We suck as "backpackers"

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The final day in Saigon. A trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels is organised. Never before have I felt like such a tourist. Getting an air-con bus, a tour guide and rushed. It just seemed against our travel plan. I guess some tourist things have to be done.

We stop on the way to look at rubber trees. I thought to myself, "hmm wow" (With a large amount of sarcasim) We move on and arrive at the complex. We are hearded like cows into a small video room. The poor VHS quality makes me laugh. We only get 5 minutes before we are hearded again out the front door to the gate. "We watch later, we watch later" Another video room greets us. "I think that was the middle part" Rohan says. Another 5 minutes passes. "There is another room, we watch there" We finally see the poor production almost in full, backwards, with the middle at the end. "M'eh, we get the idea"

Over to the first tunnel. A tiny little camouflaged hole in the ground. "Someone want to go in???, YOU!" pointing at Rohan
"OK, I guess"
He manages to squeeze into this tiny hole. Another man tries, but gets stuck. No way I'm doing that, My big arse will get stuck for sure.

Over the next couple of hours, we are given the whirl-wind tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels. It may have been really enjoyable if we had long enough to take some of it in. However, it is interesting to hear about it from the Vietnamese side. I am in the habit already of calling it the American War.

We arrive at another shooting range. I figured, I may as well, not like I get the chance very often. It's been a whole 3 days since I've shot an automatic weapon. I choose the AK47 again plus the M30 Machine Gun. 10 rounds each goes in less time than it takes to get transport in Saigon when you shout out, "I NEED TRANSPORT!" We are then lead to an actual tunnel that was used in the war. "Original size" he claimes. Somehow, while extremely small, still widened methinks.

We are whisked away back to Saigon. We figure we may as well organise some transport to Hoi An. We decide on the Reunification Express and realise our train leaves that night. So to the station, where no one speaks english. The only language we could offer, that they understand, is our ticket. We are lead to the right carriage, find our beds and settle in for a 16 hour train ride. We try to find the bar that was promised. Unable to find one, we settle for a beer or 2 in the seated area.

We arise to spectacular scenery while travelling along the Vietnamese coast. We arrive in Danang at 2:30pm and organise a cab to share with the 2 people who were also in our room on the train. 240 000 Dong later, we approach the gates of the Hoi An Hotel. Pricing the hotel seems the obvious thing to do since we were in the vacinity. $35US per night seemed extortionate to what we had been paying but it had a pool, something that had been lacking at our previous sojourns.

It came clear that night when we were feeding our face full of room service food, lying on our oversized beds in our oversized room in one of the biggest hotels in Vietnam that perhaps we aren't the hard-core backpackers we set out to be. Either way, it was pretty nice anyway.

Hoi An itself is a nice little river-side town. One big attraction here is the clothes. As a guy, I never thought I'd be excited about clothes. The beauty is, that all clothes can be tailor made with all the options you want. Material, colour, design. They can even copy a particular type of clothing out of a magazine. We decided on a few things. I got 2 dress shirts and a pair of long pants all for the bargin price of $24. I love it.
Rohan went mad and bought a whole new wardrobe.

So we're kicking back here in Hoi An. Leaving for Hué tomorrow which should be a lot of fun.

Thanks again for all the messages and comments, especially you Luisa. I can always rely on you, no matter where I am in the world, to give me Simpsons quotes. Love u girl. Anyways, till next time. PEACE CAMO

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Photos

Rubber trees
Very very exciting stuff!

Cu Chi Tunnels
You think they look small from here!?

Rambo strikes again!!
Just can't keep me away from these AK47's

Rambo strikes again... and AGAIN!!
I think I'm all machine gunned out!

Traffic by night
Saigon traffic a little slow that night

Pool
We find probably the best pool table in Saigon... 3 hours before we leave. It's at a place called Eden

Rohan settling in
You'd think he was gunna be on the train for weeks

The scenery flying by
On the Reunification Express

Welcome To Hoi An
At the front of our resort

Boat on the river
We caught this free boat in Hoi An to get to a great little restaurant

Rohan getting fitted
Never would have thought I would get fitted for clothes but here it is

Silks
Not only are we getting tailor made clothes, we are getting Vietnamese silk... Only the best!

6930km away
Seems a lot further.. hmmm

Comments

[Johnny*]

holy hell, you look so mean with that AK 47!

[Azza]

HOLY SHIT CAMS GOT A GUN
hey cam step away from the weapon scary though not someone to mess with