Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon Central Post Office

Another landmark of the city that is within close proximity of the Independence Palace as well as the Notre Dame Cathedral (in fact, it is just opposite the church) is the Saigon Central Post Office. Unlike our central post office at Dayabumi Complex in Kuala Lumpur (nothing special about it), the building that houses the post office is simply majestic and grand. 

Saigon Central Post Office

Constructed when Vietnam was still part of the French Indochina, the building bears similarly colonial architectures many buildings in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) still exhibit. A little trivial fact for you guys. This Saigon Central Post Office building was designed and constructed by none other than the famous Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, France!

The interior

Massive map decorating the building

I spent a good hour or two in the building, writing postcards to be sent to my friends back home. It was so syok (for lack of better words) to do my postal activities in such a beautiful and atmospheric post office.

I wish our post office can be as grand and enchanting as the Saigon Central Post Office.

I curi snapped this photo of two Vietnamese ladies in their traditional costumes

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

The opening hour of the Saigon Central Post Office is from 7.00am to 8.00pm. If you are postcards enthusiasts or philatelic, there are many choices for you to choose from in the structure, so fret not.  

Ho Chi Minh City - Notre Dame Cathedral

Just about one block away from the Reunification Palace (or Independence Palace, whichever name suit your preference), I then proceed to my next destination, the Notre Dame Cathedral. This is one of the few famous churches in  Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and among the most beautiful in Southeast Asia, in my opinion, though I have yet to fully explore every corner of the region. 

The Notre Dame Cathedral

Also known as the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica (there are often many names attached to one building, just like the Independence Palace/Reunification Palace), it was established by the French colonialists back when Vietnam was one of the French conquests. 

I won't bore you with its history since I myself am not too familiar with it (if you are interested, you can always refer to its Wikipedia page here). While I was there, I came across a number of couples having their wedding shoots taken with the basilica as the background and you can see that this historical structure is well-loved by many Vietnamese. 

I stumbled across 3 couples having their wedding shoots taken there

Not only couples want to have their wedding pictures taken there, tourists too want to have a shot with the beautiful structure.

Profile shot of some travellers...

Here are some random shots of the building:

The back of the church

Lastly, of me with the Notre Dame Cathedral.

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

The church is close and only open during Sunday Mass at 9.30 am. Therefore, I was unable to have a look at its interior as I was not in the city on Sunday. If you want to attend its Sunday Mass, plan your trip properly.

*Update* Apparently, even if you visited during weekdays, there is a side door that you can use to access into the cathedral if the main gate is closed. I'm not too sure whether this piece of information is real or not as I myself just found out about it. Please let me know if this is doable or not.

Friday’s Newsflash – Air Asia Free Seat Promotion and AllMalaysia’s Virtual Travel Fair

This week’s Friday’s Newsflash will be packed with information for us travel junkies.

The first one being that Air Asia is having its Free Seat promotion. It’s not exactly smoking hot news as most of you should know about it. Domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur begin an all-inclusive fare of RM 26 while international flights are from RM 56 onwards. Booking period is from 18 to 23 September 2012 with international flights open for booking from 20 to 23 September 2012. Travel period is from 1 April to 30 September 2013.

To be frank, this Free Seat promotion is nothing to shout about. Yes, it is cheaper than the normal fare but not as cheap as the old days. I mean, flying to Kota Kinabalu takes more than RM 100 for return ticket? Last year, I managed to secure a return ticket at RM 40 plus for this year’s April (though I ended up burning the ticket).

As for the international destinations, flying to Semarang takes more than RM 200 for return trips? I went there with their launching price at around RM 176 for return ticket. All in all, cheap, but not THAT cheap. However, I’m still a sucker for it since I’m planning to fly somewhere around that time frame.

The second news of the day is the Virtual Travel Fair 2012 that is going on at the moment. Starting from 7 September to 30 September 2012, you can hunt for the perfect travel package that you have been waiting for. With both domestic and international travel packages to choose from, you will be spoilt for choices.

Besides that, Macau Tourism Office is sponsoring a 3D/2N trip for two worth RM 3,000 for one lucky person. All you have to do to win that fantastic prize is to just count the number of SOTA logos in the picture and create a creative slogan. That’s all and you are on your way to winning an amazing trip.

For more information regarding the contest or the travel packages, click here.

Ho Chi Minh City - Independence Palace (or Reunification Palace)

Back to my Vietnam trip after a long, long hiatus.

So, after my first stop at BenThanh market, I continued my exploration of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), walking towards my next stop, the Independence Palace, aka the Reunification Palace, with my trusty one-page map as my guide. The historic building is not too far from the Ben Thanh market, about 5 to 10 minutes of walking.

The scary number of scooters in the city

A brief history on the famous landmark of HCMC. Known as the Norodom Palace back when it was built in 1871 by the French, it switched hand in 1954 when the French withdrew from Vietnam and it became Independence Palace and served as the home of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam which was the South Vietnam.

The Independence Palace or Reunification Palace

When Vietnam was divided into two regions, namely the North (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam, it was a dark time in the history of the country. Civilian casualties were many as both were in the Vietnam War. Even the Independence Palace did not survive the war as the left wing of the building was bombed and completely destroyed in 1962. The Prime Minister ordered a complete reconstruction of a new palace on the same site which is the Independence Palace that we know now.

The Independence Palace was also the site of the end of the long Vietnam War, when the North Vietnamese Army tank crashed the main gates and Saigon (the now HCMC) was fallen in 1975. After welcoming ministers and presidents from around the world, becoming host to conferences and meetings, the Independence Palace has officially opened for public viewing in 1990.

Le Duan boulevard and fountain in front of the palace

The current building incorporated both the modern and oriental traditional designs. It is a massive structure with four main floors inclusive ground floor, a basement, 2 mezzanines, 1 terrace and about 100 rooms of various functions and designs. Some of these rooms are lavishly decorated, with detailed carpets and furniture, a reflection of its grandeur past.  

There are tour guides provided by the management team of the Reunification Palace and while most of them are catered to the locals, there are English speaking guides to help provide a better understanding of the history of the building. While exploring the landmark, I saw a group of Westerners with a Vietnamese guide giving a tour and I joined them to gain a better insight of the Independence Palace.

The Vietnamese guide giving a tour of the building

Here's a pictorial tour of the building. Warning, it's heavily loaded with pictures.

Friday's Newsflash - Malindo Airways is on the Way!

There is a new low cost carrier venturing to the sky comes next May and we consumers will definitely be spoilt for choices. Besides the reigning Air Asia, next year, Malindo Airways will make its maiden appearance and join other LCCs in connecting regional countries.

Malindo Airways will be making the new KLIA2 as its transit hub and that its initial routes would be between Malaysia and Indonesia as well as connecting the Peninsula with the East Malaysia before expanding its network to neighbourhood countries within four hours of flight. Its ticket fares will be lower or at least at par with Air Asia, according to Lion Air director Rusdi Kirana during press conference. PT Lion, which operates Lion Air, owns 49% share of the new LCC.

Our PM holding a Malindo aircraft - photo courtesy of The Stars

Even though Malindo Airways is a LCC, it will offer free in-flight entertainment, a light meal and WiFi facilities and there will be two classes, business and economic. There are still no news regarding its flight routes and the airline has yet to have Malaysian air operating license. However, once all these issues are settled, you can be sure that the air traffics will be much heavier next May.

Speaking of Air Asia, another new route has been launched and it is to Nanning, China. Air Asia will be flying thrice a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) starting 11 December 2012 and for its launching promotion, you can fly to Nanning at RM 99 one way. This promotional fare lasts until 16 September 2012 for travelling period between 11 December 2012 and 22 May 2013. You can learn more about the deal and what the attractions are in Nanning here. 

Petaling Jaya - Dinner at Piccadilly's, Petaling Jaya

I know my Vietnam posts are behind schedule (not that I have any) and I will do my best to share my adventures in the country as fast as I can. I'm waiting for inspiration to strike! As of now, let me share with you my culinary adventure here in Kuala Lumpur.

A bunch of us had decided to go to Piccadilly's for dinner after Lady Percival showered the restaurant with nothing but good recommendations and the fact that she's a frequent visitor to the place showed good fate. Hence, we went for it last Saturday for dinner. Technically, it's not my first time there since Lady Percival had brought me once but it was just for chit chatting and no eating involved. 

Indian Chilli Chicken - RM 8.00

Cabonara Fettucini with Bacon - RM 11.00

The appetizer (Indian chilli chicken) was awesome. Spicy enough to tantalize your taste bud but would not leave you all pouring in sweats, in my opinion. Cabonara fettucini was nothing special but still tasty and very creamy. My baked seafood was cheesy favourite of mine though it's a bit of a misnomer since there were more mushrooms than prawns and squids. The squids were a tad bit too dried. As for the briyani chicken maharajah, I loved the sweet sauce, not spicy at all.

Baked Seafood - RM 10.50

Briyani Chicken Maharajah - RM 9.90

The food was delicious and it was definitely in the affordable range. Everything is pretty much in standard price which is a plus point for the restaurant. The environment is great what with the choice of songs being played at the background. Unfortunately, like any other non-high end restaurants, sports are their main channels and when there are football matches going on, songs are off and live telecasts are played. Nothing to complain about as I'm used to it. 

Look at the TV at the back...

Overall, it is a good damn spot to eat and have a good time out with friends. The fact that it is accessible by LRT is always a good thing especially for those without a car of his own like yours truly. I will definitely be back for more!

Restaurant Piccadilly's,

Millennium Square (LG006 & LG007), Petaling Jaya.

Disclaimer:

This is just my own opinion and not a paid review.

Merdeka Celebration

Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan Ke-55 or Happy 55th Independence Day! Our beautiful country celebrated its 55 years of independence last Friday, 31 August 2012, and we Malaysians were blessed with a long weekend. So, during the Merdeka weekend, where did you go to???

It was a hectic 3 days for me from the moment I stepped off from my train ride back to Ipoh. On the Merdeka day itself, I went to George Town together with 4 of my school friends. It was a day trip thing and the main point was to search for those beautiful mural arts decorating the streets of the heritage enclave of the island. These mural arts have been in the spotlight since early this year as part of the George Town Festival 2012 and not all of the headlines were the good kinds.

The most popular of them all, "Little Children on a Bicycle"

Just early last month, news of the paintings being vandalized were the centre of attentions in every major newspapers, creating an uproar over the issue. It's sad to see that there are some people who do not appreciate arts and are set to destroy it. However, I do not agree with the idea of setting CCTV on the neighbourhood (which were suggested by my friends) as it shows a bad side of our society. Are we not capable of taking care of our own heritage and have to have it constantly under surveillance?

Anyhow, the trip was a success and I got to take a good look at those wonderful street arts. The bonus point had to be the delicious foods we had at China House (along Beach Street) and Mews Cafe (along Muntri Street). Seriously, I would love to move back to George Town and stay there. Penang has become a whole lot hippier.

The delectable choices of cakes in China House

Us five...

Then, the next two days, I went with my family to Genting Highland. After the whole fiasco of Singapore trip, I was reserved in joining them again for another trip in such a short time. However, I wasn't given much of an option to start with and Genting Highland is always the easiest and least likely to have family dramas due to the familiarity of the mountain resort. And guess what, I was right!

Spinner, a popular ride in Genting

While there is nothing new in term of its outdoor attractions, it still quite nice to be back to the place I visited at least once a year during my childhood. It was not as cold as I remembered (global warming is to be blamed) but still chilly enough. My baby sister has a lot of fun which is a plus point.

Heavy mist in the resort

The ladies in my house

More updates on both trips soon after my Vietnam trip. Seriously lagging in my updates.

*TO BE CONTINUED*