2008 Blogs

Cu Chi Tunnels and Dalat

03/23/2009

Guest blog entry:  today I've invited Deb to share a few observations with you.  Enjoy!

Today we visited the Cu Chi tunnels that the Viet Cong used during the war.  The tunnels were extensive and very small.  We were able to go into them for a little bit.  You could not stand straight up in them and they were quite narrow.  Jo is claustrophobic but managed to make it through a small section.  The picture shows me going down to the tunnel in a camouflaged entry.   It is easy to see how the Viet Cong could "disappear" into the jungle.  We also saw the booby traps they made and how they used American "dud" bombs for the metal and gunpowder.  The booby traps were quite simple in design and extremely effective.  It sure made me wince to see them and imagine the damage they could do to a person. 

Tonight we are in Dalat, which is up in the mountains.  The French made it a resort as a way to escape the heat of the city.  The temp. is perfect most of the time.  There are coffee trees and tea plants all the way up the mountain.  It is almost a mile in elevation.

 

I must admit that the food here is quite good and that I like most of it.  I am known as a picky eater at home, primarily because I don't like cheese... and Americans make so much food with cheese.  But there is NO cheese in any meal here and I appreciate that.  There are multiple forms of rice here, plain rice, rice noodles, rice "chips" and then stir fry stuff, veggies and meats with sauces that aren't too hot for me.  Soup is served with every meal and is very mild and calming to the stomach.  The only thing that I must admit that I miss is a pastry or cake or cookie after dinner.  Not having that sugar/starch food keeps people here from gaining weight.

Traveling in the car to Dalat was an experience in itself.  If any of you has ever made the drive to Hana on Maui, you can understand.  It is a long and winding road with lots of bumps, uneven pavement, and gravel.  The traffic laws are difficult to understand but I will tell you my general impression.  The fast cars have the right of way and can pass on the right or the left, or any way they can.  The large vehicles are next, with trucks and tourist vehicles pushing their way around.  The motor bikes are everywhere and make their way however and wherever they can.  They drive on sidewalks, against traffic, between lanes of traffic and beep, beep, beep.  At first the honking was annoying to me and then I began to understand it as a form of communication.  A short beep is telling someone you are behind them and to gently get over.  A long beep is... well you can imagine what that is.  We have already been bumped in the rear by a motor bike and have seen a truck run into another truck.  Our driver is very good and I am convinced he could drive NASCAR.  We have learned to trust him because we have to.

My first impressions of Vietnam have been all positive.  I had a very helpful Vietnamese Canadian and another Vietnamese American on my plane flights that assisted me in Hong Kong and at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City. It greatly eased my anxiety and made me realize that I should be more aware of foreigners in our country and how to help them. Traveling to such an exotic place makes me realize how we are all different yet somehow all the same.  It is very hard to see how we could ever fight peaceful people like this.  I think if more people traveled outside of the US and could experience other cultures, it would go a long way toward preventing conflicts.  But I realize that this is not possible and it makes me sad.  In any case you can see all the thoughts that go through a person's mind when it is opened.

 

I am looking forward to the rest of the trip , especially the beaches in Nha Trang.  NOW I even know how to pronounce it and will gladly do so for anyone who knows me.  Thanks to Jo for suggesting that I visit her.  I'm sure she would appreciate any other visitors.