Cu Chi Tunnels
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the Cu Chi tunnels, because I don't feel like thinking right now:
The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam's base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968.
The tunnels were used by NLF guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The role of the tunnel systems should not be underestimated in its importance to the NLF in resisting American operations and protracting the war, eventually persuading the weary Americans into withdrawal.
American soldiers used the term "Black Echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the NLF, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, spiders and mosquitoes. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels; especially malaria, which accounted for the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. A captured NLF report suggests that at any given time half of a PLAF unit had malaria and that “one-hundred percent had intestinal parasites of significance.” In spite of these hardships, the NLF managed to wage successful campaigns against a conscripted army that was technologically far superior.
YAY! Thanks Wikipedia! We recently visited the tunnels with Hailey's mom and brother--it was fascinating. Just outside of the touring area, there is a field set up for tourists to shoot guns... Here are some pics:
Below: Trekking through the jungle
below: a B52 Bomb left this hole in the jungle
Below: Hailey, me, Anne, and Blake with some creepy army mannequins
Below: A land mine
Below: Some bombs and stuff...
Map of the Cu Chi Tunnels. This is only a small portion--they stretch for miles.
Below: An air hole for those living in the tunnels, made to look like an insect nest.
Below: An entrance to the tunnels. They've been expanded so tourists (fat Americans) can fit in.
Below: Crawling through a tunnel. It was PITCH black inside.
Below: a bedroom in the tunnels. That wood plank is a bed. I climbed up into this room through the hole on the left side of the floor.
Below: Our guide
Below: exiting the tunnel
Below: Another entrance to the tunnels
A camouflaged trap. It lies flat, and when stepped on, the intruder falls into a lovely bed of sharp bamboo spears. Excess shrapnel from the American weapons were also used in traps.
Below: The 'menu' at the shooting range. I opted for the AK 47, the M 16 and the Machine Gun. A little more than an dollar per bullet.
Below: My bullets
Below: I made Hailey go first...
Below: My turn...
Click
here and
here to see some short footage of me shooting! (Happy now, Paul? :D )
