Day 3

Did a bit of a room swap and Remi came and slept in my bed. My son is a bit of a snorer and a talker, Woke up early again and both of watched a Zombie movie until the rest of the guys woke up, Then it was down to breakfast, The eggs were so good yesterday I had to have them again but this time I added dumplings.Trying to get the kids to be adventurous and try new things while we have such an open banquet. Remi came back with what he thought was jellyfish. Clear jelly like stuff. Touched his lips for a few seconds.. Then I was distracted by Ruby trying a vegetarian dumpling. Mel still likes her rolls just like in France five years ago.
After breakfast we set off for the vintage market. Almost have a meltdown because it's so hot and humid but compose myself with a drink of water.Keep going. Maybe I'll find some old French Ye-Ye records. But no.Did find some old tin toys. Badly damaged and rusted however. And incredibly dirty. But there was an old spaceship that might scrub up so might pop back tomorrow,

We're off to the Chu Chu tunnels in the afternoon so after a bit of a wander we stop at a bread shop and have some pastries, coffee and milk shakes. Back for a chill out at the hotel before the bus picks us up to take us to Chu Chu.
 The Chu Chu tunnels are a labyrinth of tunnels where the VC would hide before mounting attacks on the Americans during the Vietnam war. The bus trips takes about 90 minutes. Our travel guide gives us a brief history of Vietnam which is quite interesting. When it comes to the war the Americans get a hard time. Lucky there none on the bus. In between I put on music and find myself hypnotized by the motorbikes and scooters passing by the bus. The steady flow is mesmerizing.
At the tunnels we are shown how the army built a virtual civilization underground. Fascinating stuff. We get a chance to fire guns at the rifle range and Remi gets a little disappointed when he we don't think it's appropiate for him to shoot a AK47 at a beer bottle. So we pass and it's quickly forgotten as we go into the tunnels. Not a big fan of tunnels myself I let the rest go through and meet them halfway along.But I need to have a go so I get myself into the hole. Very small. Very tight. And at one stage very dark. Not a pleasant experience. Ruby and Remi loved it. They didn't like dropping into the camouflaged holes though. Seen too many extra long centipedes and giant bugs. At the end we try some root dipped in peanut sauce. Like hard tofu.

Back on the bus after a few meters we hear the loudest clunk from the back of bus. I mean really loud. The driver keeps going but there is this horrible sound as the wheel rotates. After a distance he stops the bus to have a look. Can't see nothing so he gets back on and we keep going. I tell the kids to put their seat belts on. But then it just stops. However there are little kids on the bus and they are so loud. And the battery on my iPod is exhausted. So I try to hypnotise watching the cavalcade of motorbikes. One passes with tractor tyres tied to the sides. The rain starts to come down. Now the bikes are covered in ponchos. Traffic is busy but smooth and we make it back to the hotel.
Starving, we work out where to eat using the internet. We want to eat Vietnamese and we settle upon a restaurant behind the Opera House. It's very atmospheric walking through the balmy night surrounded by French architecture and stumbling over crooked paving stones.
The restaurant turns out to be a delight, almost like some of the places we went to in the south of France and with all the family trying bits of Vietnamese food. Especially tasty was the brown rice. Tofu was alright but I'm not a big fan. Anyway they try the food. They like it but don't eat much. Luckily there's a KFC on the way back so we buy a Jumbo Fries to fill the empty spaces in their stomachs.
Make our way just round the corner to the hotel. Lots of young people hanging out on the street, chatting, having a meal on small tray tables. Not even sure where the food comes from. But everyone looks happy. One girl with bright red hair is playing an over-sized ukulele.
But it's kind of late. Everyone is tired so we make our way to our rooms and turn in for the night.