19-APR-2008
The tunnels have a ventilation system. Here, in another photo I’ve enhanced to make it easier to see, is a vent hidden under a termite mound.
19-APR-2008
The vents for the cooking rooms were located a distance away from the actual room. Again, I enhanced the photo to make the cooking smoke easier to see. Even with the vents so hidden, cooking was not an everyday thing. Most days the VC in the tunnels ate food that had been cooked days earlier, mostly cold rice.
19-APR-2008
After leaving the tunnels, we drove to a nearby restaurant for lunch. The area seemingly has recovered from the Agent Orange and the napalm, but there is no large growth.
19-APR-2008
We had lunch at this lovely restaurant on the bank of the river.
19-APR-2008
This is the owner of the restaurant where we had lunch. She lived in the tunnels for several years during the war, going there after she was uncovered as a spy in Saigon. She served as a local guide to the North Vietnamese who came down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Now, she’s very happy to welcome Americans to her country and to her restaurant. No hard feelings here apparently.
Whatever your political view, it is hard not to appreciate the dedication, hard work, and ingenuity of the people who built and lived in the tunnels.
The war is long over, and it’s past time to move on.
19-APR-2008
And so, back to life in Vietnam today.
Snake whiskey. UGH, nothing I’d want to try, although several members of our group buy bottles.
Our guide describes it as “Vietnamese Viagra”, ands tells the story of a young bride whose husband spends more time on the Internet than with her. So, one night, she spikes his noodle soup with snake whiskey. After a while, he takes a break and takes the lid off the soup bowl. His noodles are standing up and dancing! Another one of our guide’s little jokes?
19-APR-2008
It’s a weekend, and on our way back to HCMC, we see many families on the roads.
19-APR-2008
Tan Son Nhat airbase! Another name we heard so often. It’s now the airport for HCMC, a very nice modern airport, too. Although many of the old barracks can still be seen, just off the runway.
We’re flying out of here on Air Vietnam to Siem Reap for our overland tour to Ankor Wat.