Not a Good Idea If You Are At All Claustrophobic

The View from the Rex Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Today's activity was a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels located about 30km or so from Ho Chi Minh City. The Cu Chi Tunnels which once consisted of 250km worth of tunnels was used by the Viet Cong back in the 1960's.

I ended up sitting behind the driver, next to Deb, an Australian teacher from Melbourne. Not so sure that this location was a good idea because you could see the road ahead and that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Our driver was very impatient, constantly honking the horn and changing lanes. I really thought that a few people were going to bite it that day. Our first stop was to a handicraft place where the process of lacquering was explained to us, followed by a walkthough where the disabled workers (mostly from agent orange) were working and finally into the store. I am sure the items were quite nice, but I am really not a fan of lacquered items.

What the Viet Cong Wore at Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam
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Onto the Cu Chi Tunnels. First we watched a ten minute video that was quite difficult to understand mostly because the background music was way too loud, which was a pity because it sounded quite interesting. Then we headed out to see just how small the entrances were to the tunnels. A few people actually climbed in, with not much room to spare. As we continued on, we were shown various aspects of life in the tunnels as well as the handmade devices to trap the enemy. Part way through, shots could be heard which became quite deafening as we approached the shooting range. Here you had the choice of shooting several types of guns, including an AK-47. Surprise, surprise, I decided to pass on this one.

Demonstrating Making Rice Paper at Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam
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After a few more exhibits we finally got to go into a tunnel, which had been widen twice over the years. One by one we went into the barely lit and sometimes not all, very hot and small tunnels. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like with the original size because as it was, I had to crouch down on my heels and shimmy along with very little room around me. The girl in front of me was not happy at all. At one point she stopped and started panicking. Her boyfriend finally calmed her down so that we could continue. We finally made it out, only to see that although we passed the first exit, we didn't make it the full way. I had seen other paths and I guess one of them would have taken me the full way, but I wasn't going down any path that no one else was venturing down.

An Entrance to a Tunnel at Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam
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Going through the tunnel was the main highlight of the tour and once done, it was time to get back on the bus again. Finally back in town around 2:30pm, Deb and I were starving so we had a quick bowl of pho before parting ways. We had made plans to meet up later at the Rex Hotel for Deb's final drink before heading home that evening. We also were going to meet up with two Norwegian girls that Deb had hung out with the night before, Christine and Trine.

With not too much time before meeting up, I made my bus reservation for the following day to Dalat. The Rex Hotel is one of the fancier hotels that has a rooftop bar and so of course, has a nice view of the city below. We all met up and managed to have a few drinks and dinner before Deb had to take off for the airport. Christine, Trine and I stayed for another drink, which was almost impossible to get and getting the bill was even harder. Now, I am not one to walk out on a bill, but really, we had to ask at least 3, if not 4 times and the service overall was poor to say the least. It was surprising given such a nice place and that they weren't that busy. I would recommend to others to try the Sheraton Saigon hotel which apparently has a 360 degree view.

Just How Small the Entrance Was at Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam
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We left the hotel and walked back to the Pham Ngu Lao area where we were staying. Trine had not been feeling well so she decided to call it night while Christine and I went out for one last drink at Allez Boo. We ended up not staying out that late since it had been a late night the night before for Christine and I had still had to pack and had been suffering from allergies all day.