Singapore

Today was the end of a segment, which means disembarkation day. Many friends were leaving here including Fred and Jan, and Mitch and Shelly. The turnover is about half of the ship's entire passenger complement, about 250. Some people can't wait to get off the ship, while others go begrudgingly.  Our bridge family is getting smaller, and this makes me sad.  We have met so many wonderful people and have made some good friends.  You guys know who you are, so you better keep in touch!!!

    I really don't want to leave. 

Singapore is a sovereign city-State and Island country in southeast Asia.  It lies off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and is only 85 miles north of the equator.  The country's territory consists of the main island, commonly referred to as Singapore Island, and more than 60 smaller eyelets.  It is connected to the mainland of Malaysia by a bridge.  It has a population of over 5 million people, 75% which are Chinese.

Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the East India Company (the famous Singapore Sling was invented at the iconic Raffles Hotel that is named in honor of Sir Raffles).  The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824, and Singapore became one of the British settlements in 1826. It was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. Singapore declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1963.

Singapore is one of the world's major commercial hubs with the fourth biggest financial center and one of the five busiest ports.  Singapore has the third highest per capita income in the world.  This is one of the cleanest cities in the world, and you will not find any litter or trash anywhere around.  There are four official languages, which include English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil.  This is a country with strict laws, and even stricter enforcement. There is very little crime here. If you are caught with drugs you might as well just say a prayer as they lead you to the gallows.

Today marks our third visit to Singapore, and while there is a lot to see here, the weather makes outdoor activities very difficult.  There is a tremendous amount of high-end shopping here, but there are no real bargains anymore.  So what does one do when the weather sucks, but you want to see the sites?  You suck it up and carry a lot of water.  It only takes about 10 minutes before you start to sweat so much that your clothes become wet. 

Singapore has very strict immigration policies.  We had to show our passport to leave the terminal (with another half-mile walk), and then had to get an arrival card and our passport stamped about 15 times. I felt sorry for the poor immigration people going wack wack wack on all that paperwork.  Then we had to go through customs, and since we had nothing to declare, we were able to walk through and out into the mall.  Yes, it was another mall.  The first thing we did was exchange US money for Singapore dollars.

One of the things that were never got to do here is to take the cable car over to Sentosa Island.  The cable car goes right over the ship. Along with Adrian and Lillian, we left the mall and walked to a nearby office building where the entrance to the cable car was located.  We paid the princely sum of $52 for two for a round-trip ride.  We took an elevator up to the 15th floor of the office building; this was the cable car station.  We rode out over the ship and snapped a few pictures looking down into the ship's smoke stacks.  That was a really cool vantage point to view the ship. 

    Cable ride goes right over the ship

    The pool deck of the Sojourn as seen from the cable car

    Michael and Lillian on the cable car

Sentosa Island has an amusement park on it, and so we rode over the attractions.  We did not get off at the cable stop because it was too hot to go wandering around at the amusement park that we had no intention of going to.  Michael became Mr. Grumpy because he wanted to wander around. One does not wander around in the sun and the heat when one has a rational mind. I think he must have had heatstroke to even suggest doing such a thing.

    The wave pool with beach

So we stayed on the cable car and continued to Mount Fabor to view the city from the highest point on the island.  There was nothing much to do here except eat and buy souvenirs, so we continued on our journey.  We walked back to the mall to pick up the MRT, the subway system, to go to Chinatown.  As I have mentioned before, the subway system in Singapore is fabulous.  It is easy to navigate, it is super clean, the trains come very frequently, and it is air-conditioned.  We took the purple line and had to go two stops to exit at Chinatown.  As we walked out of the subway, we were smack dab in the middle of souvenir heaven. Cheap cheap cheap prices!  The fan I bought at Stanley market in Hong Kong broke, so I needed to buy a new fan. That was the first thing I did; I bought a fan for one dollar and it works beautifully.

    Exiting the subway in the heart of Chinatown 

Lillian and I had to restrain ourselves from shopping at this point because we were on our way to the Chinese Heritage Museum for a little culture and history.  This was recommended by all the travel sites as one of the best things to do when in Singapore.  It was in a very old building and had some air-conditioning.  The Chinese immigrants of 100 years ago had a miserable life, with starvation and/or opium addiction.  Many would never see their home or relatives again.

After visiting this interesting museum, we headed over to Yum Cha for dim sum.  And surprise surprise, guess who was there to meet us?  Fred and Jan Groth, who disembarked today!  One last chance to visit before they go home to Colorado. It was refreshingly cool in the restaurant and we all ordered nice cold drinks to cool us off.  Like last year, we were the only Caucasians in this restaurant. If the Chinese are eating there, then you know it has to be good. We enjoyed our meal and then said goodbye to Fred and Jan.

    Fred, Jan, Michael, Lillian, Adrian, Beverly 

    Serving dim sum

Chinatown is a very pretty place here in Singapore. It is quite crowded with many vendors selling a lot of the same junk, but the junk we love. How can anyone resist three for $10?  In fact, that was the name of one of the stores we shopped in.  Some of the stores had fans and a few had air conditioning even though there were no doors to keep the cold air in. I wonder what their electric bills are like.  I tended to shop in these stores because it was so uncomfortable otherwise (See, I am not whining or complaining).  After picking up a few presents, Michael bought all of us ice cream bars; except these did not taste like anything we know. The frozen confection didn't stay frozen very long in the heat and before I knew it, I was wearing it. It had chunks of mango in it and the texture was a bit strange.

By this time we had run out of steam and water, and decided to call it a day. We took the subway back to the Harborside Mall.  With about $13 Singapore dollars in my pocket, we tried to spend it in the mall. We were souvenired out and couldn't find anything else to buy. We will save it for next time. I found free Wi-Fi in the terminal waiting area and was able to backup my iPhone to the cloud, which is next to impossible to do on the ship's Wi-Fi. 

We changed into bathing suits in order to jump in the pool to cool off. Didn't work. The pool water was warmer than a bath. It was so warm, it could have been mistaken for the hot tub.  And it was too hot and humid to lay out. So it was shower time, where I was able to finally cool off. 

We had hosting duty in the dining room with some of the new passengers.  This was one night when room service would have been the perfect end to a most tiring but enjoyable day. 

Bangkok

DAY 1

Visiting the palaces of the kings, one can see Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr dancing and twirling in elaborate costumes in the King and I.  Since 1939, Siam is now called Thailand, signifying “Land of Free Men.”  Siam sounds so mysterious and foreign, but Thailand is anything but. 

Thailand has a robust economy and a highly developed freeway system plus road construction everywhere.  Making car parts and assembling cars is a big part of the economy.  They also have an electronics industry, and 49% of the Thai population works in the agricultural industry (rice, rubber, tapioca, sugar, and fruit).  They even have their version of strip malls and the largest billboards I have ever seen along the highways.  Bangkok is a modern city and is called the Venice of the East for the many canals and rivers that run through it.  Since Bangkok is one of the world’s least walkable cities due to distances and heat, they have a new air-conditioned overhead Skytrain which makes it easy to get around the city. 

There are three seasons here:  November thru February is winter and is the high season.  March thru October is the rainy season and April is the most hot and humid month.  I am sooo glad we are not here in April since it is so hot and humid.  We are here in March so I am saved from it being so hot and humid (see the eye roll) – it is frigging hot and humid!

There are 65 million people in Thailand and 10 million of those live in Bangkok.  Ninety percent of the population is Buddhist, and they are very observant; there are over 40,000 temples in this country, and 450 temples in Bangkok.  This is a democratic country and is headed by a King (like England).  The current political situation is shakey as the people do not like their president and there have been bloody riots in the city resulting in at least 22 deaths. We did not see any protests or rioting today. 

The country is 700 years old. The people eat rice three times a day and they love spicy food.  They use lemon grass, garlic, curry and coconut milk in their cooking.  Bangkok has some of the worst traffic you can get stuck in as the infrastructure is no match for the amount of cars and people.  There was no horn honking like in Vietnam and the drivers were pretty courteous.  There were relatively few motorbikes in or near the city, but we did see more of them out in the country and village areas.  They were not kamikaze drivers like in Vietnam.  Tuk tuks are a common mode of public transportation.

Our guides are obsessed with the physical traits of the Thai people. Apparently there is a pecking order of status, not unlike the caste system in India.  True Thai people are easily distinguished from those of Chinese heritage by skin color (dark), size of eyes (large) and height of the cheek bones (high). Thai people are friendly and like to smile. They cover most of their body for sun protection -- the lighter your skin, the more status you have. They admire the larger Western nose and plastic surgery has been on the increase here to give a more Western look. Nobody is ever satisfied with what they have.  

There are incredible beaches in Thailand, all with wall-to-wall blue umbrellas on the sand. The Thai people do not sunbathe (see paragraph above) and do not wear swim suits. They wear short pants and t-shirts for swimming. 

Children start school at the age of 6 and parents have to pay for books. If there is no money for school, the child can quit school at age 12. If they want to continue their education and have the money, children from the nearby villages must go to Bangkok for school. 

So the greater Bangkok area is modern yet backward. There are KFC and McDonalds restaurants everywhere we went, but villagers do not have the disposable income to make these a regular part of their diet. 

So now you know all about the Thai people. We were here last year and saw the summer palace, but never saw the city. The city of Bangkok is was fascinating.  Narrow streets from a bygone era were crowded with vehicles ranging from bicycles to big tour buses. The Chinatown section was an area that deserved exploration on foot. 

Michael was the escort and I was a paying passenger on a 10-1/2 hour excursion into the city. Unfortunately, the harbor where the ship docked (Laem Chabang) is two hours away from central Bangkok, making for a long drive.  Our first stop was to the Grand Palace.  On the way, anyone whose knees were not covered had to "rent" pants or a sarong. Doesn't Michael look cute?  

It was crowded, hot and humid. This is the former residence of the Kings of Thailand, and is now reserved for royal ceremonies and state occasions. The most sacred Emerald Buddha is here; to see it, you must remove you shoes. Well, I didn't remove the shoes and I didn't see it. I was too damn hot and exhausted from wandering around this huge place. It is quite incredible and I will let the pictures do the talking.

After visiting the palace, we had a buffet lunch at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.  The air conditioning was really nice to have, and the food looked wonderful but I wasn't sure what some of it was.  Knowing how they prepare raw food, it gave me pause when selecting something to eat.  I did not want to get what Michael had the previous week.

From the hotel, we picked up a boat for a trip along the Chao Phrya River and canals to enjoyed picturesque scenes of typical Thai canal life.  We were very fortunate in that there was a breeze blowing and a top over us giving us some shade. Again, I will let the pictures do the talking.  

It was a very long and busy day of sightseeing, and we had a two hour ride back to the ship. We arrived back at the ship around 7:30 PM, went to the room, showered and ordered room service.  We then collapsed in bed. 

DAY 2

Well lucky me, I had another excursion to escort today.  We drove to a seaside fishing village, which looked more like a city, known for its granite products. We were supposed to see a demonstration of how they make them, but what we got was a tour of a roadside market. Our guide showed us some famous delicacies such as sweet sticky rice in bamboo and sweet coconut wrapped in palm leaves. There were huge plastic bags filled with dried fish pieces, and they stunk to high heaven, especially in the heat with no refrigeration.  Fish not sold that day gets dried.  Nothing goes to waste. They take a basket filled with salt, add the fish, and let it sit in the sun for two days. Voila, dried fish -- THAT STINKS!  Raw oysters sat in water and one wonders how long they sat there in the heat without refrigeration, and what kind of cooties they might harbor.  This was probably the most interesting part of the tour today.

    Sticky rice in bamboo

    Raw oysters

    Bags of dried fish

We then went to a golf resort for a refreshment stop. I have no idea why anybody would put this on a tour. Boring!  We then drove to Khao Khiew Open Zoo, a drive through animal park.  We left the bus and got on a tram that drove us through the park to look at various animals.  The temperature was about 20° cooler than yesterday and there was a nice breeze blowing so it was quite pleasant riding around in the opening tram.  The highlight was seeing the white tigers.  This was a very picturesque site, and I have to say this is probably the most relaxing excursion I have ever been on.

MICHAEL

Well, while Beverly was off on her countryside excursion, I took myself on the ship shuttle bus to Pattaya.  It took one hour and 15 minutes to get there, as the traffic this morning was terrible. Pronounced pata-ya, this was a sleepy little seaside village until the time of the Vietnam war.  As it became a favored destination for US servicemen on R&R, it began to grow.  Following the war, and the end of R&R, the "town fathers" turned Pattaya into an extremely disreputable place.  It became a mecca for drugs and prostitution, of the very, very worst kind.  Fortunately, the Thai authorities working with their American counterparts have pretty much put an end to this.

About 20 years ago, Pattaya again began to grow rapidly, but this time much more benignly.  Now that everyone in Thailand has a car, and being only 100 miles from Bangkok, Pattaya has become an extremely popular, and overcrowded seaside destination.  It's basically Australia's Gold Coast, or Florida's South Beach, done Thai style.  Many dozens of high-rise condominiums now define the skyline in between the countless restaurants, bars and massage parlors.  As you probably know, massages are an industry in Thailand,  and here in Pattaya, they can be had for as little as $10 for 30 minutes.

Massage not being my thing, I went shopping.  The shuttle bus dropped us off at the aptly named Mike's Mall, which is a modern, five story shopping mall containing mostly clothing.  Any brand-name you ever heard of is here and most of it seemed to be real, unlike the knockoffs available from the typical Thai market.  I bought a few, really nice Polo shirts for myself, and a cute little outfit for Isabelle.  Because of the traffic, the return bus was 45 minutes late arriving at Mike's Mall, but it eventually got us back to the ship in time for lunch.

Ko Kood, Thailand

Rain rain go away, the Sojourn passengers want to play.  Last year we stopped here and it rained and rained and finally the stop was called due to the rain; which meant we had to run a bridge game.  We did not want a repeat of last year because this was one stop we really wanted. And what is so special about Ko Kood?  This....

A BEACH DAY ON A BEAUTIFUL TROPICAL ISLAND!!!  Woo hoo!

The captain came on the PA system early in the morning and announced he thought the rain would stop around 10:30AM.  I like Capt. Decker because he was so on the mark this morning.  At 10:30 AM, the announcement was made that our beach day was a go. You could hear the the shouts of joy as everyone was all prepared to go.  Never mind that it was still a bit on the cloudy side and the sun had yet to make an appearance.  

The crew had started moving all of the accoutrements over to the island in preparation for the barbecue, and caviar and champagne in the surf. The water toys from the ship's marina were also moved over to the beach.  Chairs were set up under umbrellas and palm trees.  

After a short tender ride to a very long pier, we headed to the beach and selected two chairs that we never even sat on. We plunked all our junk down and immediately headed towards the water.  In route, I got sidetracked when I saw all the massage tables set up right on the beach. These are things that one dreams about.  Michael headed into the water, and I went right to the massage tables.  

For a whopping $30 for one hour, I got one hell of a massage.  Using elbows and knees and very strong fingers, I was pounded, pummeled, and poked. I had her work extensively on my legs and she really loosened up the muscles that caused so much tightness in my knees.  After enduring some excruciating pain loosening up some very stiff muscles, she then moved on to my arms and then to my head and neck.  She finished off with a wonderful head, face and scalp massage that totally relaxed me and made all that pain worthwhile. I believe my massage was actually longer than an hour and it was so devine to have had such a wonderful experience on the beach.

Michael came looking for me and found me dreamly moving about toward the water, feeling so relaxed.  The tide was out and the beach was very shallow so it took us quite a ways to walk out to water deep enough to dunk ourselves. The bottom was completely sandy with no obstacles or rocks, and the water was clear and such a perfect temperature that to immerse oneself without a shock to the system was heavenly. I could've stayed here in this condition for the rest of the day. I was happy.  I don't know when I turned into a such a beach bum. 

Since no one had eaten in about two hours, it was time to eat again. Of course, a Seabourn barbecue is not just hamburgers and hot dogs. They were barbecued ribs, chicken, and lobster tails plus salads and desserts of all kinds.  After lunch the sun came out and it was time to go back in the water.  Never mind what mom told you about going in the water after eating. The gentle wave action was so relaxing that it was an easy way to digest your food.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and it was time to return to the ship and reality. 

Saigon -- Day 2

Finally! I get to go shopping. We took the shuttle into the city and got dropped off in front of the government department store.  Last year, this building was full of independent vendors selling clothing. I had planned on getting some gifts here, but since the change, I decided to get my shopping done at the Ben Thanh market, the largest market in the city.

We walked along the cobbled streets, carefully picking our way through and among the various vendors on the sidewalk.  At one point the sidewalk had been torn up and we had a tiny path to make our way across the rubble.  I was carrying an umbrella for shade protection from the hot sun, but it did not help with the heat.  The market is a huge building with many external doors which are numbered;  we entered door number five.  This market is in a large building and various vendors are organized by type of item that they sell.  The outer ring around the whole building is mostly clothing items and watch stores.  Both of us were on a mission to obtain the desired objects for gifts as well as a few goodies for ourselves.

I found the items I was shopping for right away, but Michael headed over to door one where his favorite watch dealer was located.  He had orders from people who wanted authentic replica watches at ridiculously wonderful prices. While he was watch shopping, I found some beautiful Asian style silk pajamas for Isabelle in a bright red with gold trim.  I bought her a pair last year and she likes wearing them.  I wandered into the interior of the market and I found the hair doodad section.  OMG, now that I have long hair and generally wear it up or twisted, there was no end to the beautiful barrettes and combs and rubber bands and headbands -- all with sparkling jewels.  I now have a bag full of these items and I exercised remarkable restraint and passed them up. I was on the hunt for a new iPad case as mine has become worn out and torn.  I finally found one but it was unfortunately pink instead of red.  Oh well.  My shopping was done.  I ran into several people I knew and everyone was looking and shopping for watches. I finally found Michael and he was grinning from ear to ear with the purchases he made.  He turned out to be a really tough negotiator, getting the price he wanted for the watches he bought.  I am the lucky recipient of a gold diamond encrusted Rolex watch, a very good-looking authentic replica.

We finished our shopping earlier than anticipated and headed back toward the main street near where the shuttle dropped us off.  Our plan was to go to Lemon Grass, a restaurant that we ate at last year and had a fabulous meal.  By the time we reached the shuttle area, it was way too early for lunch and both of us were very hot.  We decided to go back to the ship.

This has to be one of the most boring entries I have ever done. We returned to the ship, had lunch, went in the pool but the water was way too hot to stay in it, took showers, and then played bridge for the afternoon.  And that my friends, was our second day in Saigon.

Saigon, Vietnam

We arrived in Saigon at 10 AM to cloudy skies, warm temperatures and thankfully not too much humidity.  It was a 50 mile journey up the Mekong River to Saigon from the South China Sea.  This is the largest city in Vietnam, and capitalism done communism style is evident here.  On both sides of the river we saw new high rise apartment buildings or construction cranes.  Slums on the river have been torn down and the residents moved to government housing.  Saigon is a harmonious combination of the old and new.  We were here last year and the amount of building has substantially increased. 

Officially the city is called Ho Chi Minh City, but most people still call it Saigon.  It is a vibrant city full of coffee houses, night life and shopping.  The French occupied Vietnam for over 100 years, leaving a legacy of many outstanding colonial buildings.  The entire population of Vietnam is 90 million, making it one of the most populated countries in the world.  Saigon is a city of nine million people with six million motorbikes.  Cars are still rare as the tax rate is 250%.  If a young man wants to get a girlfriend, he better have a nice Japanese or Harley motorbike, not an inexpensive $250 Chinese brand.  Two adults (wearing helmets) can legally ride on one bike, but they can also carry up to three children (no helmets) and as much stuff as one can fit on it. 

The traffic here is thick with motorbikes, all weaving in and out with no regard for lanes.  They fear no one or nothing. A bus or truck is often surrounded by bikes dodging and changing lanes, or darting in front.  Crossing a street is often a game of chicken.  Once a pedestrian commits to crossing a street, you put your head down and go – do not hesitate or else you might get hit.  The bikes will go around you as they can anticipate which way to move as long as you are moving.  We crossed the main street several times in the past two days and after the first time you will become proficient – or you will be maimed or dead. 

It was a busy two days for us, and the best part of touring this city is coming back to the Sojourn with its air-conditioning and nice shower.  I have to say the buses were comfortable so that was nice.

DAY 1

I had escort duty for the Soul of Saigon excursion.  It was a 4.5 hour tour, with many stops.  Up and down those bus stairs, in and out of the air-conditioned bus into the heat and humidity.  In this part of the world, I have to get used to being sweaty most of the day.  I do not perspire, I sweat.  I HATE IT!  I look like a drowned rat because even my hair gets wet.  This is the last I will talk about it (uh, until next time I’m sure).  I have said this before – being a tourist is hard work, and exhausting.

We stopped at the history museum, my favorite (eyes roiling in back of my head), but what made this different and unique was a water puppet show that was originally staged for the royal family, but today we were treated to this wet performance.  Sitting in uncomfortable straight back bamboo chairs and no air conditioning, the puppets, which looked like mylar balloons, thrashed each other.  Unfortunately, we had no clue what the story was about.  Then came some dancing dolls.  One could see the poles that were attached to the puppets but could not see the handlers that were behind a screen that looked like Astroturf. 

My favorite part of the day was the pedicab, a one person vehicle that is part cart, part bicycle.  The driver pulled the curved part down so when you get in it doesn't fall backwards. Then they mount the bicycle part in back and manually pedal taking you wherever you are going.  Riding on the street with all the crazy buses and motorbikes was quite an experience I will never forget as we weaved and dodged our way through the traffic.

The pedicabs left us off at a lacquer factory, and we saw how the product was made. It is a very labor intensive process and it uses some very unusual ingredients such as crushed egg shells.  The work and artistry was phenomenal. There was a huge showroom filled with coasters, plates, and boxes all the way up to furniture. It was so tempting to buy several pieces, but I am on a no souvenir diet.  

The rest of our stops were not very memorable, at least to me. Another temple with a heavy cloud of incense that gave me a headache, and the former Presidential Palace that is now known as Reunification Hall. We heard the requisite biased presentation of the Vietnam War, and I really had no interest listening to their version of history when several of my classmates never returned home from this place.  They want tourists to come and spend money here and give the economy a shot in the arm, but they would be advised to ratchet down the anti-American stuff. 

    Presidential Palace during war, now Reunification Hall

    These were the gates that the North Vietnamese crashed down to end the war

We returned to the ship, and barely had time to get ready for the evenings entertainment. I gave myself a shot of Fabreeze and some perfume, hoping to mask my sweaty body and clothes as there was no time to shower before it was time to board a bus to go to the opera house.  Many other people were in the same situation, so it wasn't too bad (I hope). 

Opera -- my reaction to the word conjures up the sensation of sucking on a real sour lemon. Yuk!  This was a ship-wide event and no one really knew what we were going to see. Buses dropped us off in front of the opera house and we were greeted with a banner, music, a dancing dragon and pretty girls. Hors d'oveurs and drinks were served in the unair-conditioned lobby, making me glad I hadn't showered and put on clean clothes.  It was tight quarters so we went outside on the balcony trying to catch a breeze. 

    Saigon Opera House

I was hoping that the theater would be air-conditioned; and when the doors were opened, a blast of cold air came out.  Ah, that felt so good. Taking our seats, it wasn't long before we felt cool.  And a little while later, the breeze from the air-conditioning caused us to feel cold.  We all settled in and waited for the performance of "My Village" to start.  This show was created to depict various aspects of traditional life in the country of northern Vietnam.  What we saw was quite unexpected.  There was singing, juggling, acrobatics and dancing all with assorted length bamboo poles. 

    Scene from the show

When the performance was over, the crowd spilled out onto the steps expecting to see buses waiting for us for the return trip to the ship. They showed up festooned with multiple color lights in the interior, something I've never seen before.   

When we returned to the ship, the Seabourn welcoming committee was out in full force singing and handing out drinks and cool towels.  It was a long day and tiring day, but a good day.  A nice long shower and room service was what the doctor ordered.

MICHAEL

At the last minute I was asked to escort an excursion to the Cu Chi tunnels.  I would not have selected this tour on my own, but I was certainly intrigued.  Little did I know!

We began with a scenic tour of Saigon (officially this is Ho Chi Minh City, but virtually everyone calls it Saigon).  We drove past the former location of the US embassy, the Rex Hotel, General Westmoreland's office and residence, and the Tan Son Nhat Airbase, which came under a three-day siege during the 1968 Tet Offensive.  This was the good part of the tour.

We finally arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels, and here is where the tour went south for me.  The tunnels were built by the Viet Cong.  Work began in 1948 during the war against the French, and expanded during the 1960's during (what they refer to as) The American War.  Averaging 31" wide and five feet tall, this maze of tunnels covered over 120 miles.  At one time, over 16,000 people lived in them.

The problem with this tour is that it is intensely anti-American.  It began with an anti-American video and went down hill from there.  Essentially, the tour of the tunnels emphasized the ingenious ways in which the glorious Viet Cong brutally tortured and gruesomely murdered scores of Americans.  Enough said; end of description.

On the return trip to Saigon, we stopped at a lovely country house for lunch.  Sitting in a little covered patio over a stream, we were served a scrumptious seven course meal.  As we watched millions of hyacinth plants floating down the river, I was again struck by the beauty of this country.