Day 2 - 6th Dec 2007Thanks to Buttercup's blunder, she had set the alarm according to Singapore time instead of Vietnam time. The alarm woke us up more than an hour earlier than 630am, but only the ever sweet and obedient Blossom got out of bed. kekeke! Moi and Buttercup just went back to sleep. =P But still we got to drag our lazy asses out of the bed for a tiring full day trip to Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnels at 8am sharp.
Our US$6 tour covers transport, 1 bottle of water, 1 packet of coconut coated peanuts (which Blossom likes it so much) and a tour guide full of craps and jokes in his vietnam-accent English which unfortunately was only fully decipher most of the time by only the 3 of us. Hahahahaha! All the ang mohs, hongkees and the chinkaporeans just seem not able to laugh at his jokes. =P
ONE thing about chinkaporeans, not all but typical types, when they visit countries especially where the chinkapore dollar is stronger, they behave like Monkeys. And that's a real super embarrassment. Demanding TOP notch service and expecting super-efficient. Xkusee me, Ah Chek-s, Ah Soh-s, Gin-na-s, this is Vietnam not Chinkapore and just because you can afford a few stinko US dollar, don't raise your voice and act like Wong-ah-ma (Empress Dowager). It's nauseating and disgusting.
>_<Our cu chi tunnel tour, unfortunately included a chinkaporean family with 3 fatty Gi-na-s and the fattest one having a so-call "bad" diarrhea and railing for toilet. WELL, in normal circumstances, it is understandable that in such situation, the group should be considerate and allow someone with a bad stomach to go toilet as often as possible... BUT...
Mrs Chinkaporean : My son is having a bad diarrhea, you see where got toilet, just stop for my son to go toilet as often as possible. Thank Yew.
Vietnam Tour guide : Sorry. The bus can only stop after 120km. Here cannot stop.
Mrs Chinkaporean instead of keeping her cool and asking for best assistance nicely, starts to raise her voice and complain about the poor service ... *typical chinkaporean reaction*
Mrs Chinkaporean : What!!!?? If you don't stop the bus, my son is going to S**T right here on the bus. He cannot control. I cannot guarantee...
Me (to self) : Ah Soh, Aiyo, I dunno how you teach your gi-na... Oredi secondary school, still s**t inside pants har???
Mrs Chinkaporean : ... yesterday we also signed up a tour with Sinh Cafe, the tour guide's service was so good, stopped so many times for my son to go toilet. Why TODAY CANNOT!!!!!?? WHAT KIND OF SERVICE IS THIS!!!??
Vietnam Tour guide : Sorry Madam, here cannot stop. Police catch. We try stop as soon as possible.
Me (to self) : Ah Soh, if your stupid FAT kid s**t here, I am going to throw you and your kids off the bus. GRRRRRR!!! >_<
Moi can be considerate that your kid is not feeling well and needed to go toilet but Ah Soh, your kid yesterday already diarrhea and if it's DAMN so serious that he needed to keep dropping off the bus to go toilet, shouldn't you be a little more considerate and gracious and POLITE to keep him at the hotel and not expecting the WHOLE BUS of tourist to keep waiting for your son to use the LOO.
When, we, chinkaporeans, are complaining about the recent incident of the three "ugly" Brits who took a trishaw ride and mocking at the elderly trishaw rider, do pleeeeeeeeeasssssssse take out a mirror and reflect on yourselves too hor.
Our first stop after the toilet break of the fat gi-na was at a lacquer making factory which was not inside the tour itinerary but alas like all tour, they must drop you to such places lah... but it wasn't too bad. It was interesting to watch how each lacquer cravings was craved out and washed and polished.
Lacquer factoryAfter the lacquer factory visit, we went to our first stop of the Great holy Cao Dia Temple that prays to the EYE. The EYE represents the EYE of Heaven watching over us and making sure that we don't make any mistakes. Even though the temple was not very impressive in terms of size and architecture, it's still quite interesting to observe and learn about a total new religion unheard in our little island. Caodaism is a religion with colorful mix of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. We attended the noon prayer session to witness the daily mass held by the Cao Dia followers dressed in white. Everyone is split clearly based on their ranks inside the temple and their gender. The more superior in terms of status and rank stood in front nearer to the altar; the female on the left and the males on the right. Non-followers (e.g. tourist) are not to step in the middle of the walkway and to stay strictly to the side of the hall. Photo-taking of the temple, statue and people are permissible but no posing for photography.
The temple tour lasted not more than an hour and we went on for lunch at this really dilapidated coffeeshop... EEeeeeeeeeee... but food was still ok. We had...
In clockwise starting Top left corner : (2) Lemon tea (3) Spring roll rice set (4) Chicken noodle (5) Spring Roll (6) Fried RiceMoi ordered the fried rice with "chinkaporean" mentality and only discovered later that their fried rice was fried with beef so I got to hand-pick each piece of meat out. But their spring rolls were really nice... maybe the best that we tasted in all the Vietnamese eateries we visited during our stay.
Well we took another 1 hour 15 mins to travel to our next and main destination for this tour - Cu Chi tunnel. Lucky Buttercup and Blossom got all the attention and "entertaining" from Moi who wouldn't stop TALKING. hahhahahaha! So lucky gals!! ^_-)
The tunnels of Cu Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels that were used by Vietnam Cong (VC), guerrilla fighters, as hiding spots for combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters during the vietnam war. It is so famous because the tunnel system protracted the war and caused American withdrawal. Cu chi was a well connected area between north and southern part of vietnam via Saigon River and American needed to take down Cu Chi to capture Saigon. With a small remaining army making up of all surviving inhabitants of Cu Chi including women, the Viet Cong together with the inhabitants and limited artillery and backward technology managed to force American withdrawal with Cu Chi Tunnels. At its peak, the Cu Chi Tunnel network covered more than 250km, from Cambodian border, far north of Vietnam to Saigon.
The documentary video that we watched at the site and our tour guide explained that Cu Chi Tunnel was possible also because of the nature of the soil - hard clay and Saigon river as a water source. In actual fact, there was never a direct order to build the tunnel but the tunnel evolved out of war circumstances and made up by connecting separate tunnels that were built earlier. The irony is that most of the supplies used to build and to maintain the tunnels were stolen or scavenged from US bases or troops. As shown in the photos under weapons below. An simple map also show that the passages are really small and so immerse with many bogus trap doors to kill foreign intruder into the tunnel. If you could look closer, the air vent are all slanted to prevent water from dripping into the tunnels. In fact, American suffered so much casualties here that had to do carpet bombing dropping 30MT of high explosive onto Cu Chi, turning the jungle into a pockmarked moonscape.
Map of the Cu Chi Tunnels
Now you see me...Now you don't
American tanker
Weapons and trapsThe impressive part is that the tunnel was dug by very simple tools and hands and not by any machines. During the day, Vietnam Cong hid inside the tunnel and at night then they would surface to collect american fired ammunition and to grow staple food.
Surviving Cu Chi tunnelsAfter much talking, it's time to try out the trap ourselves. =P The tunnels were actually cleaned up and widened for tourist.... but for those with claustrophobia, I would strongly advise against trying to enter the Cu Chi Tunnel. The entrance is quite big but the tunnel inside is still very small and one will need to go on all FOUR to crawl through the tunnel.
Hi-ho Hi-ho...
Tin can models sold at Cu Chi Tunnel souvenir shopWe were rather tired with the long trippy due to bus ride so we decided to settle dinner nearby at Gon Cafe just beside Sinh Cafe. The food there was not too bad, in fact, quite nice. We ordered a little bit more this but the bill still did not exceed more than US$12 for all... really economy and nice.
In clockwise starting Top left corner : (1) Spring Roll (2) Omelette with ham (3) Claypot vegetable (4) Paper rollWould have really love to go for an ice cold beer in hot sweating Saigon if not because the 2 powerpuff gals are non-drinkers. =( Luan Vu being situated in a backpackers' area got a great number of chill-out bar with one nice one just downstairs - GO 2 bar at 187 De Tham Street; corner of Bui Vien Street and De Tham Street. But then it's still fun to just "chill-out" inside our room without beer but good companies and sharing all the censored talk that should remains classified. *grin* =X
Happy Feet
Happy HandsGon Cafe
(Beside Sinh cafe)
De Tham Street, District 1,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
