and now the weather ... brought to you by BM

Good afternoon viewers from BM reporting from HCM city ... south of the devastated region of Quang Nam central vietnam .... area has been devastated by the typhoon and we're glad we got out. Spoke to Nadine (my friend at CHIA) this morning by text ... she said place is a mess, but what a "party" it was ... Flooding big time now and no power ... Sadly more than 30 people have been killed, mud slides and landslides galore ... but honestly there is going to be a lot more deaths that the government will ever admit too ... (the would lose face by being honest and saying that things are bad). We were thinking of heading into Cambodia ... but now the storm has hit there and people are reported as being killed in there too ... so we might just sit for a while.

Just looked at the blog and saw the last few photos we uploaded from the restaurant ... the restaurant will be totally underwater now ... and the news here says that it could be the worst flooding since 1964 ... and the rivers were still rising. Cheryl and I enjoyed a 2 hour river cruise on the river and the river system on Sunday evening ... and took lts of great photo's, but I'm thinking that lots of that area will have washed away now ... certainly the electric wires which were strung across the river ... aout 6 foot above water level ... that had flourescent tubes, which came on when dark came ... to guide boats away from the lights ... well ... they are sure to be gone.

Other tropical storms forming off the phillipines now and may head our way as well ... looks like we'll have to be backpackers for a while ... we're going to stay safe (and hope that our possessions back in Hoi An are above water) ... they should be ... on the first floor ... and hopefully the Hoang Thinh will still have walls and a roof ... guess we'll just have to wait and see ...

Time for food ... we eat lots over here ... Oh .... Cambantrin: ..... It works !! (no pictures) ... :o)

Take care all ..... from the 5 of us .... xxxx

why did the chickens leave Hoi An

Hi All ... just a quick update from Ho Chi Minh City ... Tuesday morning here now ... we were not supposed to fly here until this afternoon .... BUT .... yesterday morning ... the storm that hit the Pilllipines was heading our way .... straight at us ... and was upgraded to a Typhoon ... so we thought it best to try and leave town... and not get caught up in any of the winds, rain, floods and what ever else ....

Lee has only just moved into our hotel an hour ago ... came back to work, and then we looked at the weather map and forecast ... skyped Cheryl ... made a decision to get out. Took a cab to Da Nang ... and got tickets to HCM ..... Vietnam Airlines - all flights cancelled now for three days because of the approaching storm ... we're wondering why Jetstar is still in the air ... and we were about to get on .... delayed flight ... wind getting wilder ... rain coming down ... everyone is locking up their businesses/houses , sand bagging the roof's, plastic bagging whirly birds on the roofs' (now that was worthy of photos) ... in thongs ... bare feet ... in howling wind ...

Anyway ... a very nervous wait, and delay, then getting onto the plane, the wind is big. All three of us held hands on take off ..... It's only a one hour trip down to HCM ... but it was a nervous one. Made it ... such relief ...

Met Wendy and Sue at the Oscar, which is our home now until the storm passes. Promptly burst into tears when we saw the girls. Needed dinner and drinks .... Back out to our favourite little corner shop for a great couple of hours ... wandered round the tax store ... and then all crashed into bed. Yesterday was a very surreal day (maybe that's the norm here) .. but glad all together and safe.

Wendy and Sue out today in the Mekong and Cu Chi ... they will be back this arvo late, so we are thinking of finding a massage, wax, hair cut day ... all so cheap here.

Just got a message from Jetstar to tell us they they have cancelled out flight out of Da Nang today .... just as well we got out yesterday then!! :o) ... we might get our money refunded now!! ... All $23.50 each for the flight ... air travel inside V:nam is cheap hey!!

Prior to "the approaching storm" ... we had a great weekend. Friday night gethering was biggest yet ... with 25 ex-pats together for a few hours ... Saturday we just nosied around town in the morning and had an afternoon at the beach. Sunday we headed back out to Dai Loc to see the kids. Hmmm SAND PIT constructing is truly "the pits" .... will upload pictures later on ... our tools of trade (initially) to dig a little trench, were a broom, a broken chair back, and wait for it, a machette .... Yep ... that was mine, Cheryl took the chair, and one of the children had the broom. Over the next hour or so, two spady type things and one hoe appeared, which made the digging a little easier. Oh, the older girls were preparing the vege's for lunch, all sitting around a great plastic tub, with small machette's to chop the cabbages etc ...

Cheryl asked me if we should be taking drugs to cope ... I replied that sometimes I think we are on drugs.

And a special message to everyone back at the Nursing Home .... it was like Christmas here last night. Wendy and Sue brought out all the pressies and surprises from all. It was so wonderful. New feminine knickers .... we sat there stroking them (thanks Colleen) ... Banana lollies .... Deodorant .... toys for the kids ... new lights for our bikes (ours have broken already) ... thanks Maria .... Stickers for the kids (you can't imagine how much the children LOVE stickers) ... the Printer (Max we love you) ... the tarp ... for the sand pit (when ever we get it finished) ... Jelly Beans .... Mozzie bite Zappers (thanks Ma n Pa) .... too many to remember, but each and every thing will be used and treasured (especially by Cheryl and I) .... Bonox .... Yeah!!!!

OK gotta go ... R & R Day .... Hi and hugs to all ........... Lyn, Cheryl, Lee, Wendy and Sue :O)

big mumma falls in a hole

Well Big Mumma was at work, teaching english to the physio girls Fuong and Vung (great girls they are) ... when there's a little trouble apparently outside the office (right outside) on the road. Yes, accident. Won't say much more than there was a truck, a motorbike and ... well I decided that I didn't need to go outside and LOOK .... no thank you!! .. But nearly everyone else did. Lee and I were sensible enough to stay inside.

So 1/2 hr or so later, Lee comes downstairs to tell me what's she's seen through the window ... (no details here) ... apparently there are no Ambulances in Hoi An ... if you are injured ... when people stop looking, you are just grabbed by the ankles by someone, and under the arms by other people, plonked onto a plastic chair and when the taxi arrives ... they throw you into the taxi, and away you go. Conscious and unconscious. Sobering ....

The day at work continued well (really like it here) ... and Vuong (my 2nd son, apparently) decides that he wants to take me home safely .... on the back of his motor bike .... OK ... so I did ... got home safe and sound. By this stage, Cheryl and I are a little afraid of getting back on the bikes, so decide to walk down town for an ice-cream or dinner or something .... it's only a block or so away from the old town .... and we both needed fresh air and a good walk to clear our heads and hearts ....

Went back to the restaurant by the river that sold us yummy ice creams the other night, and decide to try that place for something to eat.. problem being that the footpath (if you call them that) ... has been dug up... and a new gutter has been installed ... but not yet finished ... OK thinks me .. I can just climb over if I am careful ... I can see that they have lined the new gutter with some material stuff .... Cheryl has the giggles by now .... calling are you ok ?? as i balance on one leg, and try and get the other foot to somewhere stable, when, yep, the concrete below is still wet .... and down the hole I go ... slowly... slowly ... with plenty of time to wonder when I am going to stop falling .... all to the tunes of Cheryl's hysterical laughter ... thank you very much Miss sympathetic!!

Yeah .. I hit the bottom of the hole (one leg in and one leg out) and it's murky down there .. slimy ... oh dear ... i'm hoping that i'm not standing on a rat or something ... when out comes the boss man yelling are you OK ... Of course I am, just really embarassed at being stuck in a hole, wondering how I'm going to get out .... But, i'm a survivor ... out i got and down came the staff with a big plank .... to put OVER the hole (why wasn't it there to start with .... ??? ... cause you don't think too much over here!!) ... In we went, still laughing and had the most amazing meal .... Steak from OZ ... perfectly cooked, salad, garlic bread , chips ... (please see pics above) ... and also the pic of the staff putting out the plank ....

Perfectly stuffed, we strolled back home, in and out of so many art galleries, in the cool air ... it was a great night ... of simple nothing .... but just what we needed to clear the gremlins out of our heads ....

Back at work today ... in taxi ... will get on the bike again soon, when we don't need to go onto busy streets .... Weekend coming up ... Madam An is putting on a bbq at the hotel for US ... and Lee, who moves in this weekend! We're special ... we were also invited to a Vietnamese Wedding next Tuesday, but can

t go cause we're heading back down to HCM to meet with Wendy and Sue, who are flying in next week ... have a day or so down there with them, then fly back to show them all around here....

So, better get back to work, before it's time to knock off and head home ...

Oh Mid-Autumn Festival starts on Sunday .... apparently it's really big over here ... we shall have to wait and see!

Hi All back home ... we're doing fine ... and can't believe we've been here a month already! Sometimes it feels like we've been here for years, and at other times, only a week.

Friday night dinner and drinks again tonight ... with all the ex-pats working for NGO's over here .... about 15 last week, they are all great people ... from all over OZ ... we're talking about organising a Melbourne Cup Party over here ...

OK that's it .... bye all for now ... We are being careful!! xxx

The reality check

As much as we make light of things that happen in Hoi An & Vietnam on this blog, it is a way of protecting others, and ourselves at times, from the reality that is sometimes very confronting. It is also difficult to describe the emotion of some of the things we see, and sure, we can laugh at them and not understand the logic behind some of them, but the reality is that most things here happen or come to be from the necessity to survive and the lack of resources. One thing we have learnt is that our western thinking is not applicable to a developing country like Vietnam and to be judgemental of its people and its circumstance is western arrogance.

This blog, is on a much more serious note - so be warned.

We both have days where we see things that shock us and the images and stories are hard to forget. They play on your mind and have you wondering where it all starts and where it all ends - if there is an end at all. The longer we are here, the more things we see and when we think we have seen some things that are distressing, we something even more distressing the next day. To us westerners who are protected from the realities of life most of the time, they are only distressing to us. For the people here they are an everyday occurrence and are accepted mostly as a way of life - their lot in life, the way things are - and they learn to cope by making the best of what they have. This is often very little. The one thing that never ceases to amaze us is that although to us, the people here have a poor and sad existence, they are happy - and we wonder how happy we are with all our material possessions and the want for more. What do we need these things for?? - to make us happy? are we happy?
The poor are rich in the thought that they are alive and have food and a roof over their heads. It doesn't matter that the meals are small and basic nor that their accommodation may be dilapidated (only by our standards) or shared by 3 or 4 generations..........


There are times when we found some of these things a little depressing and wondered what we are doing here - the problems are far too complicated and far too big for us to solve- can one person really make a difference??? Then we met Jacqui from the Kianh Foundation, a support agency for the Hoi An Orphanage, at drinks on Friday night with her Vietnamese son Wah who is 9 years old. Wah was profoundly disabled and was surrendered to the orphanage about 2 1/2 yeas ago. After a year, Wah's father wanted to take him back home. Until Wah had been surrendered to the orphanage, his parents had kept him tied to a bed every day! We were horrified but then saw that his parents probably had no choice if they were to work at al to support the family - it was probably also to protect Wah from injury, we reasoned. Jacqui couldn't bring herself to let it happen and so applied for legal Guardianship of Wah. He now lives with her and in the last 12 months has learnt to walk and talk - be it unsteadily and sometimes incomprehensibly- but he can do it all the same. This was our inspiration and motivation.. This gave us hope that we could do good here and make a difference to a life.

Wah was an inspiration and so I went to visit the his orphanage yesterday thinking that it would be better than the orphanage at Dai Loc. Dai Loc is in a village out of Hoi An so is much more isolated and doesn't have the tourist income that Hoi An does. As much as I was somewhat shocked by the conditions at Dai Loc, I was not prepared for Hoi An orphanage. I guess I came here expecting the worst and thought I had seen most of it - but also know deep down that we had been protected to a point because we were westerners and would probably not see most of it.

I met Colin, a volunteer from Australia who is working with the Kianh Foundation and Alec, a young man from England who has taken 12 months leave from the European Central Bank in Germany to travel. First impressions on entering the orphanage is that it is rather ramshackle but not too bad. We were taken upstairs to a room where a Physio and an assistant were working with a group of both mentally and physically disabled children ranging in ages from around 6 - 19 years. Their aids and resources were limited but the basics were there. I was surprised to see children's car seats being used to seat the children up, but it seemed like a very practical solution.

Next we go into a classroom where we see about 9 children attending lessons. They all turn to us and say "hello", smiles on their faces as they wave. We wave back. All have some level of disability. We are told that although the orphanage provides these services to the children, the government can decide at any time to move them to an adult institution and they often do - without warning and without logic for selection. Here they no longer have access to any physio or other services and those that cannot mobilise are left bedridden - undoing all the work from the care provided at the orphanage. The Kianh Foundation employs a local cyclo driver to bring a few of the young adults who have been relocated back to the orphanage each day for physio and lessons. We meet Khanh, whom the Kianh Foundation was named after. He is now 19 years old and his days at the orphanage are numbered. The children all say "Goodbye" and wave as we leave.

We are next shown the Physio room upstairs with a small collection of very basic physio aids, the boys dorm where children sleep 3 and 4 to a bed, the dining room, the open kitchen, the boys bathroom which is in a state of disrepair (although Colin told us it had been renovated a few years ago so the girls could have a separate bathroom). Colin tells us they built a trough a few years ago so the children didn't have to clean their teeth and wash their hands on the floor where there was no drain for the waste. We move to another bathroom come laundry where a stainless steel bed with steel slats sits near a cold water trough on a tiled floor. The smell is terrible, even worse than the boys shower / toilet block. We are told that the children are lined up together on the bed and washed down with cold water - even in the winter. The bed looked no different than those the children are sleeping on. The toilet is taped up as it is blocked and can't be used. Above us is hanging stiff cloth squares of material that we are told are nappies......and apparently there were no nappies until a few years ago. The nappies are hosed off onto the floor and then the faeces are hosed outside onto the central courtyard. Standing alone and abandoned on the other side of the room is a dilapidated shower chair that is stained and looks like it had never been cleaned.

We are then led through a door to another room. The sight here is heartbreaking. To the right of me are 2 children sitting on a steel slatted bed being fed pureed rice by a house mother. We are told both are in their late teens but I would have guessed at an age of about 10. Both have cerebral palsy and one was born with no eyes. To the left are three small undernourished children (we are told they are all girls) on one bed. All are in their early teens -I never would have guessed their ages either. Two lay side by side, one constantly stroking the pillow her head lay on - she is severely disabled and her body is contorted and the foetal position. Lying next to her on her back is the other girl, right leg plastered from toe to waist, a disposable nappy taped to the plaster. The plaster is wet from urine. She had fallen out of bed and broken her leg a few weeks ago. At the other end of the bed in a corner is another small girl with a tiny body and enlarged head - hydrocephalus (water on the brain). She is biting at a woven blanket she holds in her hand. When I reached out to touch her, she leaned forward and it was all I could not to gasp - she is tied by the ankle with a piece of torn up cloth about four inches long to the end of the bed. I couldn't stop the tears and struggled to take in what I was seeing. Through the shock I understand the need to restrain this little girl to prevent injury from falling out of bed, and the lack of resources to replace this seems a somewhat archaic method but it still seems so unnecessary and I struggle to deal with the reality of it. What choice is there? There are no bed rails, no cots, nothing and at the other end of the bed I could see the consequences......

Through tears we move to the next bed where another girl with hydrocephalus lay. I reached out to touch her and she flinches, as they all do when we touch them.... they are not used to physical contact except for feeding, bathing and changing. Another severely disabled boy sits in a car seat. He has cerebral palsy and is the twin of a normal brother; he was surrendered to the orphanage by his father when his mother died. Some time ago, he suffered a high fever in the night but was never taken to hospital and is now severely brain damaged. I notice a blender on the floor where food is being blended for the children - at least they have a blender. By this time I am fighting back tears and trying to maintain some self control..... Of the 63 children housed at the orphanage 19-22 are disabled. Apart from this room, I am never shown a separate dorm for disabled children and am sure this room can not have slept 19+ children. Suddenly there is so much in my life that didn't make sense or seem logical or even important, for that matter..... I was not allowed to take pictures in this room.......but I knew the pictures would be so clear in my mind forever.

We are then shown the girls dorm and told that there is a bathroom at the back of it but Colin isn't sure if it was useable at the moment and we aren't allowed to go and look. There are no mattresses on any of the beds, just a cane mat on steel slats. The Vietnamese do not use mattresses because the weather is so hot but I wonder how cold the winter months must be??? The temperatures can get down to 10 degrees at night when it is really cold.


On leaving the orphanage, we meet the man who is hired to bring the kids from the adult centre to the orphanage for physio and classes to save them from a bed ridden existence. We are told that he had two disabled children whom he brought to the orphanage some years ago. He lived here with them for a while until both died within a year of each other. He has a happy smile and is anxious to shake hands with us and say hello. Colin tells us he carries the children to his cyclo and up the stairs to the Physio each day - the children are not all small and he is not a big man but has a BIG heart!! You can see it in his eyes and his smile says it all.....

I leave the orphanage in a rather despondent mood, fighting back tears and struggling with the reality of what I have just seen. Alec is just as quiet as we walk back with Colin to Kianh - just a block away. I try to make sense of the empty rooms in the orphanage when there are so many children in one bed and the dorms are full, the building works that are going on with no real purpose or planning, the two meeting rooms with huge tables that are bigger than the dining room that only has a few small tables, the are parked under a shelter that is blocked in by piles of building materials that could be used to bring the children from the adult centre to the orphanage, the leaking rooves ....... none of it makes sense

Retail Therapy

Today, we decided a little retail therapy would be god for the soul and so we arranged for Mr Bar to take us to Danang. Mr Bar has proven to be a much safer driver than any yelow taxi driver we have had and as usual he is there on the dot of 8 am, holding open doors for us and making sure we are comfortable - off we go, Mr Bar with mobile in one hand and radio a tad too loud, but we adjust the volume and settle in for the ride... through the vegetable plating village with the prickly pear cactus for fences to the intersection at Anh Bungh Beach and turn right...past the empty shells of houses the government bought up for the new road to Danang - "good road" Mr Bar tells us "five years old" as we marvel at how a road could get in such a condition in 5 years, past the graves that are still by the roadside because the families haven't dug up the bones because the spirits have told them the time isn't right yet, past the Greg Norman Golf Course (the signs read: "there's a white shark in Danang), past the construction site for the biggest resort come casino you have ever seen (we wonder what this will do for the Vietnamese economy...) onto Danang! We arrive about 30 minutes later all excited to be going to "Metro" - we have heard so much about Metro and all that it can offer for deprived middle aged women suffering from retail withdrawal. Mr Bar parks the car and rushes to open the doors for us but we are out before he can utter "go forward and shop". We are stopped at the front counter by a rather serious store attendant who engages in a onversation with Mr Bar. It seems we ned ID but Miss Suong assured us this morning before we left that we didn't need any - Lyn comes to the rescue with a copy of her passport (think she must have been a boy scout or girl guide; always prepared)and she is given a "permission to shop card" ( as if we needed permsission!) - then we are ushered to another counter where we are told to take our money and phones out of our bags. Mr Bar takes our phones and pockets them - just as well he has so many pockets- then our bags are taken from us and placed in a plastic bag, zip tied and handed back to us! Felt a bit foolish for a while wandering around with our handbags secured in a plastic bag hanging around our necks but the locals didn't seem to stare or find it odd, and besides, nothing was going to stop us now - we were in the biggest single storey supermarket come variety store you have ever seen!!

First stop - printers. We picked out a printer to donate to Linda for CEF. One thing we have learned is to make sure anything electrical we buy works before we buy it and so when we had chosen a printer we asked the girl for a boxed one - none in stock, so we have to take the floor stock... no worries so long as we can see if it works first - simple request but NO!, we have to pay before they can test it. "What if we pay and it doesn't work?" I ask. "We give you your money back says the assistant"......?? - I hope so....Anyway, all is well... after installing the software we finally get to test the printer and Wollah!! wonders will never cease - it works!! We spend the next 15 minutes trying to get it back in the box and head off proud as punch with our new purchase to explore the rest of the store.We didn't miss an aisle and were like kids in lolly shop for the first time - the excitement mounted as we found M&M's, Ritz biscuits, Bega Tasty chese, Australian Camembert, pillow slips for our newly acquired soft pillows, a small esky, air freshener, cashews, pringles, chup-a-chups .... the list goes on......there was nothing you couln't buy from this store.... and as we shopped we knew we would be back...... (Mr Bar, who had been waiting patiently outside for the two and a half hours it took us to meticulously inspect each and every aisle for hidden treasures, was probably hoping we wouldn't be....)

The fresh food section intrigued us as we wondered through the fruit and vegie, fresh meat and diary aisles - so many unfamiliar and familiar sights! The most bizare was huge fish tanks with live fish in them, including eels and sea snakes.... certainly adds relevance to the catch cry "Fresh Food People" - Woolies have nothing on this store!! What we wouldn't have given for our cameras which were securely sealed in our plastice bag sealed handbags hanging from our necks..

Lee and I stopped to look at some whiteneing face cream that was being promoted in the store and noticed a DVD presentation on a large LCD screen above the display. As we watched we were horrified to see that it was a story about a young man who breaks up with his girlfriend and finds a girl and gets another grlfriend. The girl is very upset and starts using the whitning face cream and eventually gets him back and they get married!!! You had to see it to believe it!! Little did they know we would galdly swap them for their skin!

As time pushed on and thirst was getting the better of us we made our way to the check out. After making individual trips to the ATM to get cash (we couldn't use a credit card)we finally paid for our goods and left the store with them packed into huge kermit green sports bags and Mr Bar in tow. Alas, the expedition wasn't over yet - we were stopped at the door by scurity to get our recipts stamped (mind you the receipts look like a ledger than a receipt. The check completed we headed for the car to pack away our treasures to be stopped again by security - Mr Bar and the security girl were once again engaged in a serious conversation while we rummaged through our bags to find our receipts to again have them checked....??? by now we are beginning to think that we must look a tad suspicious but we get the nod from Mr Bar and the girl disappears and we are in the car and off for a nice lunch - Mr Bar's choice / we pay. Through the streets, horn honking, swerving in and out of motorbikes and reminiscing about Hanoi and Saigon - Mr Bar tells us that Danang is the 4th largest city in Vietnam - 1.5 million people!! would never have guessed - on our way to Hoi An the first tme when we passed empty beaches and saw little traffic on the roads, but today they were all out!! - maybe they knew we were coming??

Mr Bar took us to his favourite restaurant where we guzzled a couple of cold drinks straight down (shopping is certainly thirsty business)before suggesting Mr Bar order for us. We had a delicious chicken and orange rice dish followed by a cabbage (looked like broccoli leaf) and shrimp soup. Cheap meal - ony 60,000 VND each!! That's $4 AUD !! lucky to get a coke for that in Oz!! As we left the restaurant, we noticed the shop next door sold coffins - "expensive" Mr Br told us "5,000,000 VND !!" we quickly worked this out and figured it was about $250 AUD - not expensive from our perspective and it was solid tinmber too!!

Back in the car and feeling revived from our therapy session we headed home, anxious to unpack the treaures we had found. We stopped at China Beach on the way to take some photos and check out the live seafood at one of the eating stalls - eels, crabs, prawns, lobsters, oysters, mussels........ ertainly puts a new slant on fresh!

We made it home safe and sound thanks to Mr Bar and settled in for a nanna after unpacking. Tonight we dined on fresh bread rolls buttered with new Zealand Anchor Butter and tomato, onion and Bega tasty cheese ....... we savoured every mouthful! - it doesn't get any better than this........ or does it??? - it is even raining so the temperature is now a mild 20 degrees ...... NO - it doesn't get any better!!

Lee joins the team and we go lantern making

Well, we have another member of the team now ... Lee ... a great lady from Qld, who is working with BM at CHIA ... and is moving into Fawlty Towers with us next week ... which may be a little come down from the Hoi An Hotel (it has a pool) .... we have a little work to do on Lee's pushie to get it up to our standard (ie Horn, mirror and battery light) ... but she will get great for our team.

So we've just had two days off work, and head back in tomorrow ... and decided to make the most of it ... we need to start doing things, because our time is going so quickly. Booked a lantern making tour (on pushie) yesterday ... so off the three of us went at 9.00 am with our tour guide (forget his name now ... but it isn't Fee, Fi, Foe or Fum, cause they all work here) ... And, yes it was warm yesterday ... 100 metres down the road, and we were all dripping again ... and by the time we got to the village (which was quite close actually) .. we were feeling the heat .... the "factory" is open air, wouldn't quite make OH&S in any other country, but they welcomed us with open arms and lots of bits n pieces that we were supposed to organise, stretch, glue and form a lantern .... Was so much fun, I must have been the dunce of the class, because I got lots of help ... and it still looks horrible. We decided that we would go again another day and we would all get better with each new lantern, and that a big one would be easier than a little one. We asked the wages that were paid to the girls who were teaching us .... and converted, is $43 a month ... a MONTH .... and they work more than 5 days a week, more than 10 hours a day.

Not content with our lanterns, we asked if our guide could take us to a pottery making village. YES, he said ... It's 10.30 by now ... we didn't think ... AGAIN ... it's hot ... and getting hotter and we are on the pushies ... and the pottery village is on the other side of town .... Sometimes we are just completely daft .... We peddle past labourers putting up cement type walls ... and are informed that these ladies earn about $5 aussie / day ... which is quite good wage !! ??

So back down the lane we head, and there's a calf running wild on the path ....terror strikes our hearts ... which one of us is it going to take out ??? .... None of course, the cow owner brings it back under control by throwing a brick at it ... Well that worked ... Cow subdued ... we peddle past safely, but have hit so many pot holes that our tyres are now deflating fast and it's getting tougher to peddle ... then a truck comes down the lane, and we all have to head bush (it's smelly in the bush) .... but onwards and upwards .... finally get back to town ... have to go through town and out the other side ... and k's further to the pottery village ...

Tyres pumped up (1.000 dong each thank you .... about 8 cents) ... we travel faster, until the girl on the pushie in front of me loses her load of loilet paper ... thank god I saw it, and was able to weave through, didn't even have to take feet from pedals .... Finally get to village, with sore backsides, tongues hanging out of our heads like panting dogs ... and in we go .... mud floor, just a family living on the river bank .... in a hut / home with everyone from baby to gr-grandma there to welcome us .... gr-grannie decides to show off and show her pottery skills ... but has to get grand-daughter to kick start the pottery wheel..... I kid you not ... its round wood on the ground .... grannie sits on a stump of wood, with granddaughter keeping the wheel going - like a one footed running machine ... no electricity at all .... and grannie makes the most amazing little jars and bottles in no time at all.

Big Mumma's turn next - they all laugh, and produce a higher wooden stool for me. Cheryl tries to kick start the wheel, but it doesn't get past first gear. Eventually am proud of my little creation ( I remembered after all these years) .. so covered in mud ... grannie gives me a hug (kindred spirits) .. well she tries to hug me but her little arms don't quite reach all the way round me! Hmmm am i still putting on weight ???

So after the token purchases, we need Coke and ICE ... badly ... so take off behind our guide to the nearest "beer" umbrella on the side of the road, pull up our little plastic chairs (these ones had arms, and I'm having difficulty squeezing bum between arms) .. and guzzled down coke in about 10 seconds flat ....

Lee takes us to her hotel, and we fall into the pool to cool off ... our core temp is about 45 degrees by now ... and the little pool boy ... stands above and offers coctails ... YES please ... with ICE ... lovely couple of hours there ... but needing nanna naps badly by this stage .. and head home, thoroughly exhausted, sunburnt and have had a great old day .... Get home and take the thermometer from our room to the front verandah again ... and it goes from 20 degrees to 50 degrees again .... in about 5 minutes ....

Need to upload the sweaty photos of lantern making ... and will leave todays Danang visit to Miss Cheryl ........

5.54 pm Tuesday night - downstairs in Hotel ... still raining outside .... and its very pleasant at the moment ... and for the first time in many weeks, I am NOT perspiring, which is such a relief, and today, I have only worn one set of cothese, as opposed to the usual two or three .... thank goodness washing is cheap ... 10 000 dong / kilo (PS 15 300 dong to $1 AUD)

OK time for food ... love to all at home .... BM and Cheryl & Lee

Some more photos from the orphanage to share

Had to share some really good photos I took at the orphanage today- the pictures say it all........

Back to Dia Loc

Welcome back to the Orphanage – Sunday 20th Sept 2009
Up at 6 am, for an early brekky, and Mr Baaa (our trusty driver) arrives early to transport Cheryl, Linda and I back to the Lai Loc (die-lop) orphanage. We’re on the road by 7am, and appreciate the skills of our driver to get us there safely. Boom gate at the railway crossing is fixed (phew), and we avoid the road that is under major re-construction by going via another village.
We get dropped off at the gate, and trudge up the hill to the orphanage. Someone must have been watching, and word was passed around that the colt from …. No, that’s another story! … We’re looking for Mr Boss of the Orphanage, but all of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by, first the small, then the large children. ALL smiling, ALL holding us, ALL remembered us. Some just stood beside us and wrapped their arms around our legs. Bit hard to walk like that, so we were stuck until they realised that we were going to stay a while again. And then they off-loaded our bags and helped us carry all the books, resources, games around the back.
I was wanting to see the courtyard, to see if anything had happened since last week. We have given them a list of some things we needed to help make a sand pit ….. Just to put something in the Dirt. And VOILA …. There was a load of bricks … Hmmm OK … it’s a start …. Didn’t look like too many bricks, so we started to do a bit of a line (no string, pegs, spades or anything … just follow the line in the dirt) …. Then all the kids got into the action. It’s a bit bedlam …. But they got the idea … we had to make the corners, or else it would have been one continuous line of bricks … and that would have been useless. OK … this could work, I was thinking, then a few of the older ones ran off and started bring in more bricks from behind one of the buildings in A WHEELBARROW … no idea where they found it, but it has tyres that you can pump up … (note: take pump next week and actually pump up the tyre) … but it worked! Just hope to goodness that they “new” bricks are not from a back wall or anything …. So with that in place, we now await next week and see what will be brought … maybe some concrete and sand stuff so we can stick them all together and then concrete over the top (just going to be like icing a cake I think ,….. probably NOT … but we’ll see)
Into class, where our interpreter read out the class rules. No-one left.. Yeah yeah … we divide up into two classes again … Cheryl with the little-ies and me with the older crew. Linda has another meeting with a family who have applied for assistance, so we see her later on. And we’re back into it again … speaking … conversation … they all know the words, some are shy, some are loud, some are slow, some are so so bright. Numbers today as well. Played head, shoulders knees and toes (hea solda nee tow), nearly right. Then that’s it … attention span over … ½ leave (what about the rules???) …. But it’s a bit hard with over 20 kids … various ages and levels ….
There’s sadness in some, anger, some are just so keen to learn anything. But they are truly glad to have you there. So we have a short break, Cheryl drawing a hop-scotch on some cement for them – ever seen 20 kids all try and play together …. ??? There’s no rules …. Most are well behaved, some are NOT .. OK hot outside, I’m dripping, melting, nearly run out of water, spy Cheryl who is looking as lost as me … What next … OK pencil / papers / stickers / drawing time with Cheryl in charge of the two boxes of ballons that you inflate and twist into animal shapes … BM doesn’t like busting balloons and keeps away … With the bat of any eyelid …. The balloons have disappeared … Hidden for later … Get interpreter to try and locate them and have them brought back so we could play. Children all happy for the next ¾ hour, getting help with drawings, climbing over me, on me, under me to point to the sticker they would like (thank you!!) … EXHAUSTED by now …. Cheryl and I look at each other, eyes raised in silent HELP”S …….
Some of the kids drew hip-hop and then did a bit of a hip-hop dance for us … will get a CD next week for them and take the CD player back and have a bit of a hip hop morning too.
We’ve also been presented with some of the drawings from the children … Getting them to write their names on each one … and going to bring them home. Linda bought the protein powder and has given it to the cooks, so it can be added to their food, to try and build them up a little bit … 50 kgs will last maybe 3 months – it’s a start.
Am adding some of the photos we took today and over the last few days so you can all see share pictures and not just words ……..
Off to a lantern making class / tour / village tomorrow morning .. TTFN … hi to all back in OZ … love Cheryl and Lyn

Getting smart in Vietnam

GETTING SMART IN VIETNAM
Hi all at home … Well we’ve been here three weeks now, and I know, that in the past, that some people have not called us the smartest cookies in the box, but, after three weeks we are getting with the programme. When you visit here, you comment that its hot, and keep on truckin’. But when you stay here, that doesn’t work for very long, because you get exhausted. So we’re goin’ vietnamese. Yep, having daily nanna naps to cope with the climate. It’s exhausting.
It’s Sunday now at 4.30 in the afternoon, and I’ve just woken up, and think that Cheryl is still sleeping. We did the same yesterday. Cause we were not working, had a sleep in and a lazy morning recharging the batteries. Then out to Lunch with Robyn and Xuan (sue-an ?) they took us to the White Rose Restaurant for lunch – amazing little place, where they make these white rose thingi-s out of what looks like white play-dough, put a touch of prawnie stuff inside, or porkie vege stuff inside, and steam it …and voila “white rose” things – very yummy. Then out came the wontons, absolutely delicious … look like pizza .. only a fried wonton .. with like a sweet and sour base with pineapple and prawns.. so yummy we asked for second helpings. Met the boss man, who said that he is the third generation in the family business and that all the girls who were making the white roses were all family members. They sit round a table … and just make them over and over … sort of like human pottery wheels, spinning until they make these tiny little pouches for the food to go into. It’s a bit disturbing to see the girls, after a while, start rocking to and fro, and it was explained that they get sore legs ad backs, and rock to relieve the pressure. Sitting there 12 hrs a day or more, I guess would do this to you.
By this time it’s 1pm and it’s “melting hour”… bike seats too hot to ride, so we had to find shade to allow them to cool enough to sit on and ride home … straight for a nanna nap. So at 4.30, I venture out to the verandah, and couldn’t believe that it was still hot … went back inside and found a thermometer … sat it on the table for a couple of minutes … well it only went to 50 degrees …. (and had to take a photo as proof). Then sat it in the shade, and it went back down to 46 degrees after about 20 minutes. See, we knew it was hotter than 32 …. And verification that it is HOT. Hot flushes actually cool you down over here!
So after an hour or so, we jumped on the treadlies again and headed off, cooler by this stage. And did a little more sight seeing in the old town. Found a wonderful silk top XXL is BM’s size … and wore it today … so wonderfully cool … until it gets wet from perspiration, and is then transparent. Oh, the button holes are a little larger than the buttons, so the girls were aired a few times. Back to last night …. Down by the river, and it was camera night, the reflections of the buildings and the lanterns in the river water was so pretty … tried to take photo’s but none of them did the sights justice. Had a cup of ice cream for dinner (still too hot to eat) … and it was sooo nice. Pineapple and Green Tea and lemon for me … banana and something for Cheryl. Managed to drop my faithful bike and smash the light, but amazingly it still works. Then back home to try and packed up our goodies to take out to the orphanage very early this morning.

What we have learnt about Vietnam

We thought it would be nice if we shared a few of the things we have learnt since we have been here:
1. It's hot
2. The sun burns
3. It is even hotter on a pushbike on the bitumen
4. Always take water and a washer to wipe off the sweat
5. Sweat in your eyes while you are riding a bike stings
6. Don't let anyone write numbers on your bike seat - this means you have to pay to park it anywhere
7. There are no roads rules or a right an wrong side of the road
8. Honking the horn doesn't mean you are horny - it means get out of the road coz here I come
9. All GOOD restaurants have cats to keep the rats down
10. Buy your own chopsticks and carry them with you - you never know when you might need them
11. Always ask for ice otherwise you get a hot drink
12. Toast is a french bread stick
13. If you order fried rice and egg expect rice and egg - no vegies
14. Don't order pork spare ribs
15. Don't order fried eggs
16. Rambutans are nice
17. Booee is horrible
18. Only buy meat that has flies on it - no flies - no good
19. You can shop at the markets even when it is flooding - just wear gumboots
20. It's OK to throw your rubbish in the gutter - someone sweeps it into a neat pile for the garbage collectors - you will do someone out of a job otherwise
21. If they don't have it they will get it for you - maybe take just a coule of minutes on a motorbike
22. Flies have red noses like Rudolph
23. Dragon flies means it will rain - the lower they are to the ground the more rain
24. Saying "Am oi!!" -( Hey you ) is not rude
25. Yes means yes, yes means no, yes means I don't know
26. Right is left and left is right
27. Never take directions from people laughing at you
28. NEVER get in a yellow taxi
29 Learn that "Chum!!" means SLOW
30. Cockraoches in kitchen cupboards are acceptable
31. Rats are nothing to be concerned about even in a restaurant
32. Water pipes must be bad - 21 litres of water costs 50 c AUD - we got ripped off the first time and paid $4
33. You have to be here a while to get local prices but we still not get local local prices you have to be Vietnamese for that
34. The coffee gives you hairy chest
35. Bikini wax is done with sticky tape - honestly, this is true!!
36. Garbage trucks play "Happy Birthday" when reversing
37. It only takes one year to study to be a vet
38. Doctors can buy their qualifications and lots do
40. It only takes one year to study to be a Physiotherapist
41. Bribes are acceptable
42. Do not expect anything you buy to work
43. Deodorant contains bleach = hairy white armpits
44. Shampoo and conditioner contain bleach
45. Washing detergent contains bleach
46. It is acceptable for the dog or cat to live in the kitchen - plus any offspring
47. Paraplegic kittens are everywhere
48. Logic doesn't help - seriously ......... comonsense is not common
49. You can wear your PJ's anytime anywhere even to formal occassions
50. Most young people don't know how to get pregnant
51. Most young girls don't know when they are pregnant
52. Sex education classes consist of a penis in a banana skin
53. Linen stretches and stretches the more you wear it
54. A cow lying unconscious in the middle of the road doesn't mean it is dead - just resting
55. Just because you are wearing sunglasses and a hat or have a raincoat or umbrella doesn't mean you don't want to buy more.
56. If the boom gate at a railway crossing isn't working, find 6 men to carry it away
57. Demolition of buildings requires 6 men and a rope - doesn't have to be a long one
58. The Metro store in Danang sells EVERYTHING - from cat food to computer equipment
59. Morning Glory is something green that you eat
60. "Come on" means "Thank you"
61. Never go outside between 10.30 and 3.30 when it is hot
62. Always look out the side window in a car/ taxi never out the front
63. Always expect the unexpected
64. Just because a road has been dug up for repairs doesn't mean you can't drive on (in) it
65. It is OK to drive over rice drying on the road - where esle could you go?
66. If it is raining you don't have to be anywhere - even work
67. You can carry ANYTHING on a motorbike or pushbike - even coffins
68. Only westerners sweat
69. Haven't found out about this one yet
70. The programmes on the Australia channel are years old
71. Teeth and mouth are hard words to say if you are Vietnamese
72. There are no top sheets on beds
73. There is no fresh milk - only soy and condensed
74. Insect repellant with DEET removes nail polish
75. Only Australians wear pushbike helmets and are something to be laughed at
76. Hand signals or blinkers are not required - everyone knows where you are going
77. Avoid the metre of sand on the roadside - unlees there is a big bus or truck coming
78. Side mirrors on a pushbike let you see how big the vehicle is behind you that is honking
79. NEVER get in a yellow taxi (I know I have said it before, just reiterating)
80. NEVER get in a yellow taxi
81. Seatbelts in cars don't always work even when you can find them
82. You may have to pay tax on anything you send here if you can buy it here
83. Don't drink too much coke not matter how hot and thirsty you are - it keeps you awake
84. Salt is pink and comes in a small dish
85. Coffee comes with it's own drip filter - real stainless steel
86. Coat hangers for skirts are coat hangers with pegs
87. All laundry is hand washed
88. The ironing board plugs into the power point and the iron plugs into the ironing board
89. It is OK to wear a jacket, long gloves and long socks even when it is 50 degrees and the humidity is 200%
90. Cheese is called "Laughing Cow" - we think the joke is on us, not the cow
91. You can order Sauteeed garlic and vegetables
92. Do not order garlic bread at Treats - it's not a treat by any means
93. Always get desert at the Cargo Club
94. Fishing boats are huge round cane woven fruit baskets that appear to float
95. Dogs and cats eat rice too
96. If a power point is hanging out of the wall it doesn't mean it doesn't work
97. NEVER get in a yellow taxi
98. Viettel SIM cards only work in Saigon - buy Vina
99. Never sit in the middle row on a Jetstar flight if you want to eat or watch a DVD - or row 4 for that matter
100. We are sooks !!! - NEVER get in a yellow taxi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dai Loc Orphanage

Dai Loc orphanage...what an experience!! We met Trang (she calls herself "forever in my heart") who is 16 eyars old and has been at the orphanage for 6 years. Her father died when she was 9 years old. She has 3 brothers. Her mother put her in the orphanage because she is a girl and boys are more important in Vietnam as they get an education and can then work to support the family. I videoed her singing a song for us ....have a listen....it is beautiful......she sings like an angel......
She is just one of 43 children at the orphanage. She is happy because now she has three mothers and lots of brothers and sisters..........

a day at the orphanage .... and the trip there and back

Well, after a night of no sleeping (think it was something in the food, because neithere of us slept much) ... up we rose to find that we are both still glowing like a firefly ... and jumped into the shower, had a quick breakfast (which is not so quick these days, because we stay so long they keep bring out the food) ... and down stairs we go to await Madam An's brother Mr Baaaaaa who is our hired chauffeur for the day. Mr Baaa (he no fish no more, according to Madam An) is married, so BM stays single. Linda arrives and then the hotel staff present us with a bottle of water and a packet of coconut bickies each to get us through the long journey. Off we go ... again down and around, over and under .... other road uses, rice, which is drying on the road ... then come to a road that looks like it's been transported from a war torn country ... pot holes, gravel.... in any other country the road would be closed .... but not here .. through we go ... bump bump bump .... then we come to a railway crossing.

Aparently the gate has broken on our side of the road ... so ...... out come the villagers ... 1/2 a dozen or so ... lift it up and carry it across the road to allow us to cross the crossing.... a little bit further down the road, there are about 6 men pulling down a two story building wall ... with a hook and bit of rope ... no hard hats, shoes, no OH&S at all ... apparently over 25% of adult men either die or are disabled by workplace accidents .... not a good record hey!!

Up to the orphanage village we go ... getting a tad nervous ... we turn into the driveway ... and there are ............ HUNDREDS of faces all standing and smiling and waving to us. Good grief... we had been told that there were only 43 children at the orphanage ..... the real red carpet treatment ... we looks at each other and say ... "what the" .... finally get out of the car .... by that stage they are all looking at us .... feeling special ??? NO WAY ... totally inadequate .... but then we had to wait 1/2 hour for the interpreter to turn up (solly solly me late) ... still not knowing what is going on but by this stage are being swarmed by adults, children, house mothers ... all crying sin-chow ... thats vietnamese for hello ... we grin like idiots back again. THEN we find out that it's not us they were throwing the red carpet out for, but were waiting for another charity group to arrive with car packages for the children of the orphanage and the village locals.

So, we have to wait for them before we can commence classes .... they took our tables, and our rooms to prepare for the big wigs.... so we had to wait ... You do that a lot over here.... Linda commented over and over today that it's very lucky that we are flexible ...

Other charity arrive and present 30 new bikes, calculators and a new outfit of clothing for each child and food, which was promptly pigged down. But at least we were offered some (yep, I stole from them and ate their lollies - Cheryl brought hers home) .... then finally we are given our children .... BM is thinking they are all about 6 - 11 years old, but some were actually 19 years old. Tears were threatening a few times, the smiles, the faces, the shy ones, the ones in grubby mis-matched clothing, and those who were so well dressed for the day and the child-leaders who came up and introduced themselves in fautering english. Broken down play ground .... small concrete rooms 4 beds/room - no mattress .... one table, one cupboard and a shower curtain in a corner for changing clothes.

So Cheryl and I separate with two different groups of children, and try and teach them conversational english ... starting with body parts ... hello, my name is ..... ; numbers, colours, but the attention span is only about 15 mins. But we do our best .... then have a break, then back to work, then play games ... pick up sticks ... (all disappeared within 3 minutes, but got some back) ... barrel of monkeys .... balloons with texta face drawings .... simple things that brought joy to them all .... They lost their shyness fairly quickly ... and one young boy tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to his paper for me to see his drawings ... then took his pencil and wrote F L O V E ... think it was love ... and pointed to me .... We played hokey pokey .... vietnamese version ... put your rye egg in, your rye egg out, eft arrr in, eft arrr out .... (that's arms and legs to us aussies) .... that's what it's all about ........

We're supposed to be helping to build a sand pit .... ??? oh dear .... that's another story ... gone from wood .. to brick and mortar ... dunno where we get sand from, but apparently there's plenty of builders sand ....

Invited to stay for lunch .... we be hungry by now... the house mothers and the cook ... do up a lavish feast for us .... and made us sit down and eat, while they ate outside the kitchen, would not join us at the table (but the dog did) ... eventually they did ... and we had a great old time teaching them that hand and finger game ... church steeple, people ....

The big boss came and asked us if the staff could all bring their children next week, as the children had all enjoyed themselves with us so much.... but NO, it would change the dynamics too much .... we asked the children if they would like us back again..... YES YES YES .... feel a little inadequate, but aparently they gained as much from the day as we did.

Sunday night now ... we're both exhausted ... back to work again in the morning .... There is so much to do here ... but it's so hard ... there's no starting point and definitely no end in sight with the children and their needs .... Thank goodness Cheryl and I are here together ... Would be too difficult to do this alone .... with no-one to talk to at the end of the day ... and someone to have a good laugh with ... and that's what's needed ... BIG TIME ... laughter ... to get us through ....

Onwards and upwards .... we've been here two weeks now .. sometimes it feelings like six months and at other times just a couple of days ........ Think every Aussie whinger needs a stint over here as a reality check to how good life is in Oz ....

That's it ... all caught up now ... we're having a ball .... but need sleep now ... upload a couple of piccies from today and then it's lights out for both of us ...

Hug Hug ... from both of us to everyone!!

going to the beach

Sarurday arrives, and Cheryl has the day off work ... Head to the beach said Linda ... it's going to be a sunny day ... so without further thought ... off we went on the pushies ... down and round , over, through rice paddies, over bridges, and then we decide that it's HOT ... very HOT ... and we are melting again .... then a bridge looms in front of us ... it's going UPHILL ... we are tired ... can't see because of pirspiration ... and Big Mumma can't make it ... has to get off and push ...

by this stage we are at the Vegetable Planting village ... and still no sign of the beach .... push on cries Cheryl ... I am cried BM ... and finally, we see sand in the distance .... but before being able to bathe body beautiful in the South China Sea, we have to negotiate a price with the Keeper of the Car Park ..... a few logs supporting corrugated iron for a roof. OK deal done, then problem being, we are in civvies and swim wear in bags ... where do we change? ... OH over there in cement cublicles .... ??? .... mouldy green slimy open air cells .... with what looks like a huge cocrete fish pond full of water .... but no, Not a fish pond, place to gather fresh water to pour over oneself (on leaving beach) .... it's not so 3rd world, there is a lifeguard tower .... but NO ... it's Robinson Croesoe's .. a bit tumbledown ....

Changed ... head for the sand ... Madam Madam Madam crieds little girlies from one end of the beach to the other ... to US .... "you stay here under our umbrella's on our bathing chairs" ... then you buy some lunch at our restaurant (restaurant?? I'm thinking ... looks more like .. oh dunno what it looks like) ... OK we finally settle on the first one available .... plonk ourselves down, and head for the water ... a bit of surf .... about 24 degrees .... but still cooled us down somewhat ... then back to the grass umbrella ... and comfortable chair to relax ... But NO ... Madam, Madam, you buy from me ... where you from???.... aussie aussie ... kangaroo ... berry nice .... 10 times over ... 10 different people. BM decides that she should really purchase some sun screen, but being the best bargainer in the world ... failed to settle on a price ... so NO GO .... No sunscreen ... now wasn't that a mistake!! ... we bathe, relax, bathe, and see a storm brewing over yonder horizon .... and decided that despite still being in the heat of the day that we should make tracks (after we have eaten at Madam's restaurant, where they peeled potatoes and made chippies for us . yukky ones ... and had a couple of nice pieces of toast with onion tomato and laughing cow cheese ... which was edible ... just)....

Mother nature's calling BM by this stage ... and I get pointed in the direction or the loos, but Mr MADAM ... has turned on the tap into the bucket for me to flush the loo after i have wee'd .... the bucket filling faster than I am emptying out .... the race is on ... whether the bucket will over flow or i will finish first.... It was close ... but I didn't spill a drop ....

So with sandy crutch (and sandy everything else) ... we head back to the "garage" ... retrieve bicycles ... hop back on and then try and race the storm back to Hoi An ..... by this stage the tarmac is 140 degrees, we're melting again, and the sand is chaffing! ... On we go ... but this time we are hi-jacked by Mr Roadside Rice Husker ..... who insists on taking photo ... when he shows us how to sift the rice thingi-stuff that has just been cut from the paddies .... 20,000 Dong later we back on the bikes ...... and nearing our destination ...

Arrived safely ... spent next 45 minutes in cold shower removing sweat, sand etc etc from body beautiful ... only to find that we are PINK .... going RED ... and starting to glow ...

Message to learn from day ... Take a GREY Taxi to the beach .... OK next installment from Cheryl re today .... our first day at the orphanage ....

and it's a doozie ........ love to all back home .. we're exhausted

PS might try and upload some piccies from An Bang Beach ......

test test

we're having troubles with our posts

Computers!! ....

For the last couple of nights Lyn has fought through tiredness to post some new events on the blog, only to find they are not there once she publishes them. I am trying to post a blog just to see nif she is losig it or whether there realy is a problem........ we'll get back to you.....

yellow taxis and paraplegic kittens

Never ever catch a yellow taxi in Hoi An .... we assumed the brace position for most of the journey (it was easier that way, rather than looking) .... made it home .... thank goodness. Oh ... you always bump your head on the inside roof of taxis ... and the head rest comes up to your shoulder blade ... we were both so glad to get home safe and sound .... ugggh .... and that was on the way home from the beach on Thursday night .... where there were ...

Three little kittens, two of which are paraplegics (back half) .... horrified to look at them (so we didn't for a while) .... then we could see that they were in no pain and were palying with each other ... now looking for old kids skate boards to make some sort of contraption for them to get around a little easier .... life is different here ... perplexing and bewildering ... more to come ....

test test

we keep losing blogs when we post them .... trying again

The owl and the pussycat......

Finally today there is sunshine!!! Haven’t seen the sun for over a week so it’s a good start to the day!! Maybe the clothes I washed three days ago will finally dry if I wash them again to get the damp smell out.
I re-wash everything and hang it on the clothes rack I bought. I spend some time on skype throughout the morning – thank God someone invented Skype – free international phone calls over the internet!! Ad it comes with video too so you can talk face to face. I have missed skype for the past few days while the internet was down. I don’t feel so far away from home or as isolated some I make the best of the sunny weather. I am told there are 10 more days of rain forecast …………….

I go down to reception to get my passport to get some details of it for Linda so we can get permission to go to the orphanage on Sunday and am so excited as they tell me my parcel has arrived !!!! Someone has gone to pick it up for me on the motorbike. He comes back while I am there and is just as excited as I am and takes it up to my room for me…… all those stories I heard mustn’t have been true after all!!
Ha throws the box upside down on the bed and starts to tear through the strange blue and white tape that is holding the box together!!! I get him to stop as it is obvious that the box has been opened and looked through. He hands me a note that has been stuck to the box but I can’t read it – it is in Vietnamese. I head back down to the office to find someone who can translate the form for me……… the young girl looks at it and asks me to sit at the table ……. This isn’t good, I am thinking….. You have 2 balls, and pen and book she says. I say “yes” (warily) she says ‘they are not in the box” I say “why? She says, “You look” I say “no” she says “you look” I am thinking I am confused, why would customs take these things out of the box. She tells me to not worry, but I am. Someone has been through everything in the box and I don’t know what is there and what isn’t. I skype Lyn and she wants to have a box opening party after work so I decide it is best to leave it as I think I want a witness when I open it properly – not so much for what is missing but for what else might be in there. I have to leave anyway to go work with Linda. I take the form with me and ask Linda – she doesn’t know enough of the language to translate either and thinks that some items have been confiscated until I pay the tax on them – apparently if you send anything into Vietnam that you can buy here, you are taxed on it – if that is right I owe 241,000 VND and have to go to the Post Office to pay it before I can get my things back.

I work with Linda until 6pm and she invites Lyn and I to dinner and a movie. Lyn arrives in a taxi to pick us up and we head ff to Ahn Bung beach just a few klms away. When we get there I am amazed – it is just beautiful – so different to the rest of Hoi An – something like you would find on a tropical island!! Little grass huts and huge pot like things lined up on the beach. We go to investigate and find that the pots are actually the biggest can baskets you have ever seen!! We ask Linda what they are used for and she tells us they are boats!!! What the…. There is no way I would go to sea in one of these!!! Doug Jones and John Williams, eat your heart out!!! I’d like to see you at sea fishing in one of these!!! We watched a fisherman ride the waves in a basket just as the sun was setting. As far as we could see there were lights everywhere from all the basket fishing boats out at sea fishing!!! - never seen anything like it. From there we went to a little open restaurant on the beach with sofa chairs under grass thatched roofs – felt like Robinson Crusoe!!

A French man and his American wife own the place and we are introduced to them. Sam, the wife, tells us someone has dumped some kittens there today and when I look to see them, I am horrified ……. 2 of the three kittens are paralysed in the back legs and are dragging themselves along the floor!! Lyn and I don’t know where to look and try not to appear distressed !!! As if no-one noticed…….. As the night wears on we learn that the kittens are quite happy, although on the thin side, and manage to get around quite well. We don’t even want to think about what has happened to them. There are so many kittens everywhere as no one can afford to have a cat desexed. There also is no humane way of destroying kittens such as these……. The kittens are always really small and so thin and so far Lyn and I haven’t brought any back to the hotel but it is hard not to. We try to avoid the crippled kittens all night but they eventually find their way onto our laps, and everyone else’s throughout the night… no one has the heart to turn them away…… they have survived so far…..

After dinner the lights go out and while the surf pounds in the background, out comes the data projector and we watch a movie on the side wall of the house! It is wonderfully relaxing night in paradise. It doesn’t get any better than this! We say goodbye to the kittens but they are busy skating around on the floor playing with each other… this puts our minds at rest a bit – they seem happy and capable…… Lyn’s suggesting we find a miniature skateboard for them – we can’t even find paper!!! How are we going to find MINIATURE skate boards…… Sue and Wendy???? …. How big was the shoe box I was allowed…..???

Yep - Raining still !!!

Wednesday 09/09/09 - something ominous about this date.......

Rain, Rain go away, come back another day………… yep! Raining again……

The parcels I sent from Australia still haven’t arrived and I think the man at the Grafton Post Office was onto something when he told me you cannot insure anything sent to Vietnam! Bugger !! as it had so many things in it to take to the orphanage………. I head down town in the rain to try to find a bookshop to get some large sheets of paper so I can get some words translated for the children at the orphanage. I also need to find a soccer ball seeing as the one I bought hasn’t shown up yet. I also need some blank CD’s so I can record ABBA for the kids --- YEP! That’s right – they love ABBA and Christmas Carols and Happy Birthday so I am going to write some CD’s to leave with them – that’s if I can find any. I also need to get a CD player but I am told I won’t buy one in Hoi AN and will have to go to Danang to get one – what joy!! 30 minutes or more each way on the back of a motorbike for a CD player in the pouring rain…… can’t wait!

I spent all morning walking the streets and cannot find any shops that even remotely look like they sell paper, CD’s or balls and after almost three hours and blisters from thongs rubbing on my wet feet (can’t wear anything that isn’t rubber) I come home empty handed. So frustrating to not being able to get what are basics to us…….. but I am learning that that is the way it is here……. What I wouldn’t do for a printer even…… the hotel doesn’t even have one and I haven’t found anywhere that does!!! I need a copy of my visa to give to the authorities so I can go to the orphanage and I will probably have to go to Danang for that too… my passport won’t fit through the fax machine without ripping out the pages… don’t think the Immigration officers will understand somehow…

We also have to organise a car to go to the orphanage as it will probably be raining still – three hours on the back of a motorbike in torrential rain is not my idea of a fun time… nor is it safe if you have any idea what the roads, traffic and road rules (NOT) are like here.
I spend the rest of the day working then read some more of “THE BOOK”. It’s depressing but explains why things are the way they are and so I need to finish it if I am to understand any of what is happening here. I am starting to realise that western thinking will not help these people, that you have to have some understanding of their history and culture and the suppression they have suffered to be able to help at all. What they wouldn’t give for just a little of what we have……., and yet I am starting to realise that maybe we aren’t the lucky ones in some ways………

stopped raining from above, but the rivers flooding

Hi everyone back home... we're sorry we haven't updated for a while ... but things are quite different over here ... when it rains too much, the power goes out, internet goes down, fawlty towers leaks, and then when you do get time, the computers are taken down stairs. (My comp doesn't even get wireless, so gotta rely on the ones down here).

We're really settled now, and "got with the programme". I'm working lots, but working through lunch, much to the horror of all the staff here. I'm sure they think that I am going to starve because I skip lunch; and because I don't have a nanna nap with them on the mat, they think ... oh I don't know what they think. We smile and nod a lot, and pretend to understand each other. Have learnt lots of vietnamese words, then forget them, then say the wrong one, in the wrong tone, and am probably calling them all big fat cows, instead of "good morning". Tone is very importand here ... and since I'm absolutely tone deaf. I don't have much of a chance.

Everyone we've met are great, quite a few aussies here, and we meet up once a week, if not more. We have a big breakky in the morning, and because we've been here so long, we get great meals .... really cheap at the hotel ... like noodles, veges and chicken (?) ... less than $2. Everyone eats out all the time, its cheaper than cooking at home. Besides, we don't have any cooking equipment in our rooms anyway! Have never ever drunk rum in my life, but the boss (Robyn) bought me a rum and lime juice ... was really nice ... not so the headache the next morning.

We're tha laugh of the town now with our bikes, people are starting to know us ... (I guess we're not that hard to recognise) ... and aren't getting chased down to buy things all the time (thank goodness - it was starting to wear us down).

Have been taking taxi to work because of the rain ... didn't trust my skills on the bike, with water half way up the wheels. Taxi costs 16,000 dong .... about $1.10 .... $1.30 if they go slow (and that's not often). We now have two excellent tele-tubbies ... hoping that we'll have at least one of them dry ... oh speaking about dry .... sent some laundry out on Sunday - got it back yesterday, then had to hang up in the shower all night, cause was still damp... apparently they iron things dry over here ... Anyone want to open up a clothes dryer shop with us????

The river has broken its banks on this side and is coming up the side streets in the ancient town ... but that doesn't stop anything ... the markets still operate ... they just move the produce off the ground to a box, stand in the water and keep selling things. Oh, one thing different, the boats that were on the river, are now in the streets, and the owners paddle up to the bars and offer people boat rides ... Really bizzare

We went shopping tonight and bought an ironing board, another hat stand, etc etc, some of the things we were struggling without ... and they said they gave us local prices ... cause we're doing good things for the children. Which was nice .... but i don't think it was local local prices ... Anyway ... a little man loaded up the back of his motor bike with all our staff and brought it all round home for us ... and away we went on the pushies again. You would imagine by now that we would have lost weight .... NUP ... neither of us ... Cheryl's put on 3 kg... and me 4 ... grrrr we can't believe it. Oh Cheryl's hand is OK ... but Robyn has some sort of parasite thing on her shin (a living thing)... Every time she tries to get it out, it just crawls up a little and settles down again ... medication hasn't killed it. Now she's trying our Combantrin and magnaplasm ...

OK that's it for now ... time for shower (that's another story .... !!) ... and bed time ...

Great news also ... my niece has safely delivered the twins today ... girl and boy .. so off shopping for them tomorrow! TTFN and hugs to all .... Lyn and Cheryl