Follow The Ho Chi Minh Trail

I've been back in Vietnam for just over a week now and I am enjoying the country very much.

My time here began as a repeat, going to many of the same places with my new group. The War Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, etc. though it was still enjoyable. However, I must first advise you of my visa situation. Due to my extended time in the country, I needed to get an extension of my current visa, which I was aware of and should be a very simple and painless process. But like many things in this part of the world, it was not. I opted to ask my tour guide where the best place to get this done would be, figuring he would say Immigration. He did not. He directed me to the U.S. Consulate. So I went and this place was like a fortress with a line of people waiting to get in, and likely into the country as well. Oddly, the security guards that were there all appeared to be Vietnamese, so apparently we outsource these positions too! Anyway, they directed me to the Immigration office. So I went, and after accidentally stopping in the Korean Embassy first, spoke to a person who took 1,000 Dong from me, then told me to go to another counter, who in turn advised me that they couldn't do an extension here and that I would need to go to a travel agent (there are hundreds in the city). But wait, it gets better.

I went to the travel agent that I had used once before while here, explained what I needed and paid the rushed fee of $39. Not a problem. As I pay, a guy on a motor bike pulls up into (literally) the shop, takes my passport and drives off. I think I had a completely blank stare on my face for a while and images of further dealings with my Consulate when my information turns up on the black market in SE Asia. I had two days to be concerned but in the end I did get it back and the visa was all set. And by all set I mean there was a stamp there, from Immigration (where I been) and below it a price of $10, which tells me that the government got its $10, the travel agent, the guy on the bike and the one who stamped it all took their share of the remaining $29. Why am I shocked?

That aside, I left HCMC and travelled first to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Last time I fired an M-16 when I was visiting the tunnels, this time I opted for a slightly more powerful M-60! That thing has some real kick to it!

From there we headed to the Mekong Delta where I spent the night at a homestay, right on the banks of the river. While there was nothing overly special to report from this, that night was a less than comfortable sleep on what looked to be a stretcher. I tried to fall asleep, though it proved a more difficult task than I had thought. I mean, aren't roosters supposed to sing in the morning? Not at night, right? Did I miss something. Well, these roosters serenaded me all night, along with their lizard, dog and insect friends. In addition, I woke up twice to what I thought, in a slightly disoriented state, was a helicopter. It turned out to be the propellers of passing river boats, but I was convinced we were under attack.

I began traveling north, the first stop being Dalat. The town was pretty nice, up in the hills it was significantly cooler than what I felt in HCMC. From there I went to Nha Trang, situated right on the beach. The trip there was interesting, as we travelled through the hills. The scenery was nice, but the road was quite concerning. Around every turn seemed to be a new landslide, with half the road covered in red dirt and rocks, and protective walls in pieces. It is safe to say that I do not have a lot of faith in Vietnamese construction. Picture below are from outside of Dalat.

While in Nha Trang I took a cruise to a local fishing village and got to wander around for a bit, then took a ride in a basket boat, which looks exactly as it sounds. I was basically floating in a giant bamboo basket. From there we headed out to a small cove where I was able to do some more jumping off boats! Water wasn't nearly as clear as Thailand, but still fun. After a nice lunch on the boat, we got to hang out on a nearby beach for a few hours which was great. I know, life is tough! Below are pictures of a man in a basket boat and jumping off the roof with a tour mate.

Nha Trang wouldn't be the place I would want to fly to for a big vacation, but it was fun and there were plenty of good restaurants, bars and such to keep me entertained for a couple of nights. The next stop was one night in Quy Nhon (I can't pronounce this stuff either), and I would recommend avoiding this place if possible. Nothing to do, at all, other than sit on the beach or swim, though there seems to be a lot of jellyfish there so I opted against it. Along the way, though we passed some great scenes, those that are really stereotypical Vietnam. Expansive fields of green rice paddies, complete with women in hats and water buffalo, surrounded by mountainous jungle terrain.

After another long drive through the countryside, I have ended up in Hoi An. Basically its known for two things: It's French heritage and architecture, and its shopping. There are about 200 tailors in this town and they can turn shoes, shirts, suits and dresses around in 24 hours (Alana, you would have loved this place!) Seeing that I don't like architecture, or the French, all that much, and I have no need for a suit at the moment, I'm taking it as an opportunity to explore the area for 2 days. I think I'll keep myself busy.

Oh, I almost forgot a stop on our way to Hoi An. It was at the sight of the My Lai village (pronounced Me Lie). If you know anything about the Vietnam War, you are probably familiar with the massacre that took place here by the U.S. leaving 504 civilians dead. If you're not, do a real quick google search and you'll see the photos from that day in 1968. Having the interest in that period's history that I do, I found it to be very interesting, but it was certainly not a good day for the U.S. military. One of the woman who survived that day was there, near the sight of her old house, though she is quite old now. Below is a photo of the woman, and a tree with remaining bullet holes from the fighting.

One thing that I have noticed, and can't be missed as you travel around Vietnam, are the propaganda signs. They are everywhere, and I wish I could understand what they say. I'm sure it is along the lines of pro-government, pro-country, pro-army, etc. The picture at the top was one I found at a little street-side restaurant while we were driving. As you can see, they LOVE Ho Chi Minh here. He is all over the place, on signs, pictures and all of their money. I find it strange, but thats me.

Finally, I think its funny that my travel agent has been unable to re-arrange my flights for me. I have been dealling with this guy for nearly 5 weeks and still unable to get this done. I could go on for an entire blog entry on this one, so all I will say is that my current flight itinerary has me already departed from Asia and sitting on a beach in Hawaii at this very moment. Do you see the problem here?

Cheers!