Day Two: Saigon

The Cu Chi Tunnels

by D

The smell of cordite hung heavily in the air as we scrambled through the tunnels. The sharp snaps of the ak47 whip around us, very unlike the booming noise we have come to expect from Hollywood firefights. The tour was dusty and crowded, and most exhibits were blocked by a mass of bodies. The photographs i took did little to highlight the gruesome and awesomeness of the home-made traps, and before long, i put my camera away to better enjoy the experience. i found the best part of the tour was the bus ride there and back. while the air-conditioning was less than wonderful and the road was bumpy, there was a certain charm of going past the "real" vietnam. watching people take their sunday afternoon naps on hammocks tied to raw cinder block houses and seeing them eat at the local equivalent of the cafe, a moveable glass booth and hand-painted signs, on truncated plastic chairs.