Day 10-- The !00% Club

Day 10...The 100% Club
On the move early for day 10. This will be our longest drive of the trip. It is 300 KM from Da Nang to Quy Nhon. It will take us nearly 6 hours to go roughly 200 miles. The road is lined with many little villages and the area is verdant and lush with vegetation. Rice paddies abound and through the course of the day we drove through paddies that represent the entire planting,growing, harvesting and drying cycle for the rice crop. The planting as well as everything else is done by hand. As we drove further south the rice grew green and tall and you could begin to see the rice buds at the top of the plants. More to the south the crop was maturing and turning a golden brown. A little further on they were cutting the mature rice by hand and and tying it into small tee pee like bundles. The next step was the thrashing to separate the rice from the chafe and then mile upon miles of rice spread along the side of the road to dry. It didn't seem to matter if cars or bicycles drove over the rice. It is a hearty little seed. The rice was in its natural brown color before being processed and bleached to white..
Water buffalo are everywhere as well as people fishing or picking greens from any and all sorts of locations.
We passed lots of farmers on motor bikes taking their pigs and produce to the local market places. We stopped for a short rest break and I noticed a small market place across the street. I grabbed my camera and headed in.I'm not particularly tall but I had to stoop down to walk through the market place. Fruits were at the front...vegetables in the middle and the meat and fish toward the rear. No one was shy about being photographed. I'm glad I made the little side trip.
We picked up a little snack of dried coconut to snack on.
I have to hand it to our driver. Handling these roads with all the foot, bicycle, motor bike, truck and bus traffic is a nightmare. The horns are going off constantly and near misses are pretty damn frequent. However, I wouldn't trade these drives for anything. I just can't take my eyes off the people and the landscape.
Quy Nhon is a coastal city and there are many fishing boats in the harbor. Each is very brightly painted and quite colorful. We are taken to our hotel that is built into a cliff dropping down to a beautiful beach.
Words can't describe how beautiful this place is. I'll post some pictures to help out.
The hotel is called the Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon. I highly recommend checking it out on their web site. www.life-resorts .com. This is as exotic and good a resort hotel as any place I have ever been...and I have been to a few. Our rooms were a whopping $136 a night. It is a shame that we will only spend one night at the Life Wellness resort. I guess that means we must come back. When we do I'll bring five cows to give to selected poor families. I'll tell you why later. Our hosts in Quy Nhon said that aside from the wheel chairs that on on cow was one of the mosat meabingful gift that you could goive to the poor people in the provence.
We checked into our rooms and then headed into Quy Nhon for the distribution. The wheel chair recipients had been waiting patiently for any hour so I was relieved to finally get to the location. We met with the organizers who were a combination of the local Red Cross and Giving It Back to Kids. I am continually impressed with the work that the Red Cross does. These were all Vietnamese but they wore their red Red Cross vests and white hats with pride. Giving It Back to Kids is also well respected in this area. Each of the coordinators and I gave short speeches and then we were invited to go in and amongst the 107 recipients to talk to them and touch them. It is so pleasing to receive their smiles and honest sense of gratitude. One old man reached over to me and grabbed my hand and gave it a very firm and long shake. There were lots of frail elderly here as well as some severely handicapped children. The local newspaper kept asking to get pictures of us touching or talking to the disabled people. I think this will do a lot for US good will in the region.
I gave Tommy two bags of reading glasses to hand out and he was literally mobbed by a group of seniors. I thought that the glasses idea would be a good one but not this good. We promised to send another case so that those that missed out could get the benefit of reading once again. I want to thank the SCE Vietnamese Affinity Group for giving us the glasses. I know the Affinity Group will be pleased when they see they pictures and video of their fine country that we bring back.
Again a favorite time for me is to film the loading up and departures of the wheel chair recipients. I would say that 90% leave with the chairs strapped onto a motor bike or Tuk Tuk. I love to see their smiles as they motor off to their homes.
Of course after the distribution we are invited to dinner with the local government officials. It is a tradition to honor guests with a dinner and also to enter the Vietnamese world of the 100% club. Pat and I are generally seated in the middle of the table with the boys at one end and the girls at the other. The rebel rousers are always seated across from the young bulls, Danny and Tommy, and any eligible Vietnamese bachelor seated next to Laura since she is unattached. The boys are under constant siege during dinner to go 100% down the hatch with with every glass of beer. I lost count after about 20 rounds but I think the boys were well up to 40 by the time we called it a night. Although the language barrier was great,we once again bonded closely with the Vietnamese people as we ate their food and celebrated their traditions. We moved a little deeper into the Vietnamese culture today and it was a very pleasant experience. I think we are working on a PHD in life experiences...
No finer education and the only way to live is 100%

Day 9..A Six Pound Lobster and a bottle of scotch

Day 9..A six pound lobster and a bottle of scotch
The flight from Hanoi to Da Nang was navigated without a hitch. Prior to departure. Pat and I had two large loads of wash done by the hotel. When I told them we wanted the clothes back by the end of the day they said " not possible...raining". At this point I understood that they were going to dry our clothes the good old fashioned way...via clothes line. I told them we couldn't wait so they washed them up and, yes indeed, they came back washed and wet....no problem for the hearty adventurer. We laid them out to dry when we got to Da Nang and they are just fine. The tab for each of our large laundry loads was a whopping $2 each.
Tam from Giving It Back To Kids was waiting for us at the DaNang airport with flowers for each of the girls. A very nice gesture. We arranged to meet at 7 AM the next day to drive to Quy Nhon for the next wheel chair distribution.
We are staying at the Sandy Beach Resort in Da Nang. It is located right on the famous China Beach. The sand is white and clean and the ocean waters are clear. We each got bungalows that are right on the sand....Excellent!!!!
It took the kids less than a minute to get into their suits and into the water. Danny found a surf board to rent and there was a nice little break coming in. The boys were able to get some pretty good rides and also burn off some energy since we have done a fair amount of sitting.
Around dusk the fishing fleet motored by on their way to their favorite spot. Given this subliminal message we struck off to find the best seafood restaurant in town....FOUND IT.
Zhinh Hua.. Located right on the beach and filled with locals. We sat at a long table and as we sat down they brought to large buckets filled with beer and ice....my kind of place. Sitting at the tables all around us were business men having a bang up time. Each table had a full bottle of Johnny Walker scotch which didn't stay full very long. We had to follow suit so a bottle soon showed up at our table.....and away we gooooo !!!!
Erin did the ordering and before long they brought two lobsters that were absolutely huge. We said one would do. Then they brought two huge and very much alive fish for us to examine. We picked a lunker. Platters of squid and shrimp were brought out with all sorts of condiments and leafy stuff to wrap them in. The the fish came out cooked whole and the waiters made us little mini burritos for us. The lobster was outstanding...sweet and succulent. The guys at the table next to us came over and we all downed several shooters of scotch to help them celebrate what ever it was that they were celebrating. One of them brought out a guitar and we were serenaded to a very drunken version of "Hello".
The singer would grab Tommy or me after each rendition of the same song and give us on on big kiss on the cheek. We were fast becoming an accepted part of the country.
Another great experience in a very beautiful country.
Back we went to the hotel and prepared for on on long day on Tuesday. It is 300 KM's to Quy Nhon and the road will be a challenge.

Day 8...Soft White Underbelly of Hanoi

Day 8...Soft White Underbelly of Hanoi
A very special Rose greeted us in the morning to guide us around Hanoi. Our guide for the day, Rose was arranged by Robert Kalachian of Giving It Back to Kids..the central Vietnam wheel chair distribution partner. What a wonderful guide Rose turned out to be. Small in stature but bold and adventurous in nature! Rose kept us going at a breakneck pace. Rose is married to Cory an expat from Minnesota who came to Hanoi to stay a couple of weeks in 2004 and still remains as a happily married man. Hanoi can do that to you.
Rose speaks perfect English even though she has only been to the states one time.
Our first stop was the Hanoi Hilton prison where John McCain was imprisoned from 1967 to 1973. It is located smack in the middle of Hanoi and served as a prison from the early 1900's. At first for Vietnamese revolutionaries..both men and women. And later as a prison run by the French during their occupation of the country. Its last use was to hold US prisoners during the Vietnam war. As with the killing fields, this place gives one the chills. The stark and dark are ominous to look at. Long benches with ankle irons running the full length to keep the prisoners in check. The massive guillotine ,complements of the French, located in the court yard. Finally, the quarters occupied by the US servicemen which were described in the writings as being more humane and civilized. I need to read McCain's book to compare stories.
The way the North Vietnamese portray the war is interesting. The pictures and writings on the prison walls were all focused on the various war protests that were held in the States and a subtle reference to the enlightened nature of the activists.
No matter where we have been in Vietnam there is absolutely no anti American sentiment and virtually no reference to the war. When asked about it, Rose said that the Vietnamese people only look forward not back. I think that is a great approach to life.
After the prison, we went to the cultural museum. It is a beautiful complex of gardens and pagodas that served as a cultural university for many years. We learned a little bit about how the students were taught and tested. It seemed a lot like Cambridge...lots of one on one and very little testing until the end of the program.
After the museum, Rose took us to her favorite Vietnamese restaurant. She asked us how adventurous we were. Of course, we said bring it on. Bring it on Rose did. We went to Highway 4..on on place not far from where she lives. We climbed up to the 3rd floor and sat in traditional Vietnamese style at a long sunken table where we sat at ground level. Rose did the ordering. We started with deep fried crickets. We could have chased those down with grasshoppers but that would have been too much protein.
We had water buffalo meat, green mango salad, green papaya salad...both are my favorites. Next up was an order of dog meat. Yes, Danny had to try it. Once in on on life time is more than enough. We had some plum and apricot wine. We stopped short of ordering a shot of the gecko and scorpion wine.quite a tasty repast.
After lunch, we went to the market place area. Shop after shop of anything and everything.Every street specializes in a different product. There is silk street,coffee street, watch street etc. I wanted to pick up some Vietnamese instruments so of course we walked to music street. Bingo...I got two types of guitar like instruments, a fiddle like thing, assorted noise making instruments and four really cool antique opium pipes to add to my collection. I tried to ship all of the instruments to the ranch so that we can have some rollicking jam sessions. They wouldn't ship the big stuff so now we are lugging all the instruments around with us. We call ourselves the " Chasing the McDaniels Band"
After shopping we headed to chicken street for dinner. As the name implies nothing but chicken barbecued on this street. Rose took us to her favorite stand. They cook over small rectangular stands using a very hot burning wood. The chicken is placed over the open fire on skewers and then heavily basted with honey. They also flatten big loaves of french bread and toast that over the fire with honey also basted on it. We sat at a little table and they brought us mound after mound of chicken and bread. Incredibly good.
Rose wasn't yet through with us so she took us to an area that serves home made beer for 30 cents a glass. What a hoot. On on French bistro Hanoi style. Every one grabs a little miniature plastic chair and sits out on the street corner with scooters and cars whizzing by. Miraculously no one gets run over. We are surrounded by a hodge podge of eccentric ex pats that somehow always seem to find places like these. Great conversations were had as we sipped our beer and observed the street scene.
Rose walked us back to our hotel at a pace that could match any Olympic speed walker. She doesn't tolerate slow pokes.
Back at the hotel, we are thoroughly sated and pleasantly exhausted.
Yes, we have experienced the soft white underbelly of Hanoi.

Dining Out Experiences

Are we suffering from starvation and under nourishnent.....NOT!!!!!!

Market Place in Sisophon

Something for every one at the Sisophon central market!!!!!!

Thanh Hoa Continued

More pictures from the Thanh Hoa Vietnam distribtution

Day 7-- Thanh Hoa Distribution

Day 7..Thanh Hoa Distribution
The Hotel Elegance III is new and quaint but a bit odd in its construction. The bath tub shower combo is very compact. The shower was hitting me about knee level and when I went to adjust it the shower head did one of those water snake routines and nailed Pat dead in the butt as she was brushing her hair. It gave her quite a morning pick me up.
After breakfast we met up with our distribution partners (Annetta De Vet, Truong Bao Long, Do Thi Thuy Hong and four volunteers from a local school who were along to collect stories from the recipients to report to FWM...a school project for the girls) and boarded a van for Thanh Hoa. March is a foggy, misty month for Hanoi and it was raining as we navigated morning traffic out of the City.
Horns are a must on the road in Vietnam. No way would I attempt to drive here. People pass on the right and left at their whimsy. In contrast to Cambodia the roads here are paved. However, there are vast numbers of trucks on the road that must be passed to make any progress...white knuckle highway is what we will term this route..
Thanh Hoa is 160 KM from Hanoi and we are figuring on a 3 hr drive. The scenery is way more verdant than Cambodia. There is water and rice paddies everywhere. Workers are out in the paddies early planting rice and tending to their fields. They were still working diligently up to dusk with only a hour or so break at mid day. The little towns we pass are more orderly than in Cambodia and appear to be a bit more organized. We pass a number of rivers and sandstone or marble monoliths which rise up from the rice paddies..strikingly beautiful. We are close to the ocean but it doesn't come into view.
At Thanh Hoa, we meet the head of the Vietnamese handicapped administration and the provincial chairman and a number of other officials for a traditional North Vietnamese countryside lunch. Another big feast for sure. It was all very tasty and different from anything we had yet sampled. We had several toasts with most accompanied by a challenge to down the whole glass. We matched our hosts stride for stride. Tommy was particularly vulnerable because they thought the " Big Bull" should be able to drink everyone under the table so he was challenged by every one including the hostesses to down a glass of beer. He had no problem with these challenges.
After lunch we went to the assembly hall which was teeming with activity. Wave upon wave of motor bikes and carts dropped off the disabled.
This distribution was for 100 chairs. In contrast to Sisophon. This distribution was pretty equally divided between frail seniors, amputee vets, handicapped young adults and severely handicapped children.
I was struck by the images. One very old and stoic lady clad in all black whose eyes spoke of wisdom and experience,a beautiful young woman who's right foot had been severely damaged and appeared to be terribly infected. It looked to me like the foot needed to be amputated. Annetta took down her name and we committed to help her get medical treatment. I doubt if the foot can be saved but hopefully her life will be.Several former soldiers still in uniform and missing limbs, many mothers patiently tending to their children with cerebral palsy or other debilitating conditions. It amazes me how patient these people are.The distribution was kicked off with a group of young student singers who were followed by several very good Vietnamese singers. It was great for the disabled since I'm sure they rarely get out for any entertainment.
After the entertainment, our family entourage was thanked by the provincial officials and explanations given about the various programs for the disabled in Vietnam.
Long gave a demonstration on how to operate and maintain the wheelchairs. Next the girl with the infected foot was wheeled up and gave a very touching thank you to us on behalf of all the disabled.
To end the several rows of the attendees were brought onstage for photographs. The whole distribution was filmed for the local TV station. At the closing we mingled through the attendees and revelled in the smiles and thank yous we received from the recipients. Moments like these are what makes this trip worthwhile. We will tell the story better through pictures and video upon our return.
After the distribution, we all headed to a village deep into the rice paddies. Little huts with all the farmers worldly possessions close at hand. We went to the home of one of the rice farmers and gave a wheel chair to his daughter. She caught some form of disease as a baby which rendered her deaf and blind as well as crippled. She is 16 and barely more than 3 feet tall. It is a tough life for her and her family. The gift of mobility clearly was on display.
We went to another small hut and gave a wheel chair to a 52 year old man that I think was suffering from cerebral palsy. His mind was alert but the body doesn't cooperate. He was over joyed and his parents that are still his caregivers were elated. The father had been a high ranking officer during the war and Tommy saw many medals on display when he peaked inside their humble home. Again the gift of mobility strikes a positive chord.
We were all feeling really pumped up as we said our good byes. Little did we know that the road back to Hanoi was in a more advanced stage of construction and packed with vehicles and heavy trucks ...all heading for Hanoi. Five hours later in a bladder testing and hair standing trek we made it back to Hanoi...very tired but very satisfied with the day.