October 11 - Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Cu Chi Tunnels
Our ride to the Cu Chi Tunnels came to the hotel at 8:15, and we hopped in the car with two girls from Sweden. The ride to Cu Chi was about 2 hours (30km) so we got to the tunnels just before 10:00.
The Cu Chi Tunnels are a bit legendary for their role in facilitating Viet Cong resistance during the Vietnam War. Cu Chi is rich with sturdy red earth, and the VC guerrillas used this complicated network of tunnels to hide, store weapons, and basically live in them during the war. It was quite an impressive thing to see.
Propaganda: The tour started with a video FULL of propaganda about the Cu Chi people and their "heroics" during the war. I'll let Jon go into detail about that:
Jon: We had been to the War Remnants museum in Saigon and seen the Hanoi Hilton and thought we had seen the worst of the anti-US propaganda. We were so wrong. The Cu Chi tunnel video started with the fact that the Vietnam War sort of started when the French left Vietnam and a great guy by the name of Ho Chi Minh wanted to join the north and south of Vietnam when, and I'll quote directly so as not to misinterpret: "...the ruthless American government wanted to intercede in a government thousands of miles from the USA." A few minutes later the narrator went on to say that "like crazy vulture devils the Americans fired into women, children, old people, homes, chickens, pots and pans..." I can't think of much military value contained in a set of pots and pans, but I still think that the video was more than a bit over the top. Especially when one considers the fact that 25 years later both north and south Vietnam welcome western tourists (and their wallets) with open arms. Just sort of proving the fact that Communism or Socialism or whatever you want to call it was a failed experiment.
After the video, we walked across the street to see some of the tunnels. Our first event was to find a trapdoor hidden in a 5 foot area. We couldn't find it and our tour guide had to show us where it was. These holes-in-the-ground were incredibly small and impossible to find! We walked through the woods and the guide would point out trapdoors, traps, and trenches along the way. They also had rigged some tripwires to fire some caps if we tripped over them! The walk was pretty interesting.
There was also a firing range where we could buy bullets and fire them at some targets. Jon bought a couple of bullets and fired an M-16 rifle. He was very pleased with himself! After the firing range, we were taken to a display of the "traps" set by the VC to capture and maim enemies. Most of them involved holes in the group with wooden spikes that were rigged to gut or cripple the targets. Not a pleasant thing to see at all.
The Tunnels: Then our guide asked us if we wanted to go through one of the tunnels. The tunnel was 100 meters long and went through two levels. We decided that we definitely wanted to, and the 5 of us climbed down the steps and went in. The tunnels were unbelievable small and cramped, and a claustrophobic person would never have made it through. It also seemed like they went on forever! We had to squat-walk through most of them, bent over at the waist with knees bent. But some of them we had to crawl through. I was SO HAPPY to get to the exit, and we were all soaked from sweat and dirty from the walls of the tunnels. Amazingly enough, the tunnels we were through were actually WIDENED for tourists. The real tunnels are much, much smaller and narrower.
Let me just say that - between the traps and the tunnels - I can understand why so many Vietnam Vets came back to the US less than sane.
After an hour at the tunnels, we climbed back into the car and settled in for the long drive back to Saigon. The A/C was going full blast, but the car was still warm because it was hot outside. So I was glad when we were finally dropped off at the Renaissance. I showered and worked on the journals, and Jon went to the gym for a run.
Jon Goes for a Run at the Renaissance Gym (special appearance by Jon: run #12)
Three days of running in a row! I can't believe it myself, but I was determined to take full advantage of the gym while we had it. The run was nice but even nicer was the sauna afterwards. I've decided that if I ever had the means I would love to have a sauna of my own. Hey, I know we live in New York and space is at a premium but it's my fantasy so leave me alone!
We had dinner (our last one!) at the Club Lounge. The staff here is so wonderful. Why can't we travel like this all the time? Oh yeah, because it's expensive.
Before bed, I went up to the Health Club to sit in the sauna before showering. Very nice!