Currently I am sitting at a resort in Mui Ne Vietnam. Straight ahead of me is a pool surrounded by palm trees, and directly to my right about 20 yards away is the ocean. It is absolutely lovely here, and very un-3rd world country Vietnam. The food is pure, the ice is okay to drink, and all the guests are westerners. I could be any where in the world...but I certainly dont feel like I am in Vietnam. $1,000,000 dong is the equivalent to about $57 USD.
We arrived at Mui Ne yesterday afternoon after a 5-6 hour bus ride from Saigon. We didn't really know where to stay here, so based off a recommendation from our previous accommodation we stopped at this resort. The room they had available for 4 (we met an australian girl traveling by herself so invited her to join along) was a whopping $50. That is a LOT of money for a room here. However, after checking the room out and seeing the resort we decided that each of us only owing $25 for two nights is worth a few days of luxury. So here we are. Yesterday we relaxed by the pool, and went to a nice dinner ($4). Today we are chilling by the ocean in comfy beach beds, and at sunset going to these red and white sand dunes. Speaking of sunsets, because it is winter here, the sun is setting around 6pm. In Australia it was setting at 9:30ish.
Backing up to the tunnels in HCMC. Our tour guide was a VERY passionate man, and I had a difficult time understanding much of what he said, although I did understand the key points. He is a Vietnamese man. However he came to America when he was younger and actually fought in the war as an American soldier. He said his commanding officer was none other than John Kerry. He also said he knew McCain, and a few others whom I cant seem to remember. He also said that the war fucked with him big time. He decided he didn't want to fight against his "own" people (Vietnamese) so he came back to Vietnam. The communist govt here at the time decided he was against them so they imprisoned him for 5 years. In this time his mother died, his brothers and sisters went missing and he wanted to commit suicide. He said he hated everything about the war, and he wants to forget it. I guess that is kind of hard to do if you are working as a tour guide showing how the Viet Cong hid from the americans. The tunnels were pretty amazing. The Viet Cong built three levels. One at 3 meters, 6 meters, and 8-10 meters deep.
The tunnels were pretty amazing. SO tiny, and SO SO SO claustrophobic. We were only allowed in one section that was 140 meters long, but it was 140 meters of sheer horror. Picture a pitch black hole, only big enough to crawl through. You cant see anything an inch in front of you, behind you, or to the side of you. Imagine the awful heat encompassing you feeling your own breathe as you deeply inhale and exhale. SCARY. I don't know how the Viet Cong lived down there. Desperate times call for desperate measures though I suppose.
Time for me to head to my mosquito netted bed. Another day of relaxation awaits me tomorrow.
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