Hi all
Sorry again for yet another late update but I have been having a great time in Saigon/HCMC that I've lost the track of time.
Before I entered Vietnam, I have heard stories that as soon as a touristt gets of the bus in Saigon, they are usually hounded by numerous touts for taxi's/hotels etc. My personal pet hate about traveling is these annoying touts, I think i may have mentioned them in previous journals.
So to my surprise, when I got of the bus, there where none!
I wont bore you with the history of this city, but it is very interesting with its diverse cultures, and still has a lot of cultural influences from its 100 years of French rule. The buildings are amazing as is the food. The locals here are generally very helpful and eager to please.
The national dish here is called 'Pho Bo' - Which is basically a beef broth with bits of meat and noodles, it can be customized by whoever is eating it by adding things like lime, beansprouts, chilli's etc. So no two bowls taste the same.... and it is simply delicious.
After a few days of just eating and walking around window shopping I decided to visit some of the touristy sights. First stop was the Cu Chi tunnels, which are a network of tunnels that the North Vietnamese army used to infiltrate the south of the country without being detected. Some of these tunnels were tiny and I doubt a average size westerner could squeeze through one of them. I got to go through one of the pitch black tunnels and it was scary! Also by the tunnels was a shooting range, so I took some time out and fired a few rounds from a AK47, which was cool!
The other interesting trip I went on was a boat trip down the Mekong River. We stopped of at a few islands and watched the locals make sweets out of coconuts, looked at a fruit plantation, but my favorite part was sampling the 'coconut wine' which was delish, it had a kick like whiskey... yum!
Back in Saigon I visited a few museums which told the Vietnam story from the point of view of the Vietnamese people, not by Hollywood, and it is harrowing. When the yanks used chemical weapons they decimated large areas of the countryside where plants used to grow and now they will lay barren for another 70 years before the soil recovers for plantation. They also sprayed other chemicals that are still effecting the people today with body abnormalities when they are born.
So next for me is a beach called Mu Nhi (I think) and I will update from there.
Jag xxx
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