one more Vietnam posting

Sorry, sorry, I haven't fallen off the planet. Just been on the road a bit. Here's the rest of my Vietnam story.

This photo is of me going in to one of the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were used by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam/American War. Yes, you can see how small the hole is - I am not sure how I fit in there. Only three of us could fit, everyone else was too big! And yes, it was dark and scary inside. This is just one of several dozens of holes that were all connected underground, used quite efficiently to outsmart the Americans in the war. The VC dug these holes and used the dirt to make fake termite mounds, which, placed near to the holes, acted as signs that the tunnels were near by. They had an intricate system of of tunnels with trap doors, multi-levels, ways to cook without producing smoke, underground wells, etc. It was ... amazing, to be honest. But I am not sure how, physically and mentally, these men were able to live in these holes for months at a time. The whole open-air museum was really informative. If anyone is interested in history, have a read about these tunnels, it was really quite amazing. And sad. And disturbing. And all those things we don't like to think about when it comes to war.

I saw a man at my hotel wearing an "I survived Ho Chi Minh City" shirt. Quite funny. The traffic and street crossing were about as harrowing as Hanoi, if not more, but luckily, I was only there for a few days. I went on a cyclo tour (one of those things where the guys peddle you around on a bike with a seat in the front) and my driver kept telling me to hang on to my bag, my phone, my anything that was not immediately attached to my body, because apparently the motorbike thieves are the best and most cunning on the planet. Luckily, I (and my belongings) escaped unscathed.

A lot of you have asked me, and no, I never felt any residual resentment towards Americans, or French, or anyone else that Vietnam has had wars with in the past. The people seemed to be open minded toward all visitors, but I also found most people to be friendly only if they thought they could sell you something. I can't speak for the whole country; this was just my experience.

So ... what else to say. You can probably tell by my Vietnam postings that it was not my favourite place on my itinerary. In fact, I liked it the least. I am glad it was part of a bigger journey, otherwise I would have been too disappointed to go all that way. It's just ... different. And tiring. I understand all the hustlers are just trying to make a living, and their country's unfortunate situation of being in war for most of it's existence hasn't helped any. But still, it just took all my energy to exist in those cities and towns without pulling my hair out. I just wanted ... peace.