Thursday 17 april
We had a big program today so we made an early start. Our hotel is really nice and before we were picked up by our taxi at 7.30 we had a delicious breakfast. When we started it was already quite hot and on our way out of town we noticed the enormous traffic – but fortunately for us the traffic was mostly going towards the city while we were going out. We also noticed how the traffic flows because they are so clever at making way for each other and maybe also because most of the vehicles are mopeds weaving through the traffic.
Everything is new to us so we look around and notice many different things –i.e. most of the houses are 2 storeys high– built in brick and very narrow. All along the road there were houses and in many of them there were small shops where you could buy many of your daily needs. We also noticed that you could often see more than one shop with bridal and party dresses in even small villages and we have been told that dressing up for a wedding is a big hit for all women. We first went to the Cu Chi Tunnels where we had a guided tour round and even tried to crawl in the tunnels ourselves (they have been widened because of the tourists’ wish to get down there – but it was not very nice). We were also shown some of the traps which often meant death to the soldiers who got caught in them. It was all very frightening but interesting and gave us a feeling of how terrible the war must have been. When I get home I want to read more about the war and watch Deer Hunter again and maybe other films about the Vietnam War.
More about Cu Chi
After that we went further north west to Cao Dai where there is a very big temple - the Great Divine Temple. Every day there is a prayer service for the worshippers who are dressed in colourful robes. Before the service we had a chance to see the whole temple and take all the pictures we wanted. It is a beautiful building and the inside is very colourful. We watched the ceremony from the first floor. Both men and women took part in the service which was beautiful to watch and listen to as they were both singing and praying.
More about Cao Dai
Afterwards we had lunch in a restaurant nearby and Henning had a warm welcome by the hostess whom he knew. We had a delicious lunch and while we were eating she entertained us with singing – she had been a singer. Unfortunately she spoke very little English so we could not speak with her. A grandmother came in and walked up to Kirsten J and talked to her as if they had met before and came in again later to show her pictures – quite strange. After lunch we returned to Saigon. It was a long trip of more than 100 km., but it was nice to see the countryside which is quite flat in this area. We have seen a lot of rice fields, water buffaloes and other strange things – i.e. two men on a moped with a door placed between them! Suddenly there were black clouds around us and in the distance we could see lightening. When we returned to Saigon we had a few drops of rain and suddenly you saw raincoats being sold from all the street traders! Before coming back to our hotel we went to see at the Presidential Palace which is now known as the Reunification Hall and is a beautiful building which we could just see from the outside.
We are now back at the hotel and people are resting and taking a bath before we go out to eat. Tonight at 11 pm we leave Saigon by train and will be in Da Nang by 1.30 pm tomorrow.
Friday 18 april
Our journey up to the middle of Vietnam started at 10 pm last night when we left our hotel to get to the railway station .In the train the beds were made ready for us – 4 in each compartment. Henning and Leif E shared a compartment with a young Vietnamese woman and man. They did not travel together but they helped us on the way which is why I mention them. The train left on time at 11 pm and in our compartment we were looking out to see the city as we left it but before long we tried to fall asleep. It was not easy to sleep because of the movements of the train although the speed was only 60 km an hour. But the low speed helped us to understand why the trip would take 14 hours! By 6 in the morning we realized that the train had not been moving for a while. A loudspeaker began to speak - but only in Vietnamese of course - and that was when our two travelling companions came in handy. They kept us informed about the situation and told us that a heavy rainfall had undermined the track so we would have to leave this train and get on another one a few miles further on and coaches would come and take us there. It took a long time to get coaches for all the passengers but we did not mind and quite enjoyed it outside speaking to different people. Among others we talked to a young Swiss couple who wanted to know what was going on. They were also travelling to Da Nang and to Hoi An and when we got to Da Nang late at night we offered them seats in our taxies which they were very pleased about. We were more or less the last ones to get into a coach but it was a very nice new one and very big. But unfortunately it was too big to drive all the way down to the next station so before a small bridge we had to get out and walk the rest of the way – not very far – or get into a taxi and drive the last bit of road. When we were installed in the new train we had to wait for quite a while because a train coming from the north had to pass us here. Two trains can only pass each other at stations because there is only one set of rails on the line from Saigon to Hanoi. The young man who helped us was very good at English and had even visited Denmark once when he had taken part in a conference. The young woman was also good at English. She managed a bookstore and also worked with publications and like us she was going as far as Da Nang so she helped us for the rest of the trip and told us when to be ready to get out. She also telephoned our hotel and told them about our delay so they did not have to wait 10 hours in Da Nang before we arrived. We could also offer to take her to her hotel in Da Nang when we at last arrived about 11.30 pm. There was a very warm welcome to us all at the station from Phuc who gave us each a rose. When we got to the hotel the checking in went fast and we could go to bed in nice, air-conditioned rooms after our long trip. Of course we had had some sleep during the day but we had also enjoyed the beautiful landscape we had passed through. We have seen a beautiful, changing landscape - palm trees, mountains, rice at all stages, houses, empty areas, rivers and the sea.
