Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Back in the USA
Well we made it back to New York. We spent the night last night in Manhattan at Times Square. Going on a tour this morning and then we are getting out of the big city.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Cu Chi Tunnels
We left early this morning for a trip to Cu Chi. Cu Chi is a suburb of Ho Chi Minh City and it is famous for the tunnel network that Viet Cong guerrillas constructed during the Vietnam War. A portion of the tunnels has been restored and turned into a war memorial park by the Vietnamese government.
The park is about a 1.5 hour ride from downtown Ho Chi Minh City. It lies along the main road that runs from HCMC to Pnomh Penh, Cambodia, passing through Tay Ninh province. Once we arrived, we made our way to the tunnel complex with our guide. The tour began with a brief video history of how and why the tunnels were constructed. After the video we were allowed to tour some of the existing network. The boys were very interested in the tunnels and in going down inside them. A young Vietnamese boy showed everyone how the entrance to the tunnels was camouflaged and how the soldiers would disappear down inside them. J.R., James, and Jett went down into the hole as well and pulled the top over themselves.
The area has been replanted with trees within the last 30 years. Once the US realized the significance of the Viet Cong presence in the area, we began to bomb the area regularly. By the early seventies, much of the area was nothing but a desolate moonscape. Many of the bomb craters can still be seen.
The tunnels were so tight. We went through a 15 meter section that had been enlarged for tourists. I was able to fit sideways in the tunnel, but I had the most trouble with my length. We crawled on our hands and knees, except for Jett who could stand with slightly bent knees. There was also a section where visitors could shoot weapons from the war such as the AK-47, M-16, and M-60. At the end of the tour there was a kitchen bunker that was set up. We all sat down and ate Cassava and drank hot tea, the staple diet of the Viet Cong guerrillas. The cassava was given to us with a small dish of ground up peanuts and sugar for dipping. It was pretty good and the boys actually liked it.
After we finished the tour, the rain set in. We rode all the way back to the hotel in the rain and then spent much of the day in the room because of it. Tomorrow will be our last full day and night in Saigon before we return. Since tomorrow is Sunday, we will be returning to church in the morning. I really hate to see this trip wind down, because it has been an awesome experience. There are so many other things that I would like to do and see while we are here, but all good things must come to an end. We had talked about staying longer, but since the car is in New York we are going to come on back. We will probably stay a few days in New York and then slowly make our way back to Georgia. Anyone with any tips for a two night stay in New York, please share. We really would like input on a short list of must see places for the boys.
The park is about a 1.5 hour ride from downtown Ho Chi Minh City. It lies along the main road that runs from HCMC to Pnomh Penh, Cambodia, passing through Tay Ninh province. Once we arrived, we made our way to the tunnel complex with our guide. The tour began with a brief video history of how and why the tunnels were constructed. After the video we were allowed to tour some of the existing network. The boys were very interested in the tunnels and in going down inside them. A young Vietnamese boy showed everyone how the entrance to the tunnels was camouflaged and how the soldiers would disappear down inside them. J.R., James, and Jett went down into the hole as well and pulled the top over themselves.
 |
| James in the Tunnel |
The area has been replanted with trees within the last 30 years. Once the US realized the significance of the Viet Cong presence in the area, we began to bomb the area regularly. By the early seventies, much of the area was nothing but a desolate moonscape. Many of the bomb craters can still be seen.
 |
| Standing in a Crater Left by a B-52 Payload |
 |
| Unexploded Bombs Recovered in the Area |
The tunnels were so tight. We went through a 15 meter section that had been enlarged for tourists. I was able to fit sideways in the tunnel, but I had the most trouble with my length. We crawled on our hands and knees, except for Jett who could stand with slightly bent knees. There was also a section where visitors could shoot weapons from the war such as the AK-47, M-16, and M-60. At the end of the tour there was a kitchen bunker that was set up. We all sat down and ate Cassava and drank hot tea, the staple diet of the Viet Cong guerrillas. The cassava was given to us with a small dish of ground up peanuts and sugar for dipping. It was pretty good and the boys actually liked it.
 |
| Cassava and Dipping Mixture |
 |
| One Monkey in the Jungle |
 |
| Boys With a Tank that was Disabled by a Mine on the Sight |
Friday, June 8, 2012
Friday in Saigon
Today we made several short trips out into the area around our hotel to visit a few landmarks. We began the morning with another trip to the playground. After the boys got through playing, we caught a cab over to the Diamond Plaza. This is a tall building with an upscale shopping center on the bottom five floors. We had to make several trips here in 2007 to meet with our Consulate contact as we were trying to get through the process of bringing Jett home. The US government has office space in several of the higher floors in the building. We ate lunch at Pizza Hut and then headed outside. The building is located across the street from the Saigon Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.
This afternoon we made a trip to the War Remnants Museum. It is a museum of pictures and artifacts from the Vietnam War. The boys had passed by it and wanted to go there because there are all kinds of planes, tanks, and helicopters. We had gone here the last time we came to HCMC and I really didn't have it on my to-do list this time. As one might imagine, it is a rather lopsided depiction of the events of the war. The war is referred to throughout the museum as "The War of American Aggression". Once you overlook that aspect, there are tons of interesting things to see. There is a large section that is devoted to "Agent Orange" contamination and its effects on the Vietnamese people and American soldiers. The effects of the chemical are well documented and thousands of US soldiers are still being diagnosed with illnesses related to the chemical. This section is pretty gruesome and it contains jars with deformed fetuses and all kinds of pictures of deformities that have arisen in the population over the last 35 years. We didn't let the boys see any of those parts. We will save that for a later trip. The boys were fascinated with the mock prison that is on the sight. It depicts the prisons on Con Son Island that the South Vietnamese government used to imprison communist sympathizers. There are some spooky looking models and an actual guillotine used as late as 1960.
We ate supper tonight at a restaurant that is right down the street from our hotel called Barbecue Garden. The tables have a small gas grill in the center of them. Once you order your food, (we had a beef combination plate) they bring it out to you raw. You then grill it in the middle of the table. It was really good and cheap too. I think we might make another trip back before we leave.
Tomorrow morning we are taking a trip out to Cu Chi. This is an area where the Viet Cong had an extensive underground tunnel network from which they staged attacks on the US and ARVN. We will be going to the area where the tunnels were located and touring some of the operation. This is probably the last trip out of the city that we will make and it was the boy's choice of what to do for tomorrow.
 |
| Diamond Plaza |
 |
| HCMC Post Office |
 |
| Post Office Interior |
 |
| Front of Notre Dame |
 |
| Rear of Notre Dame |
This afternoon we made a trip to the War Remnants Museum. It is a museum of pictures and artifacts from the Vietnam War. The boys had passed by it and wanted to go there because there are all kinds of planes, tanks, and helicopters. We had gone here the last time we came to HCMC and I really didn't have it on my to-do list this time. As one might imagine, it is a rather lopsided depiction of the events of the war. The war is referred to throughout the museum as "The War of American Aggression". Once you overlook that aspect, there are tons of interesting things to see. There is a large section that is devoted to "Agent Orange" contamination and its effects on the Vietnamese people and American soldiers. The effects of the chemical are well documented and thousands of US soldiers are still being diagnosed with illnesses related to the chemical. This section is pretty gruesome and it contains jars with deformed fetuses and all kinds of pictures of deformities that have arisen in the population over the last 35 years. We didn't let the boys see any of those parts. We will save that for a later trip. The boys were fascinated with the mock prison that is on the sight. It depicts the prisons on Con Son Island that the South Vietnamese government used to imprison communist sympathizers. There are some spooky looking models and an actual guillotine used as late as 1960.
We ate supper tonight at a restaurant that is right down the street from our hotel called Barbecue Garden. The tables have a small gas grill in the center of them. Once you order your food, (we had a beef combination plate) they bring it out to you raw. You then grill it in the middle of the table. It was really good and cheap too. I think we might make another trip back before we leave.
Tomorrow morning we are taking a trip out to Cu Chi. This is an area where the Viet Cong had an extensive underground tunnel network from which they staged attacks on the US and ARVN. We will be going to the area where the tunnels were located and touring some of the operation. This is probably the last trip out of the city that we will make and it was the boy's choice of what to do for tomorrow.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Trip to the Zoo and the Sky Tower
Today we took a trip to the Saigon Zoo with the boys. My mother went with us. Several people have been concerned about her and the fact that she has not shown up in the blog posts since she fell. She is doing fine, but she definitely hurt something in her knee or leg. She has been staying around the hotel alot to give it a chance to get better. Today she made the trip with us, but she has to move at her own pace which is a little slower and with a limp. I think she's fine, but she probably will need a few weeks to completely recover.
The boys really enjoyed the zoo and there were alot of interesting animals. The zoo is found inside of the Saigon Botanical Gardens and it is really a beautiful area. Once again J.R. and James had to pose for pictures. They are really a big hit, especially with the teenage girls. It is beginning to grate on J.R. a little bit, so I told him today that if he was a little older he would be excited about all that girl attention. He replied that he just wasn't that old yet.
After we left the zoo, my mother went back to the hotel and we went to the Bitexco Financial Tower in downtown Saigon. The tower is the tallest building in Saigon and it has a Skydeck area on the 49th floor for tourists to view the city. The boys really enjoyed the trip and the view was awesome. The building has a very interesting shape and about three quarters of the way up it has a huge circular deck that sticks out from the building. I thought this was the area we were going to look out from, but it is actually a helicopter landing pad. The viewing area is behind glass and there are several pairs of binoculars that are mounted for viewing. It really gives you a good view of the size of the city. It is huge, and it seems to stretch on as far as the eye can see.
We ate supper on the rooftop restaurant at the Rex Hotel. The Rex was famous during the Vietnam War because of the American troops and war correspondents who stayed there. Daily press briefings were given at the hotel by the military. Soldiers and journalists frequented the rooftop area to get away from the uncertainty of the streets of Saigon. Tonight the Fordham's paid a visit, but not to escape the war.
It's hard to believe how much this city has changed in the 35 years since the war has ended. The people's perception of us as a country is very positive. We passed the US Embassy on the way to the zoo today. The entire compound is heavily fortified and Vietnamese soldiers stand guard outside the walls on the sidewalks with AK-47's. Hundreds of Vietnamese people line the streets in this area waiting to get inside to apply for student visa's or travel visa's I guess. I'm not really sure why all of them are there, but the last time we came the area was the same. American citizens can walk right into the place and bypass all the lines simply by showing their passports. Last time we were here we had to go there for some paperwork. The armed soldiers on the outside really set an uneasy tone. I guess it is a constant reminder that no matter how nice and welcoming the people are, this is not America.
After we left the zoo, my mother went back to the hotel and we went to the Bitexco Financial Tower in downtown Saigon. The tower is the tallest building in Saigon and it has a Skydeck area on the 49th floor for tourists to view the city. The boys really enjoyed the trip and the view was awesome. The building has a very interesting shape and about three quarters of the way up it has a huge circular deck that sticks out from the building. I thought this was the area we were going to look out from, but it is actually a helicopter landing pad. The viewing area is behind glass and there are several pairs of binoculars that are mounted for viewing. It really gives you a good view of the size of the city. It is huge, and it seems to stretch on as far as the eye can see.
We ate supper on the rooftop restaurant at the Rex Hotel. The Rex was famous during the Vietnam War because of the American troops and war correspondents who stayed there. Daily press briefings were given at the hotel by the military. Soldiers and journalists frequented the rooftop area to get away from the uncertainty of the streets of Saigon. Tonight the Fordham's paid a visit, but not to escape the war.
It's hard to believe how much this city has changed in the 35 years since the war has ended. The people's perception of us as a country is very positive. We passed the US Embassy on the way to the zoo today. The entire compound is heavily fortified and Vietnamese soldiers stand guard outside the walls on the sidewalks with AK-47's. Hundreds of Vietnamese people line the streets in this area waiting to get inside to apply for student visa's or travel visa's I guess. I'm not really sure why all of them are there, but the last time we came the area was the same. American citizens can walk right into the place and bypass all the lines simply by showing their passports. Last time we were here we had to go there for some paperwork. The armed soldiers on the outside really set an uneasy tone. I guess it is a constant reminder that no matter how nice and welcoming the people are, this is not America.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Day 6 Beach Trip to Vung Tau
I didn't really have anything to post yesterday, because we really didn't do anything. Everyone was worn out from the trip to Tay Ninh, so we just stayed around the hotel and took the boys back to the park again. Thank goodness this time we didn't have quite as much drama as our last trip.
The boys have been dying to go to the beach, so we decided to make the trip today. Ho Chi Minh City is about 50 km from the coast. Since it sits on the Saigon River, the beach can actually be reached by boat. There are several companies that offer hydrofoil service hourly between Ho Chi Minh City and the nearest beach which is in the city of Vung Tau. These hydrofoils are long tube boats with seats inside situated like an airplane. The boats plane off in the water and they can travel very fast. It takes about an hour and a half to reach Vung Tau.
Once we reached the city, we got a taxi to take us to the beach area. I told him that we wanted to go to the beach and that is exactly where he took us. He dropped us off at an area where Vietnamese locals visited instead of the tourist area. I am not opposed to hanging out with the locals, but let's just say that there was quite a language barrier. The beach was super crowded and there were areas of shelter and chairs for rent. We could not communicate with the people well enough to figure out where to go or what to pay, so we just walked out and found ourselves a sandy place to park our things.
We quickly became a sort of tourist attraction. I bet James posed for over a dozen pictures (I told you he is well liked here). Everybody wants to touch him. When we walked to the park yesterday, a young Vietnamese guy came out and started stroking his arms and hair. He just kept touching him and saying "Very good." All I could say was that we think so too. Several groups of young people came by and wanted to just watch the boys and stare at them. It feels strange sometimes, but I know that they are just curious. Blonde hair is somewhat of an oddity here.
Vung Tau is a beautiful area with several small mountains along the coastline. Atop the main mountain in the city area stands a huge statue of Jesus looking out towards the sea with his arms spread wide. There are a lot of ships passing through the area on their way to the port in Saigon. After the boys finished swimming we went inside a bath house in the beach area and paid 10,000 dong (50 cents) each so that the boys could wash off. After everyone got cleaned up we headed back to the dock to catch the hydrofoil back to Saigon. At the dock we ate at a Kentucky Fried Chicken. There are several of them in Ho Chi Minh City, but their menu has a few different items on it. James had a shrimp burger and I had strips with rice (as you might have guessed) and gravy instead of the mashed potatoes we ussually have in the US. We ate and caught the boat back to the city. As soon as we boarded, the bottom fell out. It rained heavily on us most of the way back to Saigon. We finished off the day with supper at an Italian restaurant and everyone came back to the room and crashed. The room is filled with the buzz of "little boy snores" now as I type. I guess they're all just recharging for their next big adventure. I think I'll join them.
 |
| A Junk on the Saigon River |
The boys have been dying to go to the beach, so we decided to make the trip today. Ho Chi Minh City is about 50 km from the coast. Since it sits on the Saigon River, the beach can actually be reached by boat. There are several companies that offer hydrofoil service hourly between Ho Chi Minh City and the nearest beach which is in the city of Vung Tau. These hydrofoils are long tube boats with seats inside situated like an airplane. The boats plane off in the water and they can travel very fast. It takes about an hour and a half to reach Vung Tau.
Once we reached the city, we got a taxi to take us to the beach area. I told him that we wanted to go to the beach and that is exactly where he took us. He dropped us off at an area where Vietnamese locals visited instead of the tourist area. I am not opposed to hanging out with the locals, but let's just say that there was quite a language barrier. The beach was super crowded and there were areas of shelter and chairs for rent. We could not communicate with the people well enough to figure out where to go or what to pay, so we just walked out and found ourselves a sandy place to park our things.
We quickly became a sort of tourist attraction. I bet James posed for over a dozen pictures (I told you he is well liked here). Everybody wants to touch him. When we walked to the park yesterday, a young Vietnamese guy came out and started stroking his arms and hair. He just kept touching him and saying "Very good." All I could say was that we think so too. Several groups of young people came by and wanted to just watch the boys and stare at them. It feels strange sometimes, but I know that they are just curious. Blonde hair is somewhat of an oddity here.
 |
| Statue of Jesus on the Mountain |
 |
| Public Beach Showers |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)