'Saigon. s***, I'm still only in Saigon' I'm not the only bloke here who's got the 'Apocalypse, Now' soundtrack on his iPod. Jim, one of the guys on our Cu Chi tunnels trip, has a whole 'Nam playlist!
The Cu Chi tunnels were excavated and used by the Viet Cong during the wars with the French and the Americans, and now they're a big tourist attraction. The tunnels were built to suit the diminutive Vietnamese, not us big Westerners. As we arrived and made our way into the complex via a big underpass, Nicko, one of our group quipped 'oh, I thought the tunnels were smaller than this'! Wise-ass comment, wish I'd said it! Nicko was Dutch, and stepped in as an interpreter when Mandy, the tour-guide, couldn't understand Jim, who was Scottish!
One of the 'special exhibits' was a grisly array of improvised booby-traps, set to kill or maim unsuspecting GIs. After inspecting numerous ghastly contraptions, we walked past a long bamboo pole, set between two pipes, with water dribbling through, 'what's THIS for?', someone asked, 'erm, washing the hands', replied the guide!
After the fun of the grisly death pits, it was time for the official propaganda film, with it's jaunty, patriotic music, and praise for 'hero American killers'.
We were tired after all that fun, so there was just time for some Vietnamese tea, tapioca strips dipped in crushed nuts, a quick visit to the souvenir shop, and the bus home!