Back at it ... Bangkok and Beyond: May 2011

Ted and I visited Vietnam last week, we stayed in Ho Che Minh City, formerly Siagon. It is a thriving city, even with communism (aka "socialism" as the Vietnamese call it).  People are trying to earn a good living by opening businesses, literally everywhere .... alleys, sidewalks, roadways, you name it, they have a business
set up.

We stayed at the famous Rex Hotel in HOCM. It was headquarters for the CIA and U.S. army during the Vietnam war. The army brass and media would meet at the rooftop restaurant each night for the "5:00 o'clock follies".  It was named the follies because most of the information was propaganda.

Crossing the street in HOMC is going against everything you learned as a child ... check both ways before you cross the road and when it's clear cross the road, right? Not here, it's ... okay step out into traffic (four/five lanes) and keep walking ... taxis, motorcycles, bikes, buses will go around you!!! Only 9,205 traffic deaths a year in Vietnam (about 25 per day ... probably all tourists trying to cross the street to get the best deal on a straw hat).

Vietnam is also the home of the best fake merchandise I have seen yet. They rank it A, B or C and the price goes up according to the quality. Market stall owners hide the good stuff and if you ask for better quality goods they will dig through their hundreds of bags and find it for you ... it's awesome. I think some Louis Vitton trucks are missing some cargo!

We went on a dinner cruise on a Vietnamese Junk (traditional wooden boat). It was a great cruise, traditional dancers, food, etc. We got talking to the manager, Audrey, who is an expat from Austria. Audrey invited us to the owner's private bar on the boat, we looked around, took some photos and had a drink with her.

HOCM is divided into 24 districts (12 numbered and 12 named), we went to the Che Chu district where the tunnels were built by Vietchong. These were tunnels used to transport people, weapons, food, etc. during the Vietnam war. One section of the tunnel was a medical clinic, set up for treating the wounded.  Part of this tunnel system was built under a U.S. army base.   The tunnel system was 250 km in length, on three different levels. Guess who crawled through some of the tunnel system? No, not Ted ... me, it was terrifying. Something I would never do again ... see the photos. The traps they had for the U.S. troops were brutal ... what a terrible war that must have been, sad for everyone involved.

All in all it was a nice trip and a real eye opener. We had a great time and even celebrated our anniversary there.

I have attached photos of the live market and other shots from around HOCM. The tunnels are fascinating, but like I said before, I will never do again. We are back in Bangkok now, next trip is to Chang Mai, a city in Northern Thailand, people tell us it's a little cooler than Bangkok, we can only hope! Enjoy the photos!