Today was amazing!

I am behind and I owe you a detailed view into our time in Hue and Hoi An. But first I must extoll the virtues of one Douglas Jordan Bell (Vietnamese name Mr. Jordan) and the gloriousness of today.

We came to Saigon after giving up on the rest of Vietnam as being too rainy and discovered it was actually quite nice here. We had done some motorbike sight seeing in Hue and Hoi An (Doug driving, me not shifting my weight around unexpectantly) and I was eager to continue our self-guided tour. The Cu Chi tunnels were about 25 miles outside of Saigon and seemed the ideal day trip.

I shared my thoughts with Doug on our way here. "Are you crazy?" he asked. "Do you have any idea what it's like driving around Saigon?".

But we got here and the glorious weather and seemingly easy route out of the city won him over. He woke up this morning and agreed - the Cu Chi tunnels it was.

We walked outside and down the street and got a motorbike. Driving in Saigon is crazy - no one actually stops and all traffic is predicated on the assumption that you will keep moving in the direction you're going. It requires nerves of steel both on the driver and the riders part. You are not allowed to make any sudden moves or noises, Doug warned me as I boarded the bike.

And we did great. Aside from a brief moment where it appeared Doug may lose a leg, I successfully navigated us out of the city and Doug did an amazing job driving. Despite the fact that all the Vietnamese we talked encouraged us to get a driver instead of doing it ourselves, it was really quite easy to get to the Cu Chi tunnels and the directions were rather well marked.

We got there, bought our tickets, and walked through a tunnel into the visitor area. We were quickly hustled by a tour guide to discover that you get a (if you don't go with a tour group) basically personal tour of the tunnel system. It was us, a Finnish guy, and his driver on our tour group.

The Cu Chi tunnels are absolutly fascinating and a must see if you find yourself in Saigon. They were dug by the Viet Cong starting in 1948 when they were at war with the French and used during the American (know to us as Vietnam) war. The Viet Cong were truley ingenious and it was amazing to see the different kinds of booby traps they set up as well as the intricacies with which they dug their tunnels and set everything up. Being there, seeing what the jungle was like and what the Americans were up against, was very eye opening for both us. I can't even begin to explain it other than you really really have to go there.

After our tour, we boarded to motorbike and headed back home. Doug enjoys the surprise extra excursion and as we got back in the city he gave me a city tour of the Rex hotel and city hall. What luck! A tour guide that spoke fluent English!

Upon arrival at our hotel we were exhausted. It was unbearably hot out and we had spent all day in the heat. We took a moment to recuperate and then headed out for dinner.

And then Doug had the best surprise of all - "What do you think of eating at the swanky looking Italian restaurant across the street?" he innocently asked. Ummmm - a cheese plate and a nice bottle of red wine? When would I say no to that.

Well I won't bore you with the details, but needless to say, the cheese plate and red wine were FABULOUS! It was the perfect end to a fabulous day of motorbiking.