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Published: March 12th 2009
Hello Everybody!!
I will catch you up.
Last I wrote I was in Nha Trang. I woke up early the next morning at about 4:00am. My watch broke and I have been unable to find a new one with an alarm so I was worried about not waking up on time. I didn't want to miss my scuba diving so I got out of bed and went for a walk. It is always amazing how much is going on down here really late at night and really early in the morning. During the afternoon everyone seems to disappear and go sleep while its hot. At 4Am the markets are up and running and people are doing their morning exercise. I wandered around for a couple of hours and then headed to the dive shop. The guy I was diving with was from Jasper BC and began diving in some of the glacial lakes around that area. Met some nice people on board, most of which were going out for their first time diving. It was nice to not be the only nervous person on board and to be the one answering peoples questions. It was just Matt and I so
he took me through some underwater tunnels....called swim throughs. It was a neat experience because that was where all the fish were and you literally had to push them out of your way to get through the tunnel. Matt was a pretty big guy so whenever I questioned if I would fit or not I would just remind myself that he made it through and to keep swimming. Some of them were really fun because the current would almost suck you through the tunnel once you got close to it and you would go shooting out the other side. The dives weren't that spectacular, I was spoiled in Indonesia and Ko Phi Phi. Not very impressive coral and very few fish. Matt explained to me that they have huge problems with people dynamite fishing in these areas so it kills a lot of the fish.
So I enjoyed the day out on the boat and got some more experience under my belt. I met a girl on the boat who was traveling by herself so I had company for the rest of the day and for dinner. Everywhere you go here people are constantly asking you if you want
to rent a motorcycle. Hailey and I were standing discussing how we were going to get to the bank when this Vietnamese man stopped to see if we needed a ride. After realizing how far it was we decided to take him up on his ride. I have seen the business of the streets and being on the back of a motorcycle was just as chaotic. But somehow the crazy system works. We got to the bank and he walked me inside, explained to the cashier that I wanted to cash travelers checks, waited to make sure I had no problems and then drove us home. He wouldn't accept money, he just asked that we come to his shop and look around. He wasn't upset when we didn't buy anything and he wished us well on our journey. That night I got on a night sleeper bus to Saigon. These buses are great and I slept most of the way.
I arrived in Saigon at 6:00 in the morning and went looking for a place to stay. I was walking down the street and this pregnant woman started talking to me and asking where I was from. After a
little while she offered me a room to stay in her family home. It is 5$ US a night compared to the 15$ that most hotels wanted to charge me and I am getting a taste of how Vietnamese families live. I have a locked room and my own bathroom and the rest of the family lives on the bottom floor of the house. There are at least 8 people including children that I have seen there so far. They rent out the top two floors to travelers. Where the family lives is just one big room with a small kitchen in the corner. Everyone seems to just sleep on the floor. I wanted to offer the pregnant woman my bed as she looks like she is going to pop. Every time I go downstairs they are eager to talk to me and if they are eating anything they invite me to join. I have got to try some interesting Vietnamese food. There is an old couple who lives there and they don't speak english but the old women just says hello and helps me make my way through the winding alleys out to the street.
I was dreading
coming to Saigon as I am not a huge fan of big cities but this experience is so cool and now I wish I could stay longer. The city is absolutely crazy. I have never seen so many motorcycles in my life and crossing the street is terrifying. You just have to start walking at a consistent pace and they will drive around you. I went to the war museum and on my way there I came to a huge street...probably 30 motorcycles wide. I was standing there figuring out how I was going to get across when a little Vietnamese man came up took my hand and said "Don't stop walking". Sure enough we made it safely across and I just kept looking straight ahead. The war museum was not enjoyable but it is the reality of this countries history so I feel like I should still see it.
The temperature has got up to 39 degrees with 85% humidity yikes. No wonder I drink 3 L of water a day and sweat like a pig.
The other night the power went out a lot. I didn't think it was too big of a deal because I
Chaotic Traffic
Yikes, where do I get acrosshave my head lamp and figured I would just read my book for a while. The problem with that plan is when the power goes out my two wonderful fans shut off. I have never been so hot and uncomfortable in my life. Thankfully the power came back on for a couple of hours in the middle of the night and I was able to cool down.
The next day I went to see the Chu Chi tunnels. Booked with a tour company that a girl I met in Nha Trang recommended as being good. My tour guides name was Mr. Bean and he was a war veteran who fought along side the Americans. He had a very unique perspective being Vietnamese but living in America and then fighting for their side. He said he lost trust with the American government and as far as they know he is missing in action. Not sure if that is true but he had some good stories. We set out for the Cu Chi tunnels and stopped on the way at a store in which the crafts were all made by disabled people. They were all on display for us to look
at which was weird and it made me think of how advanced Canada is in our treatment of disabled people and how far some countries have to come. We explored the tunnels and I had to laugh each time I saw something that Mitch had taken the exact picture of. We got to walk through a section of the tunnels and it was really scary. Mitch I also didn't make it to the end as I had had enough after 90m as well. My shoulders and hips touched the sides and I had to squat down to walk through them. I learned a lot about the war and how the Americans were outsmarted in a lot of ways. I saw the destruction that American B-52 bombs had made and standing at the bottom of one of the bomb craters made my stomach turn.
We headed back to the city while Mr. Bean told more of his many stories. He did his best to have an unbiased outlook on the war but he broke into tears many times during his stories. He refused to come into the tunnels with us as it brought back to many painful memories. In a
country that is still so divided it was nice to have some information on why that division still exists and how far they have come. It was a very eye opening experience. I realized how little I knew about the Vietnam wars.
That night I met up with two girls, Emma and Sam. I originally met them when we were trekking in Chiang Mai and then met up with them again in Vang Vien Laos and now here in Saigon. We had dinner together and while we were sitting there Lee walked by. Lee was the girl that Stacey and I traveled with in Thailand for about two weeks. We didn't think that our paths would cross again but she came to Saigon two days early. We were so excited to see each other!! We went for drinks and then unfortunately had to say goodbye again.
This morning I took a bus across the border into Cambodia. It was a six hour journey that went really well. Crossed the border without any problems and then headed for the capital Phnom Penh. I am calling it the land of the skinny cow as I have never seen so many
Cu Chi Tunnel
Wouldn't want to fall in there. cows wandering the streets and surrounding fields and I have never seen cows this skinny. I met some people from England (what a surprise, I think 90% of the people I have met are from England) and we made our way to a great little guesthouse called Ök guesthouse". It is more than just Ok and has everything we need. I also ran into a guy that I met in Nha Trang that lives just down the street from where I lived in Langley. Too funny. I don't think I could be alone on this trip if I tried.
Was only planning on staying in Phnom Penh for a night but it actually looks really beautiful and I think I will go see the sights tomorrow and then head for Siem Reap the next day. All is well and I am safe and sound in Cambodia.
Hope all is well back home. I don't really want to come home which is a good sign. I do miss everyone and am looking forward to seeing you all. If only you could come here instead of me coming home.
Miss you guys,
Talk soon,
Alicia
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dad
non-member comment
tunnels
Hi munch Great blog as usual. Will be exploring those tunnels next year myself i've decided. So glad you are so enjoying it. Yes we wish we could just come over there as well but do welcome getting you home. luv Dad