Anh Kim Hotel Ho Chi Minh City

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... tiger beers. The staff there even rack up your pool balls for you. I let the Aussie team down with a narrow loss 9 games to 8, Had some more Pho (best pho yet) and then paid. Four beers, a bowl of pho and 17 games of pool cost a grand total of 100,000 dong ($6 AUD, and Hom paid half) and then Hom suggested we go for a massage. OKAY.

Back on to the death trap scooter and rode to ...

... 3.
The next day we went to the War Remnants Museum which pretty much depicts the war crime atrocities that French and American forces committed in Vietnam. It was really interesting but it was also emotionally intense to look at pictures displaying these atrocities.
We definitely needed to lift our spirits after that, so we had ...

7 am start as usual and after learning of Australia's attempts at getting onto the UN Security Council from the TV channel Network Australia I went across the road to get my now habitual pancakes and maple syrup.

Whilst waiting for the bus I got chatting to a fellow traveller, a Brazilian girl, who turned out to be a woman not a girl who was going on the same trip as me to the Củ Chi tunnels, fighting ground of the legendary Viet Cong. After 2 hours on a bus with ...

... adorned with neon lights begging for attention. The roads were flooded in response to the afternoon rain, stalling motorbikes in their tracks, the passengers legs soaked to their knees with dirty rainwater as a result of a poor sewage system. I had fallen asleep during the last portion of the trip and woke to feel my eyes stinging and bloodshot. I assumed that it was an effect of sleeping with my contacts in and sitting within a direct shot of the air conditioner.

The ...

... against the Americans (understandably) it depicted a harrowing account of the war and it's ongoing after-effects.

The following day we took a tour out to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Tunnels in the Cu Chi area were dug by the local Cu Chi people to both hide from US Soldiers, and attack them without exposing themselves. The local people turned guerillas had many secretive tactics and ambush methods, including the construction ...

... I also visted the Independence Palace which has to be the worst-looking palace I've ever seen as it looks like a really ugly hotel. And inside it is still like a hotel. Not exciting, a bit of a waste of money to visit actually. But hey, there was air-conditioning so it wasn't all bad!

The next day I went to see the Cu Chi Tunnels which are outside of Saigon and require a 2 hour bus journey which is attributed to traffic as ...

... giggling like mad but loving it i suspect - all in good fun though.As we were leaving i looked at some fruit (jack fruit) that the lady on the next stall had - she gave me a piece, i liked it so she gave me a big bag! I have to admit that after a few pieces i couldnt face any more so I left it in the waiting room.  OOOO forgot to mention yesterday i had Durian fruit, that really really smelly fruit that cant be exported! Mmm acquired taste - the best i can describe it as is onion ...