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Published: December 7th 2011
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Hi Home,
I am very happy to report that I am now writing to you from Vietnam! We were so relieved to leave Cambodia last Thursday and after moving to the capital from Battenbang, we were even more assured that we did not want to spend another minute longer there.
However, the most interesting feature of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, was the Khmer Rouge torture museum we visited. The Tuol Sleng was a former school but betwen 1975-79 it was used to kill thousands of men, women and children in brutal ways. It can only be likened to a Nazi concentration camp but what made it worse was the huge photographs everywhere of a lot of the victims both before and after the treatment there. There were four buildings to look around in total but we had to stop at three- I've never felt physically sick from just a photograph before.
Leaving that and the rest of Cambodia behind we happily caught the bus to Ho Chi Minh and stayed for one night before we flew to the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc. When we got off the bus we weren't sure where to stay but an
elderly lady approached us and asked if we were 'nice clean girls'. When we told her we were, she happily showed us to her guest house which was more like her house with a small reception area. We werent sure what to make of it all but as the next morning our alarm didnt go off, she rescued us and woke us up so we didnt miss our flight!
From Phu Quoc, we wanted a few days R and R and thats exactly what we got. We were staying one minutes walk from the beach and the white sand and warm sea was exactly what we were looking for. I had been waiting to have seafood until this point and certainly overindulged on all the fresh squid and prawns available.
On Saturday night we visited the night market where all fish was displayed that had been caught and you selected what you wanted and it got barbequed in front of you. We then went on the hunt for pearls which is what the island is famous for. We quickly learnt that the way to check that a pearl is real is to hold a flame under it to
ensure that it doesnt melt. The other way is to rub two pearls together, this then makes a white powder which can be wiped away and should not leave a mark. After a lot of testing we selected our items and I bought 5 bracelets, and three pairs of earrings for $30!
On Monday we flew back to Ho Chi Minh and had a few hours to kill before flying onto Da Nang so took a taxi to the Cu Chi tunnels. We did not realise how far they were and finally arrived after 2 hours which gave us very little time there. However, it was very worth it. After a 15 minute propaganda video that described how the Vietnemese people used guerrila warfare to beat the Americans we were able to go and see the entrance holes to teh tunnels. It is unsurprising why these were so effective- they were impossible to see!We then climbed down inside and walking very hunched over we decided three layers underground. It was very hot and dark and it was incredible that so many people lived and survived in those conditions. On the drive back we had a slight incident when the
taxi driver stopped to have his supper and started asking for $100 to drive us back to the airport. At this point we were 2 hours away with a flight leaving in 2.5 hours..it did cause a slight bit of panic but luckily, after extensive negotiations, we were back on track and made our flight!
This took us to Da Nang where we got a taxi to Hoi An which is where I am now writing to you from but will send another message about it here very soon. It is a beautiful lantern-lit city that is famous for tailor-made clothing. I will tell you all about that and our Vietnamese cookery school in the next few days.
There are now lots of Christmas trees appearing here and we are opening our advent card everyday which is making us feel very festive!
I hope it isn't too cold in England!
I fly back next Friday night so look forward to seeing you all soon.
Lots of love,
Izzie xxx
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She She
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Glad to know you are both "nice clean girls"!!! Aren't the tunnels amazing - Pip and I went down two or three layers - saw the cooking area and medical centre. I see you have succumbed and taken a sunset photo despite having complained about all the othere tourists doing so. I ahve a few too so we can sompare!! Lots of love She She & Pip