It's so hard to say goodbye....

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After a beer and a quick bite to eat with Steve after the Mekong Tour, I had to get ready to meet the rest of the crew for drinks at 7PM. I invited Steve and a German couple from the Delta tour to join us. I quickly showered and laid down for a brief rest. I met up with Melanie first, at a bar called Allez Bous in the heart of hotel row. We chatted for a bit before seeing Alex and the girl from Zimbabwe running towards us, an awkward sight to see. Drenched in sweat, they told us that they went for a run and would be running late because they had to shower. Of course that wasn't a problem. While we sat there, Melanie ran into 2 Englishmen she had met at the War Memorial the previous day. They joined us for drinks. We also invited them to dinner and they obliged. There were 8 of us in total for dinner. We ate at a restaurant around the corner form the bar, a place I found to have beer that was a full 25 cents cheaper than any other. I was proud of that, though in retrospect, that isn't anything to write home about.

We all sat down and talked for a couple of hours, conversations flowing between and across tables. I sat back and listened, enjoying the comraderie and the free flowing good intentions from everyone. I spoke with the girl from Zimbabwe for quite a bit. She was a personal trainer from LA, an Exercise Physiology graduate. You would have to be blind to not be able to see that she was in excellent shape. We spoke about workout routines, specific types of training, fat Americans, proper diet, etc. I invited her and the rest to DC any time they wanted to visit. The beers were going down easy on that warm night. We decided to head to a pretty popular bar called Apocalypse Now. In my guidebook, it mentioned something about "amiable pimps and prostitutes" alongside "ex-pats and tourists." This was the place to get the footage of a prostitute saying "me so horny, me love you long time," a task I was given by my co-workers and officer at the firehouse, and Joe, a personal trainer from my gym. I had been reluctant to perform the task, but figured this was as good a place as any. I hadn't had a better opportunity my entire trip. We arrived after paying $3 for a taxi. I expected a dive, but it was far from one. We were met by 5 uniformed guards/bouncers. We entered and found a very clean establishments with expensive drinks. It wasn't very crowded, since it was still early and a weekday. We stayed for one beer and some pool. I gave the reigning pool champ a run for his money, though I lost twice. I suspected that he was either the owner or a pimp who was there almost every night. I had him on the run, but he beat me out. I couldn't obtain the footage of the prostitute because pics. were not allowed. That was the end of it for me.

We found a cab back to the area we started at and had a few more drinks. Alex and the CPT were leaving the next day, so that night was the final night we would see them. We exchanged e-mail addresses and said our goodbyes. The Australian couple, Melanie, and I decided to meet the following day for dinner, since it was my last night in Saigon.

The next morning, Melanie and I met for a tour to the CuChi tunnels, a system of underground tunnels where Vietkong soldiers lived for months, even years. It was an unbelievable feat, first to create the tunnels with its intricate connections, second to be able to live in extremely tight quarters for so long. If one had clausterphobia, I couldn't imagine how a person could survive under those conditions. Makeshift booby traps using sharpened bamboo spikes were displayed as well. They were a vicious means of entrapment and death, but necessary in the context of defense of their city. Still, to picture these imaginitive methods in use made many of us shake our heads. We were allowed to crawl through about 20 meters of tunnel. We descended down steps underneath the ground into small, dark tunnels carved into the earth below. Dim lights lead the way. Melanie went first, but she quickly asked me to take the lead, as she was becoming anxious. We crawled through, with very little to lead us. I finally saw a light and followed it, as it became brighter and brighter. It led us to a ladder that brought us above ground and back into the intense sunlight and heat. Other entrances to the tunnels were no bigger than 1' x 2". It seemed almost impossible that anyone could fit, but most of us gave it a shot and surprisingly, we all made it. Feet first, then upper torso with arms raised before grabbing the cover and slinking below.

After the tour, most of us fell asleep on the 90 min. van ride back to Saigon. Mel and I decided to have lunch, as we were famished. After lunch, she wanted to book her trip to India, so we spent an hour looking for the best rates. After obtaining a reasonable rate, she needed to withdraw funds, so we headed to an ATM. While she was taking money out, I noticed an older, balding white man walking around in shorts and a yellow shirt. It was Chuck, the retired literature professor from NY that I had met in Halong Bay on my second day in Vietnam. How random to see him on a street I had never been on in a city over 2000km away from where I started. I invited him to join us for dinner. We spent the next half hour trying to secure an even better rate for the India trip. Afterwards, we went back to the place with cheap beer and chatted for well over an hour. We invited to Chuck to join us for dinner with the Aussie couple. He went back to get ready, while Mel and I went for a walk around Saigon during rush hour. We both wanted to take more photos of the traffic and that is what we did.

5PM rolled around, which was the time we had arranged to meet everyone. We again went back to our favorite place, but since their menu was mostly vegetarian, we decided to find somewhere new. We wound up at a place the Aussie couple suggested. I had the best burger and fries since I had been in the States. Richard and I had shots of banana rice wine. They were going down pretty easily. We had about 4 bottles. I didn't care, since it was my last night in Saigon. We all talked and laughed and afterwards, exchanged e-mails. Rich and I got along well, since we were both crazy and liked to drink. His wife, Rachelle, often shook her head as we went shot for shot. Richard, Rachelle, and I couldn't imagine what would happen if I had a few more nights in Saigon. We pictured Rich and I getting drunk and into fights at the local hangouts. It was probably a good idea that I left, crazy Aussie.

We said our goodbyes and I walked Mel back to her room. We gave each other hugs and I wished her luck on her journey to India, a trip she had certain trepidations over. I told her to follow her gut and have a good time, that everything else would fall into place. She made sure to remind me to e-mail her. I grabbed my things and headed for the airport. I left Saigon after 9PM and arrived in Hanoi at about 11-ish. I set aside a certain amount of money for my last 2 days and did not want to withdraw a few dollars at the ATM. After waiting outside the airport for 30 minutes, I negotiated a deal for $5 to my hotel, a 45 min. trip. I finally arrived after 1PM to my hostel, where it all started. I was exhausted and had planned to shower and sleep. However, in the kitchen I met a German guy, Australian guy, English guy, and a very attractive American girl who was planning to study at Columbia University for social work. We all chatted, some of us in various stages of our journey. I knew I had to get up, but decided that I could sleep on the plane, so I stayed up for 2 hrs., talking in the kitchen.

We all finally decided to get some rest. I slept about 3 hrs. before getting up early in the morning. I ran into the owner of the place, a fellow that joined us for shots on my first night. He remembered me and we laughed about St. Patty's Day and how drunk we all were. I told him that I would be back there someday. I met a few more people in the morning and we all chatted. One particular girl caught my eye. She was a 23 yr. old English girl traveling with her friend. She had a genuine smile and kind eyes. They were just beginning their journey as I was ending mine. I gave them some advice and possible places to see. They thanked me and I left for the airport to return to the States. I didn't want to leave, but had friends to see and jobs to get back to....

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Photos

Saigon...
me and the crew, minus Richard, taking the photo.

CuChi tunnels....
...how could they have survived for years like this?

CuChi tunnels....
...chillin' with the soldiers.

CuChi tunnels....
...Melanie with destroyed American tank.

CuChi tunnels....
...B-52 blast crater.

CuChi tunnels....
...the horrors of war.

Saigon....
...traffic.

Saigon....
...final dinner with the Aussies, Melanie, and Chuck.

Saigon....
...final dinner.