Day 83: Bangkok

Once we got up, we headed straight for the War museum, knowing that we had little time to cram in all that we wanted to see before our flight left at 8pm. We spent a good amount of time at the War museum, I am very interested to learn more about the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, I was taught what the Board of Education wanted me to learn; while I have been traveling I have learned that many things were left out of my curriculum. Have you ever heard of the My Lai Massacre? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre) Did you know we lost the Vietnam War? I was never told that we lost the war.

We wanted to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, which is about an hour outside Saigon. We decided to make the trip, knowing that it would be the last thing that we could see, despite the negative reviews we had read.

When we finally got there, we were put in a room to listen to this Vietnamese guy speak about the the area of Cu Chi and then watched a video about it. We walked out halfway through. Honestly, I was disgusted with how they spoke about the US in the war. "Washington's Bombs!"

Luckily, we got in a group with other Americans, who looked Asian, so I think our guide cut us some slack. The tunnels were really cool. The first tunnel we came across had not been altered for tourists, so it was incredibly small; I couldn't even fit in the entrance. Then we proceeded to see all the traps that the Vietnamese had set in the jungles. Talk about scary! Your running and all of a sudden you fall into a hole. Sharpened bamboo sticks covered in fecal matter are waiting for you at the bottom of this hole. The fecal matter was used to make sure that your wounds got infected.

We then got to crawl through some of the tunnels. Crawling through these tunnels was a workout in and of itself. As I emerged at the other end, covered in sweat with our guide chuckling, I learned that isn't even the actual size of the old tunnels; they are widened for tourists. The old ones had the Vietnamese soldiers crawling on their chests. Could you imagine being a US soldier with a flashlight and a pistol crawling through those things with no knowledge of what is around the next bend; is it a trap? a snake? soldiers? a dead end? or an empty bunker?

Once we got done with the tunnels, we headed for the firing range with a wide selection of weapons to choose from that were used in the Vietnam War. I chose 10 rounds of a fully auto M60 and let it rip. My reaction, while stereotypically American, "That was f***ing awesome!"

Leaving the Cu Chi Tunnels, I was surprised at how many negative reviews I had read about it; all three of us had a great time. Interesting fact: Cu Chi is the most bombed, defoliated, and shot up area in the history of warfare, according to Lonely Planet.

After touching down in the city where any and all of your needs can be fulfilled, Bangkok, we set off for our Hostel; a surprisingly nice place that is outside of all the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Getting in late, we called it a night.