Shopping baju kurung di Ho Chi Minh

OMG it's been more than 2 years since my first attempt to blog!! Oh well- somehow somewhat the intention died for a short while only to be revived NOW..!
This is actually a copied write up written for my friends who asked me how was my trip to ho chi
minh like? So it's a guide for my Malay shopaholic girlfriends...here goes..:
My first trip 2008 i tak buat homework sgt sbb follow husband pegi meeting - so most of d time merayap sorang2 kat city jer. Shopping pun kat ben thanh market yg panas dan memenatkan sbb nak tawar menawar memanjang- diorang letak price sume giler giler mahal so u hv to bargain really really hard.. Back then susah nak jumpa malaysian.
 
These days if u pegi malaysian are everywhere.. sellers tu kekadang boleh cakap melayu dgn kita..air asia mmg buat " now everyone can fly..!!" Another airline aprt fr MAS is Vietnam airlines. Tapi tak semurah air asia la i rasa (based on their website price). 
 
Second trip last july bawak mother in law MIL yg memang hajat nak ber shopping jer (sebab just before ramadhan/raya kan..) - so i check dgn my aunty yg dah pegi 15 kali mana kedai2 sesuai nak bawak my MIL shopping. Selain MIL ....i bawak 3 kids and 1 baby - so along with hubby - ada 3 adults, 3 kids n a baby (7 pax!)
 
I stayed at An Tam Hotel sebab dekat ben thanh market (yg lively malam2) n senang MIL nak jln shopping.. (only 20 steps away fr ben thanh market).  Ada another hotel right opposite an tam hotel yg sgt famous dgn malaysian (siap serve halal breakfast sbb msian ramai mintak tapi bfast halal dia stil sgt ltd) - tak ingat apa ntah nama tapi byk msian yg ambik package duduk hotel tu. I tak nak duduk hotel tu sbb my aunty yg dah 15 kali pegi cakap at USD100/- night tak berbaloi sbb most of d time kita keluar jer - balik hotel utk tido (btw my aunty yg dah pegi 15 kali nih mak datin n dia duduk hotel USD10-12/- per night dgn geng2 mak datin dia..!! ).  So an tam yg opposite tu actually hotel baru bukak mid 2011 - n i took dua triple rooms dia - each triple room cost USD60/- per night. But i must warn hotel an tam ni breakfast dia really tak best langsung- yg boleh makan toast jer- so kalau nak duduk situ try ask no breakfast rate k. Nak breakfast pegi jln kaki ke VN Halal (refer attachment) - abt one block away. Cuma harga muslim food kat sana mahal sikit drpd non halal establishments i.e. harga roti canai sekeping back then if convert fr Dong ke RM was abt RM8/- sekeping..! teh tarik dlm RM3 ke RM4/-  So our breakfast for 3 adults n 3 kids was average abt RM70/-... kira mahal la kan kalau compare dgn breakfast biasa biasa kat mesia nih..!!! Nak senang bawak serunding n beli roti jer kat kedai convenient store mcm 7-11 dia kat sana (ada one opposite an tam hotel).
 
The 3 famous kedai2 kalau nak beli baju kurung, jubah, tudung dan seangkatan nya as attached - Minh collections, Hong Anh and Daina's collection.  Baju kurung yg i tengok jual dlm RM300-400 kat subang parade shops - same ones dekat saigon jual dlm USD25-30 jerrr.. Actually kat mana2 kedai pun ada jual baju kurung and telekung - cuma these 3 yg i sempat collect biz cards diorang.  Telekung boleh dpt dlm USD12 ke atas - depending byk mana bunga sulam kat telekung tu - sulam timbul ke tak - ie lagi byk bunga along with sulam timbul maka makin mahal ler.. Dekat kedai Minh u (3 floors) ada jual jubah sulam2 harga USD10/- jer so i borong tu buat kan souvenir utk family..!!!
 
Beg Ipa-nema - is vietnam's cult handbag brand yg some hollywood celebrities reputedly adore. Kat vietnam of course (made in vietnam) lebih murah drpd dekat US. D bags design penuh dgn beads accessories etc.So a matter of personal taste. I bought a simple leather bag without beads etc for USD100/- La Bella shop (ref attachment) is a shop i bought leather handbag for my mum n MIL (murah sikit fr Ipa-nema ; ada bargain corner on 2nd floor)
 
Kalau u all malas makan luar - boleh order by phone jer dgn Kedai Samsuddin (ref attachment).  They deliver to all hotels within abt 30-45 mins - but kena wait for delivery boy naik motosikal kat lobby. Amongst all kedai halal i've gone to - kedai samsuddin punya delivery paling murah n sedap. Just call d mobile phone no, he can cakap melayu - so order jer la apa2 masakan melayu dgn dia. Masa my first trip i n hubby dgn naive nyer order Pho yg seafood (d famous vietnamese noodle soup) kat pasar malam ben thanh tu thinking seafood shud be halal la kan - but apparently we were told by muslim vietnamese all Pho yg takde tanda halal for sure ada babi - even "vegetarian' pho pun most likely ada babi gak dlm soup dia - vietnamese in genreral love their pork/lard. Lepas tahu tu kembang tekak.. sampai today bila teringat jer isssh rasa kembang tekak...!!! 
 
On touristy places - sorry i tak pegi pun sbb byk habis masa bershopping.  Satu jer yg pegi War Memorial Museum.  Very touching tengok gambar victims vietnam war - my 8 yo girl sedih tengok gambar children bodies n victims of agent orange yg cacat badan etc sampai cakap "mama if i am Allah i would stop all these wars.." (???!!!)
 
Lagi satu precaution on taxi - naik cuma VinaSun and Mei Linh.  A friend pernah kena rompak naik taxi sebarangan (were ask to give her handbag n valuables yg dia pakai).  even VinaSun and Mei Linh tu pun ada copycats - so beware. Get them to use meter k.  Also it helps to hv d name of places u nak pegi written in vietnamese bcos diorang even tourist place pun drivers taxi dia blur se mcm tak tahu jugak..!!
 
Another thing - motorsikal kat sana sgt sgt sgt sgt lahhh byk byk byk..!!!  bila nak cross d roads yg ada beribu ribu motorsikal tu kan - yg penting keep on walking at same pace - dont ever lari or patah balik - bcos their motorcyclist akan elak kan u based on your consistent pace - d moment u panic n run or patah balik - tu yg buat diorang pun confuse. So just brave thru jer - jgn takut2..!!
 
USD is used everywhere. I byk tukar duit ke USD instead of Dong sbb Dong ni mcm Rupiah - byk sgt kosong kosong kat blkg - kira in USD senang lagi. And tukar RM ke Dong lebih murah kat sana than at mesia (at least thats d rate i got bila tukar dekat money changer near to an tam hotel).
 
Kalau u all suka fruits - try ler beli n makan fruits2 dia kat sana (basuh sendiri dulu tau - takut sakit perut if harap kan dia cuci dgn air tak bersih ker..) - rata2 very sweet n juicy - esp buah mata kucing dia. Ciku dia besar2.  Durian dia pun besar2, very fleshy n sweet - i suka tapi my kids n hubby cakap durian mesia sedap lagi (a matter of personal taste..!!)

To Bali with a 2-year old!

I realized that I need to jot down memories from my travels as these are precious to me and my lil darling...and sadly my memory is not as superb as it used to be... no its not aging..its just kinda saturated a bit lately...hehe!!

Well my lil 2 yo and i went to Bali end 2005 and my cousin followed us as she has always adored the company of my lil girl and needed to take a break anyway.
My other cousin suggested that we spend our hols in Ubud as Bali just witnessed the brutal bombings in Kuta area few months earlier and we just dont want to take any risks!

We stayed at this lovely serene neat place called Tegal Sari. Upon arriving, i was touched by the warm personalized service they rendered. It didnt end just on the check in counter - for the next 4 days they we all always tentative and friendly to us and i find the complimentary drop off and pick up service around Ubud area were especially useful for a mother like me travelling with an active toddler. I can be rest assured of the safety and get to enjoy our trip out everytime and spare the money to shop for more souvenirs later on! its was truly superb...a 3-star hotel with touch of services of a hotel better than a 5-star indeed..!!! (and i've stayed at countless hotels around the globe - so i really mean this..!!)

My lil darling getting cosy in bed - the low rise bed works well for my lil toddler - i dont have to worry she'll fall off from bed while i recuperate from the daily lengthy tours we made from dawn til dusk that 4 days!!

I Love Tioman

I went to Tioman again June 2009 after almost 7 years from my last trip there. This time around I did not go to the common place most people would end up at - Berjaya Resort. Our accommodation was simply called Tioman House - and the moment I stepped in our chalet - I felt relaxed and at ease. Tioman House is located near the ABC jetty - only about 3 minutes easy walk. I love this side of Tioman. Peaceful, serene and nice. My lil girl walk around happily and I for once do not have to worry about her safety wandering around by herself.


The kids playing by the beach on their own - so nice not to have to worry about their safety...I wanna move here..such bliss..


We spent one whole day island hopping and snorkelling and it was fantastic!! We burned ourselves in the process (somehow the so called water resistant high SPF sunblock just dont work despite me slathering myself in it every now and then)but it was worth the few days of skin peeling off herein after...well at least for a week or so. I wish I had the time and opportunity to take up diving as well whilst there but oh-well...maybe next time!


The guys having fun at one of the islands around Tioman. Yes...Tioman do have crystal-clear, mineral-water-like Water...!!!!

I love this Island. I cant wait to move here ....someday...!!!!!!!!

Musings

I need to blog. I need to sort out things in my head. I have so many things in my head right now - helping out dear hubby with his biz, build a start up company with my ex colleague, create something totally my own. Where do I start? I have some ideas...and am still testing these ideas by going around sharing with trusted friends.
Tomorrow I am leaving for Jakarta to check out the InaCraft exhibition there.
I hope to learn few things bout the handicraft market and hopefully be able to solidify the scattered ideas in my head.
Am so glad two of my close fiends are coming along.
Am hoping to get some ideas, inspirations and have loads of fun too there..
Shall see...