1st Wedding 2009

Just received wedding photo that taken during Nay Zaw's wedding. Nay Zaw was my ex-colleague for almost 4 months. He get a very good offer and resigned since last year.

This is my 1st time attend Burmese wedding dinner in Singapore. As usual I think giving ang pao is the common way. AFter found out from my friends realised actually we can buy things to Naw Zaw besides giving ang pao. Hmm, that make me think of Malay wedding in Malaysia also can buy gift or choose to give ang pao to them.

As the wedding suppose to start at 7.30pm but my colleagues all advise me not too be too punctual because if follow singaporean style, the wedding dinner may start at 9pm. My gosh! I really hate to attend wedding that started late that scheduled date. However, my colleagues said it is very common in Singapore!Maybe Naw Zaw is Burmese. His wedding dinner start about 8.15pm. To me within 1 hour still acceptable.

Along the dinner some people giving speech included bride and bridegroom. We just eat and eat because they spoke in Burmese language. What we did is clapped hand when see everyone clapped hand, just follow what other people are doing, funny!

The wedding ended about 10.15pm, sharp and short.On the way back home taking MRT, I was just wondering this year how many 'red bomb' will I get?

Hanoi-Halong Bay 16-19 Jan 09 Day 3

We missed the chance to sleep in the boat in Halong Bay. We only slept in one of the 3 stars hotel in Halong City-Golden Halong Hotel.

We had a short walk in Halong City in the morning. We realized the people here wake up very early. The shop opened and closed quite late too. Halong is not as crowded as Hanoi. Less motors and peoples.







Around 12pm++ we finished our lunch in Halong city,we departed back to Hanoi to watch water puppet show.


To be frank, water puppet show is quite unique but I don't really understand what they are playing. They played the show in vietnam language without any subtitle screen. I think the show mostly are more to folklore.



Can be seen that the puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. To perform the show, the puppeteers themselves hide behind a long screen. From behind the screen they manipulate the wooden puppets with bamboo rods while standing chest-deep in water to enact dramatic scenes using the water's surface as a stage floor.







After the show, we went to the night market. I was too busy looking around, not manage to take any photo from the night market.

Things I bought from the night market:



Cute right? only RM3 for 1







Valentine was around the corner, so I bought the card. Very cute, only RM3!

Hanoi-Halong Bay on 16-19 Jan 2009 Day 2

早上check out后,约八点半一个新女导游来接我们去Halong Bay了.她说全程约三小时半.她没介绍自己,我们也懒得问.我们都认为越南的导游有双重标准.接待白皮肤的游客比黄皮肤的游客亲切多了!或许白皮肤的游客给小费较阔气吧!或许自己运气欠佳,遇到的越南人都不太老实.

第一,阿倍的行李昨天在酒店里被人开过.所幸没名贵的东西不见.
第二,我的背包在Halong Bay被开了.但那个笨贼没拉上拉链.所幸我没财物损失.
第三,街边的小贩卖东西都没标价.卖东西也是双重价格!

这三件事足已让我对他们大打折扣.

算了!我们并没有因为这些事扫兴!

约四小时后我们便抵达码头了!



Halong Bay,我来了!
















。
下龙湾享有'海上桂林'之称,被联合国教科文组织确定为世界八大自然遗产之一.虽然我没去过桂林,但可想象桂林应该很美吧!当我们的船穿过一群又一群的岛时,真的有轻舟已过万重山的感觉!好像置身在中国!

很巧的,我们在船上遇到一对马来夫妇,就与他们攀谈起来了.他们的孩子都大了,所以是时候二人世界游玩了!在异乡讲马来话很有亲切感.他们以为我们是学生呢!毕竟工作后真的难得有机会大伙可以一起去玩.



另一个下龙湾的景点是岩洞.有天然溶洞和海蚀洞两种.洞内钟乳石组成各种景物,千姿百态.

Hanoi-Halong Bay 16-19 Jan 09 Day1

搭大马时间6.30am Air Asia 廉价航空三小时十五分抵达河内8.45am. 河内比大马早一个小时. 这趟旅程六人行-阿倍,阿蓉,凯珊,彩云, Rita 和我.



在Noi Bai 机场拿了行李后见到了地接的年轻女导游,Nong. 接着就去酒店check in.

我們的酒店就在36老街内-Kim Tuc Hotel 三颗星.房间还不错，有冷气、电视机、冰箱，整洁舒适；冲凉房有热水、肥皂、梳子、牙刷等等，包括早 餐.从这间酒店走路15分钟可以去到还剑湖.
河内似乎很少交通燈，电单车多得可以用"恐怖"来形容!可是在车来车往不停的街道，却不时可以看到有挑着扁担卖的东西的人很从容的过马路.在河内虽然空气很脏很多灰尘，但因为天气凉所以也不会觉得很难受.

蛮多没戴头盔的人


河內很多都是这样简简单单的几样东西几张凳子就在街边开始做生意了。很佩服越南女生工作的毅力。基本上我们逛街时候看到做生意的也是女生. 无论男女老少，很多都是这样在街边蹲着吃，已经习以为常了.


屋子都是向上发展,两三层但窄窄小小间的.


复杂的电线,眼花缭乱.


胡志明陵墓（Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum)
我们去到时已经两点钟,是星期五,也适逢冬季,已經关了, 无缘瞻仰胡志明的遗体.
开放时间：星期二，三，四，六，日 （星期一和五关闭）
夏季： 7.30am-10.30am
冬季： 8.00am-11.00am
每年九月五日至十二月10日关闭.


文庙 (Temple of Literature)


文庙建于1070年李朝皇帝李圣宗之时，是用來供祭至圣先師孔子的。除此之外，是当时全國的最高学府.文庙的大殿是供奉孔子像的地方,里面还有一個大湖.文庙里的左右侧有一个一个的亭子.亭子下有很多刻有每一届状元名字的石碑.


一柱寺（One Pillar Pagoda)
也叫求子寺，我们说的送子观音庙,是越南最小的寺廟庙.原寺建于1049年，但现在大家看到的这个是1955照着原來面貌重建的！為为什么要重建呢？因為为在1954年被从越南撤退的法国军队炸毀，仅存石柱。所以这根柱子有近千年的历史哦！




Dong Xuan Market
Dong Xuan 是著名的批发市场.我在这儿买了约马币四十的寒衣.




Dong Xuan外面也有许多挡口.新年气息丝毫不输给马来西亚哦!




晚上在酒店附近逛逛.