vi vivus Veitnam vici

I recently went on a trip to Vietnam.
Had a memorable experience there which i am sharing.

In Ho chi Min city( formerly Saigon) Vietnam , there are what are known as the cu chi tunnels ! (they are not as cute as they sound !!)

These were used by the Vietnamese guerrillas during the Vietnamese war to drive out the Americans.
Now, This is the last place in the world u wud wanna go if u have claustrophobia !!! believe me when i say that !!

My first look at the tunnels ... the boards outside warn u that u enter at ur own risk ... and that it prohibits ppl with heart problems, claustrophobia, etc etc from entering. The tunnels are deep under the earth and u have to go down the stairs. Some of my friends backed out as it looked daunting. But i decided to take the plunge thinking that it wud be adventure and fun. And once u enter ... there is no going back.

As i entered i soon realized that there was not even enough space for u to crawl on ur knees ... and the tunnels are dark from inside ... u feel as if u are literally a rat going down a hole.. i kept crawling in an awkward way as i couldnt crawl on my knees so kind of squatted and crawled on my feet. Soon i realized that there was no one in front of me or even at my back .. i was all alone with my heart beat increasing every second. i kept going thinking that the tunnel wouldnt be that long ... but i was perhaps half way through when i really started panicking.

Fear gripped me completely and i started thinking of all the negatives that what if i am not able to make through, there was no network on the mobile, i could not even call for help, there was no one in the front or back , it was completely dark ...i feared whether i was taking the right path or not .. what if i got lost ... and most of all ... i was in a hole ... i could not even stand up ... even flex my legs or arms ... u cant turn around and go back ... cuz there is not enough space to do that ... and if u try doing it then perhaps u wud get entangled and stuck and that would really be a nightmare !! .... i started sweating like a pig and was exhausted !
....... all i wanted was to see some light .... Meanwhile, the feeling of "what if i get lost or stuck here" had almost taken over me ...... u can imagine the fear gripping me and sweat running down my spine ... but i kept going ...

finally i shouted out as to "where is the way out " ... "where is the way out" ... and i heard a voice from a little far saying "its here" ... now that was a real lifeline for me ... suddenly there was a spring in my step and i rushed towards the voice .... and after a few minutes .... Voila !!! ... i could see a ray of light coming down !!! :) :) :) ......... cant tell u how happy i was !!