af ew pics

Goodbye Vietnam!

Well our last day in Vietnam and we are just veging around. It's been an eventful and interesting few weeks. Two days ago HCMC had 3 hours of continual rain and the water around our hotel was lapping the top step 30-40 cm from pavement!! Motor bikes were in 40cm of water. today it rained a belting shower but passed on thankfully.

I had a hair cut today and they even get you to lay down at the wash basin on a massage bed and give your head a massage.... Hmmm.... That I could get used to!

We catch plane tonight about 10 pm and then arrive in Sydney at 0930 tomorrow and then catch plane to Adeliade at 12 to arrive home at 1430. I will try an load a few photos on from home for the family OS so you can see the changes in this part of the world. It's back to work next Monday after a weekend in Melbourne to celebrate Simon's 30th birthday.
So its Goodbye Vietnam!

Hi from Ho Chi Minh city

Well we are back in Ho Chi Minh city. A quick and early flight saw us back in HCMC at 10 am. Then we had a hair raising taxi ride into town where the guy just cut in and out of the traffic, as if he was Moses parting the Red Sea! He even gave some poor lad on a motor bike a shove up the rear because he would not get out of his way. If there was room fora moto he would fit his car in it. Unbelievable!! I was dreading knocking someone over and then being the white passengers we would end up having to pay the hospital bills (or the funeral expenses) . Well we did arrive in one peice in record time. They would win any olympic event in dodgem car driving.

We are having a few quiet days just sitting in cafes drinking mango lassies. Today we will walk to the Saigon River and do some final shopping for small and light weight items (as we are already at our weight limit- that is not hard to do with the many things people want to sell you. It is truly unrelenting; all day and all night, everyday. I think I am finally sick of it! They even come into the restaurant and stand at your table and try to sell to you. As I am typing a bloke is trying to tell Hugo he needs hi shoes polished... while we are in the hotel lobby if yuo don't mind! If they could provide roadside liposuction they would! There would probably do a roaring trade too with all of us overweight westerners walking around here!

Hue Citadel and temples

today we had another early start and off to the citadel in which the Nguyen dynasty emporors lived worked and then off to their carious pagoda/mausaleums which are all built with square moats that you also see in Thailand. built into mountains and surrounded by water for good feng shui. Not sure why you need that once you are dead! These are very interesting but you do get templed out after awhile. We also saw how they make straw hats and incense sticks. Believe me- everyone wants to sell you something (and then they will want to charge you excess baggage as well) You feel like you say "hello" and "no thankyou" allllll day. I think I will be hearing it in my sleep for weeks "Hello madam..." "you buy" "Good price for you" "very cheap madam" and then when you say "No thanks" you get the look that says "Stingy b...." or the look that says you just took the crusts out of my child's mouth. Its the only part that we are fed up with. Otherwise we have had a great holiday. Seen lots and experienced many wonderful people and food and sights.

Off to our last stop Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow before we return and back to work work work :(

The DMZ and a trip to Khe Sanh

We are in Hue arrivng a couple of days ago by open bus. This is a great invention in that you can buy tickets to any city in vietnam and just pay for that leg of the trip. Each leg of about 4 hours bus is about $6 and you get to see some wonderful country side. We crossed many names familiar to the war in Vietnam in the late 60s and 70s.

The trip yesterday went throught the Demilitarised Zone between North and South to Vinh Moc Tunnels in which north vietnamese lived (and 17 children were born in the tunnels in family rooms 1 x 2 metres dug out of the side of the hill. These tunnels have not been widened for tourists they are in there original and an amazing testimony to this people's grit and determination to be self-determining. [I actually survived walking 700metres underground through the 3 levels of tunnels. I gained a little downes syndrome man as my torch bearere and Moccy shook my hand on the outside. He must have sensed I was afraid and never left my side (or rear actually!!) ]
The trip through to Khe Sanh made you realise the fultility of so much of the fighting. When will we ever learn. It also confirmed the adage that "history is written by the victors", as the enemy are in their eyes most definitely the USA (no mention of allies!!). We saw the bridges that joined the Ho Chi Minh trail but did not walk on it which was my understanding I was disappointed about that. Sobering long day in all.

Today we are gpoing to do the citadels and temples must go as the bus is coming!1