Day 9 - Cooking Lesson in HCMC

On Saturday, I travelled from Mui Ne to HCMC by bus. It had double decker seating, air conditioning and WiFi. Very comfortable and clean!

I got to HCMC around noon, checked into my hotel and quickly signed up for a cooking tour. I was picked up by a cyclo driver who gave me a tour of the main downtown sites before dropping me at Ben Thanh Market. I was met there by Dory (her chosen English name), a chef, who gave me a very interesting tour of the spices, fruits and vegetables at the market, showing me many unfamiliar items. One of the strangest was probably Birds nest, which is solidified bird siliva, which is used to make soup. It's very expensive but there is a cheaper version with bird feathers still in it that you need to pick out. I will remember to not order any birds nest soup!

After our tour of the market, Dory took me on her motorbike through HCMC crazy traffic to the cooking school. For some reason, there were no other students. So I got a private lesson in fruit and vegetable carving, making spring rolls, Vietnamese savoury pancakes and chicken pho. It was very hands on and I got to eat everything I made. They also presented me with a booklet outlining how everything was made so that I could reproduce it at home.

 Below are a few photos from the afternoon:

Days 7 and 8 Mui Ne

Following the opening of the school, I was driven to Mui Ne, a beach resort, by a man who worked for the local Xuyen Moc school district. He spoke some English but didn't seem to know the way and stopped every 30 min to ask directions. I was worried he would get lost on the return. The roads were generally very good. We drove by many dragon fruit orchards. After more than 3 hours we arrived in Mui Ne. I think this place is about as touristy as it gets in Vietnam! Wall to wall resorts. I'm staying at the Little Mui Ne Cottages, a lovely mid priced boutique resort. My room has a view of the ocean and there is a nice pool. I think I am the only guest here that is not Russian. For some reason Mui Ne is very popular with Russians to the point that they may out number the locals and many signs are in Russian. I actually went to restaurant that had menus only in Russian!

Fishing and tourism are the main livelihoods here. There are many colourful fishing boats in the harbour, and small round fishing boats paddled by the local fisherman. The locals also fish with nets from the shore for small fish and clams. 

The second morning in Mui Ne I took a jeep tour of the area, including the white and red sand dunes and a local harbour where they were bring in the catch of the day, including crabs, squid, lobster and small fish. The highlight was going to the white dunes for sunrise. I got an ATV ride through the smaller dunes to the big dunes, which was a lot of fun. 

The following are some photos from the last two days. I'm heading back to HCMC tomorrow and back to Toronto on Sunday am.

Day 6 - School Opening Ceremony

Despite the unfinished school, there was a lovely opening ceremony! It started with dance performances by the children and teachers. Then there were speeches, mine translated by Tung, followed by a speech from each of the partner organizations. At the end, all the partners cut the ribbon. I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers. And the kids were very excited to see the new toys and gets some treats !  They were so cute! Following the ceremony, we had a lovely lunch with traditional Vietnamese dishes, stir fried beef and chicken, sticky rice, huge shrimp and custard for dessert attended by the partner organizations and teachers. Here are some photos from the ceremony...

Day 6 - Visiting (part of) the School

Today was the school opening. I had heard a week before I left that the construction was a little behind schedule and that the school would be mostly done except for exterior painting.  That was disappointing news but not enough to postpone my trip. Then last night there was another update whereby the local contractor said the school was only 60 percent done due to heavy rains in the area over the last 2 weeks. Well when we arrived at the school it was probably actually 30 to 40 percent done! The walls were mostly up but no roof, floor, interior or exterior finishing. Not sure who thought it was a good idea to move forward with the opening when the school was so far from being done. I asked the local engineer how much longer it would be and he said about another month. Very disappointing.  They had at least mounted our commemoration plaque, which looked nice. And as you'll see in the next post the incomplete school did not seem to dampen the festivities!

Going on a super fast shopping spree for toys and treats before the school opening

The school is located in a rural area with many rubber trees. Many local families work for he local rubber factory

The school ... will have two classrooms each with a bathroom and storage room

Me and Tung in front of the commemoration plaque, which was already mounted

Day 5- Vung Tau City and Dinner with Local Partners

Today I decided to see a bit of Vung Tau City. I walked down Back Beach, which is actually a fairly nice beach. Vietnamese were swimming with their clothes on. I walked several kms further down the beach towards town. Large cargo ships could be seen coming toward the harbour and oil platforms could be seen in the distance. Oil is pretty big business here. 

I walked all the way to the hill with the giant Jesus on it. Then I walked up hundreds of steps to the top. It was scorching hot with high humidity. From the top of the hill there were good views of the harbour. 

Tung  from East Meets West met me at my hotel and we joined Mr. Dan and Hanh from the local partner oŕganization for dinner at a local seafood restaurant. The food as very good. I also learned to say cheers in Vietnamese. They shout mot, Hai,  ba, (1,2, 3) and then (what sounds like) yo!  

Me with Tung from East Meets West (aka Thrive Network)

Me with Hanh from the Vung Tau Friendship Organization

Me with Mr. Dan of the Vung Tau Friendship Organization

Walking along Back Beach

View from the boardwalk. Way in the distance are cargo ships and oil platforms

I found this sign amusing. 

I walked several km in the blazing heat to the Giant Jesus statue, one of the main landmarks in Vung Tau City.

I climbed many steps to the top of the hill. There were other religious statues along the way

In front of the Giant Jesus.

Day 4 Visit to Long Hai Centre and Ba Ria Orphanage (VT3)

Today, I was picked up at the Green Hotel by My Huong, who is the vice director of the Vung Tau orphanage and the Long Hai Centre. My Huong has an interesting history. She was airlifted out of Vietnam before Saigon fell as an "orphan" and was adopted by an Australian couple.  She later returned to Vietnam to find her birth mother and live in Vietnam.  Her story has been the subject of six documentaries, one of which can be found Here.

My Huong very graciously gave me a tour of the Long Hai vocational centre. This centre serves poor kids, generally with family in the area. I was interested in seeing the centre as several years ago I had paid for classroom furniture through TDH. When I arrived, a team of Australian dentists in an air-conditioned van full of dental equipment arrived waiting to assess the children's teeth. My Huong showed us the classrooms and various skills being taught to the kids, including hair dressing, auto mechanics and basic computer  literacy. The centre was very clean and well kept. It was clearly getting a lot of funding from APER and various Australian organizations.

After visiting the Long Hai Centre, I picked up a few gifts and travelled by taxi to Ba Ria City to visit Maya's old orphanage. Talk about a contrast to the Long Hai Centre.The Ba Ria orphanage was very run down and depressing and quite deserted. It may be because it was lunchtime.I found only one nounou, named Hoang that I recognized but I'm not sure she remembered Maya. Many of the older children were napping and there did not seem to be much stimulation. The playground was in disrepair. I left my gifts and didn't stay too long as no one seemed to remember Maya or spoke English and I returned to Vung Tau.

Long Hai Centre front gate

My Huong (right) talking to one of the dental professionals about the new library

Hair salon training

Motorbike mechanics training

Typical classroom

Front gate Ba Ria orphanage (VT3)

Generally depressing and run down

There were a few babies, more than in Vung Tau. Maya's old baby room was now offices

Hoang, a nounou I remembered who was around when Maya was there.

Day 3 Travel to Vung Tau and Meet Ngoc Anh

Today I travelled from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau by hydrofoil. The Vung Tau harbour brought back memories from our adoption trip six years ago. I am staying at the Green Hotel, a three star hotel on Back Beach. It seems like mostly Vietnamese are staying here.I found a nearby mall, which was not as cheap as I hoped, to purchase some gifts for the orphanage. I then went to the orphanage to meet Ngoc Anh, a girl with HIV that we started sponsoring this year through APER, as well as the mother of Anh Dao, a student I am sponsoring to attend pharmacy school. I was given a tour of the orphanage by My Huong, the assistant orphanage director, who is also overseeing our sponsorships. The Vung Tau centre is very new and well funded compared to other orphanages, like Vung Tau 3 in Ba Ria where Maya is from.

Leaving HCMC

On the hydrofoil on way to Vung Tau. Luckily I read about their propensity to catch on fire AFTER my trip.

                       

Vung Tau harbour with fishing vessels

View of Back Beach from my hotel

Ngoc Anh on left. The kids were all so cute and longing for attention