Saigon and Cu Chi Tunnels

If I had to describe my experiences from the last two days I could probably summarize by using two words....sensory overload. Saigon is crazy. I love it..but it's crazy. I would never never live here but I do have to appreciate the fact that it's very much it's own city with it's own vibe. It has so much energy.

So Saigon (formally named Ho Chi Minh city) has a population of about 7 million people and based on what I have seen...I'm pretty sure that every single person in the city has a moped/motorcycle. It is like a sea of mopeds everywhere you look. AND...I'm not exaggerating when I say this...it's LITERALLY like the game Frogger when crossing the street. In order to cross you must say a little prayer and then slowly and deliberately cross the street - not too fast and not too slow. You must never jump, run or stop. The cars and bikes expect you to stay at the same pace. They speed by right in front and right in back of you. If you change your speed you are toast! Surprisingly I mastered the art of crossing the street very quickly. I attribute this to my research prior to arriving. So thankful I'm such a planner!

Today I took a tour outside of Saigon. For the grand total of $4.50 - I traveled by air-conditioned bus to the area of Cu Chi. Which is about 70km outide of Saigon. This area was made famous by the Viet Cong tunnels during the Vietnam war (Vietnamese call it the American war...go figure). I was really looking forward to this part of my trip and I wasn't disappointed. A group of us were able to see some really cool things....all of the tiny tunnel entrances...weapons that were used by the guerillas...we even had the option of shooting a few rounds of bullets from several different guns. I chose the AK47. For about $10 I received 10 real bullets and used a REAL AK47. I have a sweet picture to prove it and well....some minor hearing loss. It was extremely loud...even hundreds of feet away but I figured that I would probably never have the chance to shoot a gun like that again. I rarely pass up such an opportunity. The tour ended with the option of crawling down in the tunnels...about 50 meters. Thankfully I am small enough that I didn't have to actually crawl. Like the Vietnamese..I was able to crouch/walk. By the end though I wanted the hell out of that tunnel. It was dirty and SO humid. Before getting back on the bus we all watched a short documentary that was filmed during the early 70's. This was the only uncomfortable part of the tour for me. Americans were referred to as the "crazy devils" and the film highlighted interviews with guerillas who were famous for killing many many Americans. I have not received ANY negative responses to the fact that I am an American but there was definitely an anti-American vibe during the film. I was happy to scurry back on the bus! I also have a new found appreciation for my boss Fred. He's a Vietnam veteran. If he were here I would hug him!

Well that's all for now (or all I have the energy to write about). Tomorrow I leave Saigon and board a plane to Hoi An (central Vietnam).

Cheers...shauna