Phnomh Penh

chao Dai temple Vietnam

af ew pics

Goodbye Vietnam!

Well our last day in Vietnam and we are just veging around. It's been an eventful and interesting few weeks. Two days ago HCMC had 3 hours of continual rain and the water around our hotel was lapping the top step 30-40 cm from pavement!! Motor bikes were in 40cm of water. today it rained a belting shower but passed on thankfully.

I had a hair cut today and they even get you to lay down at the wash basin on a massage bed and give your head a massage.... Hmmm.... That I could get used to!

We catch plane tonight about 10 pm and then arrive in Sydney at 0930 tomorrow and then catch plane to Adeliade at 12 to arrive home at 1430. I will try an load a few photos on from home for the family OS so you can see the changes in this part of the world. It's back to work next Monday after a weekend in Melbourne to celebrate Simon's 30th birthday.
So its Goodbye Vietnam!

Hi from Ho Chi Minh city

Well we are back in Ho Chi Minh city. A quick and early flight saw us back in HCMC at 10 am. Then we had a hair raising taxi ride into town where the guy just cut in and out of the traffic, as if he was Moses parting the Red Sea! He even gave some poor lad on a motor bike a shove up the rear because he would not get out of his way. If there was room fora moto he would fit his car in it. Unbelievable!! I was dreading knocking someone over and then being the white passengers we would end up having to pay the hospital bills (or the funeral expenses) . Well we did arrive in one peice in record time. They would win any olympic event in dodgem car driving.

We are having a few quiet days just sitting in cafes drinking mango lassies. Today we will walk to the Saigon River and do some final shopping for small and light weight items (as we are already at our weight limit- that is not hard to do with the many things people want to sell you. It is truly unrelenting; all day and all night, everyday. I think I am finally sick of it! They even come into the restaurant and stand at your table and try to sell to you. As I am typing a bloke is trying to tell Hugo he needs hi shoes polished... while we are in the hotel lobby if yuo don't mind! If they could provide roadside liposuction they would! There would probably do a roaring trade too with all of us overweight westerners walking around here!

Hue Citadel and temples

today we had another early start and off to the citadel in which the Nguyen dynasty emporors lived worked and then off to their carious pagoda/mausaleums which are all built with square moats that you also see in Thailand. built into mountains and surrounded by water for good feng shui. Not sure why you need that once you are dead! These are very interesting but you do get templed out after awhile. We also saw how they make straw hats and incense sticks. Believe me- everyone wants to sell you something (and then they will want to charge you excess baggage as well) You feel like you say "hello" and "no thankyou" allllll day. I think I will be hearing it in my sleep for weeks "Hello madam..." "you buy" "Good price for you" "very cheap madam" and then when you say "No thanks" you get the look that says "Stingy b...." or the look that says you just took the crusts out of my child's mouth. Its the only part that we are fed up with. Otherwise we have had a great holiday. Seen lots and experienced many wonderful people and food and sights.

Off to our last stop Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow before we return and back to work work work :(

The DMZ and a trip to Khe Sanh

We are in Hue arrivng a couple of days ago by open bus. This is a great invention in that you can buy tickets to any city in vietnam and just pay for that leg of the trip. Each leg of about 4 hours bus is about $6 and you get to see some wonderful country side. We crossed many names familiar to the war in Vietnam in the late 60s and 70s.

The trip yesterday went throught the Demilitarised Zone between North and South to Vinh Moc Tunnels in which north vietnamese lived (and 17 children were born in the tunnels in family rooms 1 x 2 metres dug out of the side of the hill. These tunnels have not been widened for tourists they are in there original and an amazing testimony to this people's grit and determination to be self-determining. [I actually survived walking 700metres underground through the 3 levels of tunnels. I gained a little downes syndrome man as my torch bearere and Moccy shook my hand on the outside. He must have sensed I was afraid and never left my side (or rear actually!!) ]
The trip through to Khe Sanh made you realise the fultility of so much of the fighting. When will we ever learn. It also confirmed the adage that "history is written by the victors", as the enemy are in their eyes most definitely the USA (no mention of allies!!). We saw the bridges that joined the Ho Chi Minh trail but did not walk on it which was my understanding I was disappointed about that. Sobering long day in all.

Today we are gpoing to do the citadels and temples must go as the bus is coming!1

My Son Temples

Today we took the bus to My Son and visited the temples and then came back by boat. The trip was interesting but the temples disappointing once you have been to Angkor Wat the rest is ordinary even if they are from 4centrury. The bus driver was picked up for speeding and after he paid his bribe money (apparently he already had a 1 month suspension of his license so he handed over fist fulls of dong) and we proceeded at great speed on ward. He was fuming mad and we flew around those mountains at such speed that the li8ttle statue of Mary in the front went flying and the Vietnamese passenger behind me began to make the sign of the cross and I knew even the locals were a tad scared.

This temple had one peculiar thing in that it had a statues to Shiva which were clearly phallic symbols of the male anatomy called "linga" and the female anatomy left a bit to the imagination but these were called "yonnie" Needless to say this caused quite a bit of wise cracking from the back packer component among us. Well I'm off to dinner now and tomorrow we go by bus to Hue.

Old Hoi An

Today was 39 degrees and the sunblock is getting a work out. We walked the old town today and went to a cultural music show! Hugo quipped says they should pay the audience but it was nice really. The old town ticket lets you go into the old homes and community halls of various communities that have survived for several hundred years (even through all the US bombings in the 60-70s. ). Its a lovely town and we walked it for 6 hours. Full of little alleys and nice spices and great smells everywhere of incense and cooking. People practising and plying their handcrafts a strange juxtaposition of old and new permeates the whole of Vietnam. You see old peole carrying their bamboo buckets and a mobile phone!! Monks in traditional robes and racing a rafio control car! Massive old teak house buildings and then a plasma TV! At 2pm we collapsed in the pool and had a siesta. We are starting to see the merit of the 11-2pm sleep. If this weather was your life day in and day out, you can only function early and when the sea breeze comes in.

In a moment we are going to pick up some business shirts Hugo has had made over here. The hotel has a shuttle bus as it is in a rice paddy on the banks of the river and its is so pretty here and peaceful so a nice way to relax and then commute the 4 km into town. Shopping is good and one can keep finding ways to lose your money!! Thats fun, but you do get mighty sick of being asked to buy stuff AAAALLLLL day long.

Ahoy from HoiAn

We had a quick flight to HoiAn via Danang today and then found out our amazing hotel which overlooks a rice paddy and a lovely river. We borrowed bikes and cycled for 2-3 hours to the beach and through villages and had a lovely time. Tonight we went into the old town and walked through the lantern lit streets people everywhere just eating and enjoying life This town is delightful and our hotel is amazing for the price!! Naturally the romantic cloth lantern lit streets and the warm night air are still punctuated with "hello miss you want drink" hello miss you want tailored skirt." You want cyclo ride miss.." "you buy... you buy beautiful pearl miss" and so ends another day in the land of commerce.

How long to Halong

We have just returned from a few days sailing one of the wonders of the natural world. Halong Bay just east of Hanoi (well 4 hours of cramped bus drive actually.) The buses are made for Vietnamese bums and heights so Hugo and I had to fold ourselves into the seat and suck up the excess and hold it for 4 hours. Then of course they need to put 4 people in 3 seats (or even 5 if they can squeeze you a bit tighter... not possible for our row!!). My claustrohobic tendencies are undergoing a rapid desensitisation treatment:). However we will never be desensitised to their music. We have to keep reminding ourselves it's a cultural expereince but its so awful its almost torture. Hugo almost bought an Ipod in desperation!!

Halong Bay was absolutely stunning. We had perfect weather. Hot ofcourse, but no rain and clear skies and green flat seas. There are hundreds of islands which come straight out of the ocean and then they are covered with vegetation. It's so beautiful. We were the only locals on our boat because the backpackers and western tourists all stay at sea overnight. I could not stand it because those cabins are so small and stuffy and close. Then I saw a rat on the dock so the thought of spending a night with rodent stow aways and drinking backpackers... naaah... we opted for a day trip instead. We left our friendly backpackers to drink the night away (at mightily inflated prices) and let them try their hand at karaoke... can't be worse than the local singing... truly:) (There's a reason there are not too many "top ten" hits on the western top 40 from this neck of the woods.)

On the day boat we were mobbed by people wanting to know all the details of our lives and to have their photos taken with us. (they are mad I know) we had 3 of our family photos with us, so we showed them. Next thing they went flying around the boat with everyone 'ooing' and 'aaahing' about how tall the boys are. I think they thought we had photographed "Gulliver" when they saw the pics!! (sorry Brett and Jim). It was fun and created quite a comotion.

At night we went for a walk to find a nice little seafood place and enjoy some yummy fresh seafood. The meals are delicious and we have not been ill at all. (Hanoi is the cleanest of the large cities we have been in so far.) You can eat a lovely meal for around $3-6!! It was so nice to see all the locals enjoying family holidays where we were at Halong Bay. There are also many Chinese here as it's high season for locals to travel to Hanoi region (they must like it hot). It's a favourite holiday spot and they are all out shopping at the night market and just enjoying life. I find their extended family life quite enviable. They love to be together and just hang around chatting, snacking all day and night, playing cards and drinking together. They will have a game of chess or draughts or mah jong. It's easy to see why they would feel lonely in the west. They laugh and play with their children who seem to be awake all night!!

In the pool at the hotel I taught a little chinese boy to float and start to swim (his gran kept bowing and thanking me...) it was self-preservation actually, because he was floundering so much I could just see him drowning and needing to do CPR because gran was sure to nod off (as most locals seem to do that if they sit for more than 5 minutes). They have power napping down to an artform.

Tomorrow we are back on the plane and off to Danang and Hoi An. Enjoying it all lots :)

The scenery in Vietnam is more agricultural than Cambodia. Its so enjoyable to see them ploughing rice fields and tending crops and sellling their wares from the bus window that is wehn you can actually turn around to see becasue the locals love to close the curtains in the bus they have an aversion to sun. On the walk into the caves on one of the islands in Halong Bay the sea of umbrellas almost poked my eye out because I am just the right height to cop the points on all sides.

Hang On in Ha Noi

Hanoi is also hot and muggy 35 degrees todat and 98% humidity!! It is different than Saigon, quite pretty architecture in the old quarter and much cleaner that Saigon. The people are quieter and very proud. Less English is spoen so I have been trying my hand at Vietnamese with the trusty phrase book but its not always understood. Its interesting but challenging weather wise and the fact they have one rule for some people but not everyone and you can see so much scamming. Everyone wants to take you for a ride in more ways than one. There is a strong sense of cultural pride here and they have fought colonialism from the french and USA so they feel quite proud of their efforts.

We did "Ho Chi Minh" mausoleum and surrounds today. The queue to see Uncle Ho snaked along for 500 metres. It took about 40 minutes to file past his embalmed body. He is venerated by the people as a hero of liberation from colonialism.

We alos visister the Temple of Literature which venerates Confucian scholars and people with doctorates. I wiped the turtles head (I was allowed seeing I had the qualification to do so!). Interesting to see how almost 1000 years ago Chinese mandarin scholars esteemed knowledge so much and the scripts with which they first wrote and passed on their wisdom.

Then we found our way back to our hotel in Ha Noi's "old quarter" narrow streets and alleyways and we got so lost. Each street starts with Hang. We 'live' on Hang Be, and then there is Hang Non and Hang Quat and Hang Gai not to be confused with Hang Gui just alongside Hang Quo and around the corner from Hang Lai... if you get my drift. You feel like saying "Who gives a Hang" but you have to find your way home!! Everyone see us as an old couple that clealrly cannot walk so they throg around us all day ask us for Cyclo, moto, or taxi rid for sir and madam, This gos on allllllllll day long. It's incessant and can actually drive you around the twist. Especially when they hang their baskets on you arms and demand you take a photo and then of course demand money and so the continual haranguing does get wearing. Most of the time I am Ok but occasionally you just want some peace when you are trying to work out 'where the hang you are' so you can walk home!
We could have spent longer here as it is actually quite interesting. For those who love shopping a meca with everything you can think of to buy. Tonight we will see the Vietnames water puppet show at 8.00pm so must go and wash the sweat off.

We are off to sail along the world heritage islands of Halong Bay tomorrow.
Well my fellow comrades (getting into the socialist speak here) till next time.

can't get phots working

well I have tried to post photos but to no avail so you will just have to imagine the sights sorry

'Wat' Next

Well three days in Siem Riep and we have walked for kilometres over at least 20 x1000 year old temples until we were both templed out. It was so hot today as we ascended the temple steps in one place (which were almost vertical for 3 levels of 30 metre steps- no mean feat when you see the signs warning that you do so at your own peril) . Not being a lover of heights I was quite proud of myself for actually getting up there. Getting down was even more hair raising but we managed and the reward was to be greeted by throngs of people wanting to sell you drinks You buy madam you buy sir, you name it they will flog it. Enterprising they are. We laughed our way through it its not worth getting annoyed because they are just making a living. Hugo had done up 40 or so little packets of Australian stamps and these went like hot cakes. They enjoyed them and wanted more for my friend... my brother... The rocks on these temples were baking in the sun and they were so hot that I burnt the map of Cambodia on my gluteus maximus when I sat down! However I am proud to say we kept pace with all the Teva clad back packers from around the world in their uniform of khaki long shorts and singlets and Teva sandals.

Yes it was amazing.These temples are a testimony to their great artisan ancestory of the Khmer empire. They are steeped in history and you really do feel like you are on an Indiana Jones film set. We have so many photos of temples we could bore you allf or a week! They are so large covering an area the size of Los Angeles I am told. We tuk tuk ed our way and felt some what smug when the zealous young back packers were dripping buckets of sweat on their push bikes.I am passed the stage of having to prove myself. I just know some of them were eyeing our tuk tuk off with envy!!
Any way it goodbye to Cambodia tomorrow and Good Morning Vietnam (off to Hanoi tomorrow).
I hope I can make this work in Vietnam because it was not working before in Saigon but will try. Sorry I have not worked out how to load photos yet I may try tomorrow before we go, if time permits.

three day in ""Snooky

Well today we retuned from our trip to Sihanoukville or "Snooky"as the locals call it. We stayed at a lovely hotel which was the cleanest and best construction we have seen in Cambodia. An American man married to a Khmai wife own it and they were both very particular about how things were done. It was amazing oasis in a rather crowded beach area that was pretty dirty. They need a "clean up Cambodia"campaign just as we had. Then people would see how lovely this country really is. Everyone litters profusely as if someone élse will pick it up behind them (only they don't always do it) and its such a sanitation and 'major health issue.

The first day we walked around the beach and braved the locals who are extremely pushy in their sales pitch about everything. Once again many people begging along the foreshore all landmine victims. That is hard to see and hard to handle its so undignified making the work that Marian Fromm is doing so much more important as that employment provides some dignity as well as independence.

Then we decided to go on a snorkelling trip to a coral island with a local company. The island was called Koh Lim Sum but I think the Lim Sum was because one almost lost 'some limbs'' getting on and off the boat! It was a 1.5 metre drop from the pier into the boat and then abit of boat hoping to get on the correct fishing boat. Think an old fishing boat (the kind boat people came to Australia on) it was an enjoyable 2 hours to the island for me, but several others including Hugo felt squeamish. I was surprised about that. Then we snorkelled around a lovely bay and saw lots of fish. Nothing to compare to Barrier Reef but the water was warm and it was sunny and most pleasant.

On the way back I thought we were going to meet the seabed as the swell was a gentle 2metre roll that required careful negotiation by "Papa"" our captain, who was a mere 69 years old!! He nodded off to sleep now and again but thankfully awoke each time we were about to take on too much water!! This old man must have seen so much change in this country. He smoked like a train, survived all the 1970s turmoil and was still smiling. That is resilience. He did a spot of handline fishing while we were snorkelling. I did not go out on th second snorkel because we were in an area that had strong undertow and I did not feel like washing up on Koh Samui in Thailand, so I just sat with Papa and watched him fish. An interesting day to say the least.

We were on an island which was largely unexplored and about 30 houses made up the village. Even out there they had a little store and a billiard table. I can't imagine how the boat we were on would get it there!! They are enterprising and find their way around obstacles the rest of us would say were impossible!!

The sad part about this day was that we found out in the morning when reading a newspaper that all these islands are being sold to foreign developers. The local people are just displaced. This is happening all over Cambodia. There is development everywhere foreign companies all buying up property fencing it off, in the hope of a boom times for this country and the making of large profits. Not bad when the policy is no foreign ownership, but its a land of '"who you know and connections will get you what you want. The poor just find themselves displaced. While they are asleep or at work their homes"are demolished, all their possessions taken away. Its a new colonialism, run from within by profiteers.

The Russians have already built a hotel on one very tiny island (no beaches) looking like something from a James Bond movie) and they charge people $3000/night! There must be some wealthy people in the USSR(probably the makers of Vodka). [I believe the russian mafia are still strongly networked throughout Cambodia, they probably meet there!]

Tomorrow we are off to Siem Reap. so till next time Lee Hai

Vist to "Reverse the Curse"

Today we went to visit the program set up for landmine victims. These people do not get any social disability pension and short of begging. There is not a lot they can do for employment. We met Marian Fromm a woman from Adelaide who came here when she was 60 years old and set up a factory employing only people affected by landmines. They dry fruit and sell it to the local shops and some export markets. She recently bought a mango field so they can use their own fruit because the costs of packaging, bottles and fruit and sugar have all increased radically so it's hard to make ends meet let alone make a profit and Marian pays her workers double what they would get from the government. She employs 30 men and women. She teaches them English for free between 12 and 2 about 3 x per week because English will help them get ahead.

Marian had a documentary team over from Australia who were doing a doc on landmines in Cambodia and she is working with them hoping to get more sponsorship from OS to grow the business. We spoke with her accountant, who lost his leg below the knee and almost was a double amputee after going fishing and standing in shallow water in a river just outside Pnomh Penh. It's diabolical how many people are still affected by the unexploded ordinances left over from US carpet bombing and their own Khmer Rouge planting plastic mines that cannot be picked up readily by metal detectors, making them hard to clear. Still between 500 and 1000 people lose limbs or their lives each year. They think it will be 20-30 more years before its considered relatively clear. Another worker lost his leg plowing in his own field! The message is don't stray from the path and look carefully at all times. The work this one Adelaide woman has achieved is phenomenal. She is an inspiration and turns 70 in 2 weeks!!

Tomorrow a.m. we leave by bus for the coast at Sihanoukville. So we will see if I can get the email/blog working from there. The 9 days in Phnomh Penh have been inspiring to meet so many amazing people both expats and locals. We have enjoyed it and are learning so much about many things.

Tonight we had a huge blast of fireworks that went off right next to our hotel. I thought it was a bomb and I have to say I was completely terrified. The locals thought it was funny but once I picked my self up from the floor I could laugh too. Blimey what a fright I got. It's election time in a couple of weeks and everybody here goes a bit mad for some strange reason. Apparently violence is also on the increase at elections as people get quite carried away about their party allegiance.

Today we visited the Peace Bridges program and I was able to share the work we have done at RDNS. I will probably come back at some stage later and show them how to use the model we developed in Adelaide for families recovering from abuse and violence. This would be short term visits to do some capacity building work with NGO groups via the Peace Bridges program workers. They would train up local Khmai people to do the work with families and in villages.

We also went to Hagar Women's program where we were talking to Wilma a woman working here for 2 years at Hagar. She has come from Perth with her husband to work with the womens' programs and the handcraft factory. The building is typical of most here rather old open and sparse old wooden desks and plastic chairs many brittle and broken. Their building is in great need of paint and scrubbing clean and cheering up. They have hardly any decent play and school equipment for the 50 children living there. Boy the poverty and lack of simple goods is just pathetic.

She was telling us her key Khmai counsellor son had an accident yesterday and has serious head injuries. Four people die every day on the roads in Pnomh Penh alone 1,970 people last year in this city!! When you see how they drive its no wonder its unbelievable. I wish I could video it to show you all!.

Wilma said she stopped yesterday on her way home from church to get a man off the main road. He was sitting there with a toddler in his arm dressed in rags, the baby was wrapped in rags and lying limp in his arms. He had no money for food, clothes or hair cut... After begging him to come off the road and she would feed him she saw he also had only half a leg because it had been blown off by land mines. These peoples in the country are destitute and so desperate they will sit on the road and rather get run over because they have nothing to lose may be someone will stop and provide a meal. Pitiful stuff really.

We read that Amnesty International estimate around 100,000 Cambodians have been displaced by the rabid land grabbing going on here. Cost of houses and rents are on a par with Adelaide yet government workers get $40 pr month wages!! How do they get ahead that way with rising food and petrol and costs? Yet the rich are doing very well thank you... which is a shame. Its every man and woman for themselves since the Khmer Rouge has left because they have pitted brother against brother and so family trust has been destroyed. There are however many NGOs helping here. In fact they provide the entire welfare system which in itself produces problems, but people have to do something or there would be mass starvation. It's interesting and challenging to see how they can still bounce back and be positive and happy in the midst of all this. We are learning much from this experience. These are amazing people.

Well today we went to church in the International church at Pnomh Penh World Vision building. It was packed with people from 31 nations. Most peole workig here in some capacity many visitor from various schools and groups doing short term work. Afterwards we went to lunch with marion fromm wo runs Reverse the Curse a group that dry fruit and all the people working for her are land mine victims. We will go and see her work on Tuesday.

Its strange to be so far from family on my birthday but we are enjoying meeting so many dedicated people working in their special fields to help this country and its people get ahead. Capacity building is so needed here as education costs so much. In the rush of development )almost all Korean, Thai, Chinese, Japanese funded) the locals and the poor are left further and further behind and that breeds discontent and violence increases. The huge number of NGOs are almost propping up the social services it seems. The poor can never afford education and they cannot afford to let their kids go to school because they need them to get the money some how so they can feed the family because going to school is a luxury they cannot afford as it prevents them getting the days rice.

Well today was a quiet day and I am heading off for a swim to gt through the 37 degree heat!! I am discovering sweat glands in places that I never knew I had them- my scalp for one!!

Love to you all Anne & Hugo XX

walk around Pnomh Penh and the Royal Palace

Today we had no visits so went on a walking tour of PP. IT is absolutely boiling hot when you walk, sweat pouring off me and I don't normally perspire much! It really needs to rain and cooled everything off! We went along the river which they ae beautifying so you cannot see anything!! Its been going on for 2 years and they say another 3 yet! A japanese company is doing it too!

Visited the Royal Palace and then Wat Phnom Buddhist temple. I am struggling with all the begging but its been less intrusive than I first thought would happen. We stopped for some lunch and a drink at the infamous Foreign Correspondents Club where Dip Tran met the Journo of the 1976 Killing Field fame. It was so hot that I just wanted to get home and have a swim (Like Feb in Adelaide but humid as well!) Apparently April is the worst month here where even the locals go spare! July is bad enough for us! Anyway I am off for a swim. The locals on the building site sit on the roof and laugh when they see this white Baluga whale get in the water!! At least my girth is bringing someone some mirth!

Toul Sleng prison S21

Well this morning we went to the inamous S21 prison Touls Sleng. It was the prison of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot and hundreds of people were tortured there. It wasa sobering thing to think this happened only in in the 1970s How cruel people can be to one another. The tears flooded from everyone seated in the hot and musty prison cell when watching the bographical footage and an interview of a grandmother telling the story of her son and daughter in law and her niece and nephew It helps to see why there is so much mistrust and fear of trusting people outside the immediate family. These were brutal days in this gentle people's history. A gut wrenching experience.

Then we went out to Peace Builders in the afternoon. Barry feels there is some real merit in the work we have done at RDNS using participatory action methods to promote family health. I am going back with Hugo to do an in-service on Monday pm because they are interested in learning more about the transition model and capacity building possibilities of PAR to assist the poorest communities to help improve family health and reduce the very high levels of family violence. Once trust has been demolished as an integral aspect of relationships its affecting every aspect of life for these people. They were so interested in the work we have done at RDNS with CSA survivors and others that it may be that they will organise other NGO workers to understand the model to see how it can be implemented in their stratgic processes to build the capacity of commuities and families. That seems an exciting way to help from my perspective.

It's very hot and wet but we are well and enjoying the look around and having a crack at the language which is challenging to day the least! The poor are indeed very poor and the rising costs of city living fuel, food and shelter (with rents rising by >50% in one year) has seen many really struggle and consequently costs are sky rocketing for the everyone but the poor are always affected worse by such costs of living in the basic needs. Even the disabled still seem to try and sell travel copies of lonely planet to make ends meet as there are no social security few taxes and few services for them. It's so good to see them keep trying to maintain independence.

There is much to learn from these people about resilience and living a life of gratitude.

visit to Hagar International

Today we went to Hagar. Khmer people are friendly and have lovely smiles. The catering business employs 85 women and men rescued from sex slavery. It's a great enterprise that was statrted by a french man and he got a retired catering man from Perth called Frank Woods who came here to show them how to do hospitality to western standards. He was ready to retire but flt called to come here and he started the business side for them so the women/men could work in quality jobs enabling them to get a good salary and buy food for their children and work their way out of poverty so they don't end up back on street and in sex industry. It was inspiring to see how well they worked and how much respect they all have for each other.
Then we met with Sue Taylor in charge of the childrens' program and she is a New Zealander. About my age. Her husband is in charge of the soya milk factory. Nestle donated a large factory with machinery and he is helping to get it under way. They are just back from Bangkok because they were the victims of a drive by bag snatching. When they pulled her bag her arm was through it and she went flying off the bike as did her husband. Sue received head injuries and shoulder reconstruction and her husband had fractured ribs and clavicle.She is ok but it was a big scare. It happened in broad daylight coming back from church!

They are very busy trying to get it operational so the factory can employ more women and men gainfully so they work their way through with support and learn skills for 2 years and then they can find jobs or set up own business enterprise. Its an effective model. The beneficiaries are inspired to work hard because they can see a way upward and out of their poverty. Hagar actively build their capacity and they have coussnelling support to build their confidence and work through past abuse and trauma. They have many women who have been raped and as we were their the childrens worker was called out to retrieve a woman and baby who had acid thrown over them and were badly burnt. Family violence is a legacy of the trauma of the past .Tomorrow we will see what the Peace bridges program is doing as they are capacity building around conflict resolution skills.

Today my tummy is a bit upset so I hope I am not getting a bug. Time will tell!

Thecommunication has not been easy. I am ashamed to be Australian around here there are many aussies swilling beer and alcohol and then visiting the "massage parlours' (all so called dicrete) but all single middle aged men travellling in pairs and small groups. It disgusts us. Gross. That is just a cultural embarrassment and a shame.

Yes Cambodia is dirty but its the same as most Asian big cities. I can cope with it now I am over the first few days and look past it and see really beautiful people. Once you get over the heat, noise and traffic its got a nice feel to it. We've seen how the GIA team live... simply in classic Asian houses with big tiled floors and just enough rooms to get by they all have showers and flushing toilets so that's good! They all rent. Many NGOs are living in mansions which makes talented locals want to work for an NGO becasue they get paid $40 per month working for governement. Its a catch 22.
We've just Tuk tuk'ed from the other side of town where we went to a school for poor kids... oh my gosh they have nothing... no play equipment, no books just a few bits and pieces. Their teachers are locals with no education training at all. A girl from Switzerland actually runs the school and she volunteers with OMF the locals are paid. She speaks fluent Khmai which is not easy and writes it too!

I will have another crack at the blog so you can keep in touch. Thankfully the hotel has an internet but its slow... You can rech us on antoniamvl@yahoo.com I don't have anyone's email address with me so you need to make contact if you want communication.

The falling US dollar and the high cost of fuel is killing these people because they only earn $2.50 per day so the poor just get poorer. Its not as bad as I thought I don't feel unsafe but at night its risky so we are in our rooms by 8.30pm
Tomorrow we are off to visit Hagar International. and Friday the Peace bridges programme.

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City late Thursday night after having a delay. On board the plane a woman got altitude sickness and lost consciousness so I had to help her she because there was no doctor on board eventually it turned out there was one who cam forward which was good because I thought she had a seizure but it turned out to be altitude illness so we flew lower down and that add 2 hours to the trip The upshot was we were upgraded to first class so she could lay in our seats!! Poor woman landing like that ina foreign country.

First day in HCM we got bearings and did the tourist bits the Cu Chi tunnels etc. Big noisy and inhospitable city with traffic which is one never ending merging of lanes which are for guidance only!! Same in PP. You have to be brave and then take your life in your hand crossing over. We had to laugh because it was scary!! Then that afternoon it rained ad we were up to our axles in the car with water. Its VERY hot but once it rains its bearable.

The bus ride to PP was good once we got on the right bus!They loaded our bags and us on to a different bus so we had to be assertive and say "No- wrong bus" because we paid for the Mekong Express and the bus they wanted to pop us on stopped 100 times on the way to PP and took 12 hours instead of 6! They offloaded us and left us standing in the middle of a busy main road with suitcases... I kid you not!!

Cambodia is friendlier than Vietnam. It's difficult to locate our brearings as the streets are poorly signed. Everyone wants to sell us tuk tuk rides but we smile and say "no walking" Today we braved the whole city in one and laughed our way through the language barriers with our driver. Its good. I am getting accustomed to the "culture ". I find the poverty difficult.

Yesterday we met a teacher from St Ignatius (Sydney) College. They have their high school boys teaching children in a village They are a Jesuit college and they do this to get the boys aware of poverty and sharing wealth and developing cultural competence. Nice idea. The kids teach Cambodian kids English and they have to prepare their lessons.

This afternoon we went to the team from Christian partners in Cambodia which our church sponsors workers to see their work and we talked about the transition model which he was most interested in I have it on my flash drive so we are going to shwo them more on Friday! Our RDNS work may be used here. How cool is that?!

It's elections soon so life is a bit strained for most here. Hun Sen will get in again for sure there is no real 'competetion' but I cannot talk about that now.


I am having trouble with the blog so I will persevere but it may be a problem.
Regards to everyone. We are safe if not hot but enjoying the people the land and the experience. I'll let you know how it all goes. So far so good.

Love Anne & Hugo XX

we are off

Well tomorrow am we leave on our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, This is just a test run to see if I can remember how to get this up and running

Edith & Brett's wedding pics March 2008

Here are just a few wedding pics from Edith & Brett's wedding for our OS rels and friends to view