Monday, 2 February 2015

Saigon

Disembarking the Amalotus we bused through the countryside to Ho Chi Minh city. We passed through miles of bright green rice paddies dotted with family graves placed haphazardly through he fields.
Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as the government now calls it is home to over 10 million people and some estimate that it is growing at a rate of over 10 percent annually.  Apparently there are 7 million motorbikes in the city and it seems like they are all out everyday.  The traffic is crazy and it would appear that the lines on the road are for decoration only as cars, buses and motor bikes weave all over the place.  If a bike cannot find a clearing in the traffic they just go up on the sidewalk making walking interesting. To further complicate walking the sidewalks are where all the bikes are parked so you are darting bikes one way or the other.
This city is certainly one of sharp contrasts. Beautiful new buildings sit beside old run down ones and while the streets outside hotels and patrolled buildings are kept clear everywhere else the residents use the sidewalks as their kitchens and meeting place.  Very different from home to see whole groups of people sitting on small plastic chairs enjoying their meals. Though an improvement from Hanoi the smog is still ever present here as well. Certainly makes us appreciate the fresh air of home.
We visited the palace, a very old temple as well as he crazy central market but the highlight of our time in Saigon was our tour to  the Cu Chi tunnels.
Used by the Vietminh and the Vietcong in their wars against the French and the Americans these tunnels were excavated between 1948 and 1973 and cover a distance of 250 kms.  The maze of tunnels lead to chambers that served as kitchens, dormitories and even hospital rooms.  The ground above was densely booby trapped to protect against the enemy.  The enemy was literally walking above the Vietnamese unknowingly.  These were brilliant hiding places to protect locals during war time.  Touring just a small portion of the tunnels I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like to live in this underground world with little light and fresh air.
Looking back on this amazing trip we realize how much we have seen and learned and are very great full to have had this opportunity.  We look forward to home but it has been wonderful to meet so many warm and welcoming people and to learn of their culture. Travel is such a gift.

Sidewalk parking lot
View of Saigon from our room
Central market with vendors eating their lunch 
The street scene
Portable restaurants everywhere
Waiting for business 
A hiding hole for the Vietcong 
Gruesome booby traps
Not a welcoming step
Ventilation holes disguised as termite mounds
Crawling through the tunnel
Underground dining hall
Vying for position
Enjoying a cocktail on the 23rd floor

Sa Dec & Cai Be

We started off our last day on the Mekong with a visit to the market in the town of Sa Dec.  Both sides of the street were lined with locals selling all of their food products.  Every type of fruit and vegetable were on display beside pans of live seafood,noodles and bags of spices. Some were cutting meat for sale after slaughtering the animal earlier that morning.  Apparently when they run out a family member will kill another so the meat is fresh. The vendors were eating their breakfast of pho as they conducted their business many sitting on mats on the pavement.
We visited the home of Marguerite Duras' lover which was the true life affair that led her to write the book The Lover.
A drive through the countryside took us to a Viet Cong camp at Xeon Quyt.  A really interesting walk through the dense jungle where we viewed the small bunkers where the soldiers hid waiting for their enemy made it quite evident that the Americans did not stand a chance against these people who knew the rivers and jungles so well.  An area where the US landed its helicopters is still riddled with land mines today. A very educational view of recent history.  On our drive we encountered numerous hammock coffee shops.  These outdoor shops have numerous hammocks set up and after a cup of coffee the patrons take a short nap.  Maybe Starbucks is missing an opportunity.
In the afternoon we went by boat through the floating market of Cai Be which was pretty well finished for the day and then we went on a walking tour visiting one of the few Catholic Churches in this mostly Buddhist country.  We then had an informative visit to a rice paper mill and coconut candy making shop.  The samples were delicious.  They also make snake wine here and gave out samples.  Whole snakes are actually soaked in the wine as it ferments and the locals believe it to be their own source of Viagra.  We did not think Canada Customs would appreciate us bringing some of this home.
After an entertaining musical show by the locals we set sail for Saigon.

Life on the river
Taking her wares to the market
Stalls big and small
The produce looked fresh though knowing it was washed in the river is a bit alarming
Wonderful smells
Eating while waiting for customers
Hard workers
Bunker in the jungle
Dense growth provided lots of hiding places
Would not want to cross this at night
Beautiful huge lily pads in the river
Candy makers at work
A cell phone break while making rice paper
Snake wine
Could not resist this face