Cu Chi Tunnels and Diving

The Cu Chi Tunnels were one of the most interesting experiences on this trip so far. They were the old Viet Cong tunnels used during the Vietnam War. I got a chance to crawl through one of them. The tunnels were really narrow and dark, and it was extraordinarily hot and humid down there. I can't image what it must have been like to live down there for a long time. It was a claustrophobic experience (and I'm tiny!) and the tunnels have been widened for visitors. They were located in a forest in Cu Chi, outside of Ho Chi Minh City and the trees, the heavy rain and the sound of people firing AK47s in the background certainly gave it an eerie, atmospheric feeling. I fired a gun for the first time. It was rather scary - not something I care to repeat.

We went to the War Remnants Museum afterwards. The museum was not very well put together and the photographs of victims of the war were terrible. Granted the views presented by the museum were very one sided (obviously we were the evil Americans killing innocent villagers), it still makes me wonder why the Vietnamese people would even let Americans visit their country since the war really wasn't that long ago. Nevertheless, it is just a reminder that war itself is awful, regardless of the causes you are fighting for. So many innocent lives are wasted.

We left HCMC without really seeing much of it. We are currently in Hoi An right now, which is right by the coast. For the first time on this trip, we had time to lounge around. We spent half a day at Cua Dai beach which was beautiful. Even with SPF 70 sunscreen on under a big umbrella, I still got really sunbrunt. We took a cooking class that evening with was fun. We learned to make 3 dishes and tried 5 dishes total, including something called the White Rose, a special dumpling that is only available in Hoi An. It was delicious. We did more drinking than we did cooking - it was more of a cooking demonstration but I got to make Vietnamese spring rolls in rice paper.

And I went diving for the first time this morning! I didn't tell the people I couldn't really swim, but it really did not require a whole lot of swimming. It was an amazing experience. I saw whole schools of colorful fishes, coral, sea anemones and bright blue starfishes. I definitely need to learn to swim and tread water so I can get certified and go deeper into the water. Definitely much more fun than snorkling. The only downside was the long boat ride over. I was not feeling so great since the water was choppy.

Time to visit the Old Town which escaped damage during the war! We might get silk clothes tailor made here. There are so many tailor shops and luggage stores (selling luggage to people who literally acquire whole new wardrobes while they are here).

Oh, and apparently I look Vietnamese. I guess it wasn't just the people at the Vietnamese consulate that thought that. So many people have tried to talk to me in Vietnamese since I arrived in Vietnam 5 days ago. It's kind of funny.