Oops, forgot the cu chi tunnels and no photos

After we left our homestay on the Mekong, we headed off to the cu chi tunnels... What I don't think I mentioned was that the two musicians from the homestay we in opposing sides during the war... The Mekong delta where we were was a strong hold of the vietcong, and the gentleman with the guitar was fighting for South Vietnam... As Sonny said, the vietnamese do not hold grudges... that was then and this is now, and we are all friends... It was not that way directly after the conflict... many of those who fought alongside the americans found it extremely difficult to make a living and were sent off for re-educating, some never to return..

On route, we detoured to a lacquer factory that hires only those who are handicapped.. Ie: lost limbs, blind, as a result of the war... Many of whom were abandoned by poor families unable to feed and care for them.. Beautiful craftware, beautiful people but endless pushy salespeople..

At the tunnels, you are escorted everywhere by a guard... Not sure what that was about, needless to say the first introduction to the tunnels is by a propaganda video, which it should be noted was made in the 1960's.. It did make a couple of our group squirm being american.. It was however a very informative introduction to the formation of the tunnels, which began prior to the American incursion into Vietnam.. Originally they were built during the French occupation. When America entered the war, and according to the video and Sonny (I will check when I get back) Ho Chi Min was originally supported by America as they did not want a French influence in Asia, but during the Roosevelt (?) reign, it was decided that communisim was more of a threat and so America sent in troops.. During this period, the vietcong built interconnecting tunnels that ran across the countryside. He said that the tunnels were in excess of 250kms long.

During the video display it started to rain... It is afterall the wet season here.. the Video ran for 30mins the water raised by 30cms... It had been a brilliant sunny morning on the day we left the homestay... so shoes off, socks off, pants up (bet you were thinking something else!) No one had bought a raincoat, but so what! It's only water... Wandering around the complex teeming vertical sheets of rain, dense green foilage, guards in green uniforms red squares with yellow stars and the sounds of gunfire was eerie... Could readily transport you back to a semblance of what it may have been like in real warfare...

We had been instructed on the construction of the tunnels, what was used, the hardness of the clay, the difficult environment and living conditions... The Vietcong had made pledges to leave home and not return until the war was over.. Over 40% perished in the tunnels due to sickness, asphyxiation and the occassional cave-ins when the bombs dropped too close... Wading through, we were invited to find the entrances to the tunnels, or the air ventilation holes that were used... Not a blinding chance, even when they told us it was within a 2m radius... What looks like the holes underneath tree roots that have eroded, were air vents... What looks like jungle floor, also held notches with which to put fingers into and raise doors to enter the tunnels.

All this with the sound of heavy weaponry booming.. We made our way to the souvenir stand.. Must say that was incredibly tacky... They held "gold coins" in display cases for purchase, which if you stood to one side, you could see the "ripple" of the gold foil... But also there was a stand that operated like a carnival sideshow.. You could fire the weapons of the war buy the bullets ($1 a bullet) and won progressively expensive prizes the more times you hit the target... There were homemade rifles, through to AK47's and it was tourists firing these off that we heard wandering the jungle... Don't get me wrong, I've gone hunting many times and used air rifles, rifles and shotguns and I have been successful when I've gone hunting, but there was something inherently wrong for me to want to shoot at a target with an AK47.. We wondered past tanks, bombs, there were displays of the vietcong dismantling unexploded bombs to secure the gunpowder and to melt down the casings to make homemade weapons. There was also a display showing the different traps they deployed to maim or kill hapless wanderers...

We then went down into the tunnels... It had been widened by another 20% and a couple of our group got halfway through and couldn't cope.. This must have happened in the past as there were exits through out for those who were unable to continue... But it was eerie when you lost sight of others in the darkness and then you heard the frightened screams of those for whom the claustrophobic tunnels overwhelmed... You were alone and if you permitted it the earth above you took on gargantuan proportions... Difficult to imagine this was shared with snakes, scorpions, rats and your own excrement... In the wet season sometimes the air vents would fill with water and drowning was a real probability every year.. Sonny said that when the war was over, many who had lived underground lost their sight when they emerged, having only ventured above ground under the cover of darkness..

As he said, persistence, determination or sheer bloody mindedness you take your pick, but there was no way America would ever win this war... They had been fighting for too many years, on too many fronts and lived for too many years used to deprivation far beyond that which any american could ever envision. They would not cede..

We fled back to the city for our overnight train.... Which I've spoken of in another blog..

Tutu and Dudu :o) xoxox