Back glance ... or ... What did we achieve ???

Here in short a summary of our achievements. We would not be able to do all those projects without contributions from our support base in Coolum, members of the Coolum Beach Baptist Church and our corporate sponsors. We thank everyone who has contributed from the bottom of our heart.


Mekong delta:
- Continued our support for twenty children in My Trung,
- Bought ten bicycles and one desk for the My Trung children;
- Educational support for twenty additional children in Ba Ton district;

Hope school for Hearing impaired Children, Binh Thanh district:
- Continued support for twelve hearing impaired children,
- Support six additional children;
- Bought four laptops, which will be used as teacher aid and for the students.
- Bought two water dispensers, hot / cold incl. water filtration system;
- Bought ten fans for the children's lunch area.

Song Lo School, Binh Thanh district:
- Educational support for two children, Tram and Dang.

Hoc fee support in Da Nang:
- Continued support for three orphans in Da Nang. Lien Chau is studying architecture; her younger brother is in grade 6, High School.

Binh Thanh District, Sai Gon
- Continued support for thirty children in Binh Thanh district. Sai Gon Times Foundation will distribute funds early October on our behalf.

Company of Grace
- Donation for the newly opened Grace Centre (Hoa/Peter van Stone);
- Bought two laptops for the Grace Centre's education program: English and IT.

Touch a Life Project, Sai Gon
- Claude and Bao (Touch a Life project) run twelve shelters for orphans in Sai Gon, and one shelter for pregnant & homeless girls / women and various other support projects. In the shelters the children / women are brought up the Christian way; (over 200 children/ women);
- Bought a laptop for one of the shelters and donated a second hand laptop.
- Two donations, one for the orphans and one for the pregnant women shelter.

Peace Orphanage
- Bought a laptop for the Peace Orphanage, paid for a laptop for Phuong, who lives at the PO. Phuong studies physiotherapy and desperately needed a laptop.

Lien-Hoan school
- Support for Lien and Hoan in their work as part time teachers teaching underprivileged children to read and write Vietnamese plus basic numeracy.
- Donated a second hand laptop.


Medical needs:
Support for two girls who are sick and need support:

1. Nhu, we give her educational support at the Hope School, she is very weak and needs a heart operation in the near future;

2. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hong, from Ba Ton (Mekong delta) she has got bile cancer and is only 12 years old. Hong has to travel to HCMC every second week to receive chemotherapy. CAN YOU H E L P ??


Pipeline:
- Support for a photocopy shop, which is run by disabled people. The shop just bought a new photocopier. The desktop computer is getting a bit long in the tooth. Investigations are under way.

Tuesday - Wenesday 20/21 Sep 2011

Tuesday …
Met with our friend Hien at Central Garden, only a short walk from our hotel. Final packing a weighing … we are just over 50 kg; Uli bought 50 kg for us.
Sad farewell at hotel … mixed feelings as we love Viet Nam, but we have to go home to our little Tilly who is sick and needs us. Our friends Fran and Phil looked after her, Knowing that she has cancer but not knowing … We are so grateful, this was not just looking after a dog!!!



The ANAN girls in their ao dai saying "good bye"

Hotel car driving us to the airport, check in … there is trouble … we are 2 kg’s over, either pay $30 or unpack. We cannot check through to Coolangatta which means we would have to pay again when we check in at KLIA. We decide to take our shoes out and put them in our hand luggage. Funny enough we were weighing our shoes when we were packing. That did the trick.
We do not know what difference it makes as the aircraft is taking off with exact the same weight … but it saved us $60. When we were waiting for the plane to arrive Matt found our electronic room key card in his shirt pocket. Sorry Miss Kim and Miss Van Anh … will have to send it from Australia.
Short flight to Kuala Lumpor, plane arrived a little late, but we left Sai Gon on time. Good, we only have just over two hours, we have to go through immigration, pick up our luggage and go to the check-in counter to drop off our three bags again. Completed the whole routine in less than 45 minutes, grabbed a bit to eat, found a coffee shop, sat down and sent e-mail to hotel regarding the room key card.
I do not know how often the ground staff was checking our passports and boarding-passes. Each time Uli put the passports in her bag … “Passport and boarding passes please” even before we were entering the aircraft.

Found our seats … plane was not full, but just before takeoff someone came and sat next to Matt. We had booked the “hot-seats” … which means lots of legroom but seats are fairly narrow. And then the wrestling for elbow space began. Matt was standing his ground … sharing the armrest. After we reached the cruising altitude the guy got up and walked back … then he cam back to grab his gear, we never saw him again!!! Matt moved to the aisle seat … even more legroom. We slept a bit, read a bit … and all of a sudden we were descending. Hurray … eight hours of flying were nearly over!!!
Perfect sunshine, with the new passports you are through customs in no time, our luggage arrived and we went through quarantine. We packed all the things we had to show, like tea, bamboo hats and other products. No worries, thank you. Then we picked up our hire car … no waiting there either.
An hour after the plane touched down we were sitting at Elephant Rock Restaurant on the beach in Currambine. What a day, beautiful sunshine, nice cup of tea, good breakfast ocean breeze included.



Nice and quiet. Coming from VINA the bill was a shocker … $31 ~ VND 650.000, we did not spend that much money for breakfast, lunch and dinner drinks included!!! Welcome to our WORLD!!!

That’s it. No more to say except that we love Viet Nam, we are very passionate about it and we will definitely be back, sooner rather than later!!!

It is now time to thank all our friends, supporters, and sponsors both in Australian and in Viet Nam. Without your help and support we could not have achieved all those tasks we set ourselves; and those we came across during our trip.

25 years ago today two people tied the knot !!!

Monday, 19/9/2011

9am Meeting at Sai Gon Times Foundation -



Meeting at Saigon Times Foundation

then taxi to bank, taxi to Peace Orpanage - meeting with Nhi and Tan, discussion about Phuongs laptop, need cash, cannot transfer the funds, taxi to hotel, get PASSPORT, fill in tranasfer forms, taxi to bank, sign, grab cash, taxi to Peace Orphanage, meet Phuong, hand over the money, taxi to hotel - lunch.



Taxi to Peace Orphanage to say good bye to Dr. Tan and Dr Nhi … got a present … it's framed … then last visit of the kids, bye bye for another year.







Last minute shopping …. Induction cooker … light n easy … it came with hot pot and steamer … packing

7pm … Invite our friends for dinner … going to STELLA’s restaurant … celebrating M n U’s 25th … later meet with Hoan and Lien to discuss a project we could get involved in …. Hoan went to …. Province to check out Kiet’s photocopy store which is run by disabled people.

Lots of fun to be had by all. Thanks girls for your HELP, support and friendship!!!

Sunday … Mekong delta 18/9/2011

Sunday morning we got picked up at a quarter past eight to go to the Mekong delta again. Two hours drive to My Tho, then another on bumpy country roads with lots of bridges to Ba Ton.
We stopped on the way to buy some pineapple. Matt showed off, as no one knew hot to tell when a pineapple is ripe to eat. Just pull one of the top leafs, if it comes out easy … eat it. Before we reached our destination we had to cross an arm of the Mekong in a small boat, not for the faint hearted …



Buying pineapples on the side of the raod



Crossing the Mekong ...



A boat on the Mekong




First impressions ... we just arrived ... smiling faces and "V" signs = VUI or Fun





Boys ... came talking later on, girls came first

Then we met the 20 new students … most of them are already at High School, grade 9 or higher. They were a funny bunch, not shy at all and when the camera came out … we had lots of fun. First we were introduced and then we met each child, took some photos and had lunch together. Some spoke English, so we had little small taks.

More photos … and a group photo, then it started raining. Had a good talk with the locals … Peter Duong translating.



Group photo



Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hong, girl in the white shirt, she has got bile cancer, she is only 12 years old ...she has to travel to HCMC every second week to receive chemo therapy. CAN YOU H E L P ???

Then it was time to hop in the boat again and back to My Tho, then HCMC or Sai Gon what ever you prefer. The locals use both … so why not. There is the Sai Gon Bus company … operating over 10.000 busses, Sai Gon Times, Sai Gon post office …

Back at the hotel at five, just in time to Skype with our friends.

Friday, 16th of Sep 2011

Friday morning Dao came and dropped off the painting she had received on our behalf at the Hope School's new school year celebration. Have to add a photo of the ceremony here, we were not aware of the function when we booked our little trip up north. This was the first time we saw the beautiful painting.

Bank appointment - had to transfer some money and then we went to the post office and to send the painting home. For a dollar they packed the painting for the long trip to Australia. Later on we met with our friend Bob and had a massage.



"HI FIVE" with Than ...



Our little friend was always sad when we left ... so sweet



Than ... again the little monkey



Than and one of the nurses



The little boy with no eyes ... he rocks in his bed all day

In the afternoon we went to the Peace Orphanage to meet with Dr. Nhi, then upstairs with the kids. It was great to play with them and have some fun … best thing is taking photos, the kids want to see the results and lately the kids want to be the one’s who take the camera. Good results … I was surprised.
Did some shopping on the way home … COOP is always busy, but Friday afternoon … extremely busy … shocker block!!!

Visiting a shelter for pregnant women

Thursday 15th of September

This morning we met with Bao and Claude and had a long taxi ride to district 9 to visit a shelter for pregnant women. It was good to catch up with them and we had a good chat in the taxi.
The shelter is in a house, which is just over one year old, and it is in the back yard of a doctor’s sugary. At the time we met five women, two were in hospital giving birth. The caregiver was an elderly lady and she kept the place spick and span, it looked like a hotel. Rooms and kitchen were stretched over four levels.










Bao (left) explaining the shelter to us, cargiver with baby (right)

The women all looked very happy, the youngest was just 18, but we were told some are as young as 14. Some women keep the babies and then settle into a new life with the baby, others stay at the shelter for 2 – 3 weeks and then give the baby up. That must be extremely hard … Bao is then taking care of the child and finding suitable carers.



Claude, Bao's husband at the shelter



Studying the bible ...



Women during bible study

Bao is sixty years old and at the moment she has got five children at home, we visited her last week after we went to the orphan shelters she and Claude are organising and looking after. Funding is always a problem;
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO H E L P - E A S Y ... TALK TO US!!!

In the afternoon we met with Bob, our American friend who lives in HCMC. Had not seen Bob since we arrived, so we had a good chinwag and lots of laughs and interesting stories. Then we went to STELLA’s restaurant wher Bob had his favourite ginger chicken. Hien was supposed to come as well, but she was late … busy business woman. Then she finally arrived with her new assistant Dao, they came on Dao’s Honda. Apparently she is is a very good scooter driver. Interesting discussion about future projects and charity activities.

ZEOD … old command good old IBM /360 DOS system, telling the machine .E O D end of day!!! Funny how one suddenly one remembers those odd things.

Quick update before we visit another shelter

Wednesday was a busy day, first appointment at Hopes School for hearing impaired children. Met with principal Thanh and her deputy Diep. They showed us pictures from the annual school opening ceremony. Hope school got a banner from the education department for excellence. Then we were shown the classrooms where the new laptops we donated were used as teacher aids. The school bought a 36 inch LCD screen which is linked to the laptop.



A newtechnology now possible ... LCD screen with new laptop donated by CVSG

It was great to see the technology in use. They only have one LCD screen and would like to get some more screens, but cannot afford it. A screen is only about $420, Samsung, good quality!!! We got some farewell presents and said our good byes, off to meet with Hoa at House of Grace ... had some good laughs with Loc, Peter and Mark. We got some t-shirts to take home ... Then back to the HOTEL ... it was a day of funny taxi drivers again ... one would not turn into the road going towards House of Grace, the next one had to be told where to go more than once ... and at night Matt really had to put his foot down as the driver wanted to make detours!!!

After lunch we met wit our friend Hien and her new assistant, Dao. The came on the HONDA!!! WE then took a punt and drove to Song Lo School to meet with Tram and Dang.



At home with Tram and Dang ... and the parents

They had moved house and we were lucky as Dang was just going home with his father.
Had good fun with the kids and took plenty of pictures. Uli had bought some colouring in paintings and both kids had lots of fun and started painting right away.



Tram checking out her present ...

We were surprised how good the kids spoke English, even Dang.

That was a day full of action, nice meal at night ... and forty winks!!!

Another day ... and now a delay!!!

Back glance at four days rest in Nah Trang



A sunday outing; soldiers with their girlfriends on a bicycle ...



Same same, but she was very friendly, showing me VUI - FuN ... and wearing his hat for protection against the sun.



View from Loisiane to the beach and the islands



At night ... good food and entertainment every night.




Pool and islands in the backgorund



Same same, but different



Waterproofing the new woven bamboo boat



Woven bamboo boat in the water



Fishing boat ... most boats have eyes painted on in the front



The new hat ... good for gardening!!!

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Don’t you hate it when a plane is delayed, you take extra care to be at the airport on time, then there is a sign: Delayed 19:30. Just happened to us. We talk to Vietnam Airlines … they had a mobile number, but that was not ours!!!
First we had to ring ANAN hotel in Sai Gon to reschedule our pick up. Miss Van Anh was on the phone, the first thing she said was “Oh my God” … all fine, she will let the driver know.
Got a voucher for dinner at the airport … now we sit at a coffee shop and ENJOY the afternoon. It’s nearly 5 pm, so only two and a half hours to go.

Time to write …

After a horror trip to Nah Trang we had to relax … And relax we did … around the pool, massage, nice dinners at LOUISIANE, some shopping and the obligatory scooter trip around Nah Trang. Sunday was the perfect day, not so much traffic we thought … but therefore more motorbikes than any other day. But it was great fun, first getting petrol and then heading west, towards the mountains. At one stage I was about 15 km from Nah Trang, real countryside. Took some side roads and photos … as usual. I turned back towards the city, then going north, nice drive on the coast road to the next little fishing village 25 km away. Fisherman painting their woven bamboo basket boats… but all in all pretty quiet.

On the way back I stopped to get some money from an ATM. Three soldiers and their girlfriends on bicycles paddled past, some were smiling at me, some didn’t. I took photos … one is my PHOTO of the year!!! We might as well use it as our profile photo on facbook.
Not much else to report, apart from really taking it easy. But tomorrow is another day, and back in Sai Gon. We already have a late meeting with Hoan tonight, 10 pm may be, if all goes according to the delay plan!!!

Train trip photos ... 08 September 2011

For trip details please page down to next entry, thanks

Sorry, photo quality is not very good, refections and dirty windows ...




Lien Chau (right) and her sister at Da Nang railway station. Lien Chau studies architecture and we pay her HEX fees and school fees for her brother.

Did not have much time to talk to them, as our driver had no idea where we wanted to go. As a matter of fact, he told the taxi driver that picked us up from a petrol station that we wanted to go to the airport!!!



Da Nang train station



Working in the rice fields



Reflections ... rice fields at various states, some can already be harvested ...



Rice harvester at work ... spitting out the unwanted bits.




Water buffalo in a riece field



Rice fied after harvest



In our compartment ... after everyone has been sorted



Same, same, but different



View of the train ... going reasonable fast



At stop at a station, can't recall which one ... had to get out



One of the many river crossings, a lot of bridges are under constructions, train had to slow down a lot.



Back glance ... long train



Miss KIM gave Matt Mr. Bunny for his birthday. He now travells with us and keeps an eye on thing, only when it's raining he goes inside!!!