[This is posted on 14.02.2013 extracted from original hotmail email]
Spent the better half of today at town call Cu Chi. It is the main site where the guerrillas set-up came to fight against the Americans during the war. It's not really that far from the city - less than a 100km. But the wonderful road conditions and the traffic made the journey last nearly 1.5 hours one way.
Anyway, they showed us a sample of all the booby traps that the guerrillas used and it was really gruesome. Then there is the usual patriotic video telling u how good the Vietnamese people in Cu Chii were as opposed to those despicable invaders, the Americans. Good thing no one in our tour group were Americans.
After this, they took us to some of the original trenches. We walked along one of the dugouts. Then they showed us the hidden doorways to the underground tunnels and it sure was hidden. And so wonderfully narrow that only small Vietnamese people could pass through. Three people in our group of fifteen could.
Next, we proceed to a normal tunnel that has been cleared for tourists. It was about 100 m long and we had to walk through its enclosed, claustrophobic atmosphere. Hot, sweaty, stuffy and no room to stand up straight. It went down in three stages: 3 m, 5m and 8m. No stairs or anything fancy. U just drop from one to the next and then climb back up using your hands and the tunnel is so narrow that there is room for only one person. In addition, u have to walk like a duck all hunched up. There is one part where we almost have to crawl.
Once that is over, it was to a shooting range where we got to try the old weaponry for a price of course. And to end everything, they took us through a list of the usual hideouts like Meeting rooms, clinic and kitchen.
My legs are now feeling a bit like jelly. I will probably walk to a market after this and then head back to the hotel for a rest.
That's it for Day 4. I may try to get a tour to Mekong Delta tomorrow.
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