On to Hoi An

Well we survived the rest of Hue and the DMZ and have arrived safely at our next destination: Hoi An.

Our DMZ tour was quite amazing. Our tour guide was a South Vietnamese man who had worked with the US Army during the war and had reached the rank of 2nd Lt. doing reconnaissance work for the Americans. Needless to say, this gentleman had a very different take on the war than the rest of the government-propaganda we had been reading in museums and on other tours. After the war our guide had attempted to escape Vietnam by boat (like 1 Million other Vietnamese) but he was captured and sent to a communist "reeducation camp."

The main highlight of the tour was the tunnel village, where the villagers just above the 17th parallel smuggled supplies from Soviet ships onto land safely, just above the dividing line where the US military was not on the ground. There were miles of tunnels, three different "levels" or depths some reaching 25 meters below ground, family rooms, wells, ventilation and even an operation room. It was dark, slippery and cramped, and I still have a bump where I hit my head, but people lived in these tunnels for years to escape American bombs (the bomb craters are all over the compound) and it was pretty amazing to see people's dedication displayed in these dark tunnels.

We also met our Vietnamese teacher-friend, Quy, for a beer. We went to his modest house to see it so we know where we can stay next time we are in Vietnam. We then went to his neighbor's house to get a case of beer and sat outside his house on the street by the river in plastic chairs drinking cheap beer, playing badminton with his nieces and nephews and smoking bad Vietnamese cigarettes. I think that is the closest we've been to the real Vietnam yet.

Our trip from Hue to Hoi An was a little different, as we were on a train. The train tracks wind through the mountains and along the coast to show some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Jungle-covered mountains run right into long sandy beaches that lead right into beautiful blue water. There are also more rock out-croppings off the shore along the entire coast that are the cherry on top. The other Vietnamese on the train didn't seem to notice the scenery, but they certainly noticed the white-skinned Americans jumping seats and leaning on top of each other to get a better view.

Hoi An is a nice little tourist place on the coast. It has been forgotten about since about the mid-19th century, which means its architecture is classic and beautiful, and neither side saw it as a valuable asset during the war, preserving it unscathed. There are a ton of white people (mostly Australian and European) spilling out of the town's resorts into the markets and tourist restaurants. They also have a big clothing industry here, so of course I had to get two shirts tailored to go with my tailored suit that I got in Hue. Yesterday afternoon a couple of us went to the beach, about 10 minutes away by motorbike, to soak it up. It felt just as pretty as it looked, and we basked in the glory of the South East Asia sun and tried to contemplate how this is considered a class.

Today I took an optional day trip to My Lai (Pronounced "Me Lie"), the village where American soldiers went on a four-hour rampage in 1968, killing somewhere around 200 people, mostly women and children. I haven't quite collected my thoughts on this experience yet, except to say it was moving, and eye-opening to see what my country, and what men in general can do during times of war. I'm still mulling it over, but need to get next door for a game of pool before we head back to the beach for the afternoon!