Ho Chi Mihn City - A Thrill A Minute

Church of Notre Dame in HCMC
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The guide book described Ho Chi Mihn City (HCMC) as a town which provides a thrill a minute and they weren't kidding.  On the bus ride into HCMC our driver was speeding past other cars and buses and trucks using the "invisible third lane" (aka the middle of a two lane road) when we heard sirens.  We figured it was an ambulance but instead it was a police vehicle and he waved our bus to the side.  This was the first time we had actual seen policemen work.  Everytime we saw them in Cambodia they were sitting in a circle playing cards.  As expected, a traffic stop in Vietnam is much different than a traffic stop in Vietnam.  Our driver and the policeman both got out of their cars had a few laughs and began filling out the paperwork.  Our driver also walked up to the passenger side of the police vehicle and opened the door to talk with the other policeman.  We wondered if he would try to pay them off but we never saw any money exchange hands.  Did this change his driving?  No way . . .  after all he had to make up the time we had lost at the stop!

Flooded street in HCMC
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Everyone had told us to be prepared for the traffic in HCMC.  The traffic which never stops they said as they gave us the rules for crossing the road . . . walk slowly at a constant pace, never stop or change direction, and don't panic.  The cars and motos will go around you.  Its a real science and one that takes a lot of practice before you become comfortable.  Road signs and lights are kind of like the pirates code . . . there more like guidelines.  No one stops even for red lights.  Basically majority rules and although this might work in places with less traffic in HCMC it becomes absolute chaos.  An average of 30 people died every day in vehicle related accidents which happen all the time.  Our first day Tony and I saw two or three (without injuries).  Our second day we got into a taxi with Troy and Carrie and I commented that we hadn't seen any accidents yet today.  Getting out of the taxi, Troy opened his door and all we heard was a huge thud and "oh shit".  A moto driver had hit Troy's door.  The bike was on its side and the two riders were in the street.  Luckily no other vehicles hit them and they were not seriously injured.  No one spoke English however and we had no idea of the protocol for accidents in Vietnam.  Were we suppose to call the police?  Did they have insurance?  The moto driver was yelling at the taxi driver and the taxi driver ended up paying him off with 200,000 dong (approx. $12).  The taxi driver then tried to get us to pay him the 200,000 and we were trying to understand why he paid this amount.  Perhaps it was customary and perhaps not.  When we asked him to call the police so we could straighten out the situation, he got in the taxi and left.  As we learned later, large taxi companies are suppose to carry insurance.  However, many drivers forge their taxi drivers licenses and cars which means they don't actually work for the taxi company.  If they get caught they get in huge trouble.  The third accident we saw was in Hanoi.  We were at a cafe and again we heard a thud.  This time a pedestrian (a local not a tourist) got hit by a taxi.  He wasn't moving and instead of waiting the taxi driver and the girl he was with picked him up by his arms and legs and threw him in the backseat of the taxi.  We assumed this was faster than waiting for an ambulance or the police?  Needless to say traffic is serious business around here and we are paying very close attention to everything.

More flooded streets . . . doesn't slow down traffic!
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After sorting out the moto/taxi accident, we continued our walking tour of HCMC.  We had already seen the Notre Dame cathedral, the post office and gotten a one hour monkey massage.  The massage was termed a monkey massage because the people massaging us were all over the place.  We were in recliner type chairs which were up against a wall.  At one point there were sitting on the tops of our chairs over our heads.  At other times they were balancing above us and walking on our backs.  However, the ultimate excitement came when they got underneath us and put us into a complete arch position (similar to a back bend, but with the whole body).  The rest of us (who were finished) looked over at Troy just as his lady let him down except he was so heavy he squished her and her arms began flailing about causing a roar of laughter.

Troy on American tank
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The next stop was the Reunification Palace and we barely made it before the rain.  It was the most intense thunderstorm I have ever experienced.  The sky would light up and immediately the thunder would roar.  It was so loud the building shook and many people jumped thinking it was a gun shot or bomb.  We stayed until the place closed but eventually we knew we had to brave the rain.  Crowded under a single borrowed umbrella we made our way back to the entrance gate.  Unfortunately it was only the entrance.  The exit was about 300 uncovered feet away and we had to give up the umbrella.  Instead we purchased cheap ponchos for 5,000 dong (approx. 34 cents) to hopefully keep our valuables and book dry.  Outside the exit we attempted to catch a taxi but everyone we saw already had passengers.  Not having any other options we started walking.  The streets were flooded and most of the time we were walking in water at least ankle deep.  Sometimes it was up to our knees.  The curbs were challenging since you couldn't see where they stopped or started.  Shopkeepers held up plywood to keep the water out of their stores (two steps up from street level) sometimes to no avail.  Regardless the chaotic traffic continued . . . bicycles, motos, cars and buses all forged ahead.  After awhile it became fun and we rather enjoyed being in the middle of the action.  We were soaked anyway.  At least we made the best of it!

Tony in Chu Chi Tunnels near HCMC
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The next day we took a tour to the Chu Chi tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or American War as they call it here).  It was fasinating to hear how they used unexploded bombs to create land mines and actually built tunnels under the American military base to steal supplies.  We saw the booby traps they built and learned about the extensive tunnels they built.  There strategy was so simple it was extraordinary how it survived so many attempts to defeat it.  Bombs were dropped but the tunnels were built out of clay so the heat only made the tunnels stronger.  They tried gas but the tunnels were built out of different levels and had excellent ventilation.  They tried flooding them but the water merely ran down to the lower level and eventually out the exit into the river.  In addition the tunnels were so small that you had to walk hunched over and the Americans were much bigger than the Vietnamese.  We got to walk through about 1500 meters of tunnel and it was closterphobic.  I was the only one who stuck it out.  Troy, Carrie and Tony exited at the first opportunity.  The lamp I brought helped significantly as it was very dark.  In the tunnel, I saw a scorpion and a spider.  The guys in front of me saw a bat.  BUT there was no turning around, you had to keep going.  My legs hurt for two days from walking in a hunched over position.  Plus I had strawberries on my knees from the one section we had to crawl through on our bellies.  It was not for the faint of heart.  And that was only one small section.  The tunnels branched off everywhere for a total of 256 kilometers in length.  That's longer than the entire Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.  Extraordinary!

Carrie in Chu Chi Tunnels near HCMC
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Well we're back in HCMC due to the flooding of most of central Vietnam (that's another blog story yet to come) so who knows what additional thrills the next couple of days will bring.  As always, stay tuned.

Thankfully there were no more traffic accidents which left it up to us to create our own excitment and what better way to do so then some fine dining Vietnamese style.  I forgot to mention originally that we were in a trendy bar which served everyone cold green tea (like they would serve water at Shari's in ths US).  I only took a small sip since I prefer my tea hot rather than cold.  Since I didn't appear overly interested in my tea the staff decided to serve it to someone else . . . in the same glass.  They literally took it off our table and put it back onto the staff serving tray and gave it to someone at another table.  Hmmm makes you wonder about the other three glasses we were served!

Mmmmm BBQ and Beer
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I had read that one of the Vietnamese specialties is marinated beef which you grill yourself over a charcoal BBQ type fire at your table.  So we headed to Restaurant 31.  Of course, we tried the beef but we also tried crocodile.  Nope it didn't taste like chicken.  It actually reminded me more of squid.  Very mild flavor but a little chewy . . . especially if you cooked it too long.  We also talked Troy and Carrie into trying a scorpion.  Much to our surprise the scorpions were quite large.  They were good sports though and ate up.  Not before we took some amusing pictures, however.  When our meal was finished and we had eaten all the meat our waiter came around to clear plates.  Noticing that we forgot to each our vegetables, he promprly grilled and fed them to me (I guess since they were on the plate in front of me).  It reminded me of my mom saying "open wide you have to eat your vegetables"!

Mmmm scorpions
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Last but not least we were able to enjoy a Vietnamese water puppet show in HCMC.  Vietnamese water puppets originated in the north of Vietnam.  The people basically needed something to do when the red river delta area flooded and they were stuck in their houses.  Water puppets is definetely a creative way to pass the time.  The combination of Vietnamese music (I think they might be tone deaf and have very little sense of rhythm) with dancing puppets in the water makes for sensory overload at times, but once again, it all about the experience!