DEALING WITH THE PAST . . . The return to the old battle grounds was for me a chance to confront old memories that had become a daily torment. Could I reconcile my past? I thought so. 1st Visit 25th October, 1995 to 1st November, 1995 Let me take you on our journey from my daily diary (abridged) as it happened, sharing some of the thoughts and feelings that became intense for me. Wednesday, 25th October, 1995 25th October 1995, at 6.30am (Eastern DST) I set off with five others from Canberra Airport for Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) (formerly Saigon), Vietnam. I was traveling with a group from a local church in Canberra. We arrived in HCMC at 4.30pm local time (they are 3 hours behind Australia). I was anxious as to how customs and immigration would treat us. Four of the team had not been to Asia before, but two of us were Vietnam veterans. Getting through immigration and customs was quite an event. We all managed to get through without any incident. The trip from the airport to the hotel was shared with thousands of push bikes and motor bikes amidst, cars, buses and every other form of transport imaginable (nothing much had changed in that department). The only way to describe it was a river of human flesh, that moves constantly 24 hours of the day. I imagine that there are road rules, although none were readily obvious. It was hard to imagine that some 28 years earlier I had driven these same roads without giving a thought to local traffic other than trying to force them off at every opportunity. Generally you aim your vehicle where you want to go and trust that the thousands who share the road will all miss you. …more…