Bye bye crazy...hello poverty

So as you know I'm in Cambodia now but I'll finish off Vietnam first I guess. We had the last supper in HCMC (which is what you call Saigon when you want less typing) as expected which will be memorable mainly for the atrocious service. I mean totally terrible and after living in kalgoorlie for so long I am well qualified to judge. They seemed to be willfully confused, bringing out the main courses before the starters, bringing all the rice at once then leaving it for 20 minutes in the bar to get cold which we ate the main meals. When we asked for new, hot rice it came and had a thumb print in it where they must have checked the temperature. I still ate it as I was starving by then. At the end it took us 45 minutes to get the bill, separate billing takes on a whole new meaning when each person is brought their bit, pays then waits while the waiter goes down three flights of stairs to get their change. If I could remember the name of the place I'd tell you to avoid it.

The last morning in Vietnam was spent at the Cu Chi tunnels. These are the system of 250km of narrow tunnels dug by the Vietcong to hide and fight the Yankees from. The whole place was a bit odd, like a Disneyland of Death ("the gruesomest place on earth (TM)). After the now obligatory bit of propaganda, this one a film from the period showing smiling girls laying booby traps for the GIs and picking rice with AK47s on their backs, we got the tour. I don't know if I said before but it's strange to have people give information to you about a war where absolutely no one has any remorse. They are more than happy to talk about their medals for being a "hero for killing Americans". With the body count recounted too. All I can say is that the VC got down some pretty tiny holes, which I didn't. I went down but it was way too small, dark and hot for me. We got to try VC rations too, basically tea and cassava, which may explain how they got down those tiny tunnels. The best thing was the cheapest gift shop we'd seen for ages. There was much purchasing of scorpion wine. This is wine. With a scorpion in it. Beats tequila I guess.

The group finally split and we went to the the border and the rest went back to HCMC. Lots of fond farewells and promises to keep in touch. I hope we do.

We thought we were the lucky ones going on to a new place but I personally had no idea what we were in for. The six of us remaining piled into a minibus and headed for the border and after a few U-turns we got there. It was the first time I've done a land border crossing and it was all very cold war, going through, having your passport checked half a dozen times and then walking about 400 meters across no mans land into Cambodia. I did finish my trip to Vietnam the same way I started by getting ripped off. I changed money from Dong to Rials and got half of what should from some dodgy looking money changer. Trouble is I didn't realize till I was well into Cambodia. So a big tip: never change money at a border crossing.

The change from Vietnam to Cambodia was startling. Just 400 metres and the people looked totally different, the writing turned into squiggles and the poverty became overwhelming. In fact Cambodia has been pretty confronting so far.

But more of that from the next hot spot.