And on the road I go...

This is my last week in DaNang... for the moment. I know I will return here many times again in the future. I have to, I've made so many wonderful connections and relationships with people here. Last weekend, I went to Hoi An, but spent most of my time visiting my new friends there. I visited my Vietnamese "daughter" Ginger and "sister" Mai (Ginger's mother) and Minh and her daughter Nha and Van (who gave me an amazing massage) and Mai's family.

Photos from top right: Vocational College teachers Tai, Lien and me. Center: One of the tailors with me with many bolts of fabric behind us. Bottom left: Tai and me on one of the bridges in Hoi An
Bottom right: One of the tailors showing me how they kill the silk worm to get the silk (my silk blouse wasn't looking so great as I watched the silk worm s wriggle in their cocoons in the hot water). 

On Thursday, two teachers took Rebecca and me to Hoi An (yes, twice in two days!) and we had a wonderful afternoon there. They took us to the best place in the city for Banh Xeo (similar to Vietnamese spring rolls), which are a local specialty and took us to a tailor to pick out a gift as a thank you for everything we've done for their country. They kept saying it was so wonderful that we came to help their country, but I wanted to tell them that no, I should be thanking them! I've had such an amazing experience here. I can't wait to come back!

Next Sunday (6/27), I leave DaNang and head down the coast of Vietnam to Tam Ky, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang and finally to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I will be training volunteer teachers on a new spreadsheet system and a new teacher training job manual I created with input from Rebecca, who is a teacher trainer in New Zealand, and other volunteers. I'm excited to visit the other "placements" and meet other volunteers. I'll be in each city for about two days and then I'll meet Rebecca in Ho Chi Minh for two days before I fly out to Bangkok and Chang Mai in Thailand on July 6th!

From July 6th-August 6th I'll be in northern Thailand and northern Laos. I plan to visit Chang Mai, Chiang Dao, Chang Rai and villages around them in Thailand and then will cross the border to Laos and go all over Thailand, hitting the major cities of Luang Prabang and Ventiane during my time there. I'll keep updating my blog regularly!

Here are a few photos from the last two weeks:
1) The amazing mixed fruit tart at Cargo Club in Hoi An. This dessert includes fresh kiwi, mango, dragonfruit and strawberries. It is to die for.

2) Cargo club has really great food, but their desserts are the main event. 

3) Several of the volunteers at Cargo Club. From left: Andrea, Kaye, Ellen, Andrea (2), Patrick, Lisa, Henry, Jessica and me. There are a few others whose names I don't know in there as well.






Hue Photos from Rebecca's camera
1) A spectacular Hue sunset after a storm
2) A volunteer dressed up during the Hue festival
3) My gargoyle. I call him Pete. 
4)  Tommy, a volunteer who was incredibly excited when he learned Rebecca and I teach at Duy Tan University, where he went to college. He asked us to take photos with him and send him the photos after. It was cute ;-)
5) They had this strange exhibit of technicolor Popsicle-looking things,  lit up cartoon characters and Winnie the Pooh. TIV (This is Vietnam).
6) Rebecca and I went on a personal river cruise and watched a dragonboat race from the water. It was a lot of fun. This is Rebecca on the boat.
7)  Me on the boat. This is also a family's home so there were lots of kids swimming up to the boat, hopping on for a bit then jumping back in the water. 
8) The aforementioned family. The kids were cute but very energetic!
9) Go teal team go! (They won)
10) Dragon boats ahoy!