So. The relative comforts of hong kong out the way, we packed up and jumped on a short flight to ho chi minh city (saigon to all us veterans). to say we were uncertain of what to expect would be an understatement.
On arrival the first thing that sprung was to mind was the slight contrast with hong kong. if hong kong was odd, then saigon is just plain mental. we soon discovered, minutes into our taxi journey from the airport, that braking is overrated in this place. the most effective way to cross a busy junction is to sound your horn, close your eyes, and hit the gas. to be fair, it seemed to work every time.
crossing the road was also more of an adventure than anticipated. basically you just start walking, regardless of traffic, and don't stop. if you do, you will be run over. fact.
traffic fun out the way we set off for a leisurly stroll around saigon to take in the sights. highlight was probably the war remnants museum, a nice little propaganda centre for the former North Vietnamese Army. Plenty of graffic photos and debris of war, and not for the last time as well.
a trip to the cu chi tunnels was in order for the next day. more war propaganda with a video about local "american killer heroes".
VC rebels were based here during the war and there is a legacy of very hot and sweaty network of tunnels to prove the point. the passages have been widened to a generous 120cm by 80cm but it's still a pretty tight experience for a 6' 1" lanky bastard like me.
the recorded machine gun noises that continually broke the silence of the jungle also turned out to be very real machine gun noises from the on site firing range. never one to miss an opportunity i picked up my m16 rifle but succeeded only in scaring some rabbits in the neigbouring field, quite comfortably missed the target with all 10 of my rounds.
the mekong delta beckoned next and a few leisurely days cruising around on a boat and soaking up the local villages, some of them floating as the locals can't afford to buy any land (erica even saw a floating basketball court - shotgun not going to fetch the ball).
also got to make friends with a python (not a euphamism). apparently he'd been recently fed - most likely with a recent tourist - so there was nothing to worry about. if they say so...
the temptation to head up north and take in some more of the country was diminished by the floods and spectacular thunder storms so we packed up and headed to cambodia by bus.
well, almost.
we got as far as border control and became separated from our group because we had a different type of visa. on emerging from customs our bus was nowhere in sight. minutes later though, all was well. a trusty cambodian aide rolled up with his moped and reassured us that the bus was a mere 2km down the road and we could catch them up. where was the other moped i asked? oh no sir...one will be fine for the three of us!
there's nothing like arriving in style...
