Saigon

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We arrived in Saigon on Tuesday night and we were met by our guide, Quinny. We noticed a distinct difference between Hanoi and Saigon right away....still lots of scooters, but traffic is much more orderly. Got to our hotel, the Rennaisance Riverside, and Jim was waiting for us. We headed out for drinks at the Rex Hotel, on the rooftop, where the U.S. military held it’s press briefings during the Vietnam war. A distinct change in temperature...quite hot and humid...a welcome change!

Wed morning we met to head out on our tour of Saigon. First, the Presidential Palace, which is now a museum. It is where the South Vietnam government surrendered on April 30, 1975, with the famous picture of the tanks crashing through the front gates. It seemed like time had stood still....everything is as it was in 1975. Very hot and humid, and building was not air conditioned. Then we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral. When we left, Jim assembled us to announce his next surprise.....an opportunity to recreate history!! We are going to the roof of the CIA building, where the Americans evacuated by helicopters in 1975. His company had to obtain permission from many levels of government in order to do this, and he has hired 3 photographers to take pictures. We went to the War Museum next, which was a very moving and disturbing experience. So many pictures of the war, agent Orange victims, torture methods, etc. We were very quiet as we headed back to the hotel. After a very refreshing swim at the pool on the 21^st floor of our hotel, we ventured out on our own and found a restaurant a few blocks from hotel for lunch. At 3:30 we headed to the building where we climbed up to the roof, on a ladder....a very traumatic experience for me, since I’m terrified of heights!! One photographer was in a high rise across the street, another was on the street with a telephoto lens, and one was up on the roof with us. We got some pretty neat shots though, and I was happy when we decided not to climb up to the top of the elevator shaft, which is where the helicopters actually landed to load the refugees. No one has ever been allowed to do this, so Jim and his company have sure pulled some strings for us....a very memorable experience! We celebrated with drinks on the roof of the Caravel Hotel, which is where the original shot of the helicopter evacuation was taken. Then back for a short break before dinner at a lovely French restaurant.

On Thursday we headed out to the Cu Chi tunnels. When we got on the bus, Jim announced that he had a couple more surprises for us. First was a CD that took us back to the 1960's and early 70's, with music......TV theme songs....Bonanza, Beverly Hillbillies, StarTrek, the Doors - Light my Fire, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, Don Messer, , audio clips of important news items....assassination of President Kennedy, landing on the moon, , and even an excerpt from the Friendly Giant!! It seemed so surreal to be driving through Saigon and listening to the music that was taking us back a few decades. We stopped at the washroom by the roadside where a lady and her mother were making rice paper. We headed out, and all of a sudden the buses stopped, and out of nowhere came an entourage of military jeeps!! Jim’s next surprise, and our next mode of transportation! What a sight we were as we drove through the countryside, all in a row!! Locals were waving and smiling...so neat.

We toured the Cu Chi tunnels, the large network of underground tunnels built first as a defence against the French, and later expanded during the American war. We saw their secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, and some even got brave and went down in a tunnel. The guys had a chance to try out the AK47s, machine guns, etc. at the shooting range. I think they may have stayed a little longer than most tourists....and apparently George is the champion shooter!!

We toured a craft village and had a traditonal Vietnamese lunch in the open air. Hot pots of Pho cooking right on our table, plus lots of fresh vegetables and rice. Back to the hotel for some pool time, and then out for dinner in the "blue room" with lots of mirrors at a local restaurant. Walking with 14 of us in Saigon...a bit of a challenge, but we all managed to arrive back at the hotel safe and sound.

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