Miss Saigon
Trip Start
May 08, 2006
1
11
108
Trip End
Mar 07, 2007
Saigon,
Vietnam
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Probrably spent about 4 days longer there than expected. For 2 reasons, one because i was booking the transiberian train from beijing (which im catching on the 12 July) and 2) beacause a Vietnamese girl fell in love with me (u guys are going to love this).
It all started about my second day in Nam. I just went to the Cu Chi tunnels, where the Viet Kong dug this mad tunnel system. It was pretty cool, went down into the tunnels, was pretty clostraphobic. 16 000 people used to live under ground there, and the USA dropped 16 000 tons of bombs. Heaps of big massive bomb craters around. There was a 100 metre stretch of tunnel with exit points at the 30, 60 and 90 metre marks. Most people got out earlier because they couldn't take it, I made it all the way
A trap
! (a couple of others made it too). Most likely because i am the size of a VC soldier hehe. Lots of traps to look and more anti american propaganda videos and stuff.The higlight of this entry is the firing range at the tunnels. I lived out some sort of personal fantasy here. Fired some guns!! An M16 and AK47 and a Machine gun. Only did like 5 bullets on each because it was about $3 oz a bullet. Apparently in Cambodia if you wanted to u can pay $200 dollars to fire a bazooka, and for a bit extra u can shoot at a COW!. Crazy! Firing the guns was so much fun, the M16 was really accurate, the kick back was beautiful, the power was amazing. I didnt hit the target everytime, especially with the AK. The sound was so loud too, makes u jump everytime. Check out the photos. I will try and upload a video as well!
Came back to my hotel thingy and the girl asked me about myself. She said that she has no friends in Saigon and asked if i wanted to go for coffee. I said ok (thinking no harm). Had a great time, saw all the local scene, did the same thing with her the next day. On about the 3rd day she is talking about how much she misses me when she drops me off. (She has a motorbike!) yes i know, funny site, me on the back of a motorbike attached to a vietnamese girl
Bit of Saigon Day life
. She buys me things (a wrist band thing), asks if i like her. I say yeah ur great to hang out with not thinking anything more. I keep hanging out with her at night, I was having a good time, seeing all of saigon at night, just dinner and cruising around. Nothing sus going on at all. No hugging, no kissing anything, she begins to start talking about calling me every week, writing to me all the time, coming to australia, me coming back to saigon. Im going... o...k.. yeah maybe one day i will come back and visit. She starts saying how she has been so lonely and me coming into her life has been the best thing ever, saying we are BF and GF! and finally saying that she loves me!... I said pretty straight, we are just friends, never anything more, etc. There was a big language barrier which did not help the explanation. She understood.
Next day or so, coming into my room, unanounced, calling every time i walked into my room. I stupidly kept hanging out with her at night, was having a good time being with her, thinking she was all good. On the last night she says she loves me again, i made it clear again!! She said she doesnt care about where im from or the money, that she knows we are lovers and will always believe it! At this moment i am thinking, i wish she didnt have my address, which i stupidly gove her to write to, and my mobile num, which i stupidly gave to her
Bomb Crater
. I had to give her my correct address as since she worked in the hotel, had my passport. AND SORRY BAKE!, i gave her u home number and said it was mine, hehe SORRY! ill buy u something nice!She was a really nice girl, i had a great time with her and i dont know how she even got the impression that i was her BF!.. I felt really sorry for her cause she only made $4 a day and she had no friends at all in Saigon. I stayed longer because i felt guilty. I call her miss Saigon because she is in Saigon, but also she wore the traditional dresses and has never ever heard of macdonalds in her life and does not use email. Its like she came out of the 60's. She isnt crazy or anything, just another funny story, at least i know when im 50 i can always have a vietnamese bride.
Also went and saw the Mekong Delta (river jungle scene) very nice. Check out the photos!
Good times....
