Well after an excellent vietnamese airlines flight I arrived at hochi min city and got a cab to the bangkok equivalent of khosan road (backpackers heaven).
I am staying in an ok cheap room for $6 called the Hong Kong (including breakfast), although its small and hot, even with two fans going. The people there are really nice and friendly, and the Banana Pancakes delicious for breakfast.
Hochiman City isn't Hanoi, its full of backpackers and shady types, with lots of viatnamese prostitues trying to get work. Bit seedy really.
Well I went exploring now, glad of heat again. You get hastled a lot here by sikathew drivers and guys who want to take you everywhere on there motorbikes, even to the extent they make fake testimonial books up after finding which country your from... you know carol and mark from england said "I was such a friendly and safe driver, and took them everywhere!". I had already been advised not to take these, as they tend to steel your bags and money, so walked everywhere instead.
Next day I did the war museum. The most depressing thing I have done this trip, a very biased report on the effects of agent orange and other chemical weapoms used on the vietnamese to prevent them growing crops, etc, the effect was maiming children, stunting growth and creating disability; kids and people (saw all the photographs including jars of deformed embrios, etc) plus the torture the americans did, for example a photograph of a GI holding heads of so called framers and boasting, plus the masacre of families, and opening young girls abdomens done by a troup, including a current US senator. I know its all propaganda, six of one and half a dozen of the other, but its still depressing. In fact, it was so disturbing I left in need of a temple, or some bit of optimimisum especially after seeing viatnemese childrens current drawings to do with peace, which all included images of americas B52 planes dropping bombs on familys (iraq) etc. Sad thats their modern day view point of america and the world, things dont change!
Walked what felt like miles in the scorching heat to the jade pagaoda, nearly passed out it was that much of a walk and very hot. It was ok, though nothing to rave about, so went and had the best ice cream, ever of course with a beer. Although brenda's not here, and the beer sessions are reduced, a cold beer went nicely.
Today I went to a huge temple NW of hochi min (will find the name later but its a two hr drive). It's a mixture of 3 religions with catholisium and the popes blessing and even housing allowance thrown in (hindu, Confuscious and buddhism). The church was the oddest thing I have ever seen, like an ice cream cone in the shape of a pagoda, with a mixture of elements of dragons and globes with the tomb raider all seeing eye. Very strange, but really beautiful in the oddest sort of way. We had to go upstairs and watch from above while hundreds went in and prayed all dressed in white except the multi coloured preists, yellow, blue and red for the 3 different religions.
We only stayed for 20 mins but the ceremony goes on for hours. The chanting sounds like a scene from close encounters where all the people parying start chanting the close encounters tune... very eery!
Next was the Cu Chi tunnels. It was like a huge historical park, jungle that was destroyed byagent ornage nowgrowing again and little huts and tunnels dotted around.
How they ever got into them I have no idea, there was a small opening, covered by leaves, that you would have missed, which a couple of us got into, put the lid on, and as far as you can tell were gone.
I gave it a go, in the sort of replica tunnel. It is original, but has been opened wider for us fat westerners, but god it was clostraphobic, and hot and I followed this giant american bloke, and litterally had to stop everytime the opening got smalleras he had to crawl.
Some went into the original ones which were much smaller but I wasn't brave for that, too hot too clostraphobic and start and stopping all the way. I think I would have freaked a bit. He also showed us replica meeting rooms that would have been 2 metres under ground, next level would be another 3 and third level andother 3 after that.
The cuchi viallages were given medals and honerary titles as during the day they lived underground preparing lethal booby traps and at night they were farmers. No one knew who the leaders were as theiur faces were all covered. Next we saw trhe booby traps, combinations of camoflage and different ways to impale and American on metal spikes, tearing flesh from their limbs. A very diffreent view than americans shooting innocent farmers it showed in the war museum...innocent farmers my eye, noone could tell. Again no justification as propganda all around!
Am now tired of anythign to do with war don't like any of the view points.
After going through huchi mins rush hour I get back to hotel. London has nothing on this. I braved a local restuarant from the guide book and was the first westerner (and only one) in there. It turned out to be excellent I cooked my own meat on a grill (beef not dog although there was a frog option) and then wrapped it with some rice paper with lettuce noodles and vegetables and had my very own spring role. You could call it a vietnamese fondu it was excellent and I felt well travelled after a few westerners came in and watched what I was doing then copied me. if they had seen me originally I hadn't got a clue.
Tomorrow I leave early for cambodia and sounds like it will be an intersting border crossing. See you in another country.
Posted by alexd at April 3, 2004 02:34 PM