Saigon, Vietnam

3/29/11 went to cu chi tunnels tour today. We had to write our name and nationality but i was scared to put american so i wrote australian. The guide guessed that i was too. When he started talking i noticed his australian accent. Uh oh. We went to a handicap handicraft center which i wasn't aware of the handicapped part before i entered but they were lined up in a small factory crunching egg shells and making beautiful pictures from them. I had to buy one then my german friend said they were all handicapped. All the better. When we got to the tunnels the first thing we did is see a foxhole and eveyone climbed in to take a picture for facebook as the guide said. Everyone though it was great fun but i was already feeling weird even though i wAs only an australian. Next we saw pungy sticks. Small square traps with bamboo spikes placed precariously to injure the american troops. At this point the mood of the group was excited and i was sullen. We watched a 1967 vietnam documentary about the evil devil americans killed vietnamese innocent women and kids. I was also hungry because of not eating all day and the heat and sickness in my stomach from feeling bad for what americans did to the country. Guide said this town lived under the ground for 20 years and had 250km of under ground tunnels. Then we had the chance to crawl through a tunnel 100 km long. Most people didnt make it past 10km i was in the front of a pitch black tunnel scared of spiders and bats but then i remembered i brought my head lamp for just this reason. I cheated and saw where i was going and escaped after a hot 10 minute crawl crouch through a skinny hot tunnel that the vietnamese used years ago to hide from and trick the enemy evil americans. I wanted to go to the war remnants museum but was exhausted after the half day trip and very hungry. My german friend and i raced off the bus and scarfed some pad thai then took a nap. I was bummed to leave the next day on my way to cambodia without seeing my friends sean and juliet whom i taught with in korea. When i talked to wil he told me they messaged and had their number. It was7pm but i called and they were 10 min away! They came up on their swift motorbike weaving through the ocean of traffic. We went out to a swanky loft bar and talked out our past and future with plans to meet up soon in thailand which means that i HAVE TO stay for a few weeks longer. Ive already spent $1300 in 3 weeks.