Cu Chi Cu Chi

To see is to believe.

The Cu Chi tunnels are a series of underground networks used by the Vietcong first against the French and later on to protect them against the Americans. Inside the tunnels, the Vietcong had their meeting rooms, sleeping quarters, water pits, kitchens, mess halls - name it, they had it. The Vietcong practically lived in those tunnels. Its no wonder these people were able to survive despite the devastation brought about by the Vietnam war. They are strong, resilient and fiercely loyal to their cause. The Americans were physically bigger and stronger, far more superior in their weapons and technology. Yet, they could not stop the eventual fall of Saigon.

Cu chi is an hour and a half away from the city. Along the way, you will see endless rows of rubber trees. Our tour guide Sang says that the rubber sap is one of the major raw materials produced in this province. Upon our arrival, we are made to watch a 20-minute video on the intense fighting that occurred in that area during the war. It was obviously made by the hard core Vietcong as it was awfully one sided.

After the film clip, we go through an underpass which leads us to the tunnels. At an obscure location,we were asked to look for the entrance of a tunnel which was hidden well on the ground. Once we discovered it, a Cu chi 'hero' (a label given to the residents of this province) demonstrated how a person could actually fit into that small hole. Ahem, please take note of the brave volunteer.




Along the trail, there are tanks and bomb craters left behind by the Americans. There were also mannequins dressed in the authentic black uniform used by the Vietcong with their sandals made out of rubber tires. We were also shown the crude weapons and traps set up for the Americans.



For the benefit of the tourists, entrances to a few tunnels were widened to accommodate those who wanted to try walking through them. I don't know what possessed me but I followed Reymond through the first tunnel. It was dark, hot, constricting and I was almost out of breath. At the first exit (30 meters), I came out all sweaty, very relieved to get out of there. Reymond, maybe a Vietcong in his past life, finished the whole 60 meters. May tama.



As if that was not enough, he took on a third and even more difficult challenge of going through another tunnel. This time, the tunnel was not altered in any way. It had not been lit and it was not widened to preserve its original state. A Cu chi hero had to be called in to lead the way. Sang directed me to the end of the trail which would open up to a meeting room. While waiting there, I was getting anxious because it was taking a long time for them to tread some 60 meters. As Reymond appeared from the tunnel, I heaved a sigh of relief. The only reason the picture appears bright is because of my camera flash. The room was dark and you could not see a thing.

It was a remarkable experience for us and we hope that we can share it with the girls when they're old enough to understand the significance of these tunnels.

We were back in the city by 1:30pm and even if I pleaded with Reymond to go to the hotel first, kain daw muna kami. He asked Sang to bring us to an open air eatery (turo-turo) along Hai Ba Trung so that he could let go of his inner 'temple' (please see HK blog on friendster for details). They served us draft beer placed in plastic containers. We also ate ubod ng anghang na squid, fish, prawns and fried rice. Masarap naman but the eating conditions were harsh. At least in Temple, it was a December evening and the weather was cool. We were eating spicy street food with no aircon on a hot and sticky day in the middle of the afternoon.

But the ordeal would soon be over. We walked back to our hotel, said our goodbyes to Sang then took our afternoon siesta.

We were feeling much better by 4pm so we left our room to do an errand for Marissa. Smarty pants Katrina fails to bring the email Marissa sends and instead just memorizes the instructions given. After about 30 minutes of walking with the store nowhere in sight and Reymond giving me the evil eye, I force him into a cab and lead him to Diamond Plaza to take his mind off strangling me. We were advised to go there to look for biking jerseys. Luck is not on my side as there were no biking jerseys in the mall. To calm him down, I thought hearing mass at Notre Dame would do the trick. The whole service, including the hymns sung were in Vietnamese. Kawawa naman ako.

After mass, we walk back to our hotel to get the email. Thankfully, we get the add right and the owner, Pauline, even waited for us to arrive at 6:15pm (they close at 6 on Sundays). Not only were we able to get the pajamas Tere ordered, Pauline even directed us to a resto that she claimed would be better than Nam Phan.

Dong Pho was all the way at Ho Xuan Huong in District 3 so we had to take a cab there. The resto was beautifully decorated. It had a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Ordering though was an extremely difficult task as the owner/host only spoke French and Vietnamese. Yikes. Its a good thing the menu had english transcripts.





For starters, we had yummy spring rolls, baguette with crab and shrimp pate, rice flour pancakes with shredded pork and shrimp. Yum. I even had pho with pork dumplings to finish off our hearty meal. Reymond, on the other hand, had sweet pork ribs with rice. This resto is a must try. When we got the bill, we were floored. We had spent 234,000 VND which was about $15.00. What a steal.

We took a cab back to District 1. Walked around a bit in a vain attempt to burn some calories. After five minutes, we decided to call it a day. Time to recharge....