TravelStream™ news feed for member mambo_italiano on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mambo_italiano en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:05:39 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217838600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217838600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217838600/tpod.html Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:05:39 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Rome, Lazio, Italy

So, it's all over. That 2 month trip that looked so distant and so long has come to an end while it seems we were out for no more than 2 weeks. The only thing I can do now is to look at the thousands of pictures (mostly thanks to Dominique), read the journal in which I wrote every day for the first 3 weeks of my Asia trip and then never touched again for the next 5 weeks (I barely had time to sleep and eat therefore journaling always took the backseat), remember the amazing people I (or better yet we) have met and know I will stay in touch with like Adrienne, Tracy, Jordan, Alex, Gary (from Stamford) etc. but also remember the ones that without even knowing it have changed my life after a simple hour or two conversation which include the 70+ year old cyclist I met in Manila over some glasses of free wine or the several people that told us to go to Veng Vieng, the only city we went to that was not on our original itinerary. All these are just some of the things that run through my head in this bittersweet moment and I am trying to hold on to them for dear life as I want to never forget even the most minute detail of the past 2 months of my life.I remember seeing the first Buddha and the first temple in Bali and being so impressed by it. Then plenty of weeks later I remember seeing my thousandth Buddha and temple and being "templed out". I remember buying the first paintings with Dominique and paying 20 dollars and a t-shirt for it and then realizing the next day that we shouldnàt have paid more than 5 dollars, so from there on all the paintings we bought never exceeded 3 dollars per piece. Oh, I also remember how Dominique and I took out our overpriced paintings from Bali in our cockroach infested bungalow in Boracay, Philippines only to realize that we did not even like those paintings that much but hey, there is a hilarious story of getting screwed behind them. How could I forget the many palces that will forever stay in my dreams which include Ko Tao and Ko Phangan, Vang Vieng and Luang Probang, Siem Reap )and our tuk tuk driver Am, Singapore which was made so much better by my uncle Bruno, Hong Kong Island (NOT KOWLOON) which wouldn't have been the same without Erin's page of nothes on where to go and what to see. The beaches, or the amazing beaches in Thailand and Philippines that I had only seen in pictures before and barely believed the existed and now have set such a high standard that really I may never enjoy a beach again.At the same time I will never forget other places for exact the opposite, instead of dreams they will be in my nightmares. This includes the gross Jakarta where we payed the most of all Asia for a bed and it was easily one of the most disgusting beds I have ever slept in (good thing for travel liners) but also where we walked around all day on broken down streets and just dirt everywhere. How about Phnom Penh, another very dirty and this time even very poor city where I hope never to return again. How could I forget sentences such as "the islands are on two different sides?" or "I heard Laos is the best" (which was oh so true), and "Dumb F*ck give me back my OFF" or "Just read the bold". Hearing "Thai Boxing Best of Best Champs of Champs" while eating seafood pasta in Phuket or the tour operator feeding off Dominique's energy and screaming "No I give you 30 each!" and the oh so famous "Dominique get in the shower!" . (Sorry for anyone that is not Shady or Dominique but the last paragraph was all inside jokes I guess)Other things I will never forget if how Vietnam really screws you over in every way possible; ranging from paying double than I should have at the markets for my button-downs to paying double than we should have for our Halong Bay Trip to paying double for our flight to Macau thanks to that lady working for Cebu in Hanoi who I wish get a real good dose of Karma sometime soon.Staying on the unforgettable things how about those bus rides whether it was from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, Vang Vieng to Luang Probang, etc. The most crammed, hot, gross, uncomfortable, bumpy rides I think I will ever experience.Next I could easily write a good paragraph about the food in Asia. This ranges from the bouncy uncooked chicken in Hong Kong to the rice and mistery meat (chicken heart) had on Jalan Jaksa in Jakarta. It also includes the Indian food served on a banana leaf in Penang that gave me shits and cramps for 2 days and the 3 inch hairy btu fortunately fried spider and smaller cricket I hate in Cambodia which also did not sit well with me. Staying on the food subject, how about the few times I had fast food and really felt lke I was getting a real meal (hypocritical no?) and the many times we ate FRESH mangoes, pineapple, dragon fruit, snake skin (thanks Sam-our driver from Bali) and other sorts of weird fruits I can't remember the names of..Some other little things that stand out and have made my life more complicated but yet have made my trip that much better are how when you eat they give you a fork and a spoon but really what are you supposed to cut chicken with? The amazing day trips to Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, Cao Dai, Bali Island, Angkor temples, floating markets, tiger temple, waterfalls, S-21, killing fields, all of which ranged to about $7 per trip. The ladyboys which overpopulate the Philippines and other areas of Asia. The tuk tuks we have taken, all different shapes, kinds, colors. The nice local people met in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and the not so nice in Hong Kong and Vientam. Our usual street food meals which ranged from 1 to 2 dollars. The damn fried rice with chicken I am so sick of by now, All kinds of markets with all kinds fo fakesAs for stuff we bought, we did the markets like only professionals can. No one beats the over 50 earrings, necklaces, anklets, bracelets Dominique bought. At the same time I am sure that by now Shady has a closet full of fisherman pants. As for me, I guess a bunch of touristy shits, some wooden statues, too many paintings and some fakes will do the trick.If we go into the clothes subject next, the sweating I have done in Asia still gives me nightmares. I would be walk around with a sweat-drenched shirt by the time it was mid-day. Not only that but all the clothes we had we would pay to get washed regularly but handwashing clothes in brown rivers in Asia doesn't always get your clothes cleaner. By the end of our trip the white shirts were a brown tint, the shorts I wore everyday had brown stains, blue ink, yellow highlighter ink, and much much more on them. The shoes had holes in them (one per shoe) and all the shirts I bought will undoubtedly not fit me anymore after the first wash.Finally, I remember the day I left the US, backpack on my shoulders, open mind about anything I was going to see, try, or get myself into but at the same time having no clue about what I was actually going to see, try, or get myself into. Then upon my arrival in Singapore looking for my uncle and after hours of searching and calls, arriving to his place with nowhere to sleep and being taken in by a nice Indian couple who let us stay in their place for the night. Little did we know that was only the beginning of a crazy Asian adventure with no breaks in it at all. Similarly, I remember the just as bitterwseet feeling of boarding the plane from Hong Kong to Europe. This time a short familiar break in Rome was coming up but then another life-changing adventure in Barcelona for the next 16 months or so will follow. Last, but most importantly, one thing I know after traveling Europe last summer and taveling Asia this summer, is that this lifestyle is priceless but at the same time you can't get lost in it or over do it. Once you get back to your routine and lifestyle, you keep pushing back a possible next trip but as someone in my Europe travels told me last summer: "the 2 most important things are time and money. When you have time you don't have money and viceversa. While money can always be made, time cannot so enjoy time while you can and worry about money later". Because of this, I already know that following my Barcelona exprience, on January 2010 another long trip is in the works either around South America or around Australia/New Zealand. Anyone's welcome to join as long as you can carry your own backpack JPs. In case anyone wants to go to Asia, here is my itinerary with the top thing to do in each place.1 Singapore - live it up in the most non-asian city in Asia2 Bali - eat by the volcano3 Jakarta - Stay on Jalan Jaksa4 Kuala Lumpur - Petronas Towers5 Penang - Temple of thousand Buddahs6 Phuket - Patong Beach nightlife7 Ko Phi Phi - Maya Bay (which we did not get to see)8 Ko Phangan - Half Moon Party9 Ko Tao - Scuba Diving (which we did not get to do)10 Bangkok - Live/Love Khao San Road11 Vang Vieng - Tubing12 Luang Probang - The waterfall and bowling13 Siem Reap - Angkor temples14 Phnom Penh - S-21 and killing fields15 Ho Chi Minh City - Walk around in the madness of scooters and try not to get killed16 Hanoi - Halong Bay (if you really have to)17 Boracay - Enjoye the most beautiful beach you'll ever see while eating some mangoes 18 Manila - Get lost in the huge malls that have everything you'll ever need19 Macau - Gamble and feel rich even thought you know you are broke20 Hong Kong - Live/Love Hong Kong Island and the sitting BuddahOh and one more thing, not only have I learned so much form what I have seen and what I have done but I also have become better person thanks to the people I traveled with. Learned things about myself through them but also learned things about them and other people. Traveling with 2 girls is no easy task but I am sure traveling with a guy is not much easier. How could I forget how Dominique's feet swelled up and then at some point she roughed it out so much that she could not even walk anymore. Or how about Shady eating spiders and crickets with me because alone I wouldn't have done it and now we have a story that is hardly believable. So yeah, thanks to my traveling partners in crime...'till next time, CIAOmambo_italiano
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1212696000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1212696000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1212696000/tpod.html Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:35:53 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Stamford, Connecticut, United States

Guys...day # -1!I'm just testing this travel blog Scott spoke so highly of (even though he never used it, apparently he likes to make comments on my misadventures)Tomorros I will be on a flight to Singapore with two stops (Minneapolis -go figure- and Tokyo). I just hope for good food but I'm nto counting on it so I'm relying on Molly's gift os Doritos, Cheetos, Snickers, M&Ms, Milkyway, Reese's, Buterfinger and my Air Action Vigorsol gum.Once ince Singapore I'll update with another entry...for now hasta la vistaMambo
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217826180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217826180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217826180/tpod.html Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:29:13 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Doha, Qatar

On my flight from Hong Kong to Rome there is an 8 hour layover. The plan was to get out of the airport and see the few things to see in Doha but when I arrived I realized you need to buy a visa to get in (30 dollars) and I sure was not going to do that. Instead I have been chilling in the airport with not much to do for now almost 7 hours. What have I done? Simple, I found the internet access and have been typing away blogging my travels for at least 3 hours then I napped for 2. This airport is clean but I'm alone and there isn't much to do so now I am just looking forward to arriving to Rome, eating good food, seeing family, and get the next chapter of my life on track, the one that involves me living ad working in barcelona. Hopefully in around 10 hours I should arrive to Rome. I will update this blog with pics of the last few places then write a once last blog about Asia in general, what stuck with me and what I noticed. It will surely be a nice read.For now bye to everyone from Qatar.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217828400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217828400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217828400/tpod.html Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:21:46 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hong Kong, China

And here it is, where it all comes to an end, where you look back and your wonder what happend to the summer? What happened to the last 2 years of my life? How can I make sure I remember and learn from everything I have seen, everyone I have met? How do I not fall in that vicious cycle where you start working and all of a sudden you don't have time anymore to enjoy traveling to the most gorgeous parts of the world. Seeing, understanding, living cultures that are drastically different from anything you have ever known. It's not simple and actually it's very tough to know it's over. But there is plenty to talk about in Hong Kong so let's begin:Hong Kong was the palce I had the most information about going in thanks to Erin who I owe so much to for the info she gave me. Pricelss to say the least.We got off the ferry on the Kowloon side (for anyone that has never been, Hong Kong is a peninsula with a bunch of islands. What everyone thinkg of when they hear Hong Kong, is the skyscrapers on the river on the island called Hong Kong island. Kowloon is the peninsula part that faces Hong Kong island and is cheaper, dirtier, and nowhere close to as cool. The good thing is that the ferry that takes you from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island costs 2.2 Hong Kong dollars-30 US cents or so and takes 6 minutes so public transportation definitely gets the job done here).Back to the story, we got off the ferry, caught a cab to our place since at this point our backpacks are filled wiot he brim with clothes and souvenirs so they are pretty damn heavy. We go to the place we booked and we are told that we can get a different room for cheaper (8 US dollars instead of 9) so we take it only to discover it was a shithole or better yeat a prison cell. Beds were tiny metal framed bunkbeds, matresses nonexistant, matress covers didn't exist, pillow cases never changed and smelly, no AC, no door as it was right next to the office so there was a constant flow of people coming in and out, internet overpriced, bathroom smalled than a closet, etc. Anyway, since we had paid for 2 nights we stayed theretwo nights and after that we went 6 floors down in this rundown building full of guesthouses and hostels, and for better beds, aircon, bigger bathrooms, etc all for an extra 50 US cents a night. Well worth it.Back to our fist day, we were exhausted, so we walked around Kowloon which has nothing except for people grabbing you in the streets and getting in ur way trying to sell you suits, watches, and other crap you don't need. We got back, took a short nap on the gross beds, went out for a truly discusting dinner, and then back to our place, met 2 norwegians who turned out to be hilarious and a really fun time, and a Brit quit his job, sold everything and is now in Hong Kong without a clear purpose, oh and he's only 25. Interesting character, that's for sure. After some chatting over a beer it was sleepy time.The next day, day 2 in Hong Kong it was Wednesday which means museums in HK are free. WE woke up at noon, caught up on the lack so lseep from the previous 2 nights, and went to the art museum which was disappointing as all there was were some scrolls with symbols/letters and how they changed through time, then a whole part of the museum was dedicated to horses with paintings of horses thath were average, then some ceramic vases and whatnot which again were okay but nothing to blow you socks away. After that we went tot he Science museum next door which instead was very cool but since it was free to get in, it basically looked like a Chinese playground with kids running around everywhere, touching any button they can find and making your life miserable. Oh, yeah, in case you are nto aware here in Chine queues are not mandatory so these kids learned from their parents that they can go anywhere adn do anything no matter who's waiting. As a side-note, so many times in Hong Kong Dom and I have been cut by people in line and after a sturdy "I'm going to call you if you don't go back to your place" look our spot is regained. McDonalds and Dinseyworld might be the worst for this non-chalant line cutting they do. Anyway, after the museum we walked up Nathan Road which cuts Kowloon vertically to the Jade market where pieces fo Jade are a dollar and nicer bigger jade thigns are 4 or 5 dollars. So cheap. And of course here it's bargain galore as literally you go through piles of jade objects. After the Jade market we went to the night market on Temple street which was very disappointing. People selling were overpriced and many times got pissed if we tried to bargain. One fo the palces which was a store on this street but still worked as a bargain place as it was full of junk, saw me come in, saw my interest, then all of a sudden goes "closed closed, open later" and mind you this was at around 8. Basically they kicked me out and lost teh sale for NO reason. Other sellers give youa rpice, you give them yorus and they literally hit you and tell you to go away. At this point we left with a sour taste in our mouth. Was this the Hong Kong people love? No manners, horrible and overpriced food, dirty, etc. Once we made it back to our place we started looking for places to move to the next day as our place was miserable. Probably at an all time low for Asia, also due to being tired after 2 months of traveling, Dom and I wanted to go out but had met not one person that would be fun. We hated the first 2 days in Hong Kong and wanted out. BUT, you know though they say that once you reach rock bottom the only way is up and that couldn't have been true. Starting at 9PM that evening as we were sitting on the computers miserable, tired, and upset, we saw the Norwegian guys who told us they'd be going out and to start drinking with them. This ended up being one of the top 3 nights in Asia for us and the next 3 days we absolutely loved Hong Kong and all it had to offer. The trick was to move away from Kowloon and go to Hong Kong Island where all the life is. That night we drank, we partied, we met people, we walked around, we went to bars in Wan Chi (Erin, we tried to go to Skits but people we met told us they had just beeen there and it was empty so we went to Typhoon which was a blast) and we made it home at around 3 (so I'm told). The next day we walked around all day to Ladies Market which was a much better market with actual good deals and nicer sellers (for the most part). Bought some Hong Kong goodies and souvenirs then we went to Mong Kok street next to Ladies Market which si where teh locals get theri electornics but there were no good deals at all. You are supposed to bargain even thought you are at a store but price in the US while on sale are exactly half of the starting prices in Hong Kong so even if I could bargain them to half the price for an mp3 player, it'd be the same as me buying it in the US. Not wortht eh hassle. That day we met Klaudia or Claudia, I am not sure, and at night we went to get dinner (again gross food for a price way to high for Asia) and then we stayed in as we were exhausted from the previous night and there were big plans for the following day.Day 3 we woke up at 8 and went to do free Tai Chi on the Hong Kong Harbor for half an hour (we read about this in Frommers) and it was actually very interesting. Tai Chi is where you move slowly all togetehr looking like your are doing karate, to a chinese song with an instructor that tells you what to do. After that we went back to sleep for 2 hours and then we got up and took a ferry to Hong Kong island to see themain sights. We went up the peak which offered amazing views of the harbour and skyline, inside St. John's church which just like the other few churches in Asia it was very...blah. We went to some other streets markets which were full of junk, we got lost plenty of times, we went inside this high end clothing store which we knew served coffee and we felt liek royalty. After that we took a subway to another part of Hong Kong Island where we went to the Times Square mall, a huge 16 floor building full of stores, ate at McDonalds, then went home by 8:30 to see the skyline at night which is breathtaking. A fun day in Hong Kong for sure.That night we met up with Adriana and Tracy (grisl from Thailand, Laos) who we have been in touch with and all headed to Lang Kwai Fong for a really fun night at the bars. Not the clubs because you need to be VIP to get in and there is no other way to get in. Very stupid but whatever, we made our own fun at the bars which many times had good music too. We met some portuguese people, danced, etc. This area is awesome because it's closed to traffic so everyone's drinking in the streets, bars, everywhere, just having fun. On the way back we met this American who knew mandarin and needed taxi buddies as he was alone so we all went back to Kowloon to our respective places. Day 4 started was a lot of fun since we went to Disneyland Hong Kong! Back in BOrocay we had met this guy how had told us to call him when we were in Hong Kong so whe could get us into Disneyland for free and the previous evening (day 3) we called him and set up to meet in front of the gates at 10 (not later because he had to change since he's in the Lion King show). So we hopped on a subway with Klaudia and made it to Dinseyland slightly late but thanks to Klaudia's phone we were able to get in touch with him and he sent his friend (an american guy who's one of the leading roles in The Lion King, he's Scar) to get us and let us in. This guy was so nice, even though he was late he made sure we were in, made sure we got maps, and made sure we would go to the noon show as they were in it and we going to be looking for us. So once in we did a couple rides, went back to our youth day and enjoyed some Disney fantasy world. At noon we went to see The Lion King and got the first row so the whole show Scar, who walked us into the park and Nick, the guy we met in the Philippines who gave us the free entrance, who played just a random dancer kept pointing at us, smiling at us. It was hilarious. The show was amazing, very broadway liek with amazing costumes and astounding voices from the cast. After that some mroe rides, some pics with Mockey, then we went to see another show called the golden Mickeys with Nick who now had a break from work, and then off to see the Sitting Buddha. Too bad it was 5PM already and by the time the subway made it to the the beginning of the funicular you have to take to see the Buddha, it was too late so we had to turn back and head home.When we got home we showered, packed as the next night I'd be leaving, and got ready to go out again in Lang Kwai Fong where we met some more cool people and partied a bunch more. By 4AM we were home.Day 5 was supposed to be just shopping but due to us missing the Sitting Buddha which is the largest of its kind in the world, we woke up early and very exhausted after 4 hours of sleep and got on our way to see this Buddha which ended up being amazing. Definitely a must-see in Asia. Too bad it was excruciatingly hot that day and we lacked serious sleep. Either way it was awesome and after that we made it back for 2 hours of shopping at Ladies Market then home to burn DVDs of mine and Dom's pics form all of Asia (thousands of pictures) and then Dominique and Klaudia left (pretty sad to say bye to Dominique as we have gone through so much together and also that goodbye meant it was all over) to go party with Nick (from Disneyland) since Dom left the day after me. As for myself, on the other hand,I still had 3 hours before I had to leave for the airport so I went to the the light show by the harbor which won a Guinness World Records certificate for being the largest permanent show of its kind around the world. After that McDonalds..what else? Then I did some shopping, bought some shoes and a shirt and hopped on a bus to the airport. Certainly a lot of stuff for one day but when lfie gives you lemon, make a damn lemonade so that's the amount of time I had in Hong Kong and i sure made it count. What's funny is that on the bus to the airport I met this older guy from Barcelona who works with Italy and China and we talked about Spain, Italy, US, and China for the whole 45 minute ride. About their economies, the people, the cultures, etc. Very interesting fella I will get in touch with once in Barcelona for sure. Once at the airport the line for check-in literally took me 1 hour as it was not moving at all and then on a plane with Qatar airliens which by teh way is clean, comfortable, and awesome. But more of that on my next entry.Before I go and leave Hong kong, in case anyone is thinking of going to Hong Kong, Dom and I realized that the onlyw ay to ewat decently and not spend much money is to have Seven Eleven sandwiches for lunch and McDonalds for dinner so the last 3 days that's all I did. Sounds gross but compared to the undercooked chicken and beef we got the first 2 nights, this was very good.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217826660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217826660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217826660/tpod.html Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:38:10 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Macau, China

And following the Philippines we stopped in Macau for 1 night as it was cheaper than flying to Hong Kong and we'd also get to see another place.We landed in Macau at 10PM and what was weird was that as soon as they took off the seatbelt sign, they started blasting music in the airplane cabin. Dammit CEBU, I really hate you, no need to blast loud music in that circumstance. Anyway, we got our bags and went outside first to the bus stop but after not being able to figure out if the bus was a good option or not, we went to the taxi stand. Here I showed the driver a map i drew with the exact address but the couldn't read or speak english. Next cab driver, same story. The hostel had sent me an email warning me that people don't speak a lick of english but this was an extreme! They speak more english in Laos where tourism is still at its early stages than here in Macau, where people from all over the world come to gamble. This place is the Las Vegas of Asia and actually makes mroe money than Las Vegas; you would think english is semi-spoken. Anyway, i figured I'd go back in the airport and somehow get a map of the city, find the street myself based on what I read was in the surroundings of the hostel and then show the cab driver on the map. I did this and even though I pointed AT THE STREET on a real map, he still did not know where we wanted to go. I kept saying Lisboa Casino (which is the first and msot famous casino in Macau and alsoa tourist attraction) and even with this he barely understood where we wanted to go. Anyway, somehow we made it, got dropped off in front of Lisboa casino and then walked 3 blocks and found our place.Auguster's Lodge ended up being an apartment turned into a hostel. Each bedroom (about 4 meters by 3 meters) had 4 beds but ti was real tight. Three bedroom in total and a living area which was turned into the office/lounge. We dropped our stuff off and by 11:30 we walked aroudn the casinos with TJ, a guy from Boston we met at the hostel. We walked by the Wynn and saw the fountain show (which is exactly the same show as the one at the Wynn in Las Vegas) then we went in the MGM and after that we went to the Lisboa casino, the first of them all. There Dom adn I gambled 20 Hong Kong dollars (3 US dollars) in total and walked out with 30 Hong Kong dollars each. We left when we were on top. Ahah.The following we woke up early at around 8:30, checked out, left the bags there and walked around Macau to see the few sights, all in walking distance of where we were. The ruins of St. Paul Church which consists of literally only the front facade of the church because everything else is gone, then we went to the Macau museum. I though it was funny because before you enter they brainwash you on how in the museum you see how the Portuguese (who controlled this place prior to it being "returned" to China) and the Chinese cultures have blended and coexisted so well but once you go in it's clear what was influenced by the Portuguese culture and what was influenced by the Chinese culture, needless to say to VERY different cultures.After the sightseeing it was lunch time so we bought some apples and some pastries (one of which was advertised as hamg and cheese but dewfnitely tasted like tuna so who knows...) and then back to our place, picked up our bags, and got on the public bus to the ferry at this point trying to save as much money as possible since we knew Hong Kong wasn't going to be cheap. We got ont he enxt ferry, which was very comfortable and only 1 hour long and off to Hong Kong, last stop of this Asian madness!pics will be posted soon
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217820180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217820180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1217820180/tpod.html Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:07:51 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Manila, Luzon, Philippines

So, what happens when in order to leave Asia you take the cheapest flight out knowing there will be a 9 hour layover? Usually you get excited because you know that is enough time to leave the airport, see some sights and then hop back on a plane. That is unless you are in Doha, Qatar where a 14 day visa is 30 dollars and seeing oen fort and the desert is definitely not worth that money. So, lucky for me this airport has free internet (even though you have to stand at the computer) so I guess now it's a true test of my stamina to see how long I can blog for while standing, starving because airport food is too expensive, and semi-delirious as last night I slept 3 hours since you all know airplanes are not prime locations for sleeping.Anyway, now that you know where I am let's blog about where I have been and in this cpater we'll learn all there is to learn about Manila, which is not much other than big malls, jeepneys, a walled historic center, and a bunch of cool travelers.From Borocay we took Asian Spirit to fly to Manila, a plane with propellors, with 13 people in it nad 45 seats in total. Oh, and teh scariest flight fo my life. Dom and I were sitting next to each other and at times I thought we were going down, and I have taken my fare share of sketchy flights between all the various low costs I have taken over the past years. It truly was a rollercoaste, the plane would go up and down like nothing. The AC vents were throwing out mist so the plane was filled with white smoke half the trip, and the landing was close to disastreous I guess because of the wind but probably because we were flyign Asian Spirit. The pilot literally flipped over the plane (or at least that's what it felt like when we touched ground) and also made teh plane touch/bounce twice before being safely stable on the runway.Anyway, once we arrived to Manila we were told to walk away from the airport as teh cab would have been 100 pesos instead of 400 (exchange rate is 44 pesos to 1 dollar). So we do this, hop in a cab after we specifically asked for meter, put all our bags int eh trunk adn he starts going. At this point I ask him to start the meter and he says "yes, meter" and taked out a piece of paper he laminated himself that said airport to malate (area where we were staying) 400 pesos. At this point i laughed in his face because I really couldn't hold it back and proceeded to take my seatbelt off and slightly open the door so eh would stop the cab. WE got our stuff, and 10 meters ahead we got another cab with a real meter and ended up paying 100 pesos.Once we made it to our palce (Friendly's) we put our stuff down and since it was pouring we walked to a mall 3 blocks away called Robinson's Place. Roamed around for 2 hours and then made it back to our hotel by 6 as we knew there Saturday was wine tasting night and the hostel brought wine and odeurs to the lounge for everyone to enjoy. Couple of glasses of wine and plenty of cheeses, olives, nachos, etc., later Dom and I started talking to these two older fellas enjoying the atmosphere and the wine (only one of them as far as the wine goes). Here is where the interesting story begins. These two guys were not travelign together and actually had just met each other. The first guy must have been between 60 and 70 and his story was that he left his home (Great Britain) 2 years ago and has been traveling, backpacking, living with tribes, living under bridges at times, robbed, beat up, cured by witch doctors, close to being killed, etc. He was stuck in Manila as he had been robbed of all his belongings a couple weeks earlier and was in the process of getting his crazy life back on track> What we learned from him are stories that not even in books you can find but at the same time, it was noticeable that while he has had amazing experiences, he was telling us to travel more and more but not the way he did it because now he was stuck with no home, nowhere to go, no family, no contacts, nothing. Pretty sad.The second guy was definitely over 70 and hsi story was that he was a druggie and alcoholic and about 3-4 years ago he cleaned up his act and decided to go cycling around and around. His stories were just as amazing as the otehr guy's and at times they start taling about their experiences in various parts of the world and they'd sound so similar because they had both seen the same tribes that the world barely knows they exist, both have had accidents and hospitals were scarce, etc. Anyway, this guy just pciks up whenever he wants and bikes to the next destination. Very impressive to say the least. He also had nothing back at home. Actually did not have a home, or friends, or contacts. Anyway, after chatting for some hours with them and learning what tourist books don't tell u, it was 11:30PM and we went to sleep with some good wine flowing in our veins. Only downfall of that night, int he dorm room in the hostel they put me in the bottom bunk in the corner and out of the several fans in the room, not one reached me. Because of this I woke up at 5 in a pool of sweat not able to sleep and went to read my newly traded book about the memoirs of a Phnom Penh prisoner that stayed at S21, the torture camp we went to see.The next day, I was exhausted alld ay due to lack of sleep but no time to rest so we met Dustin, a 25 year old from the US who now lives in Cebu, Philippines, and was traveling for some days to see Manila. Together with him and Dominique we hopped on Jeepneys which are the preferred mode of transportation in Manila. Thay are old army truck turned into covered pick-up style Jeeps that have set routes and you can hop on and off for a fixed rate of 8 pesos. We went to Ritzal Park which was a ncie celan park in the middle of the city and then went to Intramuros, the only cultural thing that can be done in Manila. We walked on top of the walls fo this city which had been taken over by Spaniards in the 15/16 hundreds, then by the Japanese, by the Americans, and so on. Once we walked on the walls for about 20 minutes we went inside the walled city to Augustine's church where tehre was a liturgy so we couldn't go in. After some pics in front of it, we got a cab as it was starting to rain (it ended up pouring until the evening) and went to the 3rd biggest mall in the world, called Mall of Asia. Here Dominique split up from us as she did some girl shopping while Dustin and I walked around, entered random stores, and just cahtted about his life in the Philippines. The cultural differences are drastic but these islands are his new home and he loves it. After this, before returning to the hostel, we ate at Wendy's and it was like heaven on earth!Once we left the mall of Asia, I took a 1 hour nap and then Dom and I returned to Robinson's where I bought a cool watch for 3 dollars, and then we went to see Batman The Dark Night. Movie theather was brand new, spotless, and only 3 dollars. Not bad. If anyone hasn't seen the movie, go see it now!!! You can finish reading my blog after it.Sleep at midnight then we checked out of the hostel, left the bags there just so we could walk around Robinson's again to waste a couple hours, ate for 1.50 dollars (food wasn't the best as Dom puked it all 1 hour later) and then we met upw ith Dustin and left for the airport way too early. We were there at 4 for a flight that left at 7:30PM. We hung out at the airport and then took CEBU to Macau, a Special Administrative Area of China where you don't need a visa to enter and where gambling makes more money than Las Vegas. More about this in my next entry...Phillippines, CHECKps. one of the funniest times on this trip was at the airport in Manila when we were checking in. The lady that was checking us in goes to Dominique and says, word by word, "Excuse me Ma'am, may I ask you, are you pregnant?" "for security reasons" was whay she asked she said but Dom and I just laughed for a good 10 minuets after the incident. Pics from Manila will be posted shortly.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216817700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216817700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216817700/tpod.html Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:47:24 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Boracay, Visayas, Philippines

Last entry I left you guys at taking a flight to Manila at 1AM. We arrived at 5AM to the Manila International Airport, tired, hungry, confused, and without a ticket to Boracay. Therefore, putting things into priority we took the shuttle from the international airport to the national airport and got ourselves an $80 roundtrip ticket to Boracay. All this was done before the clock even hit 6:30AM. Impressive to say the least.At this point we went straight through security, paid the most random taxs that you can only find in the Philippines and are a huge scam like extra money for havign a bag heavier than 10 kilos, exit taxes even though your are not leaving the Philippines, enviroment taxes even though you are taking an airplane that is killing the environment. So 10 dollars later we were waiting for Asian Spirit to start boarding so we could head to the island of Boracay...on a propeller-powered airplane of course.Finally at 9 we make to Boracay where there are mroe fees! A green fee, an airport fee, tuk tuk fees, well 5 dollars in total. We ehad straight to Isla Bonita since the Irish guys from Halong Bay had reccomended it and we got an AC room for 8 dollars each (after that night we moved next door to a fan room for half the price literally). As soon as we arrived and dropped our bags I walked around, changed money, we went to the beach wich has emerald blue water. It's absolutely gorgeous. Even better than paintings or postcards. Truly the best. I don't think anything can beat it. I hope the pics I uploaded can show you but you won't know until you get on the sand or jump in the water. That night we had dinner and then to bed after a walk on the beach for a bit because we were exhausted.The following day we decided to have a fun day with some summer beer (a mixture of beer, vodka, sprite and ice tea) so at about noon we went on the beach with our drinks and 10 cent nuts and enjoyed a nice day (and a nice burn) at the beach staring into the beautiful water and being harrassed every second from locals asking if we wanted to go snorklin or sailing. We spent the whoel day bumming around (in Shady's and Dom's case shopping for bracelets, anklets, bags, etc) and then at night we found this awesome restaurant called Ole where a meal is less than 2 dollars and it's simply amazing! Needless to say we have been at that restaurant for dinner every night since and by now when we walk by the waitresses wave at us and know we want to eat there. After dinner we went to this bar on the beach and hung out on bean bags listening to a really amazing cover band. After that we went to some clubs where it is packed with locals which are made up of 40% lady-boys (trans), 20% homosexuals, 20% older philippinos dancing like they were 20 years old, adn finally 20% normal locals. Therefore, while I kept getting looks from lady-boys everywhere, Shady and Dom were attracting creepos on the dance floor.The next day we went on the tour we booked the day before and again got slightly screwed. When they say no more than 16 people on a boat to go around the island and snorkling, I guess they don't count the other 5 to 10 people that make teh group at least 25 and make everyone on the boat tight like sardines! Other than that though we paid 10 dollars for an amazing lunch buffet, amazing views of the island, and most of all incredible snorkling! The fish, the starfish, the coral, they all were the bluest of blues, most vivid yellows and oranges (the clown fish especially), amazing greens, pitch blacks, etc. I have never seen such amazing colors in nature (I wish I had an underwater camera to show you all). Once we got back, we showered, ate and went to those creepy clubs again!The next day Shady left us for good as she flew to Manila and the next day (acutally as I am writing this we should be on a plane home) she'd be on a flight home to the good old US of A. As far as Dom and I go, we have had to more days in thsi heavenly place called Boracay where we have been eating amazing pineapples and mangos for lunch, slept in rooms infested by cocroaches (killed 3 in 5 minutes last night) and simply enjoyed the amaznig beach, Ole's food, and serious relaxing (oh and a 1 hour massage for 5 dollars).And finally I am here, writing and all caught up on my blog in Borocay, leaving for Manila in a couple of hours and with only Manila and Hong Kong between today and the day of my departure!Hope all is well wherever who is reading this is...ciao
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216291860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216291860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216291860/tpod.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:37:40 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hanoi, Vietnam

To summarize Hanoi, it was short stay in a city that had little to offer except for 3000 Dong (20 cent) beers and cool little streets.We arrived at the airport at 4 in the pouring rain (our luck huh?) and we got in a cab. Here is the first fun story of our stay in Hanoi, which just like Ho Chi Minh City is ful of people that simply want to rip you off. Until Vietnam people at elast tried to hide ti or were really nice. Vietnam on the other hand is horrible and you always have to be on your toes otherwise you get screwed. And it's not painless!So we get a cab from the airport which is a set price of 14 dollars. On the way there the driver starts his meter and point as it as I am saying "No" to him and "14 dollars". So he keeps the meter going and then at the tolls he tries to make us pay for them but as I had read online before arriving, it's a scam because they don't really have to pay these tolls (in fact when I said no he just went around them like every other taxi did). After that we stopped to get gas (literally 15 minutes) as the meter was going. I don't know if he thought I was stupid or what but I was not born yesterday.Finally 1 hour after leaving the airport for for what was advertised to be a 30 minute ride, he drops us in front fo CEBU Pacific offices (still pouring rain of course) and asks for what's on the meter. We just give him 14 dollars, a dirty look, and leave. Finally we made it to CEBU which lucky fro us has offices in Hanoi and there we booka flight to Manila. Overprices but what can you do if they ahve a monopoly on that section. After that we asked them how much the flight from Manila to Macau (our next stop) is and she tells us $120. The night before I had checked online and Tiger Airways flew it for 90 dollars so I asked her to check online and she said Tiger didn't even fly that destination. Therefore, being in a time crunch as it was the last time we could book with CEBU, we booked it. Following this we walked to a hotel which was about 6 dollars a night for AC per person and went online. Well, we found out that Tiger Airways indeed does fly Manila to Macau and it does it for $60!!!!!!!! F*cking Hanoi really did not start well. So 60 dollars burnt...which is a lot after tarveling for 2 months and having been screwed for at least half of that time by Asians who have local prices and tourist prices. Anyway, we go to the nightmarket which has easily the worst quality clothes of all Asia and book our Halong Bay Trip, which everyone we met travelign speaks so highly of.The following morning we got picked up and went on our "deluxe" cruise. Too bad everyone else had paid for the regular one so we got scerwed out of another 25 dollars.As far as Halong Bay, we met amazing people on the boat. There were 5 peole from Barcelona who I chatted with and tried to speak spanish to (I need to brush up on that asap!) then there were people from Chile, Argentina, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Cambodia, and Spain of course). On th boat we had dinner, cafeteria style food, dove in the water which was full of jellyfish (they forgot to tell us that in the description) and we went kayaking for a little bit. Then we all hung out and enjoyed stories from each other's travels. Good thing we go lucky with the people on the boat. What was one of the most amazing things was beign on a boat off the coast of Vietnam where there is no artificial light and not only you can see an immense amount of stars but also the moon shines so bright that it lightes up the deck of the boat ina cool white shade. After we went to sleep in a room where AC was broken and at 5 I woke up to see sunset. Then breakfast at 8 (which was preceeded by some serious techno blasting at 7AM by the crew on our boat in the restaurant cabin), move out of our rooms on the boat at 9, and we docked at noon which is when we went to eat by the dock, a 10 minute walk with our 18 kilo bags on our shoulders in the heat of the Vietnam sun. Eating-wise it was us and the people from the other boats which considering there were about 100 boats doing what we were doing, i must have been hundreds of people. Oh, and I'm sure no-one paid for deluxe! Once we arrived back to downtown Hanoi (a 3 hour bus-ride jampacked in a no AC bus which was actually hilarious because the Irish guys we met were in serious pain and discomfort) we made it a point to find a restaurant where we could drop our bags for 5 hours (with the excuse that we were going to eat dinner there as we actually did) and then go to the place we booked the Halogn Bay trip at to b*tch him out for the horrible trip he sold us.This is where Dominique's wrath comes into play. Shady and I started the argument but when the owner of the boat company (not the travel agency owner who looked like a ninja turtle) started telling us lies and changing his story and trying to make us believe we had the deluxe package, Dominique started screaming at him and going nuts. I was afraid for this person's lfie but he deserved everything that was coming at him as he was obviously trying to take our money because like every other Vietnamese he probably thought we were "stupid tourists". So, as teh guy kept telling us lies, the owner of the travel agency saw straight through the lies and agve us 30 dollars back. I guess there are good/fair people everywhere. So after that we walked around a bit, ate dinner, and made it to the airport at 10:40 for a flight at 1AM. Slight misjudging of the tiem but better to have more time than not enough.With CEBU we left at 1AM and arrived at 5AM.Instead of "Good Morning Vietnam", it was a "Good Bye Vietnam" and for a pretty long time hopefully.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216291140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216291140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216291140/tpod.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:22:55 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, was our first taste of Vietnam and about 100th taste of how bad ariline companies in Asia are!Sp, we arrived at Ho Chi Minh at 1PM and found a place to stay by 2. We were going to got to Yellow Guesthouse but it was full so we went across thr street and ended up paying less. We managed to get a triple with AC, breakfast, free internet for 6 dollars a person per night in the center of the city and backpacking area. Sweet find!Before I go on about our adventures, I wanted to point out the madness of the traffic here. I thought Rome was bad and NCY was semibad but this is prue madness here. there are barely any lights so people just honk and go faster at intersections. Plus there are millions of scooters. 8.5 million people live here and 4 million scooters drive around the streets of the city. It's a constant flow of scooters. No other palce in Asia so far can even get close to this. Crossing the street you have to be mentally ready and tell youself that number 1 you'll make it and number two you are in charge so they have to go around you. Once you got those 2 out of the way, then you just cross (can't wait for an opening because there are none) the street and scooters and cars literally drive 1 foot away from you front and back. Just keep you pace and you are good. Stop unexpectedly and you are screwed.So, we dropped our stuff like we always do and after finding some lunch (which ended up being some gross raw spring rolls) we went in the market for half an hour to get an idea of it and I ended up buying 3 button downs for 33 dollars total. Great quality but knowing that 2 stores next door they were 3 dollars cheaper didn't get me too excited.After that since Shady has been to this city already, Dom and I took a cycle to tour us aroudn the city. And here is another case of the people nodding without havign a clue what you are asking. This old fallign apart guy that bycicles people around drove me Dominique and I the comlpete opposite way. Good thing he was barely breathing because he drove us 2 blocks in 10 minutes. Walking is faster and less dangerous. So I told him to stop, paid hi some pity money because I felt bad and then hopped on a motorbike which was the same price but would atually get us to the museum in time! UPGRADE!This way Dom and I made it to the War Memorial Museum which was obviously bias (towards the Vietnamese of course) and was also very gruesome at times like with the exhibit where they show you what America's chemical warfare has done to locals. At one point there was a shelf with 2 fetuses in jars of deformed children. I thought that was kind of too much. Then we saw a replica of the tiger cages which was just as traumatizing.Follwowing the museum we went Notre Dame Cathedral which is justa big church without much detail and semi-cool architecture. When you are from Rome it's not that impressive. After that we made it back, we showered, went to the night markets where Shady and Dom did some MORE damage. The problem with the evening is that there is a change of weather if I understood correctly and there is mroe flies than even motorbikes! literally at the nightmarket and at GO2 bar we were SURROUNDED by flies. They were dying everywhere, in our food, in our beer, randomly on our clothes. Very gross. SO since we went to a place where there were 2 beers for 1, we drank our first one and asked for the second one closed so we could bring it with us away from that hell-hole. Because of this bug infestation, we went to sleep at 10:30.Next morning we woke up at 6AM, realized we messed upt he time difference with the alarm clock, woke up at 7 again, and by 8 were on a bus to the Cao Dai Temple. First stop though, as usual, they made us stop at an overpriced store where they get commission if you buy stuff. Back to the Cao Dai, it was a very cool experience; what it is, is a religion only found in Vietnam and China that includes Taoism, Buddhism, Confuciounism (?spelling?). The ceremony was just a lot of people dressed up in different color gowns bobbing their head back and forth while upstairs some local music was played and tourists took pictures of this unreal experience. The temple from outside was also very cool and colorful but it was clear that this religioa dn temple are only 80 years old as everything is very bright and new. (You can see pics of this in this blog). In case it looks hot in those pictures, it is because we were in the hottest part of Vietnam, which apparently is very close to the equator.Following this we had lunch in place that had tables up in treehouses and we enjoyed the breeze there as well as the mediocre food. After that off to see the Cu Chi tunnels wih is a series of underground tunnels about as high as halfway to my thigh where during the Vietnam war the military would hide and surprise attack the enemy. There are 200KM of these tunnels but only a part of it is open to public because believe it or not the military still ha control of them and keeps them secret in case of future use. At these Cu Chi tunnels, we went inside them and oh boy are they pitch black and tiny! 300 meters seemed like an eternity when you don't know where you are, where you are going, and have to use the flash from your camera to make sure you don't walk into the turns. Also we saw some ingenious traps made by set up by the Vietcong during the war which included face floors with 2 foot spiked underneath and other similar stuff. War here must have been the closest thing one can compare to hell.After this we got on the bus to get home and got stuck in traffic for 2 hours. Oh, and when they advertise AC here it means semi-cool air. Once home we showered, ate, and went to Apocalypse now, a place we heard so much about. Sadly it did not live up to expectations. It was filled with creepy old men and prostitues. I guess later in the night it gets better. So we just took a cab back to our area and went to Go2 bar again. Much cooler atmosphere. By 1AM we were in bed.Next day might have truly been a day from hell. We woke up to have breakfast (oh our hotel's free breakfast was so worth waking up at 8) and by 10 we were on the road looking for Cebu. Basically we got 3 different address and the run-around until 3:30PM. Yes, all that time we were looking for CEBU's offices. The last place gave us a different address (the 4th of the day) but this time we made them call for us and we found out that CEBU didn't have offices in Ho Chi Minh anymore. Nice day wasted in Vietnam. After that we needed a pick up so we went to the markets to do some more shopping. And guess who did the damage? Shady and Dominique. I think their bag/purses count together is about 25. They are probably at 15 shirts. Dominique is at no less than 10 for jewelry accessories. My count is 2 shirts 3 button-downs and something like 6 paintings. What I will do with all these paintings no1 dares to guess.For dinner I had a mighty good burger (hadn't had that in a while) and then some internet and bed time at midnight exhausted from walking all day looking for damn CEBU Pacific.Next and final day in Ho Chi Minh we for a bus at 8AM for a daytrip in the Mekong Delta. Our tour operator where we bought the ticket had told us no more than 16 people per group. I guess they forgot to count all the way because there were definitely 30 people on the bus. Oh some more Vietnam cheating. I really cannot take it anymore. Whether it was at the markets, taxi drivers, Cebu, or random people, in Ho Chi Minh more than anywhere else so far I have been feeling like they really want to screw tourists over. ANd it is a horrible feeling. Plus add the horrible manners here in Vietnam where pushing and elbowing is fine, Women use they babies in the arms to get in front of you in lines, people make the grossest noises gathering up their flem so they can spit it literally in front of you. It's just too much to handle. Anyway, back to the Mekong Delta daytrip which was relaxing and cool. We went to a coconut candy farm/maker, bee island where they specialize in honey and honey tee which is amazing (until the bees around you smell the honey, then just try not to get stung), had lunch which was included but was a ball of steamed rice and a dry thin slab of pork, then unicorn island where we took row boats through it and was really cool. The picture of me with the rice-hat is while we are going on a row boat through one of the canals. Then finally we hit upa fruit farm where we enjoyed some fresh fruit (loved the dragon fruit) and some fo the most terrible singing/music playing I have ever heard. Took a video for whoever is interested. Trust me, it's worse than abd karaoke and the sad part is that they are proud of their music). Then home sweet home for a shower and a beer. Oh, and we stopped to buy DVDs. We managed to spen around 60 dollars there at one store but also got about 24 movies, and7 full packages including all seasons for a bunch of TV shows. So not a bad deal huh?The next morning we woke up early and off to Hanoi with hopes that it is much different from Ho Chi Minh.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216290900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216290900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mambo_italiano/1/1216290900/tpod.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:06:24 -0400 Bringing some Italian/Philippino/American spice to Asia

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Phnom Phen, Cambodia

According to Peter and Simon, two Irish guys I previously talked about from our stay in Laos, Phnom Phen was supposed to be amazing, their favorite place, etc etc.Well... DO NOT listen to them if you ever meet them! Dirty, depressing, hit hard by Pol Pot's reign of terror, Phnom Phen really brought us to the lowest of the low in regards or poverty and need for help.But let's start with the bus ride which was okay until our second rest stop when we saw a lot of local food and Shady and I could not resist trying the fried crickets and spiders. Our stomachs on the other hand wished we had never done that for the next 3 days. While thanks to Kelsey I have had crickets before, eatign a hairy black spider about 3 inches by 1.5 inches was a first. A lady also had these tiny frogs but 1 dollar for one was excessive. Spiders were 25 cents for one and crickets around 5 cents.Upon our arrival to Phnom Phen, we felt dirty, tired and ready to pass out or puke or release these spiders in any way possible. We went to the place the Irish guys told us to go (Okay Guesthouse) and it was actually decent. Except for the whole bathroom literally not having a sink. But that's just details right? Everything else was pretty good and for 2 dollars a night you can't complain.We dropped our stuff and watched movies in the lobby/restaurant for a little then took a 30 minute walk where we walked by the palace and the center of town. Here we saw deformed people, people that ahdn't eaten in days, people showering in brown river water, etc. all at once and it was really hard to take.Once we returned to our place we met these 2 girls Alex and Fiona who were sleeping in our "dorm" room so we started chatting about the usual stuff. After that dinner and early bed time at 10:30.The morning after we woke up at 8, ate a nice omelette for breakfast and got a tuk tuk and driver for the day ($3.50 per person) to bring us to S21, Killing Fields, and Russian Market, 3 of the few attractions the city has to offer. On a side note, I think we picked the msot broken down and slow tuk tuk in Asia. I feel bad tho because at the end of the day the guy driving us (a 26 year old) told us he was very thankful we stuck with him the whole day because he knows his tuk tuk is falling apart but doesn't have money to replace it and tourists pick other tuk tuks over him because of the bad conditions his is in.Anyway, first we went to to S-21 which stands for security office 21 and has now been repalced by the name Tuol Sleng Museum. What this is, is a school which in the 70s was turned into a prison/torture place by Pol Pot, head of the Khmer Rouge regime. Believe it or not, this Pol Pot killed more people than Hitler did. According to the flier and the documentary we saw in the museum, 20,000 entered S-21 and only 7 survived it. Also in 1977 was the peak of this deadly regime and 100 people were killed a day. More about the place we visited, the old classrooms were turned into tiny cells or torture chambers where pictures show prisoners to range from men and women between the ages of 10 to 80 about. Cuttign people's fingers, drowning, etc where all methods widely used here. After this infprmative history session, we went to the Choeng Ek Killing Fields, where everyone from S-21 was sent to be killed. This place is 45 minutes away from the city and is a mass grave that includes wholes that have been uncovered and some that are still filled with people's skeletons covered by dirt (many times bones would stick our of the ground). At the center of this field or better yet dirt landscape there is a tall stupa with 8000 skulls as you can see in the picture in memory of all the unjust killing that went on here.Next we had our driver Lade or Lobby (can't understand when people here tell me their names so many times I just pick an english word that resembles it the most) drive us to the Russian market where I got a really nice Buddha statue which is kind fo hell to pack in my bag and a new little bag to keepmy valuables so I can throw out that blue St. Barnabus Hospital bag which was tearing real bad. What's cool about my new little North Face bag is that some zippers are Puma zippers. I bet you no1 has that!!!! ahah. Oh Asia.After this we went home and slept between 3:30 and 5PM, then we ate, used some internet trying to catch up with this journal, bought bus tickets to Ho Chi Minh City, then went to sleep ay=t 11:30 exhausted.Next morning up at 5 to eat breakfast at Okay Guesthouse then another fun long ride for 7 hours in a bus overcrowded with Vietnamese. The border crossing was the same old, getting off and on the bus between 3 and 5 times because first you have to fill out the paperwork, then you leave a country, then you enter another country. But we made it with our Visas we got in Kuala Lumpur for way too much money so they'd do it in 2 days.That's that for Cambodia, a gorgeous place but not the happiest of stays.
]]>