January 6, 2015 – The Cu Chi Tunnels and the Water Puppet Theatre
Deb: This morning we’re off to the Cu Chi Tunnels (pronounced Goo Chie). These deep underground tunnels have several floors, alleys, and branches, forming a spider’s web of more than 250 kilometers. The tunnels were dug with simple tools and bare hands during the French occupation in the 1940s, and further expanded during the Vietnam War in the 1960s to provide refuge and a defensive advantage over the American soldiers. Despite all the bombings in their town, the Cu Chi people could continue their lives beneath the soil, where they slept, ate, planned attacks, healed their sick, and taught their young. Some even wed and gave birth underground, but over 10,000 lost their lives here.
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The spider in his hole. Too small for me to get both shoulders through!
Going down…
Typical tunnel. This is roughly 20′ below ground level.
Coming back up in a different place. Big ladder!
A guy can go a little funny down there.
There was also a shooting range, featuring a selection of American and Russian weapons that were commonly used during the war.
Deb: I had a choice of guns to shoot: AK-47; M16 Carbine; M60; M1 Carbine; or a M1 Garand & Russian SKS. I choose an M16. I never did hit the target but was surprised there was no recoil…I kinda liked that.
Happiness is a warm gun.
We have a few more days in Ho Chi Minh City, so it’s time for a bit of sightseeing and a couple more tour things. Deb was very disappointed that we didn’t get to see the water puppets when we were in Phu Quoc, and it turns out that they must be long-distance swimmers because they are here now! Not only that, but they are within walking distance of our hotel. The bad news: they are All Sold Out. We put our names on a waitlist and hope for the best.
We were staying in District One, which is pretty much where all the Happening Things are. This is a honking big city, and you can drive for miles and miles, and there’s just more miles and miles. The main market is just three or four blocks from our hotel, so we checked it out a couple times, and we mooched around on foot, checking out the McDonald’s (four floors, the third-floor kitchen delivers everything to the main floor via dumbwaiter, GOOD COFFEE.) and the parks and public squares and things. Oh yeah, we went to a five-storey shopping mall that had a theatre, bowling alley, arcade, and food floor all on the top floor. The Hobbit was playing; with popcorn and a drink, it was five bucks. The Hobbit won. Again. You would think with all the effort they put into the Orc Breeding Program, it wouldn’t be too much to ask that they could kill one elf, and at least a dwarf or two. They’re just little fellas. Yawn.
HCMC is just another big city, but they’ve made a real effort to beautify the downtown with enormous LED lighting displays that stretch for miles, and with numerous city parks alongside the main streets where people can come and hang out, do their tai chi, etc. It’s pretty civilized.
There are lots of long, narrow parks like this along the principal thoroughfares.
Not Rush Hour.
Hangin’ out at a typical (on the) sidewalk cafe.
Overhead led lights. They often go for a mile or more.
There were about 50 of these on a median, each with about 10,000 lights.
Better than a backpack!
And then, lo and behold, the day before we were to head for Mui Ne, two tickets to the Water Puppet Theatre showed up!
Deb: Well, this was a treat. It was entertaining even though we were in the nosebleed section. People behind the props, who are also in the water, run the puppets. The puppets are made of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water, and the puppeteers control it from behind a screen. Thus, the puppets appear to be moving over the water. When the rice fields would flood every year, the villagers would entertain each other using this form of puppet play. The photos did not turn out that great because we were so far away.
Dragon boat racing.
There’s a duck-stealing cat in that tree.
The obligatory fire-breathing dragon!
These ones are real. I think…
There were fish, ducks, tigers, dogs, children, and fire-breathing dragons. It was interesting. After the show, we took a long circuitous walk back to the hotel, and we discovered a group of very nice restaurants. We had a splendid meal in a lovely setting. A great ending to our stay. Except for the food poisoning…
Believe it or not, we jaywalked through this. No one bats an eye. Just walk slowly and DON’T STOP.
Remember that rule about not eating in fancy restaurants? Why are these people smiling?
Deb: Our last night here, we went to this fancy restaurant where I got food poisoning. I am not sorry to see Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon in the rear-view mirror. I’m glad we experienced it, but also glad to leave the city. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in, a city is still just a city.