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VIETNAM - 16,000 dong = $1US Feb. 20 & 21, 2008 – Wednesday & Thursday Feb 20th
- Arrive HCMC (Saigon) Vietnam Cost: $32US |
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Sinh Café:
www.sinhcafe.vn.com Restaurant: Quan An Ngon for Vietnamese food To See: The Cu Chi
Tunnels
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*The continuation of the bus/boat tour ended in a small dirty local mini bus on bumpy crowded road with locals squeezing into the bus coming into Saigon. This verified our decision in the future to book through Sinh Cafes ( in Viet Nam) where buses are first class, fast, reliable and cheap with drop off and pick up. Our hotel was only doors away from the Sinh Café and by the amount of ‘traveler’s’ boarding buses we never checked on any ‘local buses’ for the rest of our trip and used the Sinh Café tours, buses (not expensive) and even some hotels which we found clean, convenient and in the best situated areas. We were now in the Sinh Café’s great connection system. The An An has a choice we made from other cruisers who stayed here but found others in the area cheaper and look fine. |
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Typical street scenes around Saigon or Ho Chi Min City. (HCMC) |
| CU CHI TUNNELS | ||
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Feb 21st - in HCMC (Saigon) * The Cu Chi tunnels are fascinating. We had only one day so found them worth the 30km trip out of Saigon. Started in 1948, then with civil unrest in 1966-1975, 200km of tunnels were dug in three layers under a farm area of orchards. During the ‘American War’ 16,000 people lived under ground and by the end only 4,000 survived. You can enter the tunnel system and crawl through and see how they lived. Above ground are exhibits and explanations of the booby traps, many made from left over armament from the enemy, as well as a shooting range where you can shoot an AK47 rifle. ($ extra) |
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Steve proves otherwise |
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The Cu Chi tunnel system where 16,000 people lived during the 'American War' |
An entrance to the tunnels, too small for an American to enter |
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There was an American camp 5km from the tunnels. A propaganda movie shown here tells of how the Americans dropped Agent Orange however none was dropped here due to being so close to the camp. However, there is recognition of a Vietnamese women hero for killing 30 to 40 of the enemy. |
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Much of the armament used was confiscated and made into landmines and other torturous traps and placed all around the field above the tunnels. The Vietnamese people were as cunning and sharp as their traps |
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AK47 |
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It was difficult to tell the N. Vietnamese from the south, hard to know who were the enemy. Many of the north Vietnamese changed into different clothes and walked right into the villages. One way to tell the enemy was by the tan lines on their feet from the sandals they wore made of rubber tires. |
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| Cement buildings in vacated American camp near DaNang | ||
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The people of Vietnam are coming back strong with an 8% increase in their economy as of 2008 |
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DALAT |
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Feb. 22, 2008 – Friday- travel day Bus to Dalat from HCMC (Saigon) Cost: $5 thru Sinh Café 8 hours Hotel: Trung Cang Hotel in Dalat Booked in Saigon thru the Sinh Café Email thungcangd@sinhcafevn.com or info@sinhcafevn.com Cost: $26
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*Our hotel the Trung Cang Hotel had us on the 3rd floor and almost a suite with private bath, three big double beds. We think for less we could have requested a cheaper room and there were many hotels in the area but it was rainy and cold and it was just too nice to give up. After all we are on vacation. |
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Across the street was the fabulous V Café with good food and wonderful atmosphere on a drizzly night. Also next to the internet.
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| Walking down around the corner up over the hill and down some steps we were in the middle of the most awesome market. Buckets of wringing wiggly things were too tempting not to video. All in the fish area but the market was fascinating as were the people. A street market was laid out in the evening selling piles of clothing. | |
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Chicken Feet Yumm! |
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Feb. 23, 2008 – Saturday in Dalat To See: The Sinh Café Landscape Sightseeing Tour (There are six tours to choose from) Cost $13 each includes lunch, guide and entrance fees. |
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| * Dalat is in the cool mountains where the elite would go to escape the heat of Saigon. The Sinh Café is part of the hotel where we booked our tour. It was a packed full day on a nice bus with stops at Prenn Waterfall, a Buddhist meditation monastery and Paradise Lake, a ride on a cable car, visit to a Chicken village a poor Cham minority people with weavings to sell and Boa Dai’s Summer Palace in art deco style. | ||
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Prenn Waterfall |
Paradise Lake |
Cable car across agricultural |
| BUDDHIST MEDITATION MONASTERY | ||
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Outsiders can stay up to 1 month with room and board. They meditate 3 times a day and start at 3 AM Evening meal is only a glass of soy milk |
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CHAM CHICKEN VILLAGE |
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The Cham are the poor minority people who live as farmers in the agricultural valleys and grow eggplant and flowers for a living |
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| The village women also make a living by selling weavings to tourists | ||
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BAO DAI'S SUMMER PALACE |
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| Boa Dai was the13th and last Emperor who abdicated in 1945 to HCMC and established a communist government in Hanoi in defiance of the occupied French colonial authority | ||
| CRAZY HOUSE | ||
| After a free lunch we were off to the Crazy House which is also a hotel although being renovated at this time. Its architecture, by an eccentric female relative of a past president with much cosmetic face surgery, is on the premises and is as bizarre as her work. |
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| EMBROIDERY SHOWROOM | |
| On to the Valley of Love (waste of time) then to a Traditional Embroidery work/show room that is pretty spectacular. Pieces can be bought and are beautifully done some taking months to make. Tour does not include a stop to see the Crazy Monk at the Lam Ty Ni Pagoda but he is not always in. | |
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Amazingly intricate are beautiful pieces of embroidery all hand done with reasonable prices |
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The Embroidery showroom was an
amazing historical trip by depicting Vietnamese life in many of
the pieces. |
| We did see a bear on a truck in a pink tutu riding around advertising something. Dalat is a bit strange but interesting. There is a Dalat wine which is not bad. Lots to see in the vicinity outside of Dalat. | ||
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Bottled cobras and scorpions |
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Feb. 24, 2008 – Sunday- travel day
Cost:
$4US 6-7hrs Cost $30 Restaurant: Café de
Paris – few blocks from hotel on a
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| *The bus ride was interesting coming out of pine forests dropping down 7000 feet past small market communities to the beach on the coast. Stopped at an 800 year old Cham Tower and passed on the Bird’s Nest drink in cooler made with white fungus, sugar and birds nests. Didn’t try the wine with seahorses or roasted sparrows either. | |
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Birds Nest Drink made with white fungus, sugar and birds nests. |
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800 year old Cham Towers |
| NA TRANG |
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We did not book a hotel but had heard the Perfume Grass was nice with wooden walls and Chinese décor so when the bus stopped around the corner from it, we got a room and were not disappointed proving you can find your own hotels and they are always near the Sinh Café stops or offices. Breakfast room, and internet in lobby.
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| Na Trang is a beach resort so only 2 blocks from the beach with beach umbrellas and seafood hawkers. Na Trang comes alive at night. Can hire an ‘Easy Rider’ on his historical motorcycle to get around, they find you. Our purpose to come here was to catch a flight on north to Danang and Hoi An but an overnight train is available following the coast north clear to Hanoi. We heard it was difficult to sleep on the train so took Vietnam Air to have more time in HoiAn. | |
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Na Trang seaside resort town |
Hawker selling lobster on the beach |
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| An 'Easy Rider' will seek you out for a ride on his historical cycles or rent a tricked out scooter | ||
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Black bear in pink TuTu
