There were just four of us, an Australian couple, myself and the guide. Drove out of the city for about 90mins, then picked up our bikes and off we went. We cycled through the Vietnam countryside including a number of rubber plantations and also visited a village market, which had live frogs for sale, apparently they taste a little like chicken.
Post cycle ride we were taken to visit the Cho Chi tunnels. These are a series of tunnels that cover enormous distances. Our guide told us that all the area we had cycled that morning(about 20 miles) had tunnels underneath it. The tunnels were constructed and lived in by the Vietcong army during the war. They consist of rooms on several levels underground connected by tiny passageways. The passageways have been extended in height for western visitors, but still the only way I could get through them was bent double(and as you know I'm not tall!!!)Picture below of entrance gives you some idea of how narrow they were in parts. We only walked a few metres into tunnels, apart from the last, which was 30 metres long, I was pretty pleased to get out of there!
There were a number of exhibits on the surface about how the VC lived in the tunnels, including traps they devised for American soldiers coming into the jungle to search for them. Pretty unpleasant!
Sally, been enjoying reading your narrative. You've done so much in a short amount of time. Seeing those frogs on a plate next to fish made my stomach turn a bit. Keep the adventure coming our way. Sabina
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