Going underground....

We did as we had planned to do for the five days we spent on Phu Quoc Island – precisely nothing. We sat by the pool, swam in the pool, looked at the pool and for a change in the late afternoon we walked to the beach, sat by the beach, walked along the beach and swam in the sea. We watched some amazing sunsets from the comfort of a bar seat with a Saigon Beer  in hand & we ate dinner on the beach under the stars. We ventured into  downtown Duong Dong  one evening and mooched about the market but it was too exciting for us so we headed back. All too soon it was time to pack our bags again and head to the airport-  back to Ho Chi Min City (HCMC).

We were staying just around the corner from where we had stayed previously and, can you believe it, we were allocated Room 101 again. Why? How? Is here some deep meaning to all of this? We headed straight out to visit the market, buy some crazy pantaloon shorts (Mr L announced ‘she's gone all ethnic on me’ ) then to the post office.  Now I know that back home the very thought of going to the post office fills you will dread especially this time of year but this post office is quite a sight. Left over from the French period,  it has a  huge arched ceiling, some great murals & original wooden phone booths which now house ATM’s. 

The following day we were up early & headed off to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. These were originally built for the war against France & expanded further during the Vietnam/ American war & allowed the Vietnamese to operate largely undetected by the Americans.   We watched a video on the bus on the way  to give a bit more background. Well actually Mr L & I watched it along with perhaps 2 other people. The rest of the bus promptly fell  asleep.

I was a little nervous about this visit I must confess- I'm not really a tunnel kind of gal. I became more nervous when we were told how narrow they get and some stretches are in complete darkness. Then a chance came for me  to bale out – anyone with asthma shouldn't go down.I'm not a quitter so went in. Mr L behind me. This level of tunnels were approximately 3 meters below ground. As soon as you enter you cannot stand up in fact you have to walk bent at the waist, with your sides brushing past the walls, back/head touching the ceiling  In this section there were a few lights intermittently along the tunnel.There is very little air , it's very hot and very claustrophobic. I managed just 20 meters – more than some. It was enough to get the experience. Mr L, braved a further section.  Nearby you are offered the opportunity to fire some guns including  AK47’s for the price of a couple of nights in a hotel. We declined. Then we were back on the bus & back to HCMC.

And so we have come to the end of our time in Vietnam. it's been more manic than we had expected and I think we under estimated the vastness of it. It's been fun to meet the locals. So many, especially out of the big cities want to talk to you and practice their English & they are delighted & at times bewildered that you are visiting their country. We have met some great fellow travellers too; many great tips on where to go & what to do shared & emails exchanged but we are ready to move on. Our next stop is Myanmar or Burma as it used to be known.