LEAVING OZ

Time to catch up now... it being Monday arvo. Since Friday night, I found Cheryl, was getting a little worried, but all was OK. Taking off from Coffs, she was sobbing like a baby ... REALLY !! I thought, how silly, as I wiped away my own tears. It's scary when it's finally THAT real. So, down to Sydney we get, grab ALL the luggage, and drag ourselves to the bus stop, onto the bus to International .... off-load bus, in we go, only to find out that Sydney - Ho Chi Minh is via Darwin (well we knew that) ... so the Sydney - Darwin leg is DOMESTIC.... obvious isn't it, when you know .... SOOOOOOOOO .... back outside, with luggage in tow (getting the hang of 10 bags now, between the two of us) ... wait for the bus to come back, and return to Domestic.

Through we go, well tried to anyway, but NO ... too much weight apparently. I tried to tell them that I, personally, had lost over 10 kgs in the past week, and did that count for any credits towards excess weight? NOOO ... hmmm don't think he even believed the weight loss bit anyway. So, over we go to pay (receipt in wallet, ready for next tax year!), and finally get boarding pass.

Now Jetstar is budget .... could you call it cattle??? .... off to Darwin we go, off the plane, (looks like it's a funny town/city up there, ut it needs some rain) ... Cheryl can get on the next flight, but I can't, I have to find my luggage and book again. Dear me ... Cheryl all good, until she discovers that she's lost her reading glasses and can't read a thing. So ... the plane is held up, search the airport for her glasses. NO.... can't find them, so off we go again, and finally get to Ho Chi Minh .... we land... Yeah ... but NO we have to wait a further 30 mins on the ground, they can't open the door, because someone forgot to put a chock under the front wheel of the plane!! ... Things happen slowly over here ... Finally out we get, and are chauffeur driven to the Continental Hotel to have an evening in a great old history ridden hotel. Great brekky again (do you remember Vicki and Sandra?? - was just as good again) ... Oh please tell Sandra that the rubber shoe/thongs afrom Big W ARE great ... THANK HER) ...

Flight up to Da Nang delayed by 4 hours .... so what do we do? Yep .. off to the Tax Dept Store again ... Cheryl NEEDED things .... Helo I'm saying ..... NOOOOOOOOOOO we are too heavy ... like 85 kgs of luggage is a bit much. Dis she listen? No... by the time we get to domestic we are now 95 kgs!! ...Their excess luggage is soooooo cheap! (compared to Oz) .. great scenery all the way to Da Nang ... grab all the luggage and out we go looking for our lift to Hoi An! No ... he not there , so we grab a cab and share with another young aussie girl (come with us we said). Leanne has been working for a month with HIV kids in Cambodia .... The stories she told ... sad ... but our INN was full for the night and she had to go elsewhere ... and we booked ourself in and are being treated with ??? ummmm amusement might be closer ... must go ... only computer on-line at the moment, people waiting, and I haven't been able to get my lap top linked in yet ... Might go and wake Cheryl to see if she can help me .... OK ...

next update are from last nights adventure with the unconscious cow, from falling off the back of a truck in front of us ... to our shopping expedition this morning for a hat and 2 x 21 litres of water .... so come back for the latest update ....

Did I mention that its warm ??? .... Sandra's kinda warm!! :o) .... dripping warm ... LV to ALL ... lyn / BM / Wilson / xxxx

LAST SUPPER : LAMB CHOPS

Lamb chops, mashed potatoes and veges veges veges .... oh heaven ... tucked in with great gusto, with the knowledge that this type of meal is NOT going to be on the menu for the next three months .... fish in clay pot??? .... 3 months of it ??? may just go vego!!

Packed unpacked, repacked, divided into two suitcases, the poor silver bullet was not lift-able, so two suitcases it is, and having two, created more room for cheese twisties and the like! Yeah Yeah!

All preparations now made, hair and hair removal ALL doneone small problem: travel buddy seems to have gone AWOL. Hmmm ... WILSON where are you??? we're leaving when the sun comes up! ..

First night Continental Hotel in Ho Chi Minh - yeah, well we deserve ONE night in luxury before we head up the track to Da Nang, then back down to Hoi An.

With so many cards, wishes, phone calls and txt's, I didn't know that I had that many friends (who were so glad to get rid of me! heheheh) ... But really, thanks everyone for your donations, support, good wishes and encouragement. It's still a litle surreal, but by ths time tomorow night we'll just have landed in HCM, and reality will hit us (me??? ) in the face big time ... and the adventure will begin ....

Next message from over yonder .... BM ... (who is now going in search of you know who!) ...

COUNTING DOWN AND GETTING NERVOUS

6 days til departure .... the trusty suitcase "the silver bullet" is struggling to close. It's moaning under the strain of the essentials; ie food hamper; which is not just for us, but for all the aussie ex-pats who we'll be working with. Wonder if we smile sweetly (me?? sweetly??) at the airport, if they wil feel inclined to NOT chare us for excess weight. Could always tell them that I;ve lostb10 kgs of body fat since we booked the tickets, so that should give me the same weight increase in luggage allowance. Don't think that's going to work. Cheryl can't even close her suitcase, and didn't get everything in! ...

The donations received from everyone are so appreciated .... we'll ensure that every cent goes to the kids who are sponsored. We'll have photos sent home for all to see WHO that are supporting.

This week will be meat, veges and salad EVERY night.... ttfn ... must cook!

HOI AN RIVER BOAT MAN

Well, this time in four weeks we will be spending our first night in Hoi An at Madam An's Hotel the Hoang Trinh !! Madam An has organised to pick us up from Danag airport and I am wondering if we should forewarn her that she may have to bring B Double to get our luggage back to Hoi An. We have received emails today from Linda (NGO founder). She has been to the orphange and says there are no toys or learning resources and suggests that Lyn and I may like to build a sandpit for the children and start a library as the children have none of these. She has also suggested we may like to help out at a local leper community to educate the children and grandchildren of the lepers there.

She is also asking for us to get some dehydrated protein for the children - something that can be reconstituted in cooking ......... I am starting to wonder what we can leave behind t ft it all in!!!! We know we only have 20 kgs of luggage that we can take and by the time we take the shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, anti wrinkle cream , anti mosquito creams, bracelets, candles, sticks, tablets etc etc she suggested we take - that takes up 10 kilos.....mmmmm ... it's a hard decision! I know I won't be leaving behind the vegemite, cheese, beetroot or saos that will keep us from getting homesick. It may be that we will be madly emailing everyone to send over care package, not only for us but the children too.

Linda is also looking for sponsors for 13 of the most capble children so they can attend school this year. The sponsorship will be $75 US ($100 AUD) per year so if you are feeling like you want to be a part of what we are doing, give us a call..............every little bit will help!!

GROCERY SHOPPING IN HOI AN

Now just to test uploading videos on the blog ... way back in May this year, we went down to the markets in Hoi An ... so I guess this is their version of Coles / Woolies .... was interesting ... and hot ... and wet ... the aisles weren't as organised as we're used to ... nor are the prices advertised ... Actually, the prices were Öh here comes a tourist .... mark everything up by 500% ... and so the bargaining begins ... it can take an hour to make one purchase ... it's soooo exhausting ... but so much fun.

And so, we're getting organised: Vegemite: tick ... good shampoo and conditioner: tick, Tim Tams: tick, BBQ Shapes: tick, Visa: tick, Tickets: tick, Anti-Nasty Diseases Injections and medications: tick, Accommodation: tick ..... thanks Madam An for giving us a great price for our rooms .... in the heart of the old town: Hoang Trinh Hotel ... we're crossing our fingers that it lives up to the promises!

Anyway ... only 5 weeks to go now ... sooooo excited ....

Counting down the days

Once upon a time there were 2 middle age women looking for something that would be challenging and give to someone in need......................but how did we come to be going on this adventure?? To be honest, I don't really know - but I do remember showing Lyn a video I had taken on the bus on the way to the airport in Ho Chi Minh City on our return to Australia from 12 days in VN. I was asking everyone in the group how they enjoyed the trip when Lyn took the camera from me and askd me what I thought of my experience. At the end I said that I that I had loved VN and would come back tomorrow to live and asked "Why don't you come with me?" Maybe that set things in motion - destiny? who knows? and now here we are getting ready to go outside our comfort zone, away from all that is familiar to us, to another country where people aren't as privileged as we are to impart some of our experiences and knowlege, hopefully to the benefit of those we are going to help.

Somehow things just happened and fell into place - life is like that sometimes, some things are meant to be.

It is true that Lyn and I have been to Hong Kong and China and Vietnam together, but as friends, I guess we don't reall know each other that well. I know she snores, she knows I can talk a lot when she is trying to sleep but outside that, I think we just have common goals and a need to be doing what we are doing and that gives us a bond. I hope this grows stronger and stronger over the next few months. I am sure there will be times when we will laugh and cry together and share an adventure with memories that will last a lifetime.

For all those who are goingto be following our journey, I hope you feel as much a part of it as we do. We know that there will be times when your support will see us through - as will the vegemite, cheese, sao's, tomato sauce etc that we are taking in place of clothing.

Let the adventure begin...............

In the beginning ....

Two friends .... have travelled together before ... seen some amazing things ... from bargain shopping in Hong Kong ... to climbing the Great Wall of China ... sailing around Halong Bay ... canoeing down the Mekong Delta ... and grocery shopping in Coles and Woolworths in Grafton ... are now about to embark on the best adventure yet ... 3 months volunteering in Hoi An Vietnam with NGO's .... join us in our adventure from the end of August 2009 until the end of November .... we would love to hear your comments on our adventures .... from Lyn and Cheryl .... Grafton ... NSW ... Australia