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Vietnam, unlucky, painful vietnam!! Part one.....
Ok we are slightly behind, but our dramatic time in Vietnam is definately worth a read. The country has been incredibly infuriating and still impressively beautiful.
Our journey through this country started with a head spinning introduction in Ho Chi Minh City. ( saigon). Which is busting at the seams.
Our arrival was greeted with a cacophony of noise, as hundreds of scooters and horns permiating the air! The sheer volume of traffic, means the streets are best crossed blindfolded, with the innocent bravery of a child!
On our first day in the city we get a disturbing introduction to the American war and it's aftermath. The war reminants museum provides some grusome photos, most notabily the photo's of an American soldier holding the detached head and torso of a fallen commrade, and the effects of chemical warfare on the children of Vietnam ( some of the only born 10 years ago). Pictures of deformed babies and foetuses are chilling, we both recoil several times as the photos get progressively worse!
Later that day, we meet Cat and Phil a lovely couple who we met in Chiang
Mai. They are in Vietnam for roughly the same time as us. And we arrange to visit Chu Chi tunnels the next day together.
The trip also includes a trip to cao dài temple, where caodaism is practiced. A religion that encompasses many others to form a colourful mixture, not one thing nor the other. Cao dai worshipers claim to have held seances with, among many others, William Shakespere! We get a chance to sit in on a service, along with hoardes of other tourists.
The tunnels themselves are a monument of the struggle of guerilla fighters against the Americans. During the American War a complex network of tunnels 300kms spanned the valley!!
Fay consistantly states she won't enter the tunnels, but when she is presented with the opportunity she's down the snipers hole like a flash!!
The "event"
The next day is a day that will live long in the memory! Today is liberation day, and Liberation day has a very literal meaning in Vietnam, and we will explain how now!!
The day started off reasonably well, a visit to the market and the palace completed our daytime activities. But
after dark the day went from good to pretty rubbish in a few crazy seconds.
Our leisurely stroll through the wide streets took an unsavoury turn when a moped, with two people on board, mounted the pavement and stole Fay's purse out of her clutches! Before Chris had fully realised what had happend he took flight, chasing the two scum that attempted to ruin our holiday!
The two lowlives don't really help Vietnams image, as we find out later this is a frequent occurance in Saigon, suffered by many travellers. One instance last year, a poor French girl was pulled to her death in the busy saigon traffic by one of these petty thieves.
Needless to say, the cowards that mugged Fay were uncatchable, on their little speedy bike. All we can hope for is that in their haste, they write off their bike and spend the entire £60 they made off with, on a deposit for a new one!!
The lazy police are hardly an advertisement for safety and security. After being fobbed off twice, despite bringing a translator with us, by a policeman too busy watching tv and picking his nose to give a
damn about his city's crime problems, we give up!!
After our ordeal, and terrrrible experience with the nonchalant and rude Vietnamese police, we are hungry and in need of some sensory deprivation, a feeling of Eden amidst the mayhem!! Where can you get that??!
HARD ROCK CAFE of course!! Where we enjoy a lovely meal and some great music in the company of our newly found friends, Phil and Cat, who cheer fay up by buying her flowers!
The band cheer Fay up even more, they come from Brighton and are friends with the Kooks. After a bad night Fay's face lights up when they give them a call!!
The next morning we awake to the news that Phil also had his camera liberated from him, ON Liberation DAY! Welcome to Vietnam!!
To be continued with much more misfortune.......
.......please excuse the poor spelling, all will become clear in subsequent blogs!!! Love to all,
Chris and Fay!
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sarah and baby ryan
non-member comment
oh doesnt sound good, hope you are both okay xxx