A day in Saigon

Right now I’m in my hostel. I just got back from a wonderful day in saigon, Vitnam. This morning I woke up very early and headed outside to get to the tour office. I witnessed the morning life on the busy streets and stopped for breakfast. The streets are very busy with motorbikes and it is a skill to try and cross the streets. After checking in at the office I boarded the bus and we headed to the Independence palace, also called the reunification palace. This is the place where the war had come to an end. It was incredible to learn about the rich history. We then went and saw the national post office and stopped by a coffee shop. I bought Vietnam’s world famous egg coffee and it was so delicious. It was iced and very strong. After that we headed to the War remnants museum. We were warned that there are very gruesome and emotional things inside and some should stay on the bus if they can’t take it. The guide was not wrong. Inside there were multiple exhibits such as the American War crime exhibit, agent orange victims, and prisoner of war. There were many display cases featuring weapons from the war, USA agent orange masks that the soldiers wore while releasing it, victims, and torture. It was quite hard to see because of how violent and REAL everything was. There were very real pictures displayed all over from photographers who were in Vietnam capturing the war in first person. Many pictures featured Vietnamese soldiers and civilians getting tortured and killed. Many of the photos had a story along with them and there were pictures of civilians where the photographer claims after he told US troops to let him take the picture, he turned around and heard gunshots and the sounds of bodies falling, and he didn’t look back. The photos were taken seconds before these people were killed. There are many exhibits about a gent orange and there are even real human babies preserved that never made it because of the chemical. It really caused immense problems for generations of people. There was also a POW jail on site where everything is still kept in tact. This museum was very interesting, emotional, and real. The guide did tell us that it is indeed a one sided story and we should not get offended. The museum is coming from the eyes of the Vietnamese people, which we are not used to back home. The museum did honor the USA troops as well. After the museum we headed to lunch and were given plenty of food. Next, we headed to the Chu Chi tunnels, 2 hours from the city. It was in the jungle and they are real networking tunnels that the Vietnamese used in battle. It was crazy to see where battles took place and how we witnessed the strategy of the Vietnamese. We were shown there methods of booby traps and ways to kill American Soldiers. They were very smart and it was unbelievable to see what they were doing during the war. The tunnels were like an ant farm. Tiny tunnels underground with many intersections and pathways. We were able to crawl inside them and see what it was like even though they have been widened for nowadays. It was unbelievable! I learned so much about the Bietnam war and I got to witness and understand the Vietnamese perspective of things and how they went through the war. I was also able to shoot an AK-47, the weapon which they used against the USA. This tour was so special and I’m beyond happy I did it. It is something I will always remember and say that I did. There is so much to be learned about this horrific time in history and I am happy I had the chance to learn the other side of the story as well. We also stopped at a workshop that was run for the locals affected by agent orange. They all were handicapped because of the chemical but are given the opportunity to be trained and they have awesome skills. They create the most detailed and beautiful works of art I have ever seen. They crest things out of materials like sea shells and duck eggs. I bought a carving from seashells that hasn’t a portable mirror. Also the tour gives some proceeds to the workshop to help benefit those affected by agent orange. This is definitely something very good that is happening and I’m happy I was able to buy their art. Something that happened today also inspired me a lot. I was sitting next to a guy on the bus and on the way there we didn’t speak but at the tunnels I heard him talking about traveling to Africa, so I started talking to him. It comes to find out that he has been traveling non stop for 4 YEARS and has a goal to visit EVERY country in the world. We conversated true whole 2 hours back and it was amazing. He was a chemical engineer who quit his job to follow his dream and travel the entire world! He backpacked all across the Europe and has been to almost every country in Africa. He has been to some crazy places such as South Sudan, the DRC, Chad, Libya, Central African Republic, Somalia, and Tajikistan. I can go on for hours talking about our conversation. He showed me so many amazing pictures of him ALL over the world and seeing things that not many people have seen. He was sick of the cubicle and wanted to chase his dream so he did. Although this is true, it’s not all a perfect story book type of thing. He told me CRAZY stories that come with traveling to some of these places. He was arrested in South Sudan and tied up/ interrogated as to why he was there, he was caught in Election Day war zones in the DRC and many people got killed right outside his hotel, he was with a local in Chad when the car broke down and villagers came and reported that someone notified Boko Haram was nearby, he was attacked and spit on/ racially abused in the Congo outside a football stadium, and much more. Although he traveled to these places there are some that he is holding off on such as Yemen, because although he found some places safe that were told to be dangerous, he talked about the truth of these countries and how they are truly f*cked up for tourists. We raised a good topic about how many people see traveling as always happy and positive. This is simply not true. Even though  we love doing it, there are times when we feel down, want to quit, give up, miss home, family and friends. He has done much more exstensive travel than me but it all relates. I told him about how I wanted to do that one day as well and how I’ve always had a love for travel. He said that money is not the main thing in the way, it is time. Time is the most valuable thing above all. Yes money is important to get started, but things can be done on a budget. He said sadly after four years the dream is coming to an end soon because he is running out of money. He said he hopes he can one day hit the road to finish off his dream and make it come true. I can confidently say this was one of the best and most inspiring conversations I have ever had in my entire life. The photos, stories and ideas that he shared were beyond incredible and things only a few people can say they ever did on this earth. He gave me so much advice and tips, telling me that at this time of my life  with school it is obvious that money is not there and it is near impossible to travel on a high level at first. He said that when he was 21 he had never left the country and was eating ramen everyday at college. He is now 38 and has been to 138 countries! He started when he was 32!!! There is so much more that I can talk about regarding today but I am typing this on my phone and I am very hungry. Today was a special day for sure. We exchanged numbers and told eachother we will keep in contact. Now I am about to leave the hostel and go outside on these crazy streets. The nightlife is insane in this area and is famously know by backpackers around the world. I am hoping to eat some great local food. Tomorrow I leave for Singapore at 8:55 AM.