Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) - Cu Chi Tunnels, the mother of all FREAKOUTS

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) - (Vietnam)

The last few days Jase and I have based ourselves in Saigon. If we thought that Hanoi was chaotic and hectic, well, about double or even triple the level of activity and you just might get an understanding of what it takes to be able to make it on the streets of this town. I've seen small 'mopeds / vespa's' stacked with 4-5 passengers comfortably cruising at 60-70kph, kids looking blissfully into space whilst their parents dodge the other 100 vehicles in their immediate vicinity. If I said it was insane or nuts then I literally wouldn't be doing it justice. As I write this little piece within the confines of a smallish internet hovel on the backstreets of sector 1 there's a 10 yr old kid playing some type of video game next to me and having a smoke all in the same instant. That's Saigon though, it's not done by half measures here. I've got to say that unfortunately it doesn't have nearly the same charm as Hanoi and the people here have a lot more attitude. Ahhh, I can take it or leave it .....but the rest ò Vietnam, I'll be more than happy to take.

View from our $15 a night hotel room - District 1 - Dong Khoi Area - Saigon - Vietnam

Saigon style

Saigon streetscape

Cu Chi Tunnels

Did a day trip out to the Cu Chi tunnels today, a vast network of underground connected tunnels located to the north west of Saigon. Apparently there are over 250kms of tunnels in this network which took something like 20yrs to build - the reasons of which relate directly to the French and American military action in that area over the time. Unfortunately I don't have the background to go into further detail other than to say that the creation was a marvel of ingenuity and that the bloody tunnels are so freakin small than my head literally started to spin whilst I was in there.

Your escape route

'Welcome home' - your tunnel to the depths of despair

[Cu Chi tunnel view]

The link that I've attached pretty much is the section that I freaked out in. This section has been widened for tourists such as myself to get through but stuff that for a joke. To give you can example of how we were moving through, in the shot I would have been squatting with my head tucked down and both shoulders touching the tunnel walls. Whilst that in itself wasn't a concern, the queue of people in front and behind me were, so the thought of not being able to move forward or back at my own speed and not knowing exactly where the exit was just sent me into one wild claustrophobic attack, something that I had never experienced before. As for a 'first time experience'  I've got to say that it totally SUCKED !! Needless to say, I do feel like a world class soft c*** for not being able to complete my mission so maybe I'll have to come up with ways of  getting around that.

Anyway, NYE tomorrow night, we'll be hitting the streets of Saigon for the crossover. Next day we'll ọn a bus and into Cambodia, ex Khmer Rouge heartland. Am really looking forward to seeing what it has to offer.