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Published: October 15th 2017
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My Lai massacre site, Vietnam
The map of the original village Hi happy readers.
It’s Friday that means nearly the end of our second week travelling round this part of Asia. Not really knowing what to expect but thinking maybe like Thailand I have been very surprised. Both Cambodian and the Vietnamese people are a gentle kind culture that as 2 countries go have been literally to hell and back. The leaders have done bad things to their own people and things I only remember reading and talking about in a class at high school or as a teenager hearing something but you just don’t relate to the atrocities that have been their reality. I know as teenagers we learnt world history but to see it and be part of it! Wow. Then to hear about what the “help” did in contributing to those atrocities was as bad.
So where is all this leading to so early on a Friday morning? Pauline, Bryan and I did a tour as we had a free day to do as we wish. We chose to carry along with the tour so far on the history of this beautiful country and see what a trip down to the town of My Lei where a
My Lai massacre site, Vietnam
Lay out of the village region village called Son My was decimated by US soldiers killing 504 people including the elderly, women and children. I had seen in the movies so had an understanding of the events that had happened but wow.... standing beside the foundations of a family home where a plaque states how many and who they were and their ages from that family that were gunned down. Mass graves where whole families are buried which in some cases wiped out that family totally. Other families may have 1-2 members left that weren’t in the village that fateful day. The only surviving member of a family from that day our guide was saying is now curator who runs the museum and overseas this village site. It is his passion to care for his families, and the families that were wiped outs graves here, and their memory. I wandered the museum and the very powerful photos taken as events unfolded by an American photographer with the army recording all events show it how it happened. The story that it unfolds made me want to weep for the horror of the lost. Just another story of an event in history that has effected this country under
My Lai massacre site, Vietnam
Entrance car park area with seats named after families the banner of war for peace. How humanity can destroy themselves. How sad. I have found the trip doing it from a history perspective very interesting. Joining the On the Go Tour for the first 8 days and following the history trail of the country has been a great way to really learn from the locals what their country was and is like. This was our last trip with the group today as others did different things only 6 of us did this little excursion.
It took just over 2 hours to go down to the village and about 2.5 hours to return. We arrived back with thought provoking scenes in our mind and had the rest of the day chilled to ourselves.
Bryan and I went to try on our outfits the tailor had been making and very happy to have those all organised. They do very talented work and are very friendly people. Our cases will be heavier coming home. Sheryl finished her tour and came straight to the tailor as well to have her dresses and shoes fitted and everything will be delivered tonight to the hotel to us completed. Pauline walked over to the
old quarter to meet us at the tailors and we all went for drinks and desserts ? which is the thing to do here in the afternoon.
We talked about our day and compared with Sheryl’s trip and had some thoughts about what we would do for our last free day here in the middle of the country tomorrow (Saturday). Our flight isn’t until 7pm so we have all day and decided leaving the tour group from tonight was both great and sad as tomorrow they have to get up at 3.15am to go to the airport back up at Da Nang to fly to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). We will follow them to Saigon. But sad that we didn’t know we could have stayed on the tour to do the things we are going to follow them in doing anyway. Different catalogues had different length trips so everyone leaving at different times. Anyway we walked back through the ancient town, past all the beautiful buildings, cafes, restaurants, tailors and gift shops, over the bridge and through the market area which at this time of the day is very different to in a couple of hours when the hussle
My Lai massacre site, Vietnam
The scroll naming all 504 people has their number killed, their names, age and sex and bussle of the market stalls are up.
The permanent shops/stalls are open then we walk into an intersection and look in front of us as we walk towards them a large collection of motorbikes all across the road facing us? I look to the right up the street and there is another group all collected the same facing us down the street. There is a vacant area in front of both groups and we walked right into the intersection. First thought was uoh what’s happening here. Why are they sitting on their bikes like they are at a stand off. I hadn’t seen anything like this and the people were all different ages and sexes on the bikes just lined up in rows sitting there. Then as we cross the intersection walking around the bikes we look up and see oh that’s right it’s a school and it’s nearly pick up time! Whew it’s not a stand off it’s just how the kids get collected from school and go home with their families ha ha ha Pauline got a couple of good pics as they passed us further up the road.
Sheryl and I looked into a
My Lai massacre site, Vietnam
The scroll has the names of all 504 people that were killed travel agent that she had booked her trip through today and thought what is around that we could do a half day tour of that didn’t start until midday as we didn’t have to leave hotel before then and that would drop us into the airport at Da Nang in time for our flight. It all worked out good as we booked a van to take us back to Da Nang to visit marble mountain, go to a nice restaurant for lunch and do a tour around the city which we didn’t see the other day before dropping us off at the airport about 5pm in time to check in for our 1.5 hour flight south down to Ho Chi Minh city. All booked great prices at $315,000 dong each. Love the sound of their money but all those 000 are very confusing. In AU $ that cost us $17.50 each for private van and driver for 5 hours to take us to everything we want to see and keep all our luggage with him then take us to the airport as well. So so cheap it’s amazing. We called into the laundry lady Mrs Van on our way back
My Lai massacre site, Vietnam
Pictorial of original village in museum to Resort as she is just over the road from resort and we dropped the last of the washing into her this morning to be done before we go at $1 per kg. Another great thing we found not using the laundry service at any of the hotels.
Time to repack the cases after the new clothes were delivered all ready to go.
Night all.
Jo and Bryan
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