Vietnam: Cu Chi Tunnels

We toured the Cu Chi tunnels outside of Ho Chi Minh, where the Viet Cong used 250-km of tunnels to fight the Southern Vietnamese army and the Americans.  We had a chance to crawl through them (claustrophobia anyone?), see the disturbing traps set up by the Viet Cong and eat a meal similar to what they ate at the time.  It was very interesting how small the tunnels where and the intricacy of them.

We had a chance to shoot military guns at $1 a bullet.  Like Chris Rock said (in Erik's words, 'a bullet should cost $1,000 a piece, then people would think twice about using guns'

Jack Fruit the size of your head everywhere here.  We, Shelley especially, loves fruit!

A roof covering an old working/meeting area of the Viet Cong

Shelley didn't want to go in, Erik doesn't fit in...take a picture of another tourist entering the tunnels

A booby trap, one of many used by the Viet Cong to trap/kill Americans looking for the tunnels

An old US tank, left behind in the jungle.

Shelley exiting the tunnels...she barely fit through some of the spaces, try to imagine how I felt

A small entrance...not even Shelley could get into this one

One of the thousands of craters caused by the B-52 bombers on their bombing runs

A local villager letting rice paper dry with flys and all.  A fresh spring roll anyone??

On our way back we stopped at the Women’s Museum of Southern Vietnam.  I think we were the only visitors to the museum in a while—they had to turn the lights on for us.  It was interesting to see how they portrayed any woman who helped defeat the imperialists (yes that would be us Americans) and the standard Communist propaganda that we have seen at every museum throughout Vietnam.

Shelley standing proud with the proud statue outside the Women's Museum

Don't mess with the facts Punk!!  Know your facts/history before you come here says Erik!

Or I'll mess you up says Shelley!