Cu Chi tunnels

"BIKE" - yes we were cycling again, this time on our way to the tunnels, on small paved roads, dirt roads, single track trails, and through big and small mud puddles from time to time.  There were five of us, Brad and I, two Australians, and our guide.  Even though we were in the country, on narrow parts we would yell "bike" to alert the others to a motorbike about to pass or coming towards us on a narrow section.

Stopped to take a photo  - our guide is on the left

The day started with an hour and a half speedboat ride up the Saigon river to the Cu Chi area, where we were met by our guide.  We tried out our bikes in the parking lot, left excess bags in the support van, and headed off.
We stopped to look at tapioca plants growing in fields, to check out rubber trees, to see rice "paper" being made (more like wraps for spring rolls), to take pictures of a water buffalo, and to visit a small market.

A market selling fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, frogs, eels, fresh water crabs and more...

Back on the bikes, it was getting really hot, very humid, and I found myself thinking, "whose bright idea was this?"  Oh wait, it was mine!

The Cu Chi tunnels are about 44 miles northwest of Saigon.  First used by the Viet Minh against the French in the 1940's, then later expanded by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam war (called the American war here), by the 1960's the tunnels extended over 124 miles.

Brad goes down into a tunnel through the small hidden opening

One advantage of arriving in the afternoon like we did was that the tour groups had been and gone, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Our guide did a great job of showing us around, and explaining how the tunnels were used.
There were 3 levels and they had kitchens, storage areas, places to make weapons, and even operating rooms.  We went down to a meeting room, saw a small bat hanging from the ceiling, then crawled into another tunnel, turned a corner and slid down to a second level.  It was a workout; it was hard on your legs walking like a duck? An orangutan?  It's hard to describe but for once I was glad to be short.  These sections of tunnel open to the public have been enlarged and reinforced for tourists.

Brad in one of the tunnels

After our tunnel exploration and seeing examples of gruesome booby traps, it was time to get in the van, go down the road to an open air restaurant, and enjoy a wonderful meal / late lunch. We all had a beer (not our driver who stayed with the van), and learned how to say "cheers" in Vietnamese; it's YO!
Though we had a fun time, we were mindful that this whole area had seen much destruction during the war, and the local people had suffered immensely.  We had read the book:
The Girl in the Picture: the Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War before our trip; she lived with her family not far away.
The Viet Cong had been able to disappear into the tunnels; the US ground offensive wasn't working, so massive firepower was employed.  In fact, two BBC journalists said in their 1985 book:
The Tunnels of Cu Chi, that Cu Chi's 420 sq. km. was "the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated and generally devastated area in the history of warfare."  Sobering.