Yesterday we wandered fairly aimlessly around the city. We didn't really gear ourselves up to check out any main 'attractions' on the basis that we knew we were embarking on a tour today which encompass anything worthwhile. So, a few hours of wandering found us a great restaurant, The Temple Club, where the view was great...
...and the beer was cold.
Yesterday evening we met with our tour group with whom we will be spending the next 10 days. Turns out the 'group' is us two and two awesome sheilas from Perth. What better way to break the ice than dinner and a few drinks at a bar. Also, HCMC is really quite pretty at night. Just ask Emma and our two new friends, Cindy and Kris.
Right, so, onto today. We kicked off the tour with a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, where the VC lived for months underground during the Vietnam/American war. The place was definitely an eye opener. We were given the opportunity to crawl through anything from 15-200m of tunnels, which Emma and myself very quickly backed out of once we saw how small the tunnels were. This guide gave us a show on how they got into and out of the holes:
And then gave anyone else who wanted to a turn. This old codger got stuck coming out and panicked pretty hard. No, we weren't laughing (surprised?), I reckon I would've soiled myself in the same situation.
The VC had all sorts of nasty tricks up their sleeves. They developed a whole range of booby traps which would get the better of even Indiana Jones. This solid effort involved a rotating plate covered in grass (to hide it, obviously) with a bunch of bamboo spikes underneath. If that isn't straight out of the quest for the holy grail then I don't what is.
Other rad stuff about the Cu Chi tunnels included the fact that I got to be king of a destroyed tank, and fire a REAL AK-47. Holy crap I feel like a man.
From there it was time to roll back into town and grab some tasty pho for lunch, where we had the pleasure of dining with Bill Clinton at Pho 2000.
Anyway, lets hit up the Reunification Palace. This joint is surrounded in history, but perhaps the most notable story involved Communist tanks driving through the gates in 1975, where a soldier ran to the 4th floor balcony and proudly flew the VC flag. The soldier then approached the newly appointed head of state who remarked "I have been waiting since early this morning to transfer power to you", when the soldier responded with "There is no question of you transferring power. You cannot give up what you do not have". Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, General Minh.
This palace was built in the 60's, and was choc-full of bakelite telephones to prove it.
And a chopper on the roof for those dramatic escapes.
After the palace we ventured to the War Remnants museum, where the horrors of war were drilled in with the subtly of a palsy sufferer conducting brain surgery with a pipe wrench. We won't depress you with details, but I did learn that I'm not strong enough to lift a bomb.
The end of the day involved visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral (yep, a copy of the one in Paris) and a pretty rad post office.
Mad French architecture. Also, Canberra pride represent (ignore the closed eyes. The camera battery died and we couldn't retake the shot).
That's it from us in HCMC, where selling fruit on the street is tiring business.
Off to Da Nang in the morning (after another feed at Lemon Grass tonight)t+e
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