In Saigon, Day 2

I wished I could start the day early, but exhaustion caught up on me. And then the day continued to annoy me many times in so many ways. I am sorry but it felt like my day was half successful.

I am supposed to pay my third day in the hostel through credit card because I ran out of vietnamese dongs I exchanged in the airport upon my arrival. But the lady receptionist (the owner as they said) declared that their card swiper is not functioning. I paid cash instead with what was left in my wallet. With that, I have to find a nearest money changer to compensate the lost VND374,000. I initially thought that money changers are crowding around Ben Thanh Market, a proclaimed touristy shopping center. However, there were none around (I did the circling of the market just to look for a money changer) so I went back to Pham Ngu Lao Street where my hostel was and I found one named "money exchange". I guess this is one reason why people I happened to ask didn't know what money changer is. Or maybe my english is hard for them to understand. My gosh! And so my Philippine peso was exchanged to VND at 310, way lower than the VND380-to-Php1.00 I exchanged at the airport. Nevertheless, I have to have cash to afford my tour of the day.

I climbed Bus No. 13 at Ben Thanh Market, as endorsed by travellerspoint.com, and headed to Cu Chi town for a price of VND5,000. I immediately transferred to Bus No. 79, the bus liner that will pass (fingers crossed) through the Cu Chi Tunnel. My notes on this tourist destination says "Chu Chi Tunnel", so I pronounced "chu" instead of "cu" everytime I asked somebody, Vietnamese natives of course. But they did not understand my inquiry. TUNNEL, I loudly stressed. Luckily, a girl at my backseat knew little english and confirmed that the bus indeed will pass through the entrance to the tunnel I was destined to visit. True enough, a huge signboards intermittently and strategically placed along the road guided me more and boosted my confidence. It said the tunnel is 22 kms away from the Cu Chi Town proper. That's how adventurous I am; yet lost in translation due to stupidity of misreading the word cu as chu. I paid VND4,000 for the fare.

The weather is very hot in the tunnel area and it majorly contributed to my exhaustion. After paying the VND80,000 entrance fee, I proceeded to the nearest restaurant to take the lunch of beef steak with vegetables and steamed rice, lemon juice as the accompanying drinks, costing me VND85,000 more.

Having regained the energy, I decided to pursue the tunnel experience. The tickets (4 types) were exchanged with an entry badge and amidst the forresty area I went and encountered other tourists.

The experience was really wonderful, the tunnel architecture is very creative, innovative, high-technical and impressive. The viet congs were aptly labeled as "rats". In short, the Cu Chi Tunnel cruising was and always is AMAZING! to me. It was worth visiting despite its remoteness from the Ho Chi Minh City proper. To give you the visual perspective, here I am outside, inside and around the tunnels:

Welcome! That's the entrance...

The very welcoming temple as you cross the fields to the tunnels

You can also have a closer look at pagoda within the area

This structure reminds me of one of the towers in the movie, Lord of the Rings

A very intricate graphics of a Vietnamese civilization inscribed in the colored tiles

Ah, that's me and the stupendous surroundings

Being playful in the bush on the way to the tunnel area, right after lunch

Notice the tag? That means I am through to the tunnel

Looks like I am one of the human-sized maniguins

Fitting into the most claustrophobic hole - the entrance to the tunnel

Yeah, I survived creeping inside the skimpiest hole of a tunnel 

Entering another hole; this time it's bigger and spacious and brighter

Got the picture? One can really fit into a tunnel

I can even take a pose inside it, hee hee hee

At the meeting room; I was granted the entrance and joined them (the maniguins)

Imagine yourself inside it... and you really have to try Cu Chi Tunnel; so worth the experience

Into the deeper tunnel I went

Read it: Hen gap lai! See you again...

The series of unfortunate events resumed as I went back to Ho Chi Minh from Cu Chi Tunnel. I climbed up a bus painted the same color as the one I rode earlier unmindful of the bus number. It bore the No. 70 instead of 79, which I only noticed several minutes later. I prayed that the bus will parked at the same terminal I disembarked earlier at Cu Chi Town. But it didn't; it halted beside Bus No. 122 at it arrived in an unknown terminal. I noticed that all my co-passengers boarded the Bus No. 122 but I did not join them. I appoached a sidewalk vendor, bought a bottled juice and asked what bus number should I ride to reach the city proper. But he pointed me to Bus 122. I hesitated because its signboard said a different destination, to An Suong (I can not remember the correct spelling). And I can not find it (the destination) in the map I was bringing. But I hopped in, giving in to Vietnamese, who for sure knew the way. I was so right! The bus halted at another terminal station --- meaning that I have to find and ride another bus one more time to reach the city. This time I confirmed first with the bus driver if the signboard Ben Thanh indeed refer to the Ben Thanh Market or anywhere near it. The lady collector of that Bus No. 65 answered yes.

I reached the hotel more exhausted for that very long drive home. And then the lady receptionist received us with shocking question: "You don't have room for tonight!" I initially find myself confused whether that was a question or a declaration. Oh my! I have noticed my stuffs scattered on the nearest bench beside the reception counter along with baggages of check-out guests. I told her I did pay this morning for the night's stay but she reasoned I did not leave my passport so she didn't know my room is still occupied. It is not my fault I told her for not leaving my passport, but the fact that I paid for the day is enough to keep the room for me. She gave me another room instead for 20USD saying that she gave the 17USD room to other guests. My golly! I grabbed my things and climbed up the assigned new room. I partly blame myself for not inquiring about the house rules, nevertheless, I have a bigger room and I did not bother paying her the difference.

My plight in Vietnam can be described as being "LOST: both in translation and direction". So for all who plan to visit Vietnam, particularly Ho Chi Minh City, make sure you have researched as much as everything and you should stay in nice hotels.