I love Saigon!
Ho Chi Minh City, more popularly known as Saigon, is the largest city in the country of Vietnam. Vietnam, and in particular Ho Chi Minh City, is full of historical sites which is very interesting. Some of the more famous sites include the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum. Both of which have great meaning in regards to the Vietnam War.
Pho and Spring Rolls, Vietnam's finest delicacies!
I went to Saigon about a month ago. And I loved it! It has this laid-back feel that will just make you want to just chill. It’s a green city. It’s clean and the air is not polluted. The main mode of transportation are scooters/motorcycles. It is a young city with so much potential. I consider this as one of my more cultural travels.
Motorcycles and Scooters are the main means for transportation in Saigon.
What I like best about Vietnam is that the people are very nice and very accommodating. They are friendly. And they love their culture. When you go on the tours. You’ll see that they still wear they’re national dress. And people still wear their traditional inverted cone-shaped hats. Which I think is very effective in blocking sunlight. That’s why people there are fair-skinned amidst the very hot weather.
Mekong River is part of Vietnam's daily life. It is the longest river in Vietnam.
This is the temple near Mekong Delta. I forgot the name but this is Vietnam's largest Buddhist Temple.
We went to various tourist spots in Saigon. We went to Chuchi tunnel, an underground shelter, where the Vietcongs (Vietnamese warriors) hid themselves for over 20 years during the Vietnam War. We also went to the Mekong River and rode the kayak-like boats. It was so much fun! But It was also sad because we saw the remnants of the past war. It was devastating. As the Vietnamese people said, they did not harness anger against the Americans because they are Buddhist and Buddhist people are forgiving. But I’m not Buddhist. So if I were the President of Vietnam, I won’t let any American in my country. haha well that’s just me.
Remnants of the Vietnam War. So sad!
I love Vietnam. I will go back there probably in Hanoi. 
I miss Pho!
Hong Kong is OK.
I came to Hong Kong about a month ago and it was OK. It’s not as beautiful as Singapore but it’s OK. The people are not that friendly and there are no hawker places so it’s really hard to find authentic chinese food in the city. Other than that, I think the best thing about Hong Kong is the cityscape and the flea market.
Here are the places to visit when in Hong Kong.
- Victoria Harbour is at it’s best during the holidays because you can watch the Symphony of lights in the middle of the sea. The cruise is about 2 hours long for HK$60.
- The Peak - Hong Kong’s most popular attraction, The Peak offers spectacular views over the city, harbour and mountains beyond. We came there at around 6pm and the weather is about 8 degrees and I was wearing a see-through blouse! It was so cold I actually froze! If you want a better view and to experience the hype of going up the mountain top, take the Peak Tram.
- Hong Kong Disneyland is a wonderland for children! I didn’t enjoy much coz I’m an extreme ride freak but it was fine. It was a magical place so if you’re an adrenaline junkie, then this is not the place for you.
- Ladies’ Market in Tung Choi Street is the place for bags, accessories and inexpensive women’s clothing. Men’s and children’s clothing and toys are also on sale. It starts at around 11am so if you’re an early bird, better check out the mall first before heading out to the flea market.
- Temple Street Night Market is of course a night market. It starts at around 4pm so after shopping in the Ladies’ you can continue shopping here.
- Avenue of the Stars – It’s like the walk of fame in Las Vegas. You can see hand prints of famous chinese stars such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee (just the star, no handprint).
Overall, it was a fun experience. It was a 3-day walkathon and I loved it. Hong Kong may not be the best place to take a vacation to but it’s definitely one of the places that every asian should go to.
Gloria: Doctor, Doctor, I am sick!
Digital Karma, this is the best way to describe Gloria Arroyo’s recent misfortunes. Years ago, she ordered her DOJ Secretary to make a circular, thus, the birth of the watchlist order or more common term, the hold-departure order. She used this during her time, and now, she will reap what she sow.
I honestly think that she is sick. I really think her conscience is acting up and her body can’t bear it. Her physical sickness might be fatal but I don’t think she’s too lucky to catch a rare sickness. A sickness that will need her to go abroad coz the equipment needed for diagnosis is not available in the Philippines. For this, I must give high regards to her research team, for coming up with that brilliant disease. These guys should get a raise Madam ex-president!
I have nothing against this poor old woman. But unlike most of the Filipino populace, I want her to rot behind large steel bars. Maybe coz I’m so apathetic towards her. She has this aura that assures me that she should not and cannot in any way be trusted. Maybe it’s in the mole or maybe her gigantic rabbit teeth. All I can imagine is her getting a tattoo in her triceps and people massaging her coz she’s the boss of the crowd. YEAH!
I just hope this is not just another show off justice where no one gets convicted as if nothing happened. I wish this time, History won’t repeat itself! Coz I’m so sick of this melodrama! Let the Thug of War begin!
Singapore: The New Dubai
Why Singapore?
Singapore is a small country which was once part of Malaysia during the British rule. Since its separation from Malaysia, it had massive economic growth and became one of the four asian tigers (Hongkong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore).
Singapore has been highly urbanized but the architecture and urban layout was so superb that almost half of the country is covered with greenery. It’s so beautiful, it’s as if the whole country is a big botanical garden.
There goes the first reason why Singapore is the place to be. Second reason is that Singapore is home to the World’s biggest multinational companies in Asia! Asia Pacific Head Quarters of the World’s biggest financial institutions are based in Singapore; Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, Merrill-Lynch, Citibank, Barclay’s, Credit Suisse, Deutsche, JP Morgan, and others. Hospitality is also one of fast rising industries in Singapore. Knowing this, we can assume that it really is a haven for the asian working class.
Unlike Japan and South Korea, Singapore’s cost of living is relatively lower because food and rent are cheaper. The average cost of rent is about SGD200-SGD700 per room/month and SGD1200-2500 per loft/month depending on the level of comfort. Food is cheap when you shop and cook it yourself but when you dine out often you will be broke because fastfood meals cost around SGD5-SGD15 per meal. And not to mention the cost of beer if you drink in bars because you can be dead broke in just one night. But of course, the standard of cheap and expensive things are relative to your income. If you’re a Singaporean yuppie then you can totally afford drinking out everyday. Also, it’s fairly easy for immigrant workers to communicate and roam around the city because most of the locals there could speak and understand English.
So why do I opt to visit or work in Singapore than Dubai? Primarily because, it’s just 3-4 hours away from the Philippines, its weather is fairly similar to the Philippines, and SGD to PHP conversion is higher than that of Dubai.
