So, we arrive in the sprawling, crazy, non-stop city of Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon as it was previously called). It was another long, sweaty bus journey and the heat just did not ease up at all - it's one of those places where you have a shower and get dry but you are soaking with sweat by the time you have got dressed. After phoning Jane (a lovely friend who had agreed to let us stay with her and Mark) we dived into a local bar for some much needed air con. We were instantly bombarded by men, women and children selling everything from postcards to chewing gum to drugs to hammocks (not entirely sure what we would do with a hammock in Saigon!). Jane came to rescue us and we taxied back to their house which was a haven amongst the chaos of the city streets. I know that we should be forgetting about the material things in life whilst on our travels but it would be very difficult to say that it was not nice to have access to a good shower, washing machine, air con, a sofa and an endless supply of DVD's including the 2nd series of 'Lost'!!!! On Sunday, Jane and Mark took us to one of Saigon's swanky hotels for an all you can eat/drink buffet. This was definitely not a backpacker zone but we loved every minute of it...the cocktails were fantastic and the food was never-ending. We rolled out of the place after 3 and a half hours and collapsed back at the house to watch a dvd and the Liverpool vs Somebody Else football match! As Monday dawned we decided to venture away from the lure of Saigon's food and drink to explore some of the city. We took a tour out to the tunnel network of Cu Chi which were used by the Viet Cong during the war. After watching a propaganda video we were shown around the site which would have been much more interesting had there not been hundreds of tourists there...yes, I know we were included in these numbers but it was just a shame that so many groups set off at the same time as you just didn't get a chance to experience or understand the real function of the tunnels. We were shown an entrance to one of the tunnels which unlike the others had not been adapted to fit fat tourists like ourselves! The opening was absolutely tiny and I'm sure barely big enough for a child to fit down, but apparently the fighters slotted in nicely when they had to...it's a great reason not to stuff your face at an all you can eat buffet if you have to fit yourself into one of these holes! We did venture into one part of the tunnel network which had been made wider for us fatties. I chickened out as I could see the tunnel getting lower the further you went in and there were people in front of you and behind all stopping to take photos so there was nowhere to go if you started freaking out! I headed back to the surface but Steve was the hero and went through the tunnel up to the next opening - he came out very dirty and sweaty but glad he had done it. Later, after meeting up with Carly and Blair back in town we psyched ourselves up to visit the War Remnants Museum. This went into great detail about the atrocities of war and some of the photos and accounts were just heart-wrenching, particularly those that showed the results of chemical bombs on people's bodies. Its so strange to see how the Vietnamese suffered at the hands of both foreigners and their own people and yet they are so warm and welcoming towards us. We left Saigon the following morning after spending a lovely evening out with Jane and Mark (eating and drinking again!) and headed for the Cambodian border.