CRAZY SAIGION, WAR STORIES AND CHILLING ON THE MEKONG

So as a few of you hear from all the emails I was sending whilst hiding out in internet cafes - Saigon (or Ho Chi Min - I haven't figured out which to use yet) takes a hell of a lot of acclimatisation. I was greaking out for the first 48 hours - it's huuuge, dirty and crazy. I though Bangkok was full on, but here is something else. The only way to cross the road is to walk into 6 lanes of traffic and hope for the best and everyone drives with one hand permanently on their horn so they all blend into a wall of sound. But after a while you kinda get use to it and it's not such a bad nuthouse after all.

The group I'm travelling with is a bit strange - there are only 4 of us in our 30s and the rest are oldies but mostly really sweet and with the exception of one couple who define the term 'whinging pom' everyone is from Australia. The tour leader, Quan, is a cheeky Vietnamese guy who seems to have been adopted my the older ladies who are highly enjoying his naughty boy act and often cry 'ooh you're such a larickin' which is pretty funny to watch.

The first day we headed out to the war museum which was sobering, disturbing and devastating. The fact that they call it 'The American War' here says it all. Most of you know I'm a squeamish, peace loving little mung bean who won't even watch a war movie sao it really affected me to see pictures of some of the horrtendous things that went on. I had no idea that the Agent Orange used by the US still effects a million Vietnamese people today. On the other side seeing how young some of the American soldiers were and how gruesome some of the tactics made the whole thing look like a horrendous tradgedy on both sides. War is the epitomy of evil.

The journey back by Cyclo - basically a chair on the front of a bike was scary in a different way. No belt and nothing between you and hoards of traffic coming from every direction is not something I'd do again (not to mention the factthat we all had stinging eyes and sore throats for the rest of the afternoon from the pollution

So we were all ready to go when we headed out of the city yesterday morning - our first stop was more war related stuff - we visited the Cu Chi tunnels where an entire community of people lived underground and used it as a means of keeping the US troops away. Again there was horrendous stuff - like demonstrations (slighly too gleefully done really) of an array of spikey traps that were laid. And a trip through the tunnels themselves it was amazing how small they were even for a vertically challenged person like me. Not that many people could fit at all and a couple of people in the group had near panic attacks in the pitch black small space. How people lived down there defies imagination.

All this was done to a background of machine gun fire which made it all even more real. Funnily enough I declined the option of firing an AK-47...

The afternoon was much more peaceful - we floated down the Mekong river which was serene and beautiful. Its amazing how busy it is with boats loaded with produce motoring up and down - although most are equipt with a hammock for a nap along the way. We got to try some locally grown fruit and play with a snake that looked like it was on steroids (snakes and guns all on the same day - I must have been a really good girl this year!)

After a gorgeous float down the river on row boats (having been given Vietnamese conical hats so we could look even more like dumbarse tourists) the evening was sent at a homestay which was basic but lovely on the banks of the river. The food was all homecooked local specialities and wonderful. And over dinner and beyond I managed to bond with the other less sensible members of the group and we did a good job of denting the supply of Tiger Beer (and less of a good job of keeping a straight face when we were told by the guide that we might be woken up very early by many c*** because many people have c*** in this village)

The beer came in handy because it was bloody freezing overnight and we got more sleep than most. Then today we headedback out to the Mekong to the floating markets and to see how a lot of the produce is made - Rice paper, fish sauce, salt, and lots of kinds of sweets. So now we're back in Saigon for one last night before heading North tomorrow.

Please excuse any mistakes in this entry - this keyboard is terrible and I don't have time to go back and make corrections before dinner. I'm off now back over the 6 lanes of traffic with no crossing so wish me luck! Keep in touch. Jem x