Friday 17th November 2006 - Saigon

Following our breakfast of airy bread we went on our second day trip from Saigon. We could have had another hour in bed if it wasn't for the three inept Australians who missed the bus. Two shall remain nameless, the other we will call Colleen Smart to protect her identity! Home and Away eat your heart out.

We were introduced to our tour guide Slim Jim - Eats like a sparrow, Drinks like a fish and Smokes like a chimney. What a dude. Hard to believe he used to be an English teacher in the Mekong Delta.

Our first stop was the Cao Dai Temple which is based on the religion of Cau Dai that was only created in the 1920's and covers your back whatever you do in life as it encompasses Christianity, Buddhism and Taoism. We watched the service take place from the balconies of the temple and we were ushered back and forth by the women of the temple who were forever telling us what to take photos of. But we usually didn't know what they meant as they didn't speak English. We later found out that Kwong managed to bump into and knock off the hat of one of the most religious men in the temple!

We visited the Cu Chi tunnels and only just made it there alive thanks to the crazy driving of our bus driver. We were watched everywhere we went by the local army and were watching a film about the history of the tunnels when it was abruptly stopped by another tour guide - who was ready for a cigarette. It was his country and he'd smoke where he wants to!!

Slim Jim took us around the tunnels and used cockney rhyming slang whilst explaining the history of the place. We were to have "a butcher's" in the tunnels and he thought Jenny had beautiful mince pies!!

We were taken into the tunnels by a member of the army, who may have been a member of the VC. We daren't ask! Abandoned underground Jen lead the way through the tunnels using the light of Kwong's mobile phone.

Back on the bus Colleen Smart started to stress out about getting back to Saigon. Her flight back to Oz was at 8pm Why didn't she do the half day trip?? Muppet!

Back in Saigon we met up with Kwong and Jess (a Canadian from our tour whose Dad was from Middlesbrough) at the Guns n Roses bar for a few drinks. We then bumped into the Canadian couple who we had met in Ayuthaya - what a small world we live in!!