In Vietnam - a water puppet show

This was pretty cool... hard to see in pictures...

In Vietnam- the Cu Chi Tunnels

Seda and I went to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels when we were in Vietnam . This is the place that all of the soldiers lived under ground for years and years and years... the blurry picture of me coming out of the tunnel (which I had been in for not more than fifteen minutes) was how I really felt...

A few pics from the Vietnam/Cambodia Border

Here are a few pics from the border... I had to go to Ho Chi Minh City after Christmas to renew my visa... I know only the first pic is good, but I had to get back on the bus...

The Tunnels of Cu Chi

A book that I have been working away on for quite some time is a historical accounting of the underground tunnels that were in Vietnam during the Vietnamese War called The Tunnels of Cu Chi… part of my interest in it lies down a rabbit trail, but suffice it to say that, as many Americans, I have been intrigued by different aspects of the Vietnamese war… this book tells stories on both sides of the conflict between the United States and the Viet Cong… there are amazing stories about how the Viet Cong lived and succeeded against the most powerful war machine in the world through ingenuity, subterfuge, and a nitty-gritty desire to not lose their lands… the other side of the story is the development of the Tunnel Rats… American soldiers that went into the war for a variety of reasons, but eventually found their niche and, for many of them, their purpose in the depths of the earth… neither side has a story that is your typical story of war glory, but both of them carve out their place in history in 200 miles of underground tunnels in the area of Cu Chi… Most of the Americans only entered the tunnels with a knife, a pistol and a flashlight, but often did not leave the tunnels with their lives… the Viet Cong give accounts of children being born underground, marriages being performed, burying entire American tanks under the earth, building meeting halls and dirt 'auditoriums' for entertainment, as well as extensive hospitals… this book was written in 1985, so I am sure that more has been revealed in the last twenty years that was not know then… nevertheless, it is an amazing story that may never be repeated in any war… not a long book, and worth the read…

Vietnam pics

Here are some pictures from my whirlwind to trip to Vietnam last month. Most of the pictures are from the War Remnants Museum... which always brings up such mixed emotions on my part... but I wanted to see it... also there is a version of Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City, which was a surprise to me...

Vietnam in living color

I had to get my passport renewed in order to receive a 6 month visa with Asia's Hope, so strangely enough, I had to leave the country and come back to Phnom Penh... so right now, I am in Ho Chi Minh City... it was raining a lot when I got here, and I had just sat through a six hour bus ride, so when I got to the room I just collapsed... woke up around dinner time, just had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant and now typing away... I will only be here less than a day... just did not want to spend a lot of money right now when I am not sure of my bearings and what there is to see here... I will have to come back some time... it is a lot like Phnom Penh in some ways, but more like Thailand in others...