Well here you have it, the much overdue Easter in Saigon wrap-up.
When my boss (an American) questioned where I would be over the long weekend and I told him Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), he was like wow! that will be really great for you to see as an American….a lot of history! Of course I knew he was talking about the history of the Vietnam War but did I really even know about the Vietnam War…that would be a big NOPE. The first thing that came to mind were the numerous movies depicting the war but I don’t really remember the stories only all those sweaty, dirty, smoking guys….I digress. SO just like my Wolf Blitzer cram sessions, I started reading anything I could get my hands on V.W. related in an effort to be able to “hold my own” when exploring all the HCM had to offer.
I think we were reading about it here…see how interested I am???
Our first full day we headed to the Cu Chi tunnels which were about 1.5 hours outside of the city. The tunnels are approx. 250K long and the narrowest things. It is very hard to believe that men could actually fit in them. That was an advantage western men couldn't fit in them! The tunnels were so well hidden and complex that they ran right under American bases. American’s could not figure out why they were getting shot in their tents at night!
VC soldier getting into tunnel…
We were able to stuff ourselves into a portion of the tunnel (widened for westerners) and it was the darkest, hottest most claustrophobic places I have ever been. It was pretty scary. As we crawled through we had to keep talking to each other because we were all freaking out.
The descent
I have to say walking though the forest where the tunnels were located was an experience. All that reading and all those movies started to flash in my head. I seriously felt that I should have a Marlboro red hanging out or my mouth, full-on camouflage and helmut with the Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter playing as the soundtrack. The gun shots from the shooting range def. added to the atmosphere.
Girls with US tank destroyed by landmine
The second highlight was the War Remnants Museum. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! The photos in the museum were amazing, I mean totally amazing. They actually made you feel like you were there and as you can imagine that was not always a great thing. Guess who got emotional??? Shocker right???
The most interesting part was the Agent Orange section where they described and documented the damage done by the use of chemical weapons. There was actually the fetus of Siamese twins with cleft palates in mason jars…gross I know but completely fascinating. We all discussed how one-sided the museum was to the Vietnamese (not surprising) but it was amazing to see these images and read stories that you would never be able to back home.
Hummm….I can sense your concern right now….don’t worry I am still JenniB and there was certainly time for food and drink. My favorite restaurant and really my favorite night of the whole trip was Temple Club. Traditional Vietnamese food, great atmosphere, super cheap oh and it does help that I read Brad and Angelina ate there when they were in HCM….I was SOLD!
After dinner drinks in Temple Club Lounge
Our Hotel AKA love boat…dosen't it remind you of the love boat?
View from our terrace
Finally, to top off the trip I bought my first real piece of art..it is beautiful!!! It is getting framed right now but I will take a picture (once Phil hangs it) and post!!
I am actually listening to Gimme Shelter right now…..
2 comments:
That sounds like a great trip. What's next on your tour of old wars?
damn... have you had amazing adventures or what since you have been out there... keep sharing the stories!
Post a Comment