Dancing Princess
Part 3 of what kids see versus what you see. Halsey wore her princess outfit for her birthday. This is what she saw in her mind. How sweet.
UnLicensed Captain Plows Through Mekong Delta
He had just boarded a passenger and auto ferry deep in the heart of the Vietnamese Jungle to take a short excursion to a remote island. There must have been close to 100 people and cars on the ferry and as sweat dripped off his forehead he made his way to the upper deck to speak to the Captain. He liked boats so he wanted to ask the Captain a few questions.
“Go Ahead and Take the Controls Sir”
“Go ahead and take the controls”, the Captain said, stepping back from the large tiller offering it with a hand gesture. Bill didn’t know Vietnamese but he smiled and took the wheel.
He was piloting a large passenger vessel loaded with tons of cars and motorcycles. He didn’t know the language, the river or how to Pilot this type of boat – but here he was. Welcome to Vietnam.
Passenger Ferrys like this are pretty common in Vietnam which is cut into many inaccessible areas due to the wandering Mekong Delta and thousands of other small rivers that cross it.
There are dangerous sandbars that crop up everywhere which make it hard to navigate. That didn’t bother Bill as he plowed his way down through the Mekong Delta.
The passengers below seemed oblivious to the fact that this foreigner had commandeered the vessel.
The ships mate found it mildly humorous that a white man in a rice hat held his life in his hands. But Bill had a certain air of authority.
After all he did come to Vietnam bearing the good wishes of Obama (his self proclaimed “good friend’). “Obama”, he said, had sent him on a goodwill mission to bring the people of Vietnam and the US closer together.
This ferry ride was part of his grander scheme to bring international harmony to the cultures.
Tu waits, and watches. She hopes to make it to the Island in one piece.
Bill peers into the distance. He is not sure what he is looking for. He is not sure where to go. But he is vigilantly watching.
This is more a show designed to comfort those around him than to actually do anything with what he sees. A Captain always watches.
Man on boat realizes he is not entirely comfortable with the situation as he bites his lip while gazing downward. It’s only temporary he thinks to himself.
We were traveling through a remote area of Vietnam that was famous for Shrimp Farming. In fact, Shrimp Farming had been practiced here since the 15th Century.
We traveled to a small island with no running water, no electricity – just shrimp farmers. And they had a lot of shrimp! This Shrimp Farmer cooked us a meal with the Shrimp he fished out with this net.
These Shrimp Farmers struggle to lift a massive container filled with Shrimp!
So I guess your wondering if we made it. Did Bill deliver us to the Island, unharmed? Well the answer is yes. And we had a great time watching him perform this once in a lifetime opportunity. Welcome to Vietnam Bill.
Unicorn Party
The Fendley’s never fail to throw unique and fun parties. Today, they had a Unicorn Party to celebrate a few birthdays (Frankie, James, Halsey and John). If you want to see all of the pictures you can check out the gallery here – The Unicorn Party.
Or you can browse some of the fun shots here. What a great day!
Vinh Long Orphanage Vietnam
The kids are alright. We made our third trip to Vinh Long Orphanage a couple of weeks ago and they are still there, still waiting for families. Its a little sad. They are happy as can be but you can see how starved for attention and love that they are.
I met with the Director of the Orphanage to see how things were going. I was disappointed to hear that not only were there less kids being adopted but rather that there were more kids than ever coming in and not leaving. Apparently the Vietnamese Government is to blame. New laws and restrictions have made it harder than ever for foreign families to adopt these kids.
Have a look at some of the adorable kids in this place. If you have a moment and want to help, you can email Tran Minh Tuan at [email protected]. He is the director and can tell you the best way to help.
Boo I see you!
This is the sweetest girl in the whole place!
Van is a nice boy, a really nice and caring boy.
And oh my gosh, look at his smile.
They are piling up on top of Tu. They wont let her go!
I am not sure why he was in the corner. He was crying. Maybe that was his spot.
What a sweet face.
Oh she didn’t like getting her picture taken. Still. At Christmas she cried too.
Hello, is it me you’re looking for?
They all wear these pajamas. Cute.
Look at how stylish she is?
What a nice smile he has.
Peace to President Obama.
Grobo Fruity Pajamas! ha ha.
Sweet girl. She loved to get her picture taken.
This boy really wants a home. He is always the first to greet us at the door.
Happy! Happy!
There he is again. He would love to have you visit someday.
Shy. I think very shy.
This boy was so full of life!
Monks and Colors
Monks in Vietnam hold a very important place in the culture. Where they live is peaceful and the temples that they build extraordinary places of calm serenity.
When we approach a temple in Vietnam we hear the slow and steady drone of monks chanting over and over again. They are praying and it could last for hours.
We visited many temples. Each more beautiful than the next. Each calm and peaceful places to reflect. And each a beautiful place where colors and light are beautiful.
The colors are vivid. They dress in Orange which seems a perfect compliment to nature around them.
Monks live a subsistence lifestyle, relying on nature and goodwill for their survival. Rainwater is captured in these large jugs for cleaning, showers and drinking.
Monks robes are drying in the wind. Simple orange hammocks in the distance provide a place for them to sleep.
Golden Temples in Vietnam are the most colorful buildings in the country. They signify the richness of a life of spirit that the monks live.
We heard the chants from far away, we got closer. It was a classroom full of monks reciting chants for hours.
The prayers they recite bring them closer and closer to enlightenment. Enlightenment brings them closer to awakening and truth.
The head monk shows modesty while being photographed.
Oh Happy Day
Here is a wedding video of our happy day. Many thanks to Bridget, Kathy, The Fendleys, Suzy, Michelle, Monica, Bill, Danny, Camille, Leon,Tu’s Family, My Family. Sarah, Kevin, Mary, Charlie, Irish, Aaron, Maryann… Oh we could go on and on with all the people that we need to thank.. and we will. This wedding footage was filmed by Patrick. Good Job Patrick!
10 Interesting Photos to Show How Life is Different in Vietnam
Life in Vietnam is much different than our own. Let me show you in 10 different photos how it is.
1) Most people own their own businesses. Everyone is an entrepreneur.
They don’t work for companies. They work for themselves. Have you ever noticed that when Vietnamese come to the US that they open their own business rather than working for another company? Thats the culture. This fellow is in both his house and his place of business. You can take naps when things are slow. And they often are.
2) The homeless and poor all have a job.
There is no such thing as begging in Vietnam. Well there is but it is not nearly as prevalent there as it is here in the US. The government supplies Lottery Tickets to poor people so that they can sell them on the streets. These are lottery ticket ladies. They are sometimes smiling, and sometimes not.
3) They are healthy, live longer and rarely obese.
It is no secret how healthy Vietnamese food is. It is very low in calories. Their fruits and vegetables are all organic. And despite the fact that they almost always seem to be eating they are all thin. In the US we eat much less often but our food is of poor quality compared to what you will find in Vietnam. This man munches on a Banh Mi which is a Vietnamese French Baguette sandwich. Much of the Vietnamese food is influenced by French cooking.
4) They are happier because they have less.
We think that the more you have the happier you are. That is not true. The Vietnamese have less than us but our happier and more joyful than us. Their lives are fuller because they spend time with each other rather than things. This lady was happy because I took her picture. She didn’t even ask to see it. She was just happy because I saw something in her important enough to take her picture. It made her feel good.
5) They rarely drive cars.
There are cars in Vietnam but very few. They drive bikes and scooters everywhere. Most of the world is like this. This man drives his bike to the market in the morning. There are very very few gyms in Vietnam. Why do they need a stationary bike when they can use a real one?
6) They let their kids live the way we used to let our kids live here.
Remember walking to school? Remember playing football in the middle of the street? Remember when kids could roam freely without their parents dreading that something terrible was going to happen? That is still the way that they are in Vietnam. Their kids are free to be kids. This little girl is having a little seat in the middle of the road. No worries though. It is a country road and the scooters and bikes move slowly. They will move around her and not harm her.
7) There is no road rage
The roads in Vietnam are more crowded than our own. There are very few rules on the road; very few stop signs, traffic lights and lanes in the roads are more guides than the law. Despite the seemingly mass chaos I never witnessed a single instance of road rage. That is because people cooperate. They don’t feel angered when someone cuts in front of them because it never happens. In the US we are angered constantly by someone not following the rules. In Vietnam they are free from those mental blocks. These fellows are taking their big ice block right down the middle of the road and people are working with them to help them rather than getting upset.
8) The Kids Don’t Have Toys.
When you go into a Vietnamese home one thing is noticeably absent. You don’t see kids toys. Here in the US, kids have tons of toys that can often fill up an entire room. There are a few toy stores in Vietnam but nothing close to the Toys are US warehouses that we have. In Vietnam kids spend most of their time playing with each other rather than with their toys. This little boy wanted a toy so he made one. He carries a machine gun fashioned from 3 sticks of bamboo. He was firing on men in the river when I first spotted him.
9) Life centers around the water.
The water is very important in Vietnam. Not only does it provide them with their primary source of protein – fish and other sea life but it is one of their primary methods of personal and commercial transportation. Boats are wooden here. They use old motors that are remarkably efficient in the shallow rivers.
10) They don’t throw things away. They fix things.
In the US we love new shiny things. We look forward to throwing away something and getting a newer better version of it. If our smart phone is more than 6 months old we feel terrible about it. In Vietnam things are rarely thrown away. Vietnamese have developed certain Macgyver like expertise in fixing just about everything. There is something about Vietnamese ingenuity that has helped them survive. I am always amazed by the creative ways that the Vietnamese can fix things.
