I love Ho Chi Minh City!!!
Trip Start
Sep 11, 2008
1
9
14
Trip End
Sep 24, 2008
Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Got here yesterday and went off on a short city tour, lunch, dropped off the luggage and went off to the CU Chi tunnels. This is really something you must see if ever you get here, it is really disgusting that we still have wars. We were shown a short documentary film and then we walked through a really good exhibit, I think most of it is the real thing which has just been cleaned up a bit. The Vietnamese were really very inventive with the traps, etc they made. Looking at it from the US side it was really cruel traps, but the statistic show that the Americans almost dropped a bomb for every member of the population!
Towards the middle of the tour we could go down into the tunnels, which were widened and heightened. I am not sure how far we went but I went up the first possible exit, because it really is a bit too small and dark for me
Bombs
. Looking at the distance between the the entrance and exit once I was on the surface, was about twenty steps! I couldn't imagine being under there for more than 10 minutes not even thinking of living there for days. Also having bombs dropping around you all the time. Some of the bombs actually made big enough holes to damage the tunnels.After this we left, came back to the hotel to check in, shower and go to dinner. We left the tunnels at 5:00 pm, they are about 45 km out of town, we got to the hotel after 7:00 pm, remember probably half of the distance was still quiet country roads - I will never complain about traffic again!!!
We had a really good dinner again! The only thing I don't really like is the deserts and hardly ever eat them but for the rest it is delicious! I had Pho for breakfast yesterday and have decided to have it everyday now, it is like a noodle soup and is very easy to digest, not that stuffed feeling after an English breakfast.
We really have an excellent guide here. He offered to take us to a bar called Saigon Saigon Bar and Terry, Anna, Pam and I were keen, so we dropped the rest off at the hotel and went jolling! He came with and had a drink with us, we drank and danced and had a ball
Cu Chi Tunnel
! Saigon Saigon Bar is on the 12th floor of a hotel with a good view of the city and a lot of Westerners. Drinks cost around $8 a pop. We fell out of there at around 12:00 and screamed and giggled our way back in a cab. Back in the hotel we giggled and danced our way past a group of Japanese men who were very happy to see us. THAT IS WHY I WROTE NOTHING LAST NIGHT!Up early this morning, our guide, Tien has volunteered to get a couple of guys and take us on a motorcycle tour of the city. I am quite nervous about this but won't swap it for anything!
The weather here is fabulous, and is still hot but not half as humid and although my feet are still swollen they are not sore anymore.
Well we only have a couple of hours left in Vietnam and I would love to come back it was really a lot of fun and so much to see and learn.
We are flying to Cambodia at about 3:00 this afternoon and I was warned that I am in for a shock. I don't know if I will be able to write again, will try my best but I will write in my book and post the blog maybe in the airport in Malaysia, we have a 6 hour stop over!
Lots of love to all!! I miss you and wish I could have brought you with but be warned I am going to drag you with. Mrs Coombes I would love to go to China with you, I think we will have such a ball together!
Lots of love
Caroline
