Does not feel like Halloween at all! Just a note about SE Asia - from the sink in Battambang to the urinal in the random café on Saturday, and various hotel showers - plumbing is bloody leaky here.
Somewhat amusing that I was giving out about water earlier, and am now saturated. Coming over a 2700m mountain pass, we put on wet gear to protect ourselves from the mist. Was kinda amazing, rolling through the clouds. Stopped at a big waterfall for a photo op. Then downhill - visibility dropped to about ten feet at one point, then the rain began to pelt down. Raindrops at 60kmph are kinda sore. Through some minor flooding (feet now sodden) to the hotel, which is unfortunately the most basic yet, but at least there's hot water!
First stop of the day was Vinh Son orphanage in KT. Bought some fruit at the market to bring. Big wooden church there - original French building, about 100yrs old. All the orphanage is on Catholic church ground, along with some other charitable buildings, like a clinic and a school.
Saw some toddlers being minded by some young teenagers, before Frank arrived. A good friend of Spencer's, he's been involved in the running of the orphanage for ~6 years. He personally sponsors six girls in the sewing school. He walked and talked with us, telling us about his (wonderful!) work and the sort of children they care for.
Some are deposited by their parents who cannot both care for the kids and work to support them. Spencer said last night that some of the villages will even bury children alive if their parents pass away, rather than have them suffer. One girl arrived with no clothes, only a blanket. Most come from Bahnar or Suda areas: ethnic minority hill tribes. This means that often they can't speak Vietnamese, only their own dialect.
Frank spoke of his frustration in trying to integrate them. Many people come to teach English (well-intentioned volunteers), but the children need to learn Viet. first.
At the sewing school they can learn a trade, and after 18 months return to their village and help their own people. Truly amazing work. We spent so much time discussing all the challenges, we hardly even saw the children. Any that passed said hello, giving a shy cute smile. Frank seems to have a 'friendly uncle' bond with most.
From there, we popped into a Bahnar hut - a raised structure with a tall, pointed thatch roof. The taller the hut, the stronger the tribe; the more beautiful, the more skilful. It's used as a town hall, to hold festivals and celebrations.
Then Hamburger/Charlie Hill, site of one of the first incursions of the VC into south Vietnam. Sinh gave us another history lesson, showing us some bomb craters that littler the hill. Đắk Tô for a war memorial with two tanks, and lunch, before racing down the old American airstrip nearby. On to the Ho Chi Minh trail proper after that.
Admire a rough wooden bridge, and high-five some children living beside it. High-fiving is international! Then through the mountains and clouds to our new hotel.
Appetite's been in overdrive the past few days - ravenous all the time.
Spencer's bike is a Honda Master, 125cc. He explained that to get a 250cc, he'd need to upgrade his licence, and also work in the cavalcade of any visiting ministers. 125cc is plenty though - I've quickly grown to love the sensation of being buffeted and whipped by the wind at 60kmph.
Vietnamese houses tend to be narrow, but deep. They remind me of pictures I've seen of Dutch cities.
***
Somewhat amusing that I was giving out about water earlier, and am now saturated. Coming over a 2700m mountain pass, we put on wet gear to protect ourselves from the mist. Was kinda amazing, rolling through the clouds. Stopped at a big waterfall for a photo op. Then downhill - visibility dropped to about ten feet at one point, then the rain began to pelt down. Raindrops at 60kmph are kinda sore. Through some minor flooding (feet now sodden) to the hotel, which is unfortunately the most basic yet, but at least there's hot water!
 |
| Nicci and Peter |
Saw some toddlers being minded by some young teenagers, before Frank arrived. A good friend of Spencer's, he's been involved in the running of the orphanage for ~6 years. He personally sponsors six girls in the sewing school. He walked and talked with us, telling us about his (wonderful!) work and the sort of children they care for.
 |
| Spencer and Frank |
Some are deposited by their parents who cannot both care for the kids and work to support them. Spencer said last night that some of the villages will even bury children alive if their parents pass away, rather than have them suffer. One girl arrived with no clothes, only a blanket. Most come from Bahnar or Suda areas: ethnic minority hill tribes. This means that often they can't speak Vietnamese, only their own dialect.
Frank spoke of his frustration in trying to integrate them. Many people come to teach English (well-intentioned volunteers), but the children need to learn Viet. first.
At the sewing school they can learn a trade, and after 18 months return to their village and help their own people. Truly amazing work. We spent so much time discussing all the challenges, we hardly even saw the children. Any that passed said hello, giving a shy cute smile. Frank seems to have a 'friendly uncle' bond with most.
 |
| Sewing class |
From there, we popped into a Bahnar hut - a raised structure with a tall, pointed thatch roof. The taller the hut, the stronger the tribe; the more beautiful, the more skilful. It's used as a town hall, to hold festivals and celebrations.
Then Hamburger/Charlie Hill, site of one of the first incursions of the VC into south Vietnam. Sinh gave us another history lesson, showing us some bomb craters that littler the hill. Đắk Tô for a war memorial with two tanks, and lunch, before racing down the old American airstrip nearby. On to the Ho Chi Minh trail proper after that.
 |
| Spencer, Peter and Uncle Sinh |
***
Appetite's been in overdrive the past few days - ravenous all the time.
***
Spencer's bike is a Honda Master, 125cc. He explained that to get a 250cc, he'd need to upgrade his licence, and also work in the cavalcade of any visiting ministers. 125cc is plenty though - I've quickly grown to love the sensation of being buffeted and whipped by the wind at 60kmph.
***
Vietnamese houses tend to be narrow, but deep. They remind me of pictures I've seen of Dutch cities.
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