Monday is an early start because Duk insists he wants to get us to the Chuchi tunnels before the throng of other tour groups. Alan & Sue are either too jet lagged or just suffering sensory overload, and are awake from 3:30 am, well in advance of the 5:30 wake-up call.
The 6:00 breakfast at the Hyatt is spectacular. Buffet done with true style. One can also order hot breakfast a la carte. Gary and Sally, a very nice couple from New Jersey, share stories with us about the wonders of the British Virgin Islands, and the horror of the recent hurricane devastation.
After an interesting bus ride through Saigon suburbs and the countryside to the north, we arrive at an area where the local farmers dug an extensive network of tunnels to serve both as barracks and a temporary waystation for North Vietnamese fighters arriving along the Ho Chi Minh trail during the war. Incredibly, the tunnels would house about 8,000 men, women & children at a time, swelling to 16,000 to serve fighters transiting through. To date, more than 50,000 bodies have been recovered from the tunnel system.
Despite being the second tour bus arriving in the lot, we are fighting with other large groups to view some of the displays, because we lose over a half hour viewing a propaganda Communist film about the tunnels and the farmers, then getting a lecture from an extremely serious and strict party historian.
The interesting displays include tunnel entrances, ventilation systems, booby traps for the Americans, bomb craters, an active rifle range, and work stations demonstrating how farmers built land mines, traps and hazards, uniforms, footwear, had medical stations and meeting rooms. It's all very interesting, and makes one appreciates the horror and fear that those fighters must have experienced in the oppressive heat.
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| Duc demonstrates one of the Viet Cong booby traps |
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| a destroyed American tank |
It's a quick walk to a pier on the Saigon river where we board a passenger craft. Lifejackets are worn by all under supervision of government agents, and we are very happy for the cooling breeze resulting from our 50+ km/hr speed along the water.
We pass many work ships pushing barges containing soil, sawdust, clay pots, etc. The water is brown with silt, and we pause many times to clear weeds from the outboard's propeller.
Reaching Saigon, we disembark at a lovely restaurant garden and enjoy a terrific Vietnamese meal consisting of about six courses. The flavours are incredible. By the time the bus picks us up and returns us to the Hyatt in the afternoon, we are ready for a cooling swim and nap by the pool.
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| beautiful setting for a patio lunch |
We have been hounding Duc all morning about getting our evening freechoice option reassigned to the Vespa tour, the one we had originally chosen on the website 9 months or more in the past. He keeps telling us that there are various reasons he's having difficulty getting this arranged. When he asks the four of us to hold back and speak with him on disembarking the bus after lunch, we are expecting bad news. Our mood lifts greatly when he just smiles and gives us a thumbs up. This turns out to be most propitious.
The other guests on the evening tour include Nigel & Judith, Chris & Sandy from England, and James, another Englishman who now lives in Sydney with his Australian bride, Robin. Duc himself is also coming along for the tour.
We are introduced to Katty, our tour guide for the evening from the Vespa tours company. She is absolutely delightful. Full of energy, enthusiasm and humour, she is without question the star of the evening.
We each select a driver, and we're soon whisking along with the frenzied flow of motorcycle traffic along the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh city. The sights, smells and sounds are wonderful! We stop at two restaurants, a seafood place and a "pancake" house. Both restaurants bring about 5 or six courses of food choices and unlimited beverages, so we are stuffed and tipsy for our third Vespa ride.
Our last stop is on a quiet section of a small lane in the city. We are cautioned to be quiet and led single-file down a back alley behind a motorcycle repair shop, then up a steep narrow flight of stairs. Just when we think Katty has planned some nasty practical joke on the tourists, we enter a dark room and are seated in comfortable couches, just a few feet away from a lovely young singer accompanied by piano and violin. Beverages served by the coffee shop are delicious, and the music is simply wonderful, as the female vocalist is succeeded by a young male who is equally talented.
Unfortunately, we are hustled away after 40 minutes or so, very grateful for the chance to experience a slice of Vietnamese culture we could never have found on our own.
We're presented with photos of each of us with our driver, and taken back to the Hyatt after fond farewells.
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