Saigon - Curry and Tunnels

---

So we awoke early on the first day of October, we had finished our first full calendar month on the road and, let’s face it, we are now seasoned professionals at this. Having had a few beers the night before, coupled with the early start, Lou decided that, combined with the main attraction being tunnels, there was little point in her coming along on the half day tour. Having had breakfast with Scott and Sara, I boarded a bus to Cu Chi.

Once again the Vietnam idea of a tour and our own doesn’t gel perfectly. We were told that we were going to one of the outlying districts of Saigon by our guide to visit the tunnel complex but first we would go to a factory where the workers were all victims of agent orange. Whilst this was a bona fide place and the workers were indeed unfortunate victims, the art and sculpture had a mass produced feel to it, despite us watching it being created. It was also more expensive and bulkier than anything we could consider. As such for us this was a bathroom and water stop and nothing more.

During our first leg of this journey, we had unfortunately been subjected to hearing another passenger rather too much and the aforementioned American girl was just as annoying for the rest of the trip. Both Scott and Sara were a bit chagrined that the only other citizen from the USA was so annoying.

On arrival at the complex we got our tickets and proceeded to view the various exhibits strewn through the jungle. Our first stop was an entrance to the tunnels which was a small wooden trap door not much larger than a shoe box. It was demonstrated to us how the VC defenders got in and out of this hole and we were offered a go. Some of the ladies in the group could get into the hole, so I gave it a go. My legs got in but once I got to my chest my ribs stuck against the entrance. There was no physical way that I could get into this entryway without collapsing my ribcage. This quite clearly proved the problem the American’s had while trying to flush out the “enemy.” We were shown traps of various styles fashioned from Bamboo, and remnants of ordinance. The whole complex here was flattened by a carpet bombing campaign late I the war so all that remains are a few entryways and holes. We progressed through the site to an ara where you were able to fire a variety of weapons should you wish to. You pay by the bullet/clip and AK-47, M16 etc are all available. Nobody in our group took up the offer which meant we lost some of the other groups that had been almost shadowing us for the morning, including a huge group of Chinese tourists who swarmed over our small group making it hard to view the very things we had come to see.

We finally got to a spot were we could go down into the earth and try out the short piece of reconstructed tunnel. These “tunnels” were significantly smaller than the ones I had experienced in Vinh Moc and the fact that they were reconstructed rather than original also altered the experience significantly. This tunnel had exits at convenient distances so that if you were overcome either physically, as it is indeed a test moving in such a confined space, or mentally by the feeling of claustrophobia, you were easily able to exit. Scott, Sara and I were the last in the queue to enter the tunnel, and before we had got in a tall guy from our group who would no doubt have struggled physically had already exited by the shortest 30m exit. On entering the tunnel I was glad that I had come prepared with my torch, and was able to see a bit more of what was around me. We shuffled our way along the crowded hot passageway. The only real light coming as we passed the exits, this light was accompanied by a brief area of fresh smelling air, and a minute drop in temperature. The other benefit to passing an exit was the reduction in people crowding the tunnel. We progressed past the 20m, 30m, 50m 75m exits. Sara called it a day at the 100m exit as did Scott initially until they had exited and realised that I hadn’t at which point he re-entered. The two of us forged on to the final exit at 120m the only people to achieve the feat. Just prior to the exit the tunnel narrowed even more to a point where the shuffling/stooped walking had to be abandoned for crawling on our hands and knees, and twist our shoulders slightly to get through the tiny tunnel.

We both exited the tunnels dirty and so hot we were both sweating profusely. Far from pleasant but a certain sense of satisfaction from going the distance, until we remembered the distances travelled in the war by the locals, at which point the only thing that you can feel is awe.

The group moved on to a dining area where we were served a strange tea, and a plate of semolina which had been cooked in a way that made it resemble boiled potatoes, which we were to dunk into a dish of salt and peanuts. A not very tasty snack which was common for the VC to eat.

We finally had a short time to watch a video before re-boarding our bus for the hotel. The trip was interesting but again we had spent more time in the bus than seeing sights and, having already experienced Vinh Moc, it was less impressive to me than the others.

On returning to the hotel we picked up Lou and headed out for a late lunch. Lou said she would like something western and I explained that I had quite fancied a curry, which given how frequently we would eat it at home somehow feels like a western food. We agreed Indian was the way forward and headed to the guidebook named one that we were really close to, Mumtaz. We all ordered with both couples deciding to share a pair of dishes a rice and a bread. I can honestly say it was one of, if not the best Indian meal I have ever had, and doubly good for the price difference with home! We all left satisfied and happy, and in no real need to eat again for the rest of the day as it was now approaching late afternoon.

We had a few jobs on the list to achieve today, as Scott and Sara needed to start organising anti-malarials for the Cambodian leg of their trip, and unfortunately our hotel was fully booked for the approaching Saturday night so we needed to search out a new base. We had all decided quite quickly that we liked Saigon and wanted more time here (maybe it had something to do with the fact that we had all previously decided we were going to get out as fast as possible as we didn’t like big cities that opened the door for this pleasant surprise) So we meandered our way around the backpacker district checking out hotels and pharmacies a task that quickly became a depressing one as none of the hotels had vacancies despite it being the low season, and the pharmacies didn’t stock Malarone, the anti malarial that we have and Scott and Sara’s drug of choice for their trip. Things had to change eventually and sure enough they did, we had earlier in the day bumped into the German couple that were in our hostel in Dalat and they had given us a card for their hotel, which we checked out and then booked rooms in as it was decent. We probably wouldn’t have ventured in here normally as it was not a budget hostel according ot the guidebook, but as there was some building works going on they had an offer on. Our changing fortune continued when we decided to stop in a bar for a couple of beers and almost the instant we sat down the heavens opened. We hadn’t seen it coming and but for good fortune would all have been soaked to the skin in a proper tropical downpour.

We sat out the storm drinking beers for a $1 a bottle, before deciding we would head back to our hotel to utilise their rooftop lounge area, to play cards and drink some more beers which we bought en masse from one of the never ending shops on the way.

We haven’t planned to have many big nights as we are usually doing something in the morning but, with a need to hang around the hotel to collect washing and also to checkout and move hotels at about midday, a lazy morning was planned for, allowing us the scope to drink a few cans of Tiger beer. This and the card games we exchanged (we taught them “Shithead” and Scott, Sara and I taught Lou “Euchre” and “Asshole”) made for a really good night looking out over the varied rooftops of Saigon.

We did indeed awake late, and a lazy breakfast before returning to our rooms to pack meant the morning was all but gone before we new it. As we slowly trickled to reception to check out, having had to check each item of laundry back into our possession after a slight mix up, the heavens opened again. So we sat there for a while pontificating about whether or not to get a taxi despite the short distance, in order to protect the contents of our bags and the bags themselves. However it would seem that our luck was to continue as just as we were geared up to leave it stopped, so we thought we would make a go of it on foot to get ot the new place. We made it unscathed and checked into our new digs, before heading out for lunch. The night before may have been catching up with us all as nobody could make a decision on lunch venue or even menu for that matter and the time ticked by until we were once again into the early stages of the afternoon rather than lunchtime. We eventually did select a place but the food was rather disappointing and as such the name of the place I do not remember. By now our plan to visit the War remnants museum was starting to look rather non starter. So we shelved it until tomorrow, instead agreeing to visit the night market. After an unsuccessful trip to a supermarket in search of both Prosecco and/or Pimms after a discussion we had had with our American pals, we returned to the hotel to prepare for our evening expedition.

We headed out to the market which itself closed at 6pm inside the market building , whilst the night market started at 6pm outside the building. The Indoor market was an interesting experience; it was similar to our markets at home except the alleys were much smaller and everybody was hassling you to buy things. I was grabbed, proded and poked numerous times in an effort ot make me stop and look/buy something from the various stalls. This became tedious very quickly and I was alos glad of the advice from the guidebook that recommended bringing little to no cash to this place, so for the first time since leaving I had left with only a few notes and not my whole wallet. Whilst I was not robbed in anyway, I could easily imagine losing valuables in this tightly packed bazarre. We exited the indoor market to the sight of hundreds of stalls being erected at a phenomenal speed outside, accompanied by lots of noise, as canopies were clunked and clicked into place, wheeled from her to there and the infrastructure assembled. We found a bar to watch this event take shape and by the time we had drunk our drinks the night market was in full swing.
It was hard to imagine that the place had been a street merely 30 mins earlier as now there were rows of restaurants with tanks of live seafood, stalls selling everything imaginable and a hubbub easily as significant as the indoor equivalent.
We again strolled through the stalls, and despite not planning on purchasing enjoyed it nonetheless.
We returned home feeling that it was the end of the day despite it being barely past 7.30pm. We decided a few more beers would assist matters so sought out the cheapest place in backpacker land close to home and indulged in a few cold ones and some bar snacks, whilst chewing the fat and planning the day to come, our previously planned trip to the war remnants museum was on the cards for the morning so we couldn’t be too late, we moved onto the hotel to tuck into some of the remaining beers from our previous nights purchase, before heading to bed to discover the noise from the building sight behind the hotel. Lets just say I was glad I had had a couple of lagers!

---

Photos

American Tank
A vicitim of landmines like so many others.

Scott entering the tunnels
Although only the first underground chamber, not the tunnels themselves.

Dummy in the woods
Throughout the area were various mannequins showing different aspects of life.

Tunnel Chimney
The smoke from cooking was diverted awat from the camp but kept underground, and all fires stopped by 6:30am to prevent the camps from being given away by the smoke.

Vietnamese Supermarket
If you look hard you can just see Lou's head above the aisle near the back.

Indoor market's main route
It's wider than the rest!

Gregg and Scott
Sat in a nightmarket restaurant.

Santa's bar/restaurant
Nothing to do with xmas we think, but cheap beer.