we took a little ride down the end of our street ... we hadn't been there before ... thought it went into a main road ... no no no ... paddy field ...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
what's down the other end of our street?
we took a little ride down the end of our street ... we hadn't been there before ... thought it went into a main road ... no no no ... paddy field ... 
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
My Son
We cannot believe how fast time is going and suddenly, we are cramming everything inot a couple of weeks. After yesterday's ride to Hai Van Pass and the Elephant Waterfall, we back up again to do My son, which is about 50 lms from Hoi An, but may as well be a hundred miles because we are still sore from yesterday. We are up early and head off about 6 am to beat the morning tourist rush and it is well worth it. The sunn is rising and the mist is haning over the rice fields as we head north out of Hoi An... through small villages and then up a side track and suddenly we are on the main freeway (Vietnam style) and into Quang Nam township. About an hour later, we fall off the bikes at a little cafe just on the outskirts of My Son for a quick cup of coffee. The mountains are a beautiful backdrop as we ride up a paved driveway with lush green vegetation and small babbling brooks. Ahn and Hoa drop us at a small paved path which leads to the ruins. They tell us the ruins are over 1400 years old .... My God, we say, Australia is only 200 years old!!. The boys head back to wait for us at a little cafe and we head off into the wilderness to explore the ruins. It is amazing to think they have been standing for so long, although sne are in a state of disrepair........once again we take a thousand pictures and head back to have a cold drink with the boys before heading home to Hoi An. The pictures teel the story......
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Top Gear - Vietnamese style
As our time here is running out and we had every intention of seeing and doing so many things, and hadn't, we took up the offer last Saturday to go on a tri to the pass, half way between Hoi An and Hue. Friday it is still rainign and we can't make up our miunds whether to call off the trip or not but decide if we do it will be sunny on Saturday and if we don't it will rain..... you know how it is! So we decide to do nothing. Our riders, Anh and Hoa arrive at the hotel on Friday night and we get up at a sparrow's on Saturday morning and after a light breakfast at Tiffany's we don our helmets, camera tightly secured around our wrists and head off.... just get down the road and it starts to rain..... we pull over...... and are offered a wet weather suit each...... mine fits perfectly but Lyn just laughs... "my bum won;t fit in them" she says..... you right Ahn says and offers er an oversized telly tubby instead. On our way again......out to Angh Banh beach then left to Danang.First we stop for me to buy a face mask - i thought they were worried about the pollution but they wear them so they can breathe!!...The road is covered in and in patches where the typhoon hs moved the beach over the road.... most of the trees have gone but suprisingly there doesn't appear to be much damage to the houses along the raod.... it was hard to tell though....
Anyway, through Danang, past the cargo ship washed up on the beach (bad driver Ho tells Lyn - ha ha ha)then up the mountain. The rain never comes, (as you would expect) and we stop on the other side of Danang to take our raincoats off, for Hoa to put a cushion on the seat for Lyn (by now she is having trouble even getting off the bike) and to stretch our legs. As we climb higher and higher the view gets more and more spectacular and we are happy that it is not sunny- the mist on the mountains makes the view magical and as we climb higher to the American and French bunkers at the top, we are actually in the clouds. Here we stop for some still photography (hard trying to focus on the back of a motorbike) and get some of the best photos!! By the time we climb to the bunker, we are greeted by goats peering over the wall at us and we see that one has only just had a baby.....ohhhhh......The French an the Americans both built their bunkers to keep watch on the traffic from the north as this had been the only way over the mountain untill recently. The bunkers are battle scarred and the mist gives it an eery feel.
After a little spot of pressure souveneir shopping, we get back on our bikes and head down the mountain and stop at a liuttle seaside town (forgot the name) for lunch. Turns out it was the same place we stopped at on our last trip where we were horrified at the mess on the floor and the tables). It was clean and tidy this time... we ordered THE BEST SPRING ROLLS!!! and shared lunch with the boys.
Lunch over with, we get back on the bikes and head for the elephant waterfall. We are so looking the part - face mask, the sunglass and the turtle helmet....... by this stage we know we have been sitting on a bike for hours: legs ache, bum sore......through rice fields, across bridges, in and ut of traffic.... and then we turn left down a little side road - you would never know what was up this road unless soemone took you there - the scenes were absolutely like sonething out of a travel magazine... qalong the stone track and then we reach the top and oull up at a small timbershack where a man is laying in a hammock with a somehwta unsociable dog growling at his side....Anh isn't scared.... he wanders in a takes a pair of socks from the line.....we look puzzled....do we need socks???....for the leehes he tells us....Mr Hoa says "do not worry, you just spit on your finger and brush it off!"...Oh!! we say - never knew that... Hoa tells us he learnt that n the army when he lived in the mountains for nearly three years...we feel better now knowing that we have a very capable guide to show us through Deliverance territory........ We hike up the hill and come out onto a rock plateau and gasp at the view....there is the biggest waterfall with crystal clear blue water gushing down through boulders.... the largest of which looks like an elephant with a trunk and all..... and everywhere we look the rocks look like elephants frolicking in the water.... the sound of the water rushing is so loud and set behind the waterfall are a range of mountains that back onto Bachmar National Park...they are surrounded in cloud and mist and in the distance we can see the waterfall meandering down the huge mountainside....magical!!!! Ahn tells us that many years ago the elephants used to play and swim in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall but they were taken away because the climate was too wet for them here and now there are none....the villagers made the statue out of the rock as a gesture and to honour the elephants.....As we look around we can see the remains of what seems to be some form of building...The bioys tell us that there were houses built on the rocks but they have been destroyed by the typhoon and the floods..... you cannot imagine what it must have been like to live on the edge of this beautiful waterfall at the base of the mountans...so tranquil....except for the defeaning noise of the water gushing down the mountain.
Feeling mystified we head back to the bikes and start the long trip home. We stop a few times but almost fall to the ground with aching legs each time. The scenery is just as inspiring on the trip back and SDcards full we arrive back in Hoi An about 5.30 pm - very very sore bums and legs that don;t want to work.
We have a rest then take the boys out for tea. Hoa tells us that the disfigurement to his face wa scaused by a marble bomb that exploded close to his face when he was in the army, fighting the Chimnese at the border. He had been conscripted to the army when he was only 19 (reminds me of a song) and was there for 2 and a half years. He grew his hair long because this protected them from the Chnese. the Chinese knew that the Vietnamese soldier with the long hair had been in the army for a long time and they didn't want to fight so they left them alone. He said the new army boy had short hair and wanted to fight so the Chinese new the difference.After almost three years Hoa was discharged andleft the night before he was due to go because the Chinese knew when they left the camp during the day, they were being discharged and shot them. He was given 20,000 VND to get the train homne (not enough to pay the fare) and 4.5 kgs of rice!! for three years service-- undetsandably Hoa is angry but has learnt to live with his disfigurement and is such a kind, gentle caring man.
Anh's father left them when he was 9 and he went to wor on the street shoe shining. This is where he learnt English. He is married, as is Hoa with 2 children. Both live in Hue in houses only about 13 sq mtres big - and they share with other family members. Both are exctremely poor and don;t want to ride the bikes as it is dangerous and worry that if they are killed, there wives and children will have no-one to support them. Survival........ an everyday story in Vitnam....
Tomorrow we are to get up at 5.30 to go to My Son - about 50 lms away. That will be the next blog......Hi to everyone...not long now.......only two weeks left!!!
Anyway, through Danang, past the cargo ship washed up on the beach (bad driver Ho tells Lyn - ha ha ha)then up the mountain. The rain never comes, (as you would expect) and we stop on the other side of Danang to take our raincoats off, for Hoa to put a cushion on the seat for Lyn (by now she is having trouble even getting off the bike) and to stretch our legs. As we climb higher and higher the view gets more and more spectacular and we are happy that it is not sunny- the mist on the mountains makes the view magical and as we climb higher to the American and French bunkers at the top, we are actually in the clouds. Here we stop for some still photography (hard trying to focus on the back of a motorbike) and get some of the best photos!! By the time we climb to the bunker, we are greeted by goats peering over the wall at us and we see that one has only just had a baby.....ohhhhh......The French an the Americans both built their bunkers to keep watch on the traffic from the north as this had been the only way over the mountain untill recently. The bunkers are battle scarred and the mist gives it an eery feel.
After a little spot of pressure souveneir shopping, we get back on our bikes and head down the mountain and stop at a liuttle seaside town (forgot the name) for lunch. Turns out it was the same place we stopped at on our last trip where we were horrified at the mess on the floor and the tables). It was clean and tidy this time... we ordered THE BEST SPRING ROLLS!!! and shared lunch with the boys.
Lunch over with, we get back on the bikes and head for the elephant waterfall. We are so looking the part - face mask, the sunglass and the turtle helmet....... by this stage we know we have been sitting on a bike for hours: legs ache, bum sore......through rice fields, across bridges, in and ut of traffic.... and then we turn left down a little side road - you would never know what was up this road unless soemone took you there - the scenes were absolutely like sonething out of a travel magazine... qalong the stone track and then we reach the top and oull up at a small timbershack where a man is laying in a hammock with a somehwta unsociable dog growling at his side....Anh isn't scared.... he wanders in a takes a pair of socks from the line.....we look puzzled....do we need socks???....for the leehes he tells us....Mr Hoa says "do not worry, you just spit on your finger and brush it off!"...Oh!! we say - never knew that... Hoa tells us he learnt that n the army when he lived in the mountains for nearly three years...we feel better now knowing that we have a very capable guide to show us through Deliverance territory........ We hike up the hill and come out onto a rock plateau and gasp at the view....there is the biggest waterfall with crystal clear blue water gushing down through boulders.... the largest of which looks like an elephant with a trunk and all..... and everywhere we look the rocks look like elephants frolicking in the water.... the sound of the water rushing is so loud and set behind the waterfall are a range of mountains that back onto Bachmar National Park...they are surrounded in cloud and mist and in the distance we can see the waterfall meandering down the huge mountainside....magical!!!! Ahn tells us that many years ago the elephants used to play and swim in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall but they were taken away because the climate was too wet for them here and now there are none....the villagers made the statue out of the rock as a gesture and to honour the elephants.....As we look around we can see the remains of what seems to be some form of building...The bioys tell us that there were houses built on the rocks but they have been destroyed by the typhoon and the floods..... you cannot imagine what it must have been like to live on the edge of this beautiful waterfall at the base of the mountans...so tranquil....except for the defeaning noise of the water gushing down the mountain.
Feeling mystified we head back to the bikes and start the long trip home. We stop a few times but almost fall to the ground with aching legs each time. The scenery is just as inspiring on the trip back and SDcards full we arrive back in Hoi An about 5.30 pm - very very sore bums and legs that don;t want to work.
We have a rest then take the boys out for tea. Hoa tells us that the disfigurement to his face wa scaused by a marble bomb that exploded close to his face when he was in the army, fighting the Chimnese at the border. He had been conscripted to the army when he was only 19 (reminds me of a song) and was there for 2 and a half years. He grew his hair long because this protected them from the Chnese. the Chinese knew that the Vietnamese soldier with the long hair had been in the army for a long time and they didn't want to fight so they left them alone. He said the new army boy had short hair and wanted to fight so the Chinese new the difference.After almost three years Hoa was discharged andleft the night before he was due to go because the Chinese knew when they left the camp during the day, they were being discharged and shot them. He was given 20,000 VND to get the train homne (not enough to pay the fare) and 4.5 kgs of rice!! for three years service-- undetsandably Hoa is angry but has learnt to live with his disfigurement and is such a kind, gentle caring man.
Anh's father left them when he was 9 and he went to wor on the street shoe shining. This is where he learnt English. He is married, as is Hoa with 2 children. Both live in Hue in houses only about 13 sq mtres big - and they share with other family members. Both are exctremely poor and don;t want to ride the bikes as it is dangerous and worry that if they are killed, there wives and children will have no-one to support them. Survival........ an everyday story in Vitnam....
Tomorrow we are to get up at 5.30 to go to My Son - about 50 lms away. That will be the next blog......Hi to everyone...not long now.......only two weeks left!!!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
CHERYL AND TYPHOONS – THEY ATTRACT EACH OTHER
CHERYL AND TYPHOONS – THEY ATTRACT EACH OTHER
Just a little (?) update on the last few days for all back down in Oz … It’s Thursday morning here, and we’ve had an eventful week …. And are both OK. Apparently Typhoon Mirinae is getting a bit of media attention back home, and everyone is concerned about us.
We’re just fine, both at work this morning, and there hasn’t been any blackouts so far today, which is a refreshing change from the last few days ….
But back to the end of last week … BM headed down to HCM to meet Miss Cheryl on her return journey to Vietnam. Internal flights in Vietnam are so inexpensive – under $40 to go back down there. Stayed back at the Oscar Hotel, and they remembered us …. (wondering why?) … and was great to get a western coffee back at Angel-in-Us across the road … soooo yummy … caught up with each other, and then Cheryl unrolls the shopping scroll, an extensive list of orders from back in Oz. So Saturday was a day of charging around HCM to fill the orders, spending much time at the Tax Department Store and back down in Binh Tanh Markets … by that time BM has only 10% left in the batteries and plonks herself down on one of the famous Vietnam armchairs; well actually they are little plastic stools that are about 18 inches high ….. but so comfy when you need a rest.
Taxi ride down to the markets cost us 10 000 dong … and the ride back 38 000 …. Same distance … so big mumma gets the pig in her and starts to argue, and argue, and argue …. All to no avail, cause we were locked in said taxi and could not get out anyway without paying the elevated cost. Now I know it was only $1.50 more, but it was the principle of the thing.
Ohhhh …. Bought out the shoe shop of the comfy little rubber slide shoes that I’ve found … (watch out everyone at home, guess what our Chrissie pressies are!!) … so we then find that there is not enough room in luggage … need more luggage … back to Madam Bag and bargain for another cheapie … which wil be come someone else’s bag (hehehehe) …
Back to Da Nang, then Hoi An with a big delay – solly passengers we have technical problems.. Back to Fawlty Towers where we share room … and all Miss Cheryl’s goods have been packed into my room … bit squeezy … Big welcome for Miss Cheryl …. And we are informed that Sunday night that Madam An and staff have decided to throw a welcome back BBQ for ALL there … which turned out to be a great old night for everyone …. Cheryl oi and I helping with the cutting up .. I of course, cut the plastic thumb off my glove … into the mouse ear mushrooms …. Yep … don’t even ask … but we made stuff, madam an cooked stuff … and we ate stuff …. Best just to think of it as food stuff …
Big day Sunday morning … up at 6am to leave for the orphanage by 7am … and had a good day out there …. Will leave the details of this for Cheryl oi to do ….
Then, just as we think the weather is being kind, well another typhoon is heading across the pond towards us … Great … here we go again. And as Mr Mark commented the other day …. Is there a relationship between Cheryl returning and Typhoons??? … could be … she can shop like a typhoon anyway! …. Typhoon downgrades to a tropical storm … and is heading towards us again, but hen changed course and headed south to Nha Trang … and just before hitting land, gathered speed and became a typhoon again … We up here in Hoi An were on the outskirts of it … and copped a bit of wind and rain, and got another flood … which was impressive … from all the water coming down the river. Marks beautiful bride of 30 or more years toppled from her bicycle from a gust of wind, and is apparently still nursing bruises and aches.
The number of blackouts were annoying …. The noise of a generator is worse still … being asked to turn off your hot water, fans, etc to help the generator is so funny. Putting the generator across the road … and having motor bikes and push bikes trip over the electric cables (lying in water mind you) … watching them refil with petrol in a 2 litre plastic oil bottle, filled from the petrol station (???) – well it’s a hand pump bowser that sits on the side of the road in front of a local shop … You just sit and shake your head with a bewildered smile on your face.
Monday night .. dinner with Robyn, two nw OT’s from Canada and two English ladies who are long time donors to CHIA …. Really enjoyable night …. Dinner nights are always an early night… out straight from work at 6 and home again by 8.30 at the latest …. It’s pitch black at 6pm anyway now …. Into bed and up early for work the next day …. Routine that BM is in … Cheryl is re-adjusting quickly too.
We head round the corner to the ancient town Tuesday night to see if the predictions for flood are real … Yep … sure are … the first two streets parallel to the river are under … and heading up, across and around everything …. Now one would think that the store owners, seeing the waters rising, would elevate their wares, especially the art shops …. But NO … we just stand there and watch the water rise. So, when in Vietnam, do as they do, we sat in a Restaurant and watched it rise too …. Bit difficult when ordering, …. Sorry lyn oi …. Sorry Cheryl oi … we no have that … no power … but we did find edibles, were pounced on by the local children selling everything but their grandmothers (cause they were hiding round the corner waiting to grab the monies from the sales). Head home, on foot, no can’t go this way, flooded, go back …. No can’t go that way either …. Best just grab a taxi, they knew which way to go.
Wednesday morning – the floods came in and went out again over night …. Well most of the water anyway … some streets and the little islands still cut off … And today … Thursday … still water laying round … rain … and looks like more rain coming across the pond from the phillipines … NO… we don’t want that cause have a trip booked for Saturday … we will see if we can make it without getting too bogged … better go …. This was supposed to be short …. Next one will be a list of more funny things you see … the cyclo man peddling behind the two palm trees he needs to move …. But can’t see round the trees .. dear me … the motor bike man with his pet dog behind … carrying and then dropping the kitchen sink on the pavement …. Having to buy cakes from the cake shop using your motor bike light to see what’s for sale …. Hey there’s ways to do everything over here, if you want to! ………. OK time to go … love to all at home …. Lyn and Cheryl ….
Just a little (?) update on the last few days for all back down in Oz … It’s Thursday morning here, and we’ve had an eventful week …. And are both OK. Apparently Typhoon Mirinae is getting a bit of media attention back home, and everyone is concerned about us.
We’re just fine, both at work this morning, and there hasn’t been any blackouts so far today, which is a refreshing change from the last few days ….
But back to the end of last week … BM headed down to HCM to meet Miss Cheryl on her return journey to Vietnam. Internal flights in Vietnam are so inexpensive – under $40 to go back down there. Stayed back at the Oscar Hotel, and they remembered us …. (wondering why?) … and was great to get a western coffee back at Angel-in-Us across the road … soooo yummy … caught up with each other, and then Cheryl unrolls the shopping scroll, an extensive list of orders from back in Oz. So Saturday was a day of charging around HCM to fill the orders, spending much time at the Tax Department Store and back down in Binh Tanh Markets … by that time BM has only 10% left in the batteries and plonks herself down on one of the famous Vietnam armchairs; well actually they are little plastic stools that are about 18 inches high ….. but so comfy when you need a rest.
Taxi ride down to the markets cost us 10 000 dong … and the ride back 38 000 …. Same distance … so big mumma gets the pig in her and starts to argue, and argue, and argue …. All to no avail, cause we were locked in said taxi and could not get out anyway without paying the elevated cost. Now I know it was only $1.50 more, but it was the principle of the thing.
Ohhhh …. Bought out the shoe shop of the comfy little rubber slide shoes that I’ve found … (watch out everyone at home, guess what our Chrissie pressies are!!) … so we then find that there is not enough room in luggage … need more luggage … back to Madam Bag and bargain for another cheapie … which wil be come someone else’s bag (hehehehe) …
Back to Da Nang, then Hoi An with a big delay – solly passengers we have technical problems.. Back to Fawlty Towers where we share room … and all Miss Cheryl’s goods have been packed into my room … bit squeezy … Big welcome for Miss Cheryl …. And we are informed that Sunday night that Madam An and staff have decided to throw a welcome back BBQ for ALL there … which turned out to be a great old night for everyone …. Cheryl oi and I helping with the cutting up .. I of course, cut the plastic thumb off my glove … into the mouse ear mushrooms …. Yep … don’t even ask … but we made stuff, madam an cooked stuff … and we ate stuff …. Best just to think of it as food stuff …
Big day Sunday morning … up at 6am to leave for the orphanage by 7am … and had a good day out there …. Will leave the details of this for Cheryl oi to do ….
Then, just as we think the weather is being kind, well another typhoon is heading across the pond towards us … Great … here we go again. And as Mr Mark commented the other day …. Is there a relationship between Cheryl returning and Typhoons??? … could be … she can shop like a typhoon anyway! …. Typhoon downgrades to a tropical storm … and is heading towards us again, but hen changed course and headed south to Nha Trang … and just before hitting land, gathered speed and became a typhoon again … We up here in Hoi An were on the outskirts of it … and copped a bit of wind and rain, and got another flood … which was impressive … from all the water coming down the river. Marks beautiful bride of 30 or more years toppled from her bicycle from a gust of wind, and is apparently still nursing bruises and aches.
The number of blackouts were annoying …. The noise of a generator is worse still … being asked to turn off your hot water, fans, etc to help the generator is so funny. Putting the generator across the road … and having motor bikes and push bikes trip over the electric cables (lying in water mind you) … watching them refil with petrol in a 2 litre plastic oil bottle, filled from the petrol station (???) – well it’s a hand pump bowser that sits on the side of the road in front of a local shop … You just sit and shake your head with a bewildered smile on your face.
Monday night .. dinner with Robyn, two nw OT’s from Canada and two English ladies who are long time donors to CHIA …. Really enjoyable night …. Dinner nights are always an early night… out straight from work at 6 and home again by 8.30 at the latest …. It’s pitch black at 6pm anyway now …. Into bed and up early for work the next day …. Routine that BM is in … Cheryl is re-adjusting quickly too.
We head round the corner to the ancient town Tuesday night to see if the predictions for flood are real … Yep … sure are … the first two streets parallel to the river are under … and heading up, across and around everything …. Now one would think that the store owners, seeing the waters rising, would elevate their wares, especially the art shops …. But NO … we just stand there and watch the water rise. So, when in Vietnam, do as they do, we sat in a Restaurant and watched it rise too …. Bit difficult when ordering, …. Sorry lyn oi …. Sorry Cheryl oi … we no have that … no power … but we did find edibles, were pounced on by the local children selling everything but their grandmothers (cause they were hiding round the corner waiting to grab the monies from the sales). Head home, on foot, no can’t go this way, flooded, go back …. No can’t go that way either …. Best just grab a taxi, they knew which way to go.
Wednesday morning – the floods came in and went out again over night …. Well most of the water anyway … some streets and the little islands still cut off … And today … Thursday … still water laying round … rain … and looks like more rain coming across the pond from the phillipines … NO… we don’t want that cause have a trip booked for Saturday … we will see if we can make it without getting too bogged … better go …. This was supposed to be short …. Next one will be a list of more funny things you see … the cyclo man peddling behind the two palm trees he needs to move …. But can’t see round the trees .. dear me … the motor bike man with his pet dog behind … carrying and then dropping the kitchen sink on the pavement …. Having to buy cakes from the cake shop using your motor bike light to see what’s for sale …. Hey there’s ways to do everything over here, if you want to! ………. OK time to go … love to all at home …. Lyn and Cheryl ….
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK
Greetings to all back home in OZ … Well, I thought it was well overdue to add to the blog, but since there has been no recent drama’s, I thought it would be all too boring for all to read.
Work here at CHIA is going great, we get two OT’s from Canada in a few days, and I’ve been appointed the person to do the inductions and get them to settle in and give then their task lists … Me ??? Yep, the bosses (Aussies and Vietnamese) are making it clear to me every day that they want me to stay, not go home ever. Of course you would when you get free labour, but I guess I must be doing all the right things to be even offered a “free” voluntary position for another 9 months … as Project Development Officer, with accommodation thrown in …. But home I will come in November … and will consider the future … (maybe my boss would LOVE to arrange a secondment for a few months on full pay?? !! pssst Jock – John :o) )
Anyway all organised for the girls, gunna be the eternal language issues; as French is their native tongue, with english second; going to be lots of areas where stuff gets lost in translation. Just had lunch again with the troops …. Not getting much easier to eat street food … again was rice, grass clippings (they call it vegetable) … chicken bones with a sliver of tough dead chook … (they call it meat). Banana’s are ripe when they are green, lemons and oranges too!
One of the boys took me out for dinner last night in the ancient town to a “local” restaurant … not too bad actually, once you got past the grime .. Now I know that the wages here are not good, so I said that I was going to pay the bill, and had a heck of a time to do so without him appearing to lose face. Even bought him a beer, something he can’t afford often – a Heineken – 20 000 dong here .. about $1.30 … dessert was a disaster, thought I’d go pancakes with banana .. if I had my camera would have taken a photo … think they threw small amounts of batter in at a time, then threw bits of bananas, so you can image what it looked like … yep … like twenty overcooked pikelets all stuck together and turned rubbery! … was less than $1 so didn’t mind wasting it. We were upstairs overlooking the river, so could not throw the chick bones onto the floor for the dog to eat – it couldn’t get up the stairs … even I had problems with the stairs … they are soooo narrow and sooo high and most railings are a bit on the wobbly side.
Came close to having my first crash on the bike last night …. Motor bike turned in front of me … which is not unusual, but I didn’t see that it was carrying a coffin behind it … then got the giggles, at the image of me sprawled across the top of the coffin, then got the wobbles and got stuck in the sand on the side of the road (there’s lots of that here … quite thick, and comes about a metre from the road side on both sides of the road) … but amazed that I stayed upright, and safe.
Took bike back to my bike fix-it-man at the weekend, cause the light for the battery went flat …. 3 hours and 200 000 dong later, he say … all fixed … thank you madam … see you later … and of course when the sun went down, did the light work ??….. NO …. Ripped off again … no good going back, cause the general opinion here is if it’s broken, fix it for the day, and if its broken again tomorrow, fix it again … I guess that gives everyone something to do every day. Am learning soooooo much here, ie patience patience PATIENCE…. Just shrug the shoulders and say öh well” .. things might be better tomorrow.
ATM’s are a classic … some days open, sometimes closed, but always with an EXPECTED time to re-open … and most don’t … (especially when you need it) … sometimes you can get a max of 1 000 000 and sometimes 5 000 000 out. Most annoying cause each time you take money out it costs $5 back in Oz, so you want to get a big lot out in one go.
Our little kitten Sinatra is thriving … he can even purr now, still unsteady on is feet, when he shakes his head he falls over. None of the Vietnamese staff like cats, (as pets anyway) … maybe they are tucker back at home!; so It’s up to Nadine and I to do all the feeding – down to four hourly feeds now! And when he curls up he still fits into the palm of my hand! So cute …
Took the treadlie back out to the beach last weekend! … It’s still a mess from the storm, but was such a great “winters” day … came home absolutely cooked, and Suong from Fawlty Towers came running towards me crying: “You want doctor?” … No I say, no doctor, just sunburn … “Sit down Madam” she say .. I get you cold drink and cold towel and banana before you go upstairs. All I wanted was to get into the shower … the sand over on the beaches her is so fine, it sticks like glue, and I just wanted to wash it all off … but no, I had to sit and do as I was told, until they were satisfied that I wasn’t going to die from sunburn.
OK better go and see if I can upload this now, everyone is starting to wake up, so it’s time to get back to work again ….
Hope that the flooding back in Grafton wasn’t too bad … spoke to Ben ? from Bello this morning – he said it was minor down there … and Holly had a little baby boy last week! Yeah! Cheryl oi … hurry up and book to come back …. So I can book for HCM – will have to do it through Mr Hung cause it will be a last minute reservation!
So bye for now … take care all … sorry Chrissie, I can’t write every day!! Hug hug lyn oi
now nighttime and can finally get into the blog to post ... news news news - Cheryl coming back to HCM Friday evening ... I going down there ... and we coming back to Hoi An Saturday arvo ... then back to the Orphanage again at 7am Sunday morning ... yeah yeah
Greetings to all back home in OZ … Well, I thought it was well overdue to add to the blog, but since there has been no recent drama’s, I thought it would be all too boring for all to read.
Work here at CHIA is going great, we get two OT’s from Canada in a few days, and I’ve been appointed the person to do the inductions and get them to settle in and give then their task lists … Me ??? Yep, the bosses (Aussies and Vietnamese) are making it clear to me every day that they want me to stay, not go home ever. Of course you would when you get free labour, but I guess I must be doing all the right things to be even offered a “free” voluntary position for another 9 months … as Project Development Officer, with accommodation thrown in …. But home I will come in November … and will consider the future … (maybe my boss would LOVE to arrange a secondment for a few months on full pay?? !! pssst Jock – John :o) )
Anyway all organised for the girls, gunna be the eternal language issues; as French is their native tongue, with english second; going to be lots of areas where stuff gets lost in translation. Just had lunch again with the troops …. Not getting much easier to eat street food … again was rice, grass clippings (they call it vegetable) … chicken bones with a sliver of tough dead chook … (they call it meat). Banana’s are ripe when they are green, lemons and oranges too!
One of the boys took me out for dinner last night in the ancient town to a “local” restaurant … not too bad actually, once you got past the grime .. Now I know that the wages here are not good, so I said that I was going to pay the bill, and had a heck of a time to do so without him appearing to lose face. Even bought him a beer, something he can’t afford often – a Heineken – 20 000 dong here .. about $1.30 … dessert was a disaster, thought I’d go pancakes with banana .. if I had my camera would have taken a photo … think they threw small amounts of batter in at a time, then threw bits of bananas, so you can image what it looked like … yep … like twenty overcooked pikelets all stuck together and turned rubbery! … was less than $1 so didn’t mind wasting it. We were upstairs overlooking the river, so could not throw the chick bones onto the floor for the dog to eat – it couldn’t get up the stairs … even I had problems with the stairs … they are soooo narrow and sooo high and most railings are a bit on the wobbly side.
Came close to having my first crash on the bike last night …. Motor bike turned in front of me … which is not unusual, but I didn’t see that it was carrying a coffin behind it … then got the giggles, at the image of me sprawled across the top of the coffin, then got the wobbles and got stuck in the sand on the side of the road (there’s lots of that here … quite thick, and comes about a metre from the road side on both sides of the road) … but amazed that I stayed upright, and safe.
Took bike back to my bike fix-it-man at the weekend, cause the light for the battery went flat …. 3 hours and 200 000 dong later, he say … all fixed … thank you madam … see you later … and of course when the sun went down, did the light work ??….. NO …. Ripped off again … no good going back, cause the general opinion here is if it’s broken, fix it for the day, and if its broken again tomorrow, fix it again … I guess that gives everyone something to do every day. Am learning soooooo much here, ie patience patience PATIENCE…. Just shrug the shoulders and say öh well” .. things might be better tomorrow.
ATM’s are a classic … some days open, sometimes closed, but always with an EXPECTED time to re-open … and most don’t … (especially when you need it) … sometimes you can get a max of 1 000 000 and sometimes 5 000 000 out. Most annoying cause each time you take money out it costs $5 back in Oz, so you want to get a big lot out in one go.
Our little kitten Sinatra is thriving … he can even purr now, still unsteady on is feet, when he shakes his head he falls over. None of the Vietnamese staff like cats, (as pets anyway) … maybe they are tucker back at home!; so It’s up to Nadine and I to do all the feeding – down to four hourly feeds now! And when he curls up he still fits into the palm of my hand! So cute …
Took the treadlie back out to the beach last weekend! … It’s still a mess from the storm, but was such a great “winters” day … came home absolutely cooked, and Suong from Fawlty Towers came running towards me crying: “You want doctor?” … No I say, no doctor, just sunburn … “Sit down Madam” she say .. I get you cold drink and cold towel and banana before you go upstairs. All I wanted was to get into the shower … the sand over on the beaches her is so fine, it sticks like glue, and I just wanted to wash it all off … but no, I had to sit and do as I was told, until they were satisfied that I wasn’t going to die from sunburn.
OK better go and see if I can upload this now, everyone is starting to wake up, so it’s time to get back to work again ….
Hope that the flooding back in Grafton wasn’t too bad … spoke to Ben ? from Bello this morning – he said it was minor down there … and Holly had a little baby boy last week! Yeah! Cheryl oi … hurry up and book to come back …. So I can book for HCM – will have to do it through Mr Hung cause it will be a last minute reservation!
So bye for now … take care all … sorry Chrissie, I can’t write every day!! Hug hug lyn oi
now nighttime and can finally get into the blog to post ... news news news - Cheryl coming back to HCM Friday evening ... I going down there ... and we coming back to Hoi An Saturday arvo ... then back to the Orphanage again at 7am Sunday morning ... yeah yeah
Saturday, October 24, 2009
ANOTHER WEEK FLIES BY ... AND ALL IS WELL
Hello to everyone back home ... well it's Saturday night here now, and I can't believe that I've been here for 8 weeks. This week has just been a week of working hard; the long hours here sure take their toll on you by the end of the week.
Tuesday evening Miss Nadine asked where I was going for dinner ... and suggested a restaurant (cafe) that I had never heard of, let alone been to before ... so off to Cafe 43 we went ... and when we arrived the little lady who runs the show was running across the cement and was about to throw something over the back fence, or maybe against the wall, when she spied Nadine and cried "here" .. and threw this tiny little kitten into her hand .. Nadine (the softy that she is) went to mush and asked Madam Cafe who it belonged to. "You" cried Madam Cafe .... and that was it ... so began a week of bottle feeding this tiny little thing .... Survived the week on human childrens formula.... lucky that Stella (from Argentina) brought back a baby animal feeding bottle kit last time she came back to Vietnam, so we had a proper little bottle. Three hourly feeds for the first night ... then in to work all day, to be fed everytime it wakes up .... It's been to the vet who declared that it is healthy .... was unnamed until yesterday ... nothing seemed to suit ... then we looked into its big blue eyes .... so ... Frank ??? .... no ... Sinatra it is ... It gets around town with Nadine in a little back pack / shoulder bag ... and of course wees everytime it's travelling between venues! BM is surrogate Mumma ... it looks cute now ... not the scrawney pathetic runt that it looked like on Tuesday ... thriving under our care .... bet it has worms big time though ... grrr
Besides my english lessons at work (boy, the girls have trouble pronoucing "sheet") ... and i'll leave it at that .... we've been working on setting up a pilot programme in the next district to Hoi An ... now Hoi An is not the most affluent little town, but Duy Xuyen (pron: you swin .. go figure) is poor, poor, poor .... and its a big area ... goes from the coast up to the mountains .... and there are so many children up there who are born disabled ... non verbals, and slight movement etc ... they have never seen doctors ... can't afford them ... so many with multiple problems .... it's another case of where do you start .... and you can't help them all .... but who is the person who should choose which child / family should receive assistance ... and who misses out .... there are no hospitals, not many schools, literacy levels are very very low, most families are farming families ... they don't ask for help, because they do not know that help is available. So sad. Anyway, we are setting this up, and going to run a project ... hope that ALL the government agencies / people's committees / and welfare dept's support this . There are so many hoops to jump through before you start ... but all the staff are so enthusiastic about it ... they just want to get out there and help. Enough about that ...
Am now eating with the natives during lunch .... they go out any buy me what ever they are buying for themselves .... it's a real challenge to eat sometimes ... and i should be losing weight by now ... but not ... and wonder it it has anything to do with the number of cans of coke i drink for energy (and I hate coke) ... or the number of mars bars that i sneak out and buy from the shop next door .... now the family who has this shop love me! .... the shop section is on the ground floor ... and it goes a few metres back .... and then their home starts ... the lounge / eating / kitchen all together .... and its separated by the fridge ... where all my goodies are kept ... You keep everything in a fridge here ... cause the ants get into everything if you dont ... The only thing they don't get into is ginger (which i've taken a great liking too - except it gives you wind like nothing else in the world ... maybe i just eat too much of it!!) ...
better go ... line up behind me for the computer .... love to all back home .....
GET WELL PHIL ...... THEY TOLD ME YOU WERE IN HOSPITAL .... HOPE THAT ALL IS WELL AND YOU ARE HOME REAL SOON .... IF IT'S YOUR TICKER AGAIN .... GET IT FIXED!! HUG HUG BM
Tuesday evening Miss Nadine asked where I was going for dinner ... and suggested a restaurant (cafe) that I had never heard of, let alone been to before ... so off to Cafe 43 we went ... and when we arrived the little lady who runs the show was running across the cement and was about to throw something over the back fence, or maybe against the wall, when she spied Nadine and cried "here" .. and threw this tiny little kitten into her hand .. Nadine (the softy that she is) went to mush and asked Madam Cafe who it belonged to. "You" cried Madam Cafe .... and that was it ... so began a week of bottle feeding this tiny little thing .... Survived the week on human childrens formula.... lucky that Stella (from Argentina) brought back a baby animal feeding bottle kit last time she came back to Vietnam, so we had a proper little bottle. Three hourly feeds for the first night ... then in to work all day, to be fed everytime it wakes up .... It's been to the vet who declared that it is healthy .... was unnamed until yesterday ... nothing seemed to suit ... then we looked into its big blue eyes .... so ... Frank ??? .... no ... Sinatra it is ... It gets around town with Nadine in a little back pack / shoulder bag ... and of course wees everytime it's travelling between venues! BM is surrogate Mumma ... it looks cute now ... not the scrawney pathetic runt that it looked like on Tuesday ... thriving under our care .... bet it has worms big time though ... grrr
Besides my english lessons at work (boy, the girls have trouble pronoucing "sheet") ... and i'll leave it at that .... we've been working on setting up a pilot programme in the next district to Hoi An ... now Hoi An is not the most affluent little town, but Duy Xuyen (pron: you swin .. go figure) is poor, poor, poor .... and its a big area ... goes from the coast up to the mountains .... and there are so many children up there who are born disabled ... non verbals, and slight movement etc ... they have never seen doctors ... can't afford them ... so many with multiple problems .... it's another case of where do you start .... and you can't help them all .... but who is the person who should choose which child / family should receive assistance ... and who misses out .... there are no hospitals, not many schools, literacy levels are very very low, most families are farming families ... they don't ask for help, because they do not know that help is available. So sad. Anyway, we are setting this up, and going to run a project ... hope that ALL the government agencies / people's committees / and welfare dept's support this . There are so many hoops to jump through before you start ... but all the staff are so enthusiastic about it ... they just want to get out there and help. Enough about that ...
Am now eating with the natives during lunch .... they go out any buy me what ever they are buying for themselves .... it's a real challenge to eat sometimes ... and i should be losing weight by now ... but not ... and wonder it it has anything to do with the number of cans of coke i drink for energy (and I hate coke) ... or the number of mars bars that i sneak out and buy from the shop next door .... now the family who has this shop love me! .... the shop section is on the ground floor ... and it goes a few metres back .... and then their home starts ... the lounge / eating / kitchen all together .... and its separated by the fridge ... where all my goodies are kept ... You keep everything in a fridge here ... cause the ants get into everything if you dont ... The only thing they don't get into is ginger (which i've taken a great liking too - except it gives you wind like nothing else in the world ... maybe i just eat too much of it!!) ...
better go ... line up behind me for the computer .... love to all back home .....
GET WELL PHIL ...... THEY TOLD ME YOU WERE IN HOSPITAL .... HOPE THAT ALL IS WELL AND YOU ARE HOME REAL SOON .... IF IT'S YOUR TICKER AGAIN .... GET IT FIXED!! HUG HUG BM
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
CHIA Disaster Relief Work
And now some pictures taken at work on Monday afternoon .... Enjoy ... they are a great bunch of people here ... and they tolerate me well (even like me) !! :o) ... There's MOI .... Van, Dung, Loc, Vuong, Chau, our physio, IT guru, Accountant, Physio Translator .... many of the other staff were out in the field for the day ....
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