Day 3 - Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne, Vietnam

Up bright and early today as had booked a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels which is about an hour and a half north of HCM. 

Checked out of the hotel and had some very annoying news. Apparently lots of the hotels I think I have already paid for turns out I haven't. To the tune of £1,400 in total. Including ones where I have already taken money from the others too which makes this mistake thrice expensive. Very annoying. But oh well - eating is over rated anyway!!

We met our tour guide, an old chap called Sun who was hilarious. If Yiannis was a Vietnamese tour guide he would be this guy. ;-) Apparently we are homeless billionaires as we are staying in a hotel and earn over £30k per year which with Vietnam's ridiculous currency is actually worth 1billion dong. 

Short stop on the way in the customary gift shop which was pretty interesting. It was a handicapped handicraft (no kidding). The makers of Family Guy would have a field day in here. 

Some of the pictures they created out of egg shell were truly amazing. So intricate and detailed. This one below took a year to make (and not because the guy making it was disabled!!) They were all so skilled. 

After we carried on to Cu Chi Tunnels a phenomenal 70km underground tunnel system built during the war by the Saigon -Gia Dinh High Command of the Cu Chi District Party Committee (yes I did lift this from the leaflet). It was a fascinating place. The lengths and effort Cu Chians went to in order to fight of the Americans and maintain control of one of the main routes into Saigon is nothing short of outstanding. 

The tunnel system had hidden entrances everywhere so they could pounce on the enemy (as they constantly called the Amercians).  Here is one of them...

Caroline sexing it up a bit more than I did...

After Sun showed us a series of horrendous and very painful looking traps such as hidden ditches with spikes in the bottom and spikes that hung above the inside of doors which then swung down when opened. 

Next up was a highlight... Firing a round on an AK47. They were so loud and powerful. Felt weird but strangely you get used to it pretty quickly. Great fun. 

Caroline found a new side to herself. 

Nevick aka Rambo. 

After letting our ears recover we head down into the tunnels. Where I must admit (before the others comment) when I first went down I didn't think I could do it. They were tiny, dark and like a maze. After I manned up we head in but didn't stay the full 100metre course opting for an earlier exit. Great but very uncomfortable experience. 

Then it was back to the hotel after some more crazy antics from Sun making us have pictures everywhere and being the strictest tour guide in the world. 

Next stop Mui Ne. Just a 5 hour drive away.