Cu Chi Tunnels N Gaodai Great Temple

Trip Start Dec 01, 1999

103

Trip End Aug 31, 2000

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Flag of Vietnam Saigon, Vietnam
Monday, December 20, 1999

Tay Ninh - Cao Dai Temple

Tay Ninh - Cao Dai Temple (2)

Tay Ninh - Cao Dai Temple (1)

HeyHeyanda Big G'Day Toya

We headed out of town to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels.

These tunnels are named after the district Cu Chi and they are a huge underground network. Believe it or not, somewhere around 200 kilometers of tunnels was dug by the Viet Cong. They once stretched from Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia. Inside were Hospitals, accommodation and schools.

They were also used for storage and a military base near Ho Chi Minh City.

The section of the tunnels that has been widened to allow visitors to move freely within is the section that was used to launch the 1968 Tet Offensive. There are three levels to the tunnels. Each level is smaller that that above. I was the only one in our group that chose to lower themselves down to the third and spend a short amount of time crawling along it.

The only thing I will say about it is I was glad to return to the second level. The third level is tiny, it was hot and it was so very dark.

During the day we also sat to watch a video or maybe I should say a VCD (being that most of Asia skipped video) of the war 'from the Vietnamese point of view'. Certainly different from the one we grew up with and in some ways more believable too. Around the grounds were huge craters left by bombs. We also stared in horror at some of the traps used by the Vietnamese. They are basic animal traps made larger to accommodate a human. The more the human moves the more spikes they receive and the more painful the death!

I'm glad I was a child!

In the afternoon we visited the town of Tay Ninh. This is the headquarters of the Cao Dai religion. We were luckily enough to arrive for the mid day service. The followers filled the hall clad in coloured robes. It was such a beautiful sight. The Gaodai Great Temple combines several religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

I'm not religious, I prefer to look to the stars as thank them for our creation and all things since. If you don't know what I'm talking about look into it, you'll be surprised! If there really is a god, then he/she/it should maybe be known under the title of 'Star Dust', yet I choose to visit many churches, cathedrals and temples around the world. They fill me with a sense of wonder and allow my mind to begin questioning things that can never be answered.

Everyone's god is THE right god, THE one and only.

There are books proving them right and there are books disproving them. If there are so many gods and books how can anyone be right or real for that matter? It all gets too confusing and when things get too confusing it's easier to start a war instead and let something man made prove who is right!

Anyhow, back to Cao Dai, I thought this Temple was extraordinarily beautiful. I felt happy here. For me it was a happy place and full of warmth, colour and smiles. I felt that it didn't matter what you believed, you were accepted here. As long as your questions remained your questions and the answers remained your answers.

Religion is such a personal thing.
The only real answer is what you personally believe.
Nothing else can really be proven.
It can't be touched, it has to be thought or felt.

What can be touched is man made, something that is born from the fruits of ones own personal beliefs. Yudder Yudder Yudder! On and on it goes for thousands and thousands of years and still there are no answers, only wars. No, I haven't forgotten that there is a beautiful side to religion and that a larger percentage of the people are happy living amongst each other in acceptance. The sad side of this is these are the innocent people whose lives are taken due to a war started by those whom can't accept each other.

None of it makes sense to me.

Anyhow, back to the present day, 1st May 2006. It's time for a beer. I found Stout Beer in Tianyangs supermarket. I nearly fell over when I was looking at all the beer cans with Chinese writing on them and there jumping at me was a can that said STOUT BEER buy me buy me. So I did. I promise, no more religious thought, but don't you just love the way when you begin on the subject you can't seem to stop. Try it when you are drinking with your friends, I bet it turns into an argument.

PS: My diary also tells me we went on a river cruise and stopped at some tiny town and ate snake and weasel for lunch. I remember the town but buggered if I can remember going on a river cruise.

Beers N Cheers Toya...shane