Travel Industry Newsposted on 01/02/2008
Hollidaymakers are going deeper underground in Cambodia as one of the nation's biggest tourist attractions draws them in.
A one-time hideaway for the Viet Cong guerrillas during the Vietnam conflict, the Cu Chi tunnels form a network of underground walkways – three storeys deep in some parts – that is proving popular with backpackers.
For just a dollar tourists can have a go at firing an AK-47 or an ageing US-made M16.
Around the tunnels, souvenir stalls have cropped up to cater for the "war-tourist" selling pens made from bullets and "authentic" wartime Zippo lighters engraved with GI motto.
However, visitors are warned that some of this memorabilia is less than authentic.
Tour guides dressed as guerrillas are also on hand to add to the experience, taking visitors through the labyrinth of tunnels which span over 200 kilometres and once connected villages and underground communities to northern Saigon.
According to the Lonely Planet Guide, Cambodia has a "vibrant culture", charming people and "jaw dropping" sights.
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