<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: tHe bLack cat burger…

the black cat…
is a bar just opposite the hotel…
legend has it that it serves 1 really huge burger…

we decide to take up the challenge…
and this …
is what we were dealing with:

grossly…i managed to “demolished” everything except the lettuce…
i hate greens in burgers (except for pickles) because i think they are distractions…
i just want to get my teeth on the meat!!…

my favourite and the tastiest part of this burger is the bacon melted on cheese on the 2nd layer of bread…
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……..

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: of vespa-s & more..

the land of beautiful vespa-s..
there are really a lot of them running around and some of them are really quite nicely done up… 🙂
beautiful colors…
funky add ons…

i was spotting them like i spot mini-s…
but of course…
nothing will ever replace the mini in my heart..

nice!!…the vespa headquarter…

being a city filled with motorbikes…
there were lots of other interesting kinds as well…
some are beautiful..
some are just………”interesting”…

good old hardworking one…

beautiful vintage..

the one that is still in the box..

this is actually a miniature scrambler… 😛
(sorry it wasn’t taken properly to see its actual size)..

even an alcoholic one…

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: wtf?!?@?!#!!…

whatever that is…
it sure looks quite scary..

i have seen people like do roast chickens…roast ducks..
and the biggest…the roast pig..
which still didn’t look that scary…

but this….for some strange reason..
i felt like i was witnessing a murder…

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: fReaks…

the no 1 dog on my hate list is….undoubtedly …

yes…the chihuahua…
i feel like i want to squash them under my feet whenever i see one..

yupz..the owner was trying to show us how “smart” her pet is…
but poor thing…

it was still standing on its two hind legs after some time..
i wonder if it is not supposed to come back down to normal position without permission?..
or it just doesn’t know how to?..

duh……….

i haven’t seen any big dogs around in ho chi minh yet…
(not counting a few strays that i saw outside the city)
the kind of dogs that people were walking around were the small breeds…
yeah..small enough to go anywhere with the owner..
when the owner eat…
when the owner tries on shoes…
when the owner looks at clothes…
etc etc…

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: hAnging oUt..

while i was having breakfast with mona on the 8th floor of our hotel…
a lady was literally “hanging out”….
(minus the ropes)

like o…m…..g……

she does it like a natural..
like a normal everyday thing…
i wonder if fear or danger went through her mind….
though if it doesn’t it might better too…
(don’t stir up any panic)

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: the roadSide beaUty…

i have seen roadside anything…
road side bazaar..
road side food stalls..
road side pet shops..
road side painting…

but this is the first time i see manicure & pedicure being done by the road side..

the manicurist carries with her a basket of tools and 2 little stools – 1 for herself and 1 for her customer..

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: oUr fiRst pHo..

the free airport guide brought us to our first pho here in ho chi minh…
(yeah…the immigration officers actually hand out these city guides which were pretty good. i thought that was quite a good idea, better than leaving shelves of brochures and what nots and people just take all of it, and they all get thrown away later)…

pho24..
we later realised that it’s like the mac donald’s of pho…
the lady at the hotel guided us to the one just nearby…
then as we explore the city the next few days…
there’s one in almost every other corner!!
(like the 7-11s in bangkok)..
i can remember 3 that were just 5mins from the hotel..

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: hAppeNings at just the aiRport..

my first trip of 2009..
was to ho chi minh city with mona…
(while kris was stuck in a workshop back home)..

it was my first time to vietnam..
i didn’t know what to expect actually..
i did little research…
(besides knowing that they use usd quite a lot & that i am to go find some good french food)
i guess i just wanted to go see how the city really is like…
it is after all still in asia…
i reckon it wouldn’t be that much of a culture shock…

first impression always count…

i am impressed…
the airport looks really nice…

mona has her eyes set on the conveyor belt for our luggage..
which….didn’t come out from the designated belt…

it’s quite crazy…
the sort of things people check in…

and the poor kid..
whose parents probably show him they love him in the wrong way…
(his hair is crazy)..

super warm welcome…
even though the roses were not for either 1 of us..

yeah…and the lady with a big dog..
she even dresses him up in a tee shirt to keep him from the chill..

that’s just all at the airport…
i am excited about being here already….

<< bAcKtRack..jan09 :: ho cHi miNh city :: land of the TALL & sKinnies..

it’s amazing how most of the buildings are tall (mostly about 7 to 10 floors?) and really skinny…

even the temples are skinny…

this is the hotel that we stayed…
thang long hotel
(thanks for finding it for us mona!!)…

and it is skinny too… 😛
(we were staying on the 7th floor)..

we were in district 1 and where we were was really convenient..
we could walk to most places…
we could find food everywhere…even just downstairs…