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7am alarm :( EARLIEST MORNING YET
7:30 wake up STILL EARLIEST MORNING YET
8am after having the tour guide bang on our door for a few minutes leave the hostel - STILL EARLIEST MORNING YET!
We were the last on the bus to disgust of our new friend - BUS b****! she was such a b**** on the bus hence her label - BUS b****. The b**** snapped at everything and everyone even though we had to wait ages for her husband to get on the BUS while he finished his fag. At one stop BUS b**** was a b**** and wanted the BUS to drive off when we were still waiting for people. What a b****...we arrived at cu chi tunnels - a 20km journey which took 2 hours despite Mirandas teasing of Chris when he suggested it would take one hour - apparently FAR TOO LONG for 20km and meaning the bus would have to travel at "1kmph" (she didn't do maths at a-level).
Cu chi tunnels were so much fun! BUS b**** strutted around taking photos of her large husband climbing on tanks while the guide was trying to explain them. We also watched the MOST AWKWARD video ever! Was supposed to be a 15 minute long documentary about the Vietnam war ended up being a 15 minute attack on Americans with lines such as "the wild devils bombed schools, monasteries and pots and pans" and "Jun won the award American killer hero for killing so many savages". This was made more awkward since we were sat next to a family of americans! Later on a creepy Vietnamese guy stared angrily at us in silence showing us how some gruesome traps worked to kill Americans.
Then we got to climb in a hole. Miranda went last and Josh managed to persuade her it would be a great photo if she got fully in it. She did and he put the lid on it. Were in hoi an (600km away). Kidding we let her out and went to the tunnels! The first tunnel was around 140m long. It was dimly lit and SO HOT and less than a metre high - we had to crawl through several point. Somehow this was really really good fun! The next tunnel was terrifying! Josh, Nic and Chris went in. It was around 100m long with one light so parts we had to squeeze through without being able to see anyone or anything! Nic led and claimed he saw a bay ahead. We presumed he was exaggerating as per normal and pushed him on. However after few metres later he was convinced he saw it again when it flew in his face! He insisted Chris took the lead and headed on. Almost immediately, out of the darkness, the bat appeared and flew straight at Chris who has a phobia of flying animals! The screams from all 3 boys could be heard by the rest of the tour group who had refused to go in! After hysteria died down we saw the bats nest and hysteria kicked in again! We fled out the emergency exit, hearts pounding through our chests in close pursuit by a flurry of blood hungry bats/potential vampires/bears. Finding the emergency escape route we clambered out, our sweaty hands slipping on the dusty, crumbling steps as our bellows of despair echoed through the forest and the surrounding three countries. After a terrifying 7 seconds we were out and safe again. After a brief limb check we returned to the group who stared at us in silence with a clear expression of "what the f***" on their faces...(this description is for you "Steven").
During break time we went to an eat shattering gift shop positioned a few metres from the national shooting range. Buying an ice cream had never been so painful! We had weird potato sticks dipped in peanut sauce and green tea as part of our tour before heading back to the bus, a few seats closer to BUS b**** (yes!!!).
Back in hi chi Minh we went to the most amazing self service frozen yoghurt restaurant EVER! 3 kg of yoghurt, fruit and sweets later we went for a quick lunch at a pizza place before heading to the Market to buy gifts for the orphans. Securing a ton of skipping ropes, board games, pens, paper, books and toys we went to dieu giac orphanage for the afternoon. THEY LOVED IT! especially the skipping ropes! We taught children to skip and write their names in English, helped put the younger ones to bed, played with some of the kids in the disabled ward and joined a game of football with the older guys. Thanks to "yoghurt boy" (cutest child ever) screaming at one of the staff we were allowed to stay after visiting hours but had to leave before their evening meal. It was an amazing and very humbling experience.
We ate dinner at a recommended restaurant - cafe zoom zoom. More like cafe vom vom. Nic and Mirandas bolognese was definitely made from the rats we saw scurrying around our feet!
Returning late to the hostel we wet to bed in preparation for the next day.
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