Cu Chi Tunnels
Today I went to the Viet Cong Tunnel system 20km outside of Siagon. The americans carpet bombed the place but never managed to get control of the area.
Its 200Km of tunnels that stretch from Siagon to Cambodia. Its pretty amazing to see when it was done with nothing more than bamboo and shovels and helped win the war for the Communist North.
Now the tunnels are widended a bit for the tourists but the are still tiny, long, dark , humid and intensly clostrophobic. I went through the main tourists tunnel and had a go on the original tunnels which there was no one else in. It was mad going down this tiny hole in the ground into these tiny tunnels. I aint the biggest bloke in the world and I had to be on all fours and my head stooped. It got so narrow I had to turn back, it was tight.
How whole gangs of blokes got around down here with all thier eqipment and rifles I dont know. It was impossible for me in shorts and a shirt!
At the end of the tunnel systems there was a shooting range of all things which was quite funny as all the tour groups of Koreans and Japanese middle aged women and men blasting away with M16's and the like!!! Unlike Cambidoa this is a designated tourist attraction here so was ligit and safe, instructors everywhere. I had a go on two rifles as it was only a few bucks.
After that we were dropped off at a Disabled Handicraft Centre which was staffed my all the people maimed and disabled by mines and agent orange etc. The work they were producing was amazing and if I ever own a gaff I will be coming back to by some of this stuff. Huge wodden panals polished like glass with minutely dietaild vietnamese drawings. Really nice but I only had 6 bucks on me : (
Got back to Siagon that afternoon, met Matt and arranged to meet him in an Irish bar that night on the other side of town. Our taxi man did not know it and dropped us miles from it but we found it eventually. We got a bottle of wine and it was a bit freaky, it actually did look like the grave diggers inside, not your normal cheesy irish pub. Odd to be here in the middle of Vietnam!
Matt turned up and we went to the local Vietnamese barbaque which was really good food, they had Rat, Worm, Rabbit, frogs, insects. I had an insect starter and some fish, was great and cool in a 'down with the locals' kinda way.
We got a taxi back to the gaff after and stayed up till 4 drinking vodka and smoking, Matt and I had a good long chat about everything and nothing and Dee managed to pass out in spite of us.
Good day!
Its 200Km of tunnels that stretch from Siagon to Cambodia. Its pretty amazing to see when it was done with nothing more than bamboo and shovels and helped win the war for the Communist North.
Now the tunnels are widended a bit for the tourists but the are still tiny, long, dark , humid and intensly clostrophobic. I went through the main tourists tunnel and had a go on the original tunnels which there was no one else in. It was mad going down this tiny hole in the ground into these tiny tunnels. I aint the biggest bloke in the world and I had to be on all fours and my head stooped. It got so narrow I had to turn back, it was tight.
How whole gangs of blokes got around down here with all thier eqipment and rifles I dont know. It was impossible for me in shorts and a shirt!
At the end of the tunnel systems there was a shooting range of all things which was quite funny as all the tour groups of Koreans and Japanese middle aged women and men blasting away with M16's and the like!!! Unlike Cambidoa this is a designated tourist attraction here so was ligit and safe, instructors everywhere. I had a go on two rifles as it was only a few bucks.
After that we were dropped off at a Disabled Handicraft Centre which was staffed my all the people maimed and disabled by mines and agent orange etc. The work they were producing was amazing and if I ever own a gaff I will be coming back to by some of this stuff. Huge wodden panals polished like glass with minutely dietaild vietnamese drawings. Really nice but I only had 6 bucks on me : (
Got back to Siagon that afternoon, met Matt and arranged to meet him in an Irish bar that night on the other side of town. Our taxi man did not know it and dropped us miles from it but we found it eventually. We got a bottle of wine and it was a bit freaky, it actually did look like the grave diggers inside, not your normal cheesy irish pub. Odd to be here in the middle of Vietnam!
Matt turned up and we went to the local Vietnamese barbaque which was really good food, they had Rat, Worm, Rabbit, frogs, insects. I had an insect starter and some fish, was great and cool in a 'down with the locals' kinda way.
We got a taxi back to the gaff after and stayed up till 4 drinking vodka and smoking, Matt and I had a good long chat about everything and nothing and Dee managed to pass out in spite of us.
Good day!
posted by Fionn at 2:39 AM
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