Well hello there!
As I currently type this, I am sat on an uncomfortably stuffy coach, crawling along the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City. It's a scorching Sunday evening here and what was supposed to be my last day (Day 5) here in Saigon.. That's now changed a little, but more on that later!
My plans for today involved an amazing full tour, which unfortunately meant my day began this morning with, and is now ending with, a two hour crowded bus ride. Right now the air is thick and dizzying, and the smell of sweat is unavoidable, circulated by the feeble and shuddering fan system. To distract from the increasing feeling of claustrophobia and exhaustion, I thought it would be nice to start an update post on yesterday / today.
DAY 4:
The day began with a trip back to the police station, this time with a lovely girl from the Hotel, in order to report our belongings as stolen and get a police report for insurance purposes. Frustratingly, it takes 2-3 days to process, which means we have to hang around in Saigon longer in order to collect the report! I guess I'll be cutting a destination out somewhere along the line, which sucks. Next was a browse around the shopping district by our hotel, where I found plenty of trinkets and authentic souvenirs I would love but can't afford! A walk through the recreation areas found us watching locals playing some games we had never seen before! One of which was a lively game of what badminton mixed with keepy-uppy, requiring players to stand in a circle and kick the shuttlecock from behind them, with the sole of their shoe, to each other. Confusing, but so entertaining!
Out of nowhere, the heavens opened and out came a rain storm, the likes of which I've never seen before. We trudged through the streets back to the hotel, knee deep in water, the rumbling of looming thunder and cracked of lightning threatening over ahead. It was unbelievable how quickly the weather changed!
After drying off and getting ready, dinner was at a cramped little street cafe, where the staff spoke little to no English, but the food was utterly divine. They kept tanks with live, freshly caught seafood, including all sorts of fish, shrimp, crab, and more. You can't get much fresher than that! After dinner we met a group of Vietnamese guys and girls who had returned home after studying in America, and completing a term in Shanghai. They were lovely, very fun, and easy to get along with. They bought us local beers and a selection of their favourite foods to try, specially requested, which was a great way to try things as the locals do. On the way home, we picked up some beers at a street vendor and sat on the stairs / seating area, watching the hustle and bustle of the city before heading back home, ready for our early start..
DAY 5:
As I mentioned before, I went on a specially organised day tour with a coach load of English speaking tourists. Our first stop of the day was the local workshop, gallery and exibitions of breathtakingly stunning artwork and ornaments, created by those affected by Agent Orange during the war. The site started off rather saddening, witnessing the severity of disability and hardship in this deformed individuals, many of whom were my age. But to then continue into the gallery and see what these fantastic people were capable of, completely blows you away. It's inspiring to see what people can do with the right inspiration and guidance!
Our next stop was the Vietnamese "jungle" and town of cu chi, a place that was of great focus to the Americans during the war. Here we watched a film on the history of the area, and were informed / shown how how the people survived, the traditional cultures and ways of life for many people in Vietnam, and much more. We were guided around the village, saw the bomb craters are existing soldier traps, allowed to enter the huts and get a feel for what it must be like to live at that time.
Afterwards was the part I was most looking forward to - A trip down into the actual tunnels that housed thousands of soldiers and civillians during the American bombings. These tunnels had been expanded in order to compensate for the "Western Frame" but were originally less than 1m square. It was dark, musty, hard to breathe, and easy to feel trapped when travelling along these miles upon miles of tunnels, but at the same time truly amazing to see the innovative ways the Vietnamese survived. In all honestly, it's hard to imagine spending more than half an hour down there, never mind living, cooking, working and sleeping underground for years.
Our last stop of the tour was to a real life shooting range nearby. The range allowed tourists to shoot any gun they wanted, from M1 to M6 to M16 to AK-47, machine guns, and many more, for as little as £1 per bullet! This was such a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially coming from England where guns are illegal. My favourite gun out of those we tried was the M16 - less recoil, easy to aim, rounds are more reliable, and overall a smoother experience.
Upon getting back (Because I'm home now from that awful coach ride! I'm writing this in stages, if you wondered) I showered and got ready and headed out for Pizza and Cocktails. I ended up in a really cool bar with a live band that was absolutely packed. Here, I met Charlie and his friend, who were really great guys and who are heading off to do the same tour of S.E.A as me, only a day in advance! So, maybe we'll bump into each other again...
DAY 6:
So, after the business with getting robbed, this is now my last day in Saigon, meaning I leave tomorrow morning. My sleeping pattern is still completely out of whack, so after not sleeping all night I decided to head out to the street vendors to find fresh fruit for breakfast. It's hard to get anywhere in the city without so many people trying to talk to you, sell you things, find out where you're from and all sorts. It's sweet, really. Back at the hotel, I had time to Skype a couple of friends and talk to my family. Then it was down to the tourist office, and organising travel along the Mekong Delta into Cambodia. I now only have two days to make the journey, so unfortunately I have had to cut out part of the trip, which took some real messing around! With that arranged, it was back to the hotel to pack up ready to leave tomorrow morning. After a quick nap, I'm now off for an evening bicycle tour of some of the Pagoda, and then one last night of dinner and drinks at Miss Saigon. Bring it on!
That's all for now, folks.
Sorry this is so woefully long.. I'll try not to make it so, next time!
Thanks for reading, over and out.
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