Once again it’s been proven that the people I meet on these active adventures are like minded, well-travelled and interesting companions. After being fitted for our bikes on Monday afternoon we enjoyed a lovely group dinner. On our cycling adventure we have a couple of retired litigators from NYC, retired pediatricians from Oregon, a dad and daughter celebrating her college graduation from Toronto and a 67 year old Unitarian from Ohio.
We set out this morning for the Cu Chi Tunnels, west of Saigon. It took almost 2 hours to get out of the city, which is a sprawling metropolis of 21 districts, home to 11 million people. And 5 million motor scooters or motor bikes. (They aren’t Vespas, and there’s a hierarchy to the type of vehicle driven, which, according to our guide, Vu, determines how easy it is to find a girlfriend). It’s mesmerizing to watch how the traffic of motor-whatevers flow alongside cars and buses, like water filling up any empty space. i’m surprised there aren’t more accidents.
We joined the bikes about 20 miles from the Tunnels, which are a tourist attraction in two different areas. We biked along various types of roadways — some gravel, some paved, some narrow one lane paths — with many turns, and in some cases alongside both motorized and other vehicles. It was a challenge to keep one’s eyes on the uneven roads and absorb the sights at the same time. We travelled through small villages, alongside canals, and past stands of rubber trees. About a mile from the entrance to the Tunnels there was a very new compound of temple-looking structures. It is a memorial to the Viet Cong that fought against the South Vietnamese and US in the “American War”. It was empty; the country’s leaders come just once a year for some ceremony — seems like government official’s folly.
What’s left of the Cu Chi Tunnels are really for tourists. It’s the story behind them that is most interesting. Over 120 miles of tunnels were dug and built into living spaces beginning during the French occupation in the 1940’s. They were expanded greatly in the subsequent years, and played a major role in the effort of the Viet Cong and the National Liberation Front in fighting the Americans and the army of the South Vietnamese. There were trap doors throughout the jungle, and tunnels which led to the Saigon riverfront, and they served to frustrate the “enemy” because they were so well hidden. The displays also showed various traps that were used which were very basic, but very effective in hobbling the Americans. We had an opportunity to crawl through several — one was enough for me when I saw the bats hanging literally inches from my head.
So we heard this story told by a guide from South Vietnam, rather dispassionately. I can’t help but think about the American boys who were maimed or killed or forced to crawl through these tiny spaces searching for “the enemy”, but fighting a war we had no business fighting. It was sobering.
Then back to Saigon, and a cooking class for dinner. We made spring rolls with the freshest rice paper I’ve ever had, and then a lovely salad, the base of which was morning glory vines. We used a tool to thread the vine and then push it up into a star-shaped shredder — something I’ve never seen in all my trips to Sur La Table.
It was a long day between the cycling and the bus transports; sleep came easy.
Powerful stuff, beautifully illustrated, Lorrie. It is a real eye opener when we are reminded that the victors write the history…