Back From My Sojourn

[nivrip]

Well, I finally got back to Blighty.

But, where have I been?

Here's a picture that gives a clue in the language.

So, where was it?

 

[floppybootstomp]

Vietnam?

 

[Urmas]

 

[nivrip]

Vietnam?

Got it in one.

Strange language. It sounds like Chinese but the written language was imposed on the country when it was under French rule and has stuck ever since. Lots of the vowels have strange little accents over them, and some even have dots under them. These tell you how to pronounce them. Each vowel has five different inflections which give words completely different meanings. For instance, if you get the inflections wrong in a certain way, then trying to say "Hello" comes out as "Give me your shoe"

Wonderful friendly people. All keen to talk to imrove their English. After the pastings they've had from the French and then the US of A it beats me how they can remain friendly with ANYONE from the West. But they just keep smiling.

Also odd is the fact that the communist North fought for years against the capitalist South and when the North finally overran the South, two years after the US left the country, they made the whole of VietNam communist only to gradually turn virtually capitalist in the next ten years. It is still a one party socialist state but the people own their own land now and make money for themselves and not for the state. They have to pay for medical services and do not get a pension from the state.

It's the motor bike capital of the world with 49 million of the things in the country. There seem to be no rules on the road, it's every man, and woman, for themselves. They just go and make a dash for it, pulling out of side roads, cutting across at junctions and roundabouts are a nightmare. About 5% of the traffic is on the wrong side of the road but no-one seems to get uptight - they just accept that that's how it is. Never saw one accident but the guide told us that the death rate on the road is frightening. You often see whole families on one bike, the most we saw was five, Dad, Mum and three kids. They often place the youngest child in front of the driver. I get the feeling that they don't believe in 'Elf and Safety. There are traffic lights in the big cities but they often carry on after the lights turn red and frequently go well before the lights become green. Crossing the road on foot is very difficult.

Loved every minute of it, particularly the food.

 

[muckshifter]

oooh the food


and he had a great time to

 

[Taffycat]

Welcome back Niv, it sounds like you enjoyed a wonderful holiday

 

[Ian]

Welcome back Got any more pics of the place, I love reading these trip threads

5 people on one bike?

 

[nivrip]

A few more pics. These were taken in Saigon.

Uncle Ho. Saw his embalmed body later in Hanoi but no pics allowed.

Saigon Cathedral. Yes there is a significant Christian population in VietNam. Cathedral built by the French.

Tigers. It was Chinese New Year just as we arrived, and do they celebrate. The new year is, of course, the year of the Tiger. Women born in Tiger years are not liked by men - they are deemed, by tradition, to be too aggressive and therefore not good wives. Women in the Far East are expected to be very submissive.

Typical street scene. You see wiring like this everywhere.

 

[Taffycat]

Lovely photos Niv, and very interesting captions too hope there will be more, pleeease?

 

[Abarbarian]

Interesting pics , looks like you had a great time.

 

[Ian]

Great pics! I wonder how on earth they know where all those wires go (last pic)!

Did you go there for a holiday or were you working over there?

 

[nivrip]

Did you go there for a holiday or were you working over there?

Holiday.

From Saigon we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels site, which is a tourist spot now. It is only about 30 miles from Saigon but was one of the nerve centres for the Viet Cong in South VietNam. The tunnels ran for hundreds of miles from North VietNam and some went through Laos and Cambodia. They ran at three levels. First level was about 3 metres down. Below that was another level, about 5 metres down and a further level was 7-10 metres down. The upper tunnels were often blown in by bombing but there was always a way through.

The tunnels zig-zagged both left and right and also up and down. No place for anyone with claustrophobia. There is a 30 metre section on the site for visitors to climb through. It has had to be widened considerably for Westerners who couldn't get through the original tunnels. Going through, it was pitch black.

At various points in the tunnels were kitchens (the smoke from them was vented away through pipes and came out at the surface a long way from the kitchens),dining halls, medical rooms and workshops.

Some of the tunnels had exits inside the U.S. and S. Vietnamese army compounds.

Entering the tunnels.

One of the kitchens.

Conference room within the tunnels.

Coming out of the tunnels.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Interesting pix.

Thanks for sharing

 

[nivrip]

Some more stuff from the Tunnels.

The guide brushes away some leaves and there is a tiny cover in the earth which he removes.

He gets into the opening.

Holding the cover above his head he disappears.

Then there were some of the traps below some fake grass. If you fell into any of these you would be in serious trouble.

War is such an horrendous thing.

 

[nivrip]

Not sure what happened to the first three pics. Here they are.
The guide brushes away some leaves and there is a tiny cover in the earth which he removes.

He gets into the opening.

Holding the cover above his head he disappears.

 

[floppybootstomp]

War is such an horrendous thing.

It sure is, and in the case of Vietnam such an enormouse waste of life, mostly young life, for.... what?

Nothing.

America's paranoia and extension of McCarthyism wasted 1000's of lives.

In my opinion.

As for those three pix missing, they're not on the server, attach them to your last post then link to them in the normal way.

 

[nivrip]

Oriental Food

A few things here that we COULD have eaten. All available in the food markets.

Not sure what these river creatures were.

Some sort of insects. Some were still moving.

Better not to know what this is.

These are moles.

More insect delicacies.


And finally, to wash it all down -

A choice of either snake or scorpion wine. We tried the snake wine and it tasted like whisky.


Bon appertit.