Midnight raid

Oh OK, so it was 11.15pm, but that is close enough to midnight. So here I am in the hotel in HCM City, just sleeping as one does, actually it was the first night that I had managed to get to bed early in a week. I wake up to voices and knocking in the corridor, not unusual here as they have no concept of consideration when the asians, very noisy everywhere, and then the next thing I know my door opens. Luckily I had put the safety catch thing on so they couldn't get in. So they close the door and decide to knock! Novel concept really.


So I wrap myself in the sheet (my pj's are in the laundry right!) and the open the door still with the safety thing on and am confronted with the hotel security guard and 2 policeman. I said what do you want, he said, 'oh, were you sleeping?'. Well yes! (Einstein he wasn't) Ok, we check another room. I am confused, but thinking that maybe something has happened to a passenger and they are looking for an Intrepid Leader to sort it out. But no, more knocking goes on, so I go back to bed.


A couple of minutes later, knocking on my door again, wrap the sheet again, and then 2 policeman saying that they want to check my room. Why? They just do! Can I get dressed first? So I get dressed, open the door again and the policeman looks inside, says 'only one?'. Yes! OK, and then leaves. You can imagine that Ms Grumpy was making an appearance by now, I was not a happy camper. One lady passenger was caught in the nude, so she was a bit freaked out.

From what I can gather from the hotel staff and the Vietnamese leaders, this is something to do with Independence Day which is on 30 April, and a bit of a hangover from the Communist days when tourists were followed around by the police. Seems that they think it is OK to make raids on people's rooms with no warning!

This morning I joined another Intrepid Group and we went to Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Veit Kong hid from the American's and made raids on them.

Till next time then