Same, same but different!

As Deb and I part company at the airport I wish inside I could go home to my boy for a little while. It feels sad to lose my friend and the connection to my world back home. I sit in the taxi contemplating my next move.

I've hit the mid way point of my adventure and this has a significant impact on me. The thought of it coming to an end isn't comforting. I decide there and then I'm going to max out the remaining 13 weeks living everyday as if it's my last....taking in every last morsel of the new cities and places I'm about to see.

I arrive back in the craziness that is Ho Chi Minh City and am immediately harassed by hoards of 'Same, same but different' street sellers. Everywhere you go, even eating your lunch they will flaunt their merchandise under your nose not wanting to miss an opportunity. It makes me laugh, none of it's different....it's all the same...If i didn't want a 'HAMMOCK' (wtf) from the first seller, the second two minutes later will approach with as much enthusiasm as the first proudly reinforcing his products superiority!

I do feel incredibly comfortable here however and am looking forward to Vietnamese city life for a week....it's a stark contrast from the sleepy beach and touristy town I've just come from. There's a few trips I've got planned but time constraints (my visa runs out on 5th) mean regrettably I won't manage to fit all I want in. This country is fantastic and offers so much, thirty days simply isn't sufficient - I have to come back!

I return to the 'Saigon Inn' and the lovely family I stayed with before and they welcome me back into the fold.

It wasn't long before the lady host (May) had me laughing again. I arrive for breakfast and am given the 144 combination breakfast choices. I ask for porridge with honey. "No No No I refuse!" she adamantly rants..."Last time I remember you only have porridge or toast and jam....you must pick something else, this is not healthy you must try my cooking!!" It was three weeks ago I last stayed here and this lady remembered! I order scrambled egg, sausage and tomato to keep the peace. A piled high plate of food arrived....my stomach was turning at the sight of it ....I felt physically sick at the volume. It took what felt like an eternity to wade through....but I dare not offend her. The food was delicious but this did make me ill....I didn't feel right all day...I'm here for a while so I'm going to have to sensitively negotiate my way out of this routine!

I then speak to her about paying the bill in advance....this practically blew her mind, I'm clearly a novelty to her (I like to pay in advance to manage the cash I'm carrying and budget) she takes the money and hands a receipt saying ...."keep safe, I may forget you paid (winking)"....."you can then hand me this and say"....."you wish bitch!" I can't contain myself and fall about laughing with her son (TP) ....ahh it's good to be back!!

As night falls my guide arrives for 'The Saigon by Night tour' it's a scarily young  (22) petite girl named 'Ha' and for the next 5 hours I'm going to be riding on the back of her motorbike...through mental Ho Chi Minh ....the city of 7 million motorbikes!!!

She passes my helmet, I jump on, hold on to the back bar and we roar off into the night. We stop at a sky bar for sunset and beer then rip through tiny alley's in the residential districts, areas you wouldn't normally see. poverty is evident with multiple generations of families living in rooms of less than 4m square, I don't sense unhappiness in these people though.

My spirited little night rider 'Ha'

'Ha' is young, feisty, confident and very witty. She knows what she wants from this life and she'll get it. She's off to

Canada to study for six years (she cannot afford to return home during this time). I know she'll achieve her dreams...it's burning inside of her. I felt really proud of her. I didn't flinch once on her bike...an amazing little rider......I still want my own....even more so now!!

Crossing the oncoming traffic which is heading straight for you, honking and ranting....this was slightly scary!

There she is in all her glory ....Ho Chi Minh City!

We stop to cook and eat street food. It was a privilege to be part of the community for a snapshot in time. Its so cheap to eat in the alleys most families eat out with only perhaps one family home cooked meal a week.

Rice paper pizza...much less stodgy and more tasty.

I had a go at making this dish.

Lastly we visit the monument of Thich Quan Duc. He was a monk who burnt himself alive in 1963 in protest to having his religious rights removed by the then south (catholic) Vietnamese leader. This famous image sparked worldwide outrage and intervention. The Vietnamese recognise the significance this humble mans actions had in the war. 

It was really eerie to stand on the spot of such a selfless act. I later watched this story online....I shouldn't have....it was extremely disturbing but moving.

Next day I head off to Cu Chi tunnels. This is the 250km network of underground tunnels formed in enemy territory by the Viet Cong Guerrillas during the war. It's unbelievable what this little army achieved. The network provided access to the south from where the guerrillas emerged under darkness to recruit and persuade agnostic or uncertain southern people to convert. The south was being ruled at the time by a catholic leader....the north primarily Buddhist under the lead of Ho Chi Minh (communist).

This model shows a typical tunnel network including living/functional quarters below ground, with a final link back to the river should they need to evacuate.

Handmade tools from unexploded American bombs and a simple bamboo basket. Incredibly these were the only equipment used for digging tunnels. They worked from either end until they met in the middle. 

                                                                 Digging out the tunnels

I only entered the larger tunnels, I couldn't bear it. The sense of panic was terrifying for me. I cannot imagine living in these conditions.

A concealed entrance. This is where I drew the line....not a kin' chance of getting me down there!

A below ground attack chamber (four sided) ....the Guerrillas fired from the little slithers at approaching enemy.

A typical 'trap door' booby trap. At the bottom are bamboo spikes. These would be concealed with ground cover.

It feels almost to simple, immature even...making me laugh...but they worked! Some were designed to kill, but the majority aimed to wound and slow down the enemy. Knowing Americas policy 'never leave behind a fallen soldier' enabled the Guerrillas to gather their enemy to one single point and ambush them. 

The tunnel network primarily surrounded the US military bases situated in and supporting the south. The tunnels were dug by hand. They formed chambers used for meeting rooms, surgical procedures for soldiers, living quarters and even cooking facilities. They vented cooking smoke through a series of chambers which eventually discharges meters away making its origin undetectable. They even dug a well for fresh water. Entries and exits circa 600 x 400mm wide concealed with foliage and booby trapped. I couldn't go down these sections....it stressed me out just watching!!

I love this story....simple, almost comical but effective tactics to outwit and conquer the biggest military in the world!

What's incredible for me is the women's role in the war...strong, hearty, courageous and in their masses...digging tunnels, creating booby traps, sharpening weapons and 'front line'. I love love love these 'little' but 'enormous ' hearted people. 

These images speak for themselves.

I don't feel i can ever believe anything my country 'spins' me again....I burst with pride for these people and wish we could obtain just a smidgen of its spirit.

Next I head off on a two day trip down to the Mekong Delta. The Mekong is the longest river in the world spanning five countries...China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The Mekong Delta sits in the far south of Vietnam and produces 70% of the export rice supplies of the country as a whole. 

I did another Home Stay. Our group was dropped off on a highway (crazy as usual) and collected by the host who takes us by boat to his home. As we ride the river the basic way of life is evident. Mothers are washing their children, hair and clothes in the chocolate brown river. Hand constructed Wooden Shacks on stilts are homes for many littering the waters edge . Clothes hanging, real fires, basic pots and pans and hand made 'crude' furniture. This is a glimpse of real and untouched Vietnam.

Homes line the river....look closer (to the left) a man taking his morning bath!

My accommodation is a bamboo shack and as I'm shown around memories of the insect war in Thailand come flooding back. As I lock the door to go for dinner I catch something (fairly large) out the corner of my eye disappearing at high level into my unsealed hut .....I take a deep breath, that sinking feeling hits ...ahhh man here we go again!!

Gaping holes at high level offers a 'free for all' for 'all creatures great and small'.

The welfare facilities. When I filled the sink the water was the same brown colour as the river.....clearly it was directly from the river. No shower temperature adjustment just 'river water ON or OFF' and no drainage just straight onto the floor.

Rule No.8 of 'Hungs' homestay just made me chuckle.

A lovely morning sunrise in a tranquil environment...all was forgiven!

After a home cooked meal our group disperse around 9pm, it's just a nice Belgium lady (I'd spent much of the day with) and myself finishing a beer. I don't know where the hell this came from but she blurted "you don't know my story do you?" ....I'm thinking I don't know 'YOU' let alone 'your story'! She then tells me (and i'm thinking...ffs why didn't I just go to bed like everyone else!). She and her husband moved to Thailand last year. After 3 months living there she visited her daughter for ten days in Australia. On her return her husband announced after 37 years of marriage he wanted a divorce and immediately moved in with a 'Thai hooker' (her words). He told her and their daughter "forget me now" and severed all ties. This broken lady's story really hurt, she felt her life was over and no-one would want her now at 56. I still feel sad I couldn't find the words of comfort she desperately needed and couldn't make this better for her. As she sat sobbing I couldn't help but feel annoyed by his actions. I've tried to maintain a pragmatic view on this subject, but this woman's story did get to me, I was given a glimpse through the eyes of the true victim in the 'Thai Bride triangle'. She said her husband was constantly approached when she wasn't around but never thought he would ever do something like this, he just wasn't like that! We share a few more beers, she was clearly drinking to ease the pain (so I felt I had to) and played cards with the locals as a distraction but this woman's story will stay with me, I really felt for her.

Group evening meal. We all had to assist in the kitchen.

4 No. French young doctors (to the back), 2 No. Algerian Guys (these were really nice people) teaching English in Vietnam (right) and 2 No. Belgium ladies (to my left).

Next day after a night of a 'gecko calling'  (not the quietist sound) above my head and no sleep we visit a floating market by boat then head out on bicycles. It was a good trip, nice group and a 'rustic' experience. I felt as though I was seeing Vietnam as it would have been before tourism hit, it was wonderful to see simplistic happiness.

Floating market. Boats filled with fruit and vegetables come to trade. The traders also live on the boats. Its a chaotic scene, raw, competative and a tough life for these people.

Cycling through the Mekong Delta was my favourite part of the trip. The people were friendly acknowledging you as you pass. It was wonderful to catch a glimpse of the unseen, simple and humble lives. 

My final day is spent at the botanical gardens and Zoo, it was strange to see african animals in a city? 

Ive never seen a hippopotamus ....they're absolutely enormous. They had Rhino's too (I didn't get a picture) but was blown away by their size....really quite scary!!

I couldn't believe the striking resemblance of my flower arrangement 'Giraffe' at the Barton Flower Festival...Ha!

I spend my final night watching the sunset on Bui Vien or 'Backpacker Street'...a chaotic street of bars and nightlife. I observe the young girls (just children really) selling their 'massages', the western man 'feeding off' and boosted by the attention the girls bring them, street sellers with children as young as five in tow. The kids are given a little basket of merchandise and sent into pubs selling and pleading. The elderly street seller with a pitiful basket of a few fruit and nuts. Bikes, Pedlars, dogs and people all passing on their way to somewhere. I've spent many happy hours on this street just watching the crazy world go by. Ho Chi Minh actually contradicts everything I thought I was looking for in travel, I still cannot fathom why this place has taken such a strong hold of me, but it has!

Backpacker Street

The 'hammock' seller

The girls selling 'massages', They're so young its hard as a mother to accept these sights.

The mother in red and the little ragged girl in yellow with her basket selling to the gentleman....a sorry sight.

My time has come to an end in Vietnam and I reflect and feel pangs of sadness to be leaving....I've grown attached. I love the people, their simplistic way of life and their kind hearts. I'm sorry to leave the family who have looked after me. As I sit talking to them I ask them to come to visit me in the UK as my guests....May quickly replies "Neh ...you would only feed us porridge!" we fall about laughing once again. I really struggle to say goodbye.

I will speak about this 'off piste' next destination and last minute decision in my next post .....by this evening i'll be in HONG KONG!

See you soon x