DAYS INN @ SAN JOSE

On our way to San Francisco, we stopped in San Jose and overnite here. My friend had pre-booked the room via internet at USD100 per nite for the three of us. This includes western breakfast.  We checked into the hotel in a hassle free process.  

located at the hotel lobby,

a table lined up with hot water, coffee and tea which are meant for guest

free of charge for guest...hot drinks from vending machine..

 3 in 1 Cappuccino, French Vanilla Cappuccino and Hot Chocolate

inside the room

microwave oven and small fridge

iron and sachet of coffee and tea, coffee maker machine

two king size bed with plush pillows. we sleep soundly!

The next morning, we had a simple DIY breakfast at the hotel lobby the place where the vending machine is stationed. I had fun making my own waffles. Hot & fluffy yet buttery and I had two coated with Philadelphia cheese cream and drenched it with 2 cups of hot cappuccino.  I didn't pay attention to the red apples, cakes and biscuits. (forgotten to snap photos)

LIGHT & EASY HI TEA @ SUNFLOWERS

An ex-colleague invited me for a hi tea in Sunflower Brasserie Coffee House tucked inside The Royale Bintang, a four star hotel located strategically along ever busy Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

I was expecting a heavy crowd especially during weekend but it was a mere disappointment as I could see only few tables occupied by diners during that moment and up to the time we finished my meal there.

If you are a light eater and prefer a quiet and relax dining ambiance, Sunflower certainly is the choice. Not much variety of food to opt for but definitely fills up your tummy provided you make few trips to the buffet counter.

Hot Station....soup noodlesFried Calamari

Aromatic Nasi Briyani

Curries for Nasi Briyani

Fresh Chinese Dumplings

Hot & Fresh Yam + Chicken Pau

Refreshing Cream of Pumpkin

This is what I had....1st round

Beautiful Fruit & Vegetables Carving

Salad Appetizer Salad Section Dessert

There are other choices of food to partake besides photos displayed here. Eat all you and to the brim which all of us does. After hi tea, we hopped into the hotel free shuttle bus to the sister hotel ie. The Royale Bintang Damansara at The Curve (not for another round of food but for shopping). This service is provided to the hotel guests and staff.

Sat & Sun Hi tea - RM42++ (adult), children and senior citizen - 50% discount

Coming Easter Day Hi Tea @ RM35++ (adult), RM19++ (child) with games and lucky draws

The Royale Bintang Kuala Lumpur

17 Jalan Bukit Bintang 55100

Kuala Lumpur

Tel No:03-2143-9898

HO CHI MINH ESCAPADE - DAY 2 CU CHI TUNNELS

The hotel we stayed serves daily breakfast. And it's definitely value for money especially for back packers like us with limited budget.

A french loaf & fried omelette with an option of coffee/tea and pineapple juice.

Upon recommendation by the hotel receptionist, we signed up for a half day trip (8.30am - 2.30pm) to Cu Chi Tunnels at USD5 per person excluding tunnels admission fee of VND80,000. Our coach of 40 seaters took almost two hours to reach this destination with beautiful greed paddy fields along the road to Chu Chi.

History of Cu Chi
Cu Chi used to be a bitter battleground for many years during the Vietnam War. This underground village intricate network of over 200km of tunnels at Ben Dinh, 50km from Ho Chi Minh city.

Entrance to the tunnels

Tourists Briefing room.... on how the tunnels work

This tunnels run 3 levels deep underground with a length of 250 km and is used to launch their surprise attacks on the Americans during the war

A camouflaged bamboo trap

making fresh rice paper

producing rubber sandals inside the tunnel Eventhough the weather was hot and sunny but we did enjoy this pleasant and historical visit.

HO CHI MINH ESCAPADE- DAY 1 (BEN THANH MARKET)

After an enjoyable lunch, we find our way to Ben Thanh Market which is about 10-15 mins walk from our hotel. But it took us an hour to reach this place after so much hassles of going through terrible traffic jam, looking at the map and asking direction from the local who can't communicate in English. Luckily, along our way, we hopped into a travel agency and managed to get them to show us the location.

For your info, majority of the locals ride motorbikes and also cars on the road. We were terrified with these vehicles which comes from all directions eventhough when the traffic light is red. Most of the time (day & night) , we got caught in the middle of the road surrounded by motorbikes/cars and noisy horns which is very dangerous but rest assure the driver knows when to stop and let you walk passed.

The biggest & popular market in Ho Chi Minh, District 1

We were stunned and speechless upon entering the market. It was so huge and there were lots of traders selling handicrafts, souveniers, textiles, local cuisines and etc.

Assorted designs of Vietnamese Traditional Clothing /'Au Tho Than' for female


colorful paintings and t-shirts

textiles/fabrics


fashionable shoes

assorted snacks

pickled fish jelly, soft crabs, salted vegetables and etc

variety of dried tea leaves & coffee

different grade of rice & beans

female accessories

food stalls

There were too many stalls selling the same item in the market which we did not visit all. Feeling tired, we quenched our thirst with a glass of ice cendol, 1 whole coconut water and sourplum juice which was indeed refreshing.

drinks & dessert stall




My glass of Ice Cendol (VND30,000)

Irresistible!

fresh coconut milk, red beans, cream corn, cendol, jelly and etc

HO CHI MINH ESCAPADE - DAY 1 (HOTEL & LUNCH)

It was an ad-hoc decision made by the three of us to backpack and have a vacation in Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon in Vietnam. Armed with information and recommendations (from a friend's colleague who had travelled to that country early this year) such as cheap air fares, budget hotel and tour packages, we quickly booked AirAsia tickets for RM676 per person and hotel at USD23 per room per day. For this trip, each of us allocated a budget of RM1200-RM1300 per person only (including spending money) and true enough, we spent within this limit.

We left LCCT via the morning flight and touched down at Tan Son Nhat/Ho Chi Minh International Airport after 2 hours of flight. The airport was not crowded and thus we managed to go through the Immigration Counter without any beeline.

Our taxi driver (pre-booked from the hotel) had waited for us at the departure lounge holding a sign board bearing my friend's name. After loaded our luggages into the car, he drove us to the hotel where we will be staying for four nights.

Phan Lan Hotel located @ Pham Ngu Lao Street

Double bed + 1 single bed @ USD23 per nite

(air conditioned + ceiling fan and window view)

Clean toilet with hot shower
tv, mini fridge and wifi
After settled down, we started our itinerary by searching for good authentic Vietnamese food and exploring nearby attractions.

We spotted this small shop and decided to have our lunch here.

Condiments i.e slices of lime, pickled onion, chili flakes & sausages wrapped in banana leaf

Our order (fm l to r)plain beef noodles, spicy seafood noodles, a plate of mixed roasted meat, sausage + savoury cakes) & a portion of mixed greens

Do note that whenever you order beef noodles, you will be served with a plate of mixed greens containing basil leaves, shredded lemon grass & herbs/ulam which I enjoyed it so much.

Total bill came to VND96,000...indeed cheap