8 am today we were to be picked up at the hotel to be brought on our private tour to the Mekong Delta and the Cu Chi tunnels. That was all we knew. We had no expectations except this was an all day excursion. Sometimes it is much more fun this way! But... we did have a little snafu when the paperwork told us we needed to contact the company prior to boarding and when we called, all numbers were unknown. The staff at the hotel assured us we were all set and we decided to trust them, since we had no other choice. We went upstairs to eat breakfast quickly and the nice doorman came to get us when the tour was finally here. Kim and I were so excited to be doing this tour because this would be the authentic experience of Vietnam we have and will be looking for!
Ha, our tour guide, greeted us in the lobby with Mr. Chow, our driver. They were so friendly and so professional and clearly had done this many times before. We were on our way to the Cu Chi Tunnels! After about a 1.5 hour drive through Ho Chi Minh city and the outskirts, we arrived. Even though it was a long drive, we made SO many observations. People live so simply here. Nothing lavish. People work hard in the fields. There are many many markets, which is shocking how everyone seems to have the same, or similar professions. Kim and I wondered how busy it could be during the day, and how not many people had "real" jobs. We'd see kids helping out their families and clearly not in front of a TV or video game. One other thing we noticed was how much trash there is. EVERYWHERE. It's amazing because at lunch yesterday, we dropped something and told not to pick it up. We are fascinated by the Vietnamese culture and their lack of cleanliness. But, it works for them and their simplicity.
The Cu Chi Tunnels were first. This was an amazing experience. We saw thatched roof buildings that were similar to what Kim was probably abanonded in when she was a baby. Between yesterday and today it has been an eye opener to see what the Vietnam war was like for the Vietnam people. They dug these tunnels to keep away from the American soldiers. They were 3 meters deep and connected for Km to Km under ground to keep families and militia safe. Hand made. It was incredible.
I knew initially I didn't want to go into the actual tunnel. I don't have many fears but claustrophobia is real for me. Kim was a great support and understanding. I mean she had listened to gun fire from AK-47 and remembered being scared of thunder as a baby. I had to go with her in the tunnels.
But they were small. We didn't know what to expect. The tunnels were intense. We were single file, crouched down so low, walking one behind the other. Kim and I both ended up with very strong panic attacks. I was nervous and kept it in. But kim had a tough time. If there was an emergency, there was no way out. And the tunnels just connected and connected and we could have ended up somewhere else! The tunnels went between 3-9 meters... depending on the guerillas living quarters and where they kept the artillery and bombs for the war. I can't imagine what these people tried to do to save their families. Makes me think even harder about how lucky kim is to be alive.
Next, we went to the Mekong delta. The drive was long. Good thing we were in an air conditioned truck. Kim and I napped but the further we got into the countryside, the harder it was to ignore the poverty and mess. It's shocking how people live here but also makes me realize how materialistic we are! Ha took us to a great place for lunch. We dropped the car off and got on the back of bicycles (so quickly we couldn't even take a picture) and ended up at a little restaurant that fed us native vietamese pancakes and meat.
The Mekong delta is incredibly dirty. We asked Ha and she said it is from the soil from the trees. The boat was fun. But also run down... everything here is shaded. No possbilibity of getting tan. Kim and I went out on the front of the tiny part of the boat to take pictures but it was too hot, so we ended up inside. We also got a chance to wear the traditional Vietnamese hat on our bike which followed us on our ride.
The Mekong Delta shops first came with coconut candy. We then saw a dress Kim fell in love with and bought. Then, we sat and ate fresh fruit. We got bombarded by a bunch of native women who wanted to take pictures with me, assumingly because of my blonde hair and American "look." Within seconds, it began to rain. And rain hard. We finished up our fruit and Ha let us know we needed to put our ponchos on because we were heading to the farm. The bee pollen farm we would see the snake at! We loved the little shops at the Mekong Delta and watching the little girls dance in the rain but we needed to keep moving or we would never get back to the hotel. When Ha mentioned going to a farm, I didn't realize (and neither did Kim) that we would be going by boat!!! This was probably my favorite part of the day.
During this thunderstorm, with a waterproof camera, all we could think was how awesome it was to be living as an authentic Vietnamese person. Not worrying about the thunder or lightening, going by means of transportation they knew about in order to survive and work. We ended up at a bed farm where we learned about the effects of bee pollen, royal jelly, and honey on a persons healty. We topped off the night by being greeted by a local snake, that had no name, and no one could tell us what type.
Needless to say, it was an amazing day learning a lot about the culture. We are in awe of the hardworking atmosphere this culture provides. It's simple and it works. We wonder how this could impact Americans and how Americans would have an effect here after so many years.
