Sunday, November 12, 2006

Saigon

Saigon - while as busy as its northern counterpart (Hanoi) - it was ten times easier manage, because the people were much more friendly and the overall atmosphere of the place was more agreeable.

You can carry anything on a moped!

This stand of dried fish produced the worst smell on earth & I almost shelled out some greenbacks to get rid of this woman and her cart of stench.


Traffic photos - just close your eyes and walk forward.



War Remnants Museum




A whole lotta choppers



Cu Chi tunnels

Bryce gets far more excited on the topic of war then myself so I'll let his words describe the experience.

"In the Cu Chi province, the underground was crisscrossed with an intricate and elaborate web of tunnels to aid Viet Cong fighters wage their guerrilla warfare against U.S. and ARVN forces. The tunnel complex itself spans an impressive 75 miles in distance and includes multiple "levels." About 100m of these tunnels were renovated and widened for tourists to crawl through, though they were still absolutely cramped. Despite the renovation, the 100m crawl was enough to stimulate for me how horrid the conditions were in reality.
The Cu Chi tunnels also included an exhibit on the booby traps that the Vietnamese devised to maim and kill U.S. soldiers. These were the most wicked looking traps that I have ever seen. All of them were cleverly concealed in the foliage or ground and featured razor sharp bamboo or steel spikes that would impale the torso or appendage of an unlucky GI. I definitely looked twice at each step that I took after that.
What impressed me was the ingenuity and tenacity of the Vietnamese people during this struggle. For instance, the steel that they used to construct those gruesome booby traps were recycled from the shrapnel of U.S. bombs. Unexploded ordinance was dismantled and used to manufacture grenades and other homemade explosive devices. The Vietnamese used whatever they could to fight against the Americans, including the remains of weapons used against them."

Even though the tunnels were widened for tourists - I had to slide on my stomach in a lot of places.

Bryce and Maya


Various painful booby traps


Where's the tunnel?


Ah!


American cannot fit into the entrance

Hoi An - City of Tailors

Hoi An is the city of tailors - boasting over a hundred tailor shops of varying quality. If your in the market for a high quality suit go to Yalys - while they are the most expensive shop in town they are also the best. Mr. Xe is good place to visit for linen shirts and comic relief.

Mr. Xe washing some freshly made linen shirts.


The beautiful lotus flower



Me getting fitted for a suit at Yalys


Marble Mountain - Da Nang

On the way to Hoi An from Hue we stopped briefly in Da Nang home of the Marble Mountains. Each of the Marble Mountains is named after one of the five fundamental elements - Water, Metal, Wood, Fire, and Earth.

We thought we were at the Marble Mountains, but I guess we ended up exploring some other unknown mountain - none the less we were rewarded with great views, huge caverns, and the lovely sounds and smells of bats - taking in a big whiff of guano can singe your nostril hairs.


The stairs were extremely steep - akin to climbing a latter. Wheel chairs had to be equipped with parachutes to increase braking capabilities on the insanely sheer handicap ramps an avoid slamming patrons into the cave walls.

Hue

Hue

The greatest and most rewarding aspect of this town is the delicious lip-smacking eat until your dermis rips Indian food served up at Omars - worth a flight to Vietnam in it of itself.



"Inside the city of Hue is the Citadel, a massive square with a 10km perimeter that is protected by a massive brick wall and a 23m wide moat. Inside the Citadel lie the remains of the Imperial City, which was modelled after the Forbidden City in Beijing. "


Flagpole of Hue - Pavillion of Edicts
















Noon Gate and Five Phoenix Pavillion














The magical fish of Ho Chi Minh - yes, these fish are like the beloved pets of Uncle Ho who would come to him when he clapped his hands. It appears that these fish would come to us not only when we clapped our hands, but also when I threw food in the water - strange...