Today we saw the Cu Chi tunnels about 2 hours out of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). They were dug by Vietnamese soldiers during the Indochina War against the French from 1945-54 ( a total of 34 kms of tunnels). Later, when the Americans invaded in 1966, the Vietnamese soldiers moved underground to avoid the bombings on the surface (expanding to a total of 250 kms of tunnels).
The entrances of the tunnels were very small and well camouflaged.
To trap the American soldiers, the Vietnamese set up well-positioned bamboo traps. To make them, the Vietnamese dug a hole about 2-8 feet deep and positioned sharpened spikes at the bottom. On top, they balanced a plank of wood or bamboo matting over the hole. When the Americans stepped on them, the top would collapse and they would fall down the hole and land on sharpened spikes. Ouch!


At the very end of the tour we shot an AK-47 and M16 at a target. Unfortunately I am not 15 so I wasn't able to try. But my Dad and Mom enjoyed the experience. See video below.

We are in Dong Hoi, Vietnam right now, staying in a farmstay,( a small hotel in the countryside ). Yesterday we took a tour through the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. The park was created to protect some of the worlds largest caves. In the morning, we visited a huge cave that was 32 kilometers long. In the afternoon, we paddled some kayaks into another cave. It was really fun because it wasn’t a typical tourist attraction. We hiked about a kilometer into the cave, through thick mud. We had to stop after that, even though the cave was about 15 kilometers long because we had barefeet and the rocks got really sharp  under the mud.

We had a huge mudfight and then went back, stopping to rinse off the mud, and went for a swim in total darkness on the way out. Today we rode bikes through the countryside and into the small town of Phong Nga (see video).We hopped on a boat and visited another cave about 45 minutes out of town. It is the second biggest cave in Vietnam and the rocks inside are 400 million years old.  

- Kiva

       

 

Three days ago we drove to Halong City and boarded a traditional junk  with 2 other couples. It wasn’t very big and below deck there was enough room for 3 cabins, a very small kitchen, a dining table and a couch for lounging. On the top there was another dining  table and a sun deck. We did a loop around the various islands of Bai Tu Long Bay and occasionally did some kayaking and had supper in a huge cave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had a chance to tour around a fishing village. It was very neat because all their houses and structures float on the water.  They have a Styrofoam base and the rest is made out of wood and bamboo. There is no heating in the houses so it gets extremely cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. In each fishing village there are about 20 floating houses and a primary school for the young kids. When they become an adult they can choose to stay in the village or head to the mainland and study for university.

Now we are back in Hanoi and we saw some more tourist attractions like the History Museum and the Hoa Lo Prison, where the French colonists kept Vietnamese political prisoners during the 1900s. They used to torture the prisoners and threw them into a cell for 30-60 days with no sunlight or food if they misbehaved. Eventually they were forced to eat their feces because they became so hungry. Around 1930, 36 prisoners escaped through sewage drains. Only 10 made it out alive. From 1966-73, the Hoa Lo prison also housed American pilots, who sarcastically named it the Hanoi Hilton.

- Kiva

Feb 9th, 2014

Here is a last shot of us in Africa.

Feb 10th, 2014
We touched down in Hanoi, Vietnam at 7:00am local time and spent the whole day exploring the city of 4 million people and 4 million motorbikes. There are no traffic lights whatsoever and pedestrians have no right-of-way, so it is very chaotic.

We have seen markets and some temples and churches so far in Hanoi. Here are some pictures of the city and what it is like.


 
The stores flow out onto the street.

 

 


 
The houses are very narrow, but very tall and last forever.

 
This is some squid sold in the local market

 
Some people have portable stores on their bikes.

















































We are off to Bai Tu Long Bay on a boat for 3 days exploring the Islands off the coast.
-Kiva
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 Feb 7th, 2014

To end our experience in Africa, Donald took us to an orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania. In this orphanage they take in small children and elderly when their parents or caretakers either died from AIDS/HIV or can't support them anymore. So far they have 120 kids, 50 elderly people and are trying hard to accommodate the thousands still living on the streets . They get volunteers and donations from all around the world and you can check them out at www.lohada.com.

Feb 8th, 2014

This morning we arrived in Bangkok after a very slow 15 hour flight, then got some sleep to prepare for tomorrow when our flight leaves at 7:00am to head to Vietnam. It is stinking hot, about 40 degrees, and I think I am slowly melting. 

I will update you about what we have been doing in a couple of days depending on wireless access).

- Kiva

February 5, 2014

Yesterday we visited an African Maasai tribe situated in between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. We watched them perform traditional songs and dances for us and then they took us on a  tour around their small village. We learned about their schools, where they are taught both English and Swahili. Most young boys do not attend school though because they are required to herd cattle and goats for their family.

Maasai School

 

Their houses, which the woman painstakingly make out of cow dung , mud and bamboo, are very small and only last about 5 years. They consist of an area for the parents, one bed for the kids, a small cooking area and a pen for the baby cow (for protection against predators) 

 

They have very few personal possessions and  their shoes are made out of used motorcycle tires because they are very durable and last forever.

 

It was amazing to see how they lived on so little and used their resources to survive so far away from civilization.

-Kiva

Friday, January 31, 2014

For the last few days we have been on a safari, traveling through parks like the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area and the Serengeti  Plains. We have been seeing lots of wild animals and the wildebeests are migrating right now so we have been seeing thousands and thousands of them.

 We have also been seeing lots of elephants and we have a video of a small group of them along the side of the road.

 

 

 

 

We have been using a 4 wheel drive land cruiser to explore the national parks and we also have a driver/tour guide named Donald who keeps us informed about the animals.   We drive in the truck for 8-9 hours each day.  It is very hot with no AC.

 

                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serengeti Plains:

 
Serengeti in Swahili means endless plains and it was formed when 7 big volcanoes blew up (Ngorongoro was one of them) and the rocks and ash from them filled in the space between the mountains forming the plains. We have been exploring the plains the for the last few days and here are some pictures of the animals we have seen.

 

 

 

 

 

Ngorongoro Crater:

The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest ancient caldera in the world (which is a volcano that has exploded and then collapsed).  Before It collapsed 2 million years ago, it was one of the world’s tallest mountains. The crater has steep walls on all sides and is 19 kilometers across and the edge is about 2000 feet above the floor of the crater.  It is a World Heritage Site that is called Africa’s Garden of Eden because it has thousands of wild animals in it including lions, wildebeests, zebras, lions, elephants and buffaloes. We will be seeing it in a couple of days.

-Kiva