szelee 诗理 。失礼

Some old, some recent; some day, some night; some indoor, some outdoor; some colorful, some monochrome; some street, some landscape.

Jalan-jalan Singapura.

Situated on the West bank of the Saigon River, Cholon is a Chinatown district in Ho Chi Minh City.  On the last day in Vietnam, they decided to make a trip there.

To be honest, they didn’t do much homework before reaching Cholon. The taxi dropped them at Binh Tay Market as requested, both the central market and a landmark of Cholon. They wrongly assumed that Binh Tay Market would be similar to the Ben Thanh Market (hey, they shared the same initials), with lots of cheap food and pretty goods to bargain for and a street full of hawkers to eat till they drop.

Instead it was more like a market for the locals to get their daily stuff like these.

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Using his beloved Holga, he consumed a roll of Fujichrome Provia 400X in Hoi An. It was also a rather pathetic excuse to let his shoulders relax for a short while.  Out of the whole set, these are his favourites.

Love the color.

He already tried hard to get the horizon right, still…

While waiting for the ladies to shop, the world drifted, slowly but surely.

Bird’s nest extraction, Vietnam style.

The stars in Hoi An are not found in the sky, and they are mostly red.

Yu Xin by the Japanese Bridge with his brother-in-law’s beloved Canon A80. Unfortunately, the camera’s shutter stopped working the day after. =(

Hot and sleepy afternoon. No business.

Everyone was resting.

Even the ladies.

But not her.

The last time they flew off Vietnam, they wouldn’t have imagined coming back in less than half a year’s time. Unlike the previous trip, however, they had a bigger company this time - her parents, her brother and her auntie. Surprisingly, finding a big taxi to fit all was not difficult.

With some elderly around, they figured it’s not a wise move to stay in Pham Ngu Lao area, which is cheaper but much further away from the central of the city. Therefore, they eventually settled down in a rather affordable hotel in Mac Thi Buoi Street.

The traffic is still as busy, but the motorcyclists are now wearing helmet as demanded by the law. As well as retracing some familiar locations in Ho Chi Minh and Hoi An, they also explored a few new places like Cholon and Hue.

Time to let the pictures tell the stories.

He wondered how many of those colorful feather duster he could buy for the price of a iRobot Roomba.

Hawkers beside Ben Thanh Market on their way to setup their stalls.

It was only less than half a year since the compulsory helmet laws in Vietnam fully came into effect. Some were not hesitant to declare their fashion statements.

In Singapore and Malaysia, it’s normal to see 2 people on 4 wheels. In Vietnam, it’s not uncommon to see 4 people on 2 wheels. Well, maybe we should ubah gaya hidup!

It was hot. A coconut would do the job. He squatted down and took this shot. Suddenly, he wasn’t thirsty anymore. Next time, maybe.

Just by staring at this picture, he felt depressed.

On the way. By the way. Anyway.

Barely 7 months since the last trip, they made a second trip to the historic city of Malaysia over the weekend. Unlike last time, there were 10 more friends this time. More people definitely meant more fun!

The last trip to Melaka was his first photo shooting trip with the 400D just bought. Returning after more than half a year, he felt more comfortable this time. The kit lens had been replaced by his 28-105mm USM and 50mm 1.8. Moreover, he also brought the Holga along!

His 400D favorites.

The following are from Holga with Fujichrome Provia 100F cross-processed.

Remaining photos are here and here.

Final stop - Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

Similar to any other places in Vietnam, two-wheeled vehicles dominate the streets.

Threesome. How sweet.

From south to north, their daily breakfast consisted mainly of baguettes like these.

She has to agree that map-reading isn’t her forte.

A sleepy cyclo driver.

Cha Ca (grilled fish), the one and only dish from Cha Ca La Vong at the 14, Cha Ca Street.

The famous (and no doubt expensive) Restaurant Bobby Chinn. Initially, they had planned to have a grand feast here on their last day in Vietnam.

However, convinced by another couple of fellow travelers from Singapore, they eventually indulged themselves in authentic Vietnamese buffet at Sen Ha Thanh, which was fantastic, and cheaper.

The rest of the photos.

Situated in the Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam, Sapa is a quiet mountain town and home to a great diversity of ethnic minority peoples such as H’mong, Dao and Tay.

The Red Dao women shaved their eyebrows and foreheads as a sign of beauty.

The distinctive headgear of the Red Dao women.

On the other hand, the Black Hmong women have quite a different taste of fashion.

Must have been quite a burden to the earlobes

Many of the Black Hmong women carry their baby on their back to work, whether the child is awake,

or asleep,

or, in whatever state.

Of course, the Sapa experience would not be complete without the trekking, terraced fields and buffaloes (and not to mention their dung).

The cutest baby they had seen throughout the Vietnam trip.

And as usual, more photos.