash potatoes with corn syrup. A very good taste!

 I love the way China cooks the lambs as it has no lamb odors and bad smells. I can’t recognize it and hope to have it in every meal.

I've no idea about this dish. But one thing I reckon is delicious-refreshing and packed with flavors

Dinner. Peanuts can be seen in all the dishes in China either Beijing, Chengde and Wulanbutong grassland.

Misadventures on the Mekong River, Ho Chi Minh

I used this travel agency-King Pearl Travel (close proximity to Ben Thanh market) for full day tour of Cu Chi Tunnel and Mekong River. The duration tour was 8am-6pm and price 1300,000 VND including entrance tickets, foods and drinks.

I set off from King Pearl Travel with high expectations of the great lunch and river boat expedition but it turns out to be the WORST travel agency I have ever used.

Hence, rather than fantastic tales from Mekong River, I highlight what King Pearl Travel has been doing. 

1. They promise more than they can deliver

This is the main reason I’m so disappointed by this travel agency. They deliver less than what they had advertised in the travel brochures.

Front desk lady-Aina promises us we don’t have to spend any single cents on full day tour of Cu Chi Tunnel and Mekong River. It ends up we have to pay for our drinks during lunch times. Additionally, the lunch we have is ala carte type but we realized it is necessary to share with tour members. 

For example, four fried popiah is served and shared with 4 tour members. Each member gets one fried popiah. This is completely contrast Aina’s lunch description- “You have everything for your lunch ranged from noodles, fruits, rice etc. 

Her promises like bullshit 

2. Forcing the tour members writing his positive reviews of service on Tripadvisor.

Our tour guide, Lu requests us to review his good service on Tripadvisor. According to him, the good reviews increase his year-end bonus. My friend wants to review later when we back to the hotel plus WIFI issue. Lu without hesitation demands my friend to review in the van and reassure my friend WIFI is available. At that point, there's not much we can do. 

I can’t help but think my own frustration for so called “fake” reviews. In my opinion, the customers’ reviews must be truthful and fair. The service providers have no rights to interfere the reviews. Moral lessons: not all the reviews of Tripadvisor can trust. Some reviews can be liar.

The tour guide, Lu 

Quick reviews under the "instruction" of Lu

3. Bring us to the tourist traps to give tips and purchase products

We were taken to the bee farm. A lady then brings a wooden bee crate.  The bees were at work and Lu asks us to snap photos. That’s it, nothing else anymore. The bees looking and taking photos take 3 minutes. We then ushered to a table tasting the honey teas and snacks. They just want us to purchase honey related products. Another stop we had also request some “tips” to be given to the singers.  They are terrible live performers as their faulty and pretty low voices. 

Cemetery next to the house. 

Besides that, the river boat paddlers pretend working hard in front of us and demand tips. My friend just gives the small amounts as a grateful response to them. They startpestering us by saying “not enough, not enough, 1 USD, 1 USD, 1 USD”. They were too pushy. I decide not to give her by playing deaf. Plus, I expect this is the responsibility of the travel agency to pay these boat paddlers wages so that we as the tourist don’t have to pay. Importantly, I complain to Lu but he answers the tips you all give are very small amount, it seems invaluable in Vietnam.   WHAT THE FUCK !!!

Pushy and commercialized boat paddler

Mekong river

Given the above information, my advice is doing the travel agencies research thoroughly when you want to book the tours. Please don’t like me by taking the travel agency that looking good at the paper. Below is the contact details of King Pearl Travel.

King Pearl Travel

17 Thu Khoa Huan, Ward Ben Thanh, District 1, HCMC

Email: kingpearl17@gmail.com

Web: kingpearl.com.vn

Life Underground at Cu Chi Tunnel

If you think Cu Chi tunnel is large and comfortable where you can do what you want, you’re wrong!

It’s not that luxury. It appears during Vietnam wars and used to fight against the Americans-the most powerful army in the world with all sorts of aircraft and technologies that kept on searching the Vietnam soldiers day and night.

If the Vietnam soldiers get caught, not only they died but also the entire tunnel systems are discovered which might cause dangers to others in the tunnels systems.

Vietnam soldiers therefore make use of the tunnel systems, being more resilient and smarter than their enemies to survive.  

So, how the tunnel systems look like and how did Vietnam soldiers built it? 

  This is the entrance of the tunnel. The guide picks a heap of dried leaves to cover the entrance of the tunnels to ensure the enemies not discover it.

 Booby traps, one of the trap Vietnam soldiers use to ambush the Americans soldiers.

Can't imagine if I fall down. Must be pain to death. 

One of important part of the tunnel-ventilation holes are hided in the foot of trees, fake hills, termite nests.

Americans soldiers once used the shepherd dogs to detect the Vietnam soldiers and foods. The Vietnam soldiers utilize stolen American soaps in order to make the shepherd dogs identify them as friendly. 

Additionally, the captured and stolen American soldiers’ uniforms were tied at the ventilation holes to confuse the dogs. 

I appreciate Viet Congs' brilliant and expertise to build and hide the ventilation holes from the enemies.

 Door trap. 

Viet Cong recycle the weapons of Americans by taking few years times. 

 making rice papers 

Vietnam soldiers makes the sandals from the rubbers with shaped backwards to thwart anyone following their foot trails

Vietnam soldiers rubber shoes with shaped backwards are available in various sizes 

The entrance of the tunnels. The tour let us go down to the tunnels. The tunnels get deeper and narrower.

So, when I reach emergency exit tunnel each 20 meters I choose to go out as I found it too hot.

Hidden beneath the tunnels have underground kitchen, water wells, hospitals, food/weapon supply storage store and schools. 

 meeting room

Hospital 

Water wells

The special tunnels for releasing the cooking smokes. These tunnels are in other places as not to give enemies Viet Cong locations. 

Viet Cong uniforms

Seeing the above tunnel conditions, the life in tunnels is extremely difficult for Vietnam soldiers. The tunnels are damp and dark. Air, food and waters are scare. The tunnels definitely infested with ants, poisonous snakes, scorpions, worms and centipedes.  

Vietnam soldiers are not the supermen so they afraid with those poisonous snakes, scorpions, worms and centipedes. At the meantime, they have to face the constant attacks from the American soldiers either underground or the ground.

When comes to worst condition, they have to eat grass and drink urine to survive. Fortunately, everything is over-no wars, no gun shooting sounds and no injuries.