Kakadu National Park, Australia

Kakadu National Park from the air.

Kakadu National Park is an area of 20,000 sq. km (7,720 sq. mi) lying about 150 km (90 mi) east of Darwin, and is the largest national park in Australia. It includes the whole of the South Alligator River, which is actually home to a large crocodile population, and various other habitats including heathland, eucalyptus woods and rainforest.

Two different species of crocodile live here — Johnston crocodiles, which live in fresh water and mainly eat fish, and estuarine crocodiles, which are a very different thing. These creatures are the largest reptiles in the world, and can live in both fresh and salt water. They can grow up to 6 m (20 ft.) in length, can be extremely dangerous and occasionally kill careless tourists.

Kakadu map.

The park is home to a huge range of flora and fauna — more than 10,000 species of insects, 25 per cent of Australia’s freshwater fish, kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes, water buffalo and many more. There are also about 5,000 sites of Aboriginal art, from many different eras. The town of Jabiru, on the eastern side, is near the Ranger Uranium Mine, and has a small airport from where it is possible to arrange scenic flights across the park in helicopters or light aircraft. The area is far too large to see in one day, but there are camping sites and resorts where you can base yourself for longer stays, and the Park Headquarters and Visitors Centre is full of useful information.

Aboriginal painting in Kakadu.

Wetland area.

The Tunnels of Củ Chi, Vietnam

Cu Chi Tunnel, one of the most important history of Vietnam.

The tunnels of Củ Chi are a relatively modern, man-made phenomenon, but their fame, deservedly, is worldwide. They are the outstanding symbol of the dogged determination of the Vietnamese desire to be free of Western colonists the tunnels Located in the Củ Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.

The tunnels were first thought of in the late 1940s, when the Viet Minh (the League for the Independence of Vietnam) were trying to remove the French from their country. Originally thought of as hiding places for arms and ammunition, they soon became hiding places for the Viet Minh fighters. By the mid-1965, 250 km (155 mi) of tunnels threaded their way under Cu Chi and the areas around it. One even ran under the American army base situated there. These tunnels allowed the many groups of Viet Cong fighters in the area to liaise with one another at will and even to infiltrate Saigon itself.

Signboard to the tunnel.

Tourist entering the tunnel.

The tunnels were dug to as many as four levels. The building work was incredibly hard - not only were there poisonous snakes, scorpions and insects, but these tunnels had to be made sufficiently solid not to collapse. People lived below ground for weeks on end, and there were not only living quarters but also functioning hospitals, kitchens, classrooms and even operating theatres and a small cinema.

More than 12,000 people died here during the Vietnam War, but the Tet offensive, which was dreamed up in these tunnels, probably turned the tide of opinion and made the Americans begin to realize that this was a war they would not win.

When the door closed, it almost undetected.

The network of Cu Chi Tunnel.

Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Local people with their boats.

The Mekong River, at over 4,000 km (2,485 mi), is the twelfth longest river in the world. It rises high up on the Tibetan plateau, flows down through south-western China, around Myanmar, down through Thailand and Laos, where it forms a border, through Cambodia and finally into Vietnam where its fertile delta forms the country’s agricultural heartland. The rich nutrients provided by the alluvial sediment enable about 40 per cent of Vietnam’s food to be produced from an area that covers only 10 per cent of the country.

Known to the Vietnamese as Cuu Long (Nine Dragons) because of the nine tributaries that spread out across the floodplain, the area has been criss-crossed with canals to channel the excess flood water in the most practical fashion. It was not until the French colonized Vietnam in the nineteenth century that the agricultural potential of the area was understood. Ironically the boggy marshlands and rice fields subsequently provided excellent cover for Vietnamese resistance fighters against the French and later the Americans.

Boat full of loads.

Local boats.

The river, with its network of tributaries and canals, is what makes the region so beautiful. It is essential for travel and transport and thousands of boats ply up and down these waterways, from tiny rowing boats to cargo boats carrying rice, fruit and sugarcane. All life is there to be seen on the water: colourful floating markets, river villages and Khmer pagodas can all be seen, and the areas not given over to farmland are rich with wildlife. Thousands of birds nest in colonies, and there are five species of dolphin to be found, including the rare Irrawaddy dolphin.

The Mekong River is very important to every people all along the river. From up above north in China until down here in the Mekong Delta, it’s provide important food source such as fish, irrigate the farmland, transportation and also many dams were built to provide electricity. 

Busy waterway.

Rice fields surround the Mekong Delta.