4/23: Tunnels and Pagoda

Today we had a half day tour to the Cu Chi tunnels, about an hour and a half outside of Saigon, and then on to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda on the way back to Saigon. Students came back from their exploration in small groups yesterday a little overwhelmed by the heat, so we are just going to "hang out" this afternoon at the hotel.

The trip has gone very smoothly so far. We used to have our pen pal school visit in Saigon, but have shifted to a different school in Hanoi this year. Without the pen pal school in Saigon, the beginning of the trip has had a lot more down time and thus, has not been so exhausting for the kids while they are acclimatizing, which of course is the way it should be. We are flying to Hoian tomorrow morning.

Me with my dinner group last night

Our guide Mike with one student in front of a Jack fruit tree

Shirley, the other trip leader, going down into a tunnel at Cu Chi

All the students on a captured American tank (it is such an odd perspective to be exposed to, here at the Cu Chi tunnels: being an American and hearing all this information about how to defeat the American army or being shown models of traps, their sole purpose to injure or kill American soldiers - a lesson in seeing things through another person's eyes)

Incense offering at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Saigon

Buddhist monk laundry at the pagoda

More monk laundry