John and Hannah arrived in Ho Chi Minh late Wednesday
afternoon. By the time they were sorted we decided to just head out for some food and drinks. We decided upon a BBQ restaurant in town that was beautiful lit by thousand of fairy lights in the overhanging trees. Each table boasted a small bbq grill in the middle of the table so you cooked your own food as you went along – was a great experience. We ended up drinking back near our hostel
with a Scottish couple, Karen and Garry, who live in the City, some German backpackers, Christian and Benedikt and a Canadian, Scott (a different one to Koh Phi Phi) and Nick, an American.
The following day, hungover, we ventured out in Ho Chi Minh, taking in the Jade Emperor Pagoda and then going (back) to the War Museum. The heat was unbearable so we went back to the hostel to relax before heading out for food and meeting up with the Germans again.
The following day was an early start as we headed south to the Mekong Delta. The Delta is an expansive area of fertile rich land that produces one third of the country’s agricultural produce. We took a boat cruise up part of the Mekong River before stopping for lunch in an Island village before again carrying on up the river. We saw the produce of coconut sweets and honey in another village before taking a paddle boat through the small canals that the delta is infamous for. The latter part was magnificent and the reason we went on the tour.
That night we went on a dinner cruise along the Saigon – the same I had done earlier in the week – but were lucky enough to be given a private room on the boat before we moved on for cocktails in a live music bar.
Today was our last in Ho Chi Minh City and again we were up early to travel north to the Chu Chi Tunnels. Coincidently we were on the same tour as Scott and Nick. The walk through the jungle was ok but I think some of it could be considered 'diller'. The real reason we went was for the tunnels. The tunnels were used by the North Vietnamese to combat the Americans that were based in the South of the country and allowed the Viet Cong to sucessfully defeat the Americans in this region. The tunnels were boiling inside and tight in places (maybe should have been on the diet for longer) but overall an interesting expierence. The highlight though was sending Hannah into a hiding hole (and covering it up!)
Tonight we are taking the sleeper train to Nha Trang to spend sometime relaxing on the beach before we continue north up the country, so this afternoon was all about chilling before heading to the station.
