Wake up bright and early for my tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels (CCT). Get picked up at 0830 and loaded onto a crammed minibus.
The CCT are located just outside of Saigon. During the American War, the villages around the district of CC supported a substantial Viet Cong presence. Faced with American attempts to neutralise them, they quite literally dug themselves out of harms way, and the legendary CCT were the result.
The guided tour kicks off in a classroom, where a wall chart, a cross section of the tunnels and a black & white movie is shown. Pure propaganda material, but still very interesting. We were then taken out into the jungle, where our guide showed us how the VC managed to outwit the Americans. We get to see some of their clever booby-traps, and an abandoned US tank. We were then given the chance to try an AK47. Now, I personally hate guns, but I was told that I couldn't do it so....... It was very loud is all I can say!
Next we were taken to a small section of the tunnel where we were given the opportunity to go in to experience what the VC experienced. It was very claustrophobic and just horrible. On top of this, these tunnels had been widened to accommodate the hefty tourists. I could not imagine people living in tunnels smaller than this! These people did everything in these tunnels and would sometimes stay in there for weeks on end!
We then headed back to Saigon where I finally met my tour leader, Kris and a few of the others on the tour. We all go out for a meal and then headed to a posh hotel called Rex where we enjoy an "expensive" cocktail on the rooftop terrace. Expensive being 103,000 dong ($7.50). There is a live band playing. Find out that our tour leader is a bit of a karaokee nut so he decides to bump off the lead singer and take over himself!
Afterwards the others decide to go back to our hotel by taxi, but I opt for the motorcycle option. Pretty crazy yet exciting at the same time.
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