I LOVED this city; in fact, I think it was my favourite. What immediately struck us was the amount of scooters on the road. Now I've seen scooters - in China, in Thailand, in Cambodia. But not like THIS! They took up just over half of every road - seeing so many was just honestly so fun. I really loved it; it contributed to the energy of the city. Love love LOVED this city!!
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| Vroom vroom! |
WHAT WE DID:
Went to the Doctors
So true to form of the drama of travelling in-between cities and countries, on the bus from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Ho Chi Min City, Zac got sick and threw up on the bus about 30 minutes into the ride. I was glad we were on the way to a major city in Vietnam though, because the medical care in Cambodia is way less advanced and I wasn't sure what we would get (he just had a stomach bug though, nothing big). So our first stop was the doctors - we got some medicine but he was alright on his own a couple of days later.
Ho Chi Min Tunnels
We took the boat ride there which was great (other than the part where it broke down and we had to wait for another one to come get us. It was all good though). The interesting thing about Ho Chi Minh is the mixture. You see clusters of modern buildings one moment, and the next you see fallen over shacks resembling what we saw in Cambodia. When we arrived at the tunnels we watched a demonstration, then had a tour showing us the various entrances and traps that had been used against the U.S. during the war. Then we had a chance to go through a part of the tunnel ourselves, and while I'm glad I went, it was intense and I wouldn't do it again. Zac thought it was great - I just kept my hyperventilating to myself.
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| On the way to the tunnels |
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| Modern! |
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| Not so modern |
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| Super hot day! |
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Cool display of the elaborate tunnels that the
Vietnamese spent years underground in (they even had a baby making room!) |
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| Zac climbs in the tunnel entrance. He took some convincing. |
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This tunnel opening was so small, I really
didn't think I'd fit in it when I first saw it |
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| Nap, anyone? |
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| Zac making friends |
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| Inside the tank |
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| Zac had fun climbing in this |
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| The traps fascinated Zac |
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| This one fascinated me. Anyone forget to shave this morning? |
So Zac and I missed the beginning of the speech before climbing through the Coo Chi Tunnels, and if we hadn't, I would have known that you are free to leave the tunnel any time you see a lit up side tunnel. These were frequent under ground, but because I didn't know where they lead, I just kept going straight, right past all the exits and wishing I could get the heck outta there! Of course, we DID get to hear the part in the speech about how we need to all keep moving because there's less oxygen down there, and combined with so many people, it's something to be aware of. Lovely. I spent the whole time convinced I was on the verge of collapse from lack of oxygen :P
I didn't take any pictures inside the tunnel we climbed through. Other people did, but quite honestly, I was terrified and freaking out a little the whole time, so I couldn't care less about taking any pictures. Zac was fine, in fact he loved it, but we got separated and that didn't feel so good either. The entire time we were doubled over as we "walked" through these tunnels, and because it's a tour, there are a ton of people so I think the worst part was feeling trapped between everyone. I just felt so powerless - like if someone tripped, or something happened to block the tunnel, we were screwed. I just kept reminding myself that dozens of tours did this every day and I managed to get through it. I figured a panic attack in a tunnel might be a bad idea.
Walked through Flower Festivals/Enjoyed the Lights
Because it was Tet, there were flowers and lights lining the streets EVERYWHERE (it's their thing). We had a festival going on right outside our hostel (which was in a great location to explore the city on foot) and wandered through and by it many times. Um, funny thing is it turns out I have zero pictures of flowers. My bad.
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| Flower Street |
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| Park in the middle of the festival |
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| Can you see flowers in the background? |
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| Lights in the city! |
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| Random dragon-things at the flower festival |
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| Pretty, no? |
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| Happy New Year! |
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I loved how unique the lights are to their culture! :)
Wandered the Streets
I just loved the vibe of the city and exploring on foot was one of my most favourite things to do on this trip. It really puts you right into the culture and let's you enjoy the sun rather than observing everything from behind a sheet of glass as you drive past it.
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| Delicious smoothies, right by our hostel |
We stood at these gates - but I kindof forget where we were. Oops. Well, somewhere important.
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Famous Picture during the Vietnam War
The picture I took of the same place
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| Famous picture of a Monk protesting |
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| The statue in his honour |
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The same corner he sat at
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Last stop on the scooter tour
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The War Museum
I had heard that this museum had some intense and disturbing images (think Agent Orange) but most of the people I chatted to suggested we give it a go and just skip some sections on the second and third floors, which we did. It was fun for Zac to see all the military vehicles on the grounds, and it was good for both of us to read a historic overview of the events leading to and through the war. It seemed a little one-sided but then I imagine so are the museums in the U.S. on the war.
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| Photo in the Museum |
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| Another photo |
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| Zac reads the timeline |
Conclusion: Ho Chi Minh was AWESOME!!
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