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See My Trip
Ho Chi Min City - the Capital
14th June, 2007.The capital of Vietnam, Ho Chi Min City or Saigon,depending on your point of view, we thought was going to be a rough place. But we didn't have any trouble with being mugged or robbed. We were just legitimately ripped off in broad daylight.
Arriving again by "Ba La La Loi Bus" from Can Tho we headed for the Pham Ngu Lao area of the city. This time I had my money stashed properly in
my money belt as the Lonely Planet didn't paint the capital as a very safe place.
The first impression of the city was the number of motorbikes. Crossing the road was a test of nerve. The technique was to walk at a steady pace (and not to stop) and thereby allowing
the motorbikes to swerve around you, like the a way a river flows around rocks. This could be a daunting with 6 lanes of traffic bearing down.
As a group we checked the major boxes in the city:
the War Museum and the Reunification Palace.
Sam unfortunately was struck down again by his mystery fever, so we ended up staying nearly a week in Ho Chi Min. Sam went and saw a doctor at the hospital but the doctor was unable to determine the cause. Meanwhile Ben and I visited a Chau Dausim Temple and the Tunnels of Cu Chi.
The War Museum
15th June, 2007.
We spent all morning at the this museum. I found it very interesting. Loads of photos, tanks,aircraft and weapons were all on display. Experiencing the Vietnamese point of view in the conflict was a good balance to what I had learned so far through European recounts. By late morning the clouds had rolled in, and it began to pour. We would take a taxi back to our hotel.The taxi that
we took to the venue and it cost about $2US. Then when we returned home it cost $8! The second taxi driver must have put the meter onto the 'exploit tourist' tariff.
Cu Chi Tunnels
16th June, 2007.
While Sam was recovering from his illness, Ben and I went and did a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels.
The day started at about 8am. We load onto the back of the bus and it takes us out to an art production factory. The workers here were all affected by Agent Orange, a defoliant that was dropped by the Americans and allied forces in the war. I don't remember seeing that many deformities, but I remember feeling that the workers were nothing more than human Xerox machines (copying a piece of art over and over). While the works were very beautiful, paintings using crushed shells, sandstone sculptures etc, there was no way I could take something like these home.
Midday neared and our next destination was a Chau Dauism Temple. I am not privy to what the religion involves, but I appreciated the colourful nature of the temple and the dress of the attendees.
Lastly we arrived at the Cu Chi Tunnels, and so began what I call "ram-rod" tourism. There was quite a lot to see: traps used by the Vietnamese, underground homes, underground hospitals,a shooting range, and lastly we had a chance to go through the tunnels on all fours ourselves. The guide would crack the whip and say, "take photo here then go to the next one!"
The tunnels had apparently been made larger for tourists, but is was still very narrow. Having crawled about 80m through the first tunnel, Ben and I took the first available exit. It was hot and claustrophobic. Only the very determined would go right to the end. A very sweaty day, but well worth it.