Someone commented that this space has been rather neglected lately. To be frank, I have been jotting things down here and there with the hope of transferring them into here but I keep putting it off. Of course
la after a while the jottings get rather stale.
Anyway, just got back from a 4-day visit to the country where Buster was sent to. The trip was nice, though I get tired slightly more easily. Vientiane is all right, a little too hot and dusty for my liking and about two steps back from Phnom Penh. But shopping is rather cheap (
hey, what else was I suppose to do?), and I love their local
kain tenun.
The journey there was tiring though. Not only did I arrive in KLIA half an hour before the flight due to some technical problems on the ERL, I had a five-hour wait for my connecting flight to Vientiane. I had to kill time by doing word puzzles, finishing my book and sleeping on the couch. By the time someone woke me up to give my boarding pass
*the perks of being pregnant, hehehe*, I was ready to leave. The flight on the fokker was rather smooth, although I spent most of it under the blanket!
I was surprised by Buster and his boss at the arrival gate, instead of a driver with my name on a card. Apparently, they finished work early and have laid out plans for us that evening. A quick shower at the hotel, then off we went to a massage parlour. The prices were dirt cheap, and according to them, this was one of the nicer ones in town. I was charged
USD6 for an-hour long facial and face massage..and Buster
USD4 for an hour's worth of full body massage!! We went straight to dinner afterwards - a halal North Indian place with superb food. Good for me as I have developed a penchant for North Indian cuisine ever since I got preggers.
Buster's boss and the other bank guy left for home after breakfast the next morning. Since the hotel we stayed in is owned by a Malaysian, they have a halal menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not only do we get to order
a la carte - we could also take advantage of the buffet spread!
Saturday was filled with doing the tourist thingy. Although this country is not as advanced as the rest of the Mekong countries, it is rather nice. There is a square filled with small, international restaurants and cafes, which made me feel like I was in some small European town! The food was good, rather authentic I would say.
Sunday was filled with shopping. Went to the morning market, the trade center and the Chinese market. Learnt that I had more bargaining power using Thai baht, and got carried away shopping for silk and precious stones..hehehe. The mango there is to die for -
soooo sedap! We had another round of massages that evening - head and shoulders for me this time. If I wasn't pregnant, I would not have let go of the opportunity of the spa pampering package - it was only for USD25 for 3 hours!! But I felt so good after the session, maybe because I was tired of walking around bargaining for things!
We left for Ho Chi Minh the next morning. As our connecting flight to KL was on wait list, we decided to put up the HCM for a night and take the chance of roaming around. A guy from a local Malaysian bank there was kind enough to send his driver to pick us up at the airport and booked us into a hotel. He met us up at the lobby and gave us a list of places to go to given the short time we had there. A speedy check-in and two bananas later, we were already in
Behn Tham Market - haggling prices for embroided bags and cotton dresses! Since Buster always turns into an honorary gay whenever shopping is concerned, I had the time of my life going from stall to stall picking things up.
My only regret is that I didn't have more time (and money!) to shop there as the market closed at 6!We walked three blocks to go back to the hotel, only to realise that we skipped lunch. After a quick photo session at the
must-take-picture-tourist-spots, we walked another 2 blocks to a restaurant recommended by Chulan called Four Seasons. We walked in and our first thought was - damn, it is like being in London's Holiday Villa in
bulan puasa!
Penuh melayu ok?! One long table full of people from my company even. But since we were dead hungry, of course
dah tak kisah orang and just sat down to order. Their food is so tasty (or was it because we were starving?). Buster had second helpings of course! By the time we reached the hotel, we were exhausted. Had barely enough energy to pack before we both started snoring! Just enough rest before our flight back home the next morning.
It was good to be back actually, but I am glad I went. As I told my friends - not a glamourous place to go for holiday but at least it'll be my last one as a couple before Lil Cub arrives!
