Thailand!!! and Hong Kong, too :)

Wow, I've gotten so far behind in my blogging.  This is partly because the internet connection was pretty costly in Thailand, so we just used our online time there to email as necessary and video chat with the kids, partly because while we were in Thailand, just a couple of days before we flew home, my grandpa passed away, and I just didn't feel much like doing anything... including keeping up this blog, and lastly because when we did get home, we hit the ground running in the usual Stewart fashion.

So, here I sit, ready to get back on track in a "hit the highlights" sort of way ;)

We had four nights and three days in Thailand, and we squeezed in as much as we had energy for.  It was such a different experience from our time in Vietnam, and honestly, if we hadn't come off of such an amazing experience, we surely would have LOVED Thailand, but in comparison, it didn't hit the mark for us.  Most of that lack of "hitting the spot" had way more to do with the fact that we were in an incredibly touristy area (which is not usually the way we choose to do things) and because it wasn't the type of vacation where we had the opportunity to get to know and become friends with locals.  For us, that always enriches the experience.

We stayed in Phuket, specifically on Patong Beach.  This is the crazy, busy beach in Phuket.  It is miles and miles and rows and rows of the same storefronts selling the same stuff with the occasional restaurant, bar, or massage parlor stuck in there.  We likened it to a combination of Cabo and Waikiki on steroids... Bizarre, but we did manage to leave with knock-off sunglasses and purses and Calvin Klein underwear that turned out to be for Gaige instead of Steve.  You know, you think you know your size, even your "Thai" size, but those people are just LITTLE, and it catches you off guard when you're squeezing into those designer boxers :)

There are very few Americans in Phuket.  At least, we didn't see too many, and we think it's for a few reasons:
1.  It's a stinkin' long plane flight.
2.  You have to be a fairly adventurous American traveler to venture to Thailand.
3.  And if you are, then you wouldn't choose to come to a resort town like Phuket (Pooket).  You'd trek around the less touristy areas and really enjoy the natural beauty and history of this country.

That was just our guess anyway.  We did a day trip out to the Phi Phi (Pee Pee) Islands and around, and that's the first we saw of Americans.  We met a couple of young-ish brothers from San Francisco, a fun couple from Maine, and a family from Texas, but they are currently living in Malaysia.  They had two little ones, probably around 3 and 5, and the little girl was wearing UV Skinz (a swim shirt company owned by a friend in Sonora)!!! Crazy small world ;)

There are, however, LOADS of Australians and Europeans who vacation there (I think Thailand is their Mexico), and we love them, too :)  We had to pay to sit in chairs on the beach one day, and even our "beach" guy (who swept the sand off our feet and chair while we sat there) spoke French, English, Thai, and who knows what else.  Our guide on our trip to the smaller islands spoke Japanese, French, Thai, English (in an amazingly bizarre manner), and he might have piped up with something else if it was needed.  And at a restaurant one evening, the Thai waiter started speaking Italian with the Italians who sat down at the table next to us.  There's clearly a heavy European presence, and the people employeed in the tourist industry (really anything in Phuket) make sure that they are fluent in as many languages as possible.

We'd been avoiding street food in Vietnam because of Robert's recommendation, but we went back to our old ways here.  They have out crepe carts in the evenings, and they're cheap!!  You can get a banana and nutella crepe for under $1.50.  We ate crepes for dessert every night, and now I'm in a terrible rut here, making crepes almost every night!!

Oooh, another good deal... MASSAGES!!!  Our first night there, we both tried a traditional Thai massage.  It was $10 for one hour.  It wasn't as gnarly as the Vietnamese "Foot Massage," but it still had some off things.  They don't really "rub" you.  It's more of a pressure point thing with some serious stretching... masseuse sitting on your buttocks or thighs and pulling you up by your arms into an arch like a swan.  That doesn't necessarily feel good ;)  On the whole though, we liked it, and we definitely like that we tried it.  We even got to wear some spiffy pants (see photos below).

On our last night there, we had a "foot massage."  It was $8.50 for an hour, and we made sure to give our girls an understanding of what we wanted.  It was best $8.50 we've spent in a long time.  Actually it was more than that because we tipped them so big.  That part is almost as great as the massage, just seeing them so thrilled with a nice tip.

Walking around at night, we did see girls that we assumed were hookers and girls that we assumed were boys.  There is a seedy element in Patong Beach and big cities like Bangkok.  That particular strip feels like Vegas on steroids.  Thankfully I had been warned by my sister-in-law (who had heard from a friend who had been here) that the "Ping Pong Shows" aren't exactly ping pong tournaments.  You know how we love our ping pong, right?  So, when Steve was offered a ping pong show by some vendor as we walked by, he said to me, "I didn't know they were good at ping pong in Thailand." Not exactly, darling.  I love that I got to enlighten him.

On our way home, we had an eight-hour lay over in Hong Kong.  It was perfect really because we had just the right amount of time to take the Airport Express train out to Kowloon and see Victoria Harbour at night, watch the laser show, walk the Avenue of the Stars, and have some yummy Chinese food.  Hong Kong is seriously cool.  They say it's East Meets West, and you can see that that's the case.  It is extremely clean, which is lovely, and there is a ton of shopping.  I had worn my cute little sundress from Thailand, thinking that I'd be dressed appropriately when we arrived, but it was cold in Hong Kong, and I changed into my airplane clothes (sweats, basically) and Uggs in a hotel restroom.  I was so bummed because we were in this high fashion area, walking through all these serious shops above ground and below, with fashionably dressed people, and I'm dressed like a dork.  Even Steve said I looked frumpy, and he doesn't care about that type of thing at all.  We got a good laugh out of it.

We got back to the airport in plenty of time to relax and get ready for our flight back to SF.  It turned out to be just over ten hours instead of the nearly fifteen hours it took us to GET to Hong Kong.  The difference is due to the tail winds versus the head winds.  Amazing!  Our flight took off just after 1:00 a.m. our time, and Steve slept well on the plane.  I, on the other hand, got NO sleep as I was scrunched between Steve and this big guy who smelled really bad, REALLY bad.  I felt sorry for him, but it was seriously a bummer.  I was wedged as close to Steve as possible to try to get clean breaths of air, but it was tough.  I watched movies and old episodes of "Friends," and counted down to touch down. We were so excited to see the kids.  It had been a great trip, but it's always better to be home.

Our first night in Phuket.  Our "beach" hotel was on
this road, tucked back in a way, across from the beach like all the other hotels.

This is what Rock Lobster looks like...prehistoric

The lobster and tiger prawns were SO big, and they were everywhere.
We expected them to be a bargain, but it was about $6 for one shrimp.

Chocolate and banana crepe
I stepped up to the Nutella ones later on.

Steve in his fancy Thai massage pants

Matching pants for the happy couple

In the Andaman Sea
You can't see all the people in the water to the left because
I went in on the boat side of the rope ;)

Scoping things out at the end of our first day, and learning the
hard way NOT to drink iced coffee and Coke in the evening

Yummy pineapple shake at dinner
They make the BEST fruit shakes in Thailand.

Steve with my newest favorite fruit, dragonfruit!!!

Steve in soft-focus in our tuk tuk
The soft-focus effect is from going from our AC room to the humidity outside.

Tuk tuks ROCK!

Our favorite restaurant!
After Beach Bar and Grill in Kata Beach

Kata Beach was still packed, but much more our style

Check out the structure of these trees...similar to Mangroves.

We were out of the tourist district here. 
The tuk tuk driver laughed that we were seriously going
to get out and eat at this place, "Fried Chicken Muslim."
They were out of fried chicken though, unless you count the chicken feet.

The awesome Bat "Bobile" tuk-tuk
We paid him just to sit in his car and eat our crepe.

Snorkeling off of one of the islands off of Phuket

Lots of big rock formations and high cliffs

Loved this blue clam
It was about a foot long.

More cool topography

One of the best little coves

Traditional longtail boats

Yes, we do this all over the world

We paid extra to "escape the tourists."

Avenue of the Stars in Hong Kong

Steve a la Bruce Lee

Chinese!!

Laser show over the harbor... a little like Disneyland ;)

5th Vietnam Entry

So... I'm actually sitting here in the Hong Kong Airport getting ready to board our plane to SFO.  I've got a lot to catch up on because the last night that we were in Vietnam, I was too tired to blog.  The following morning we flew to Thailand, and internet isn't free there.  We paid just long enough to have our video chats with the kids. 

Thursday, our last day working with Giving it Back to Kids, was another very exciting day.  We headed out in the morning to visit Compassion Houses that had been completed recently and check in on how the families are doing.  It is very satisfying to see how these families have been affected.  For many, it has been an opportunity to get on their feet in other ways.  One family started a small store in front of their home (actually it was the plan as they were building the home, so it was properly laid out), and it has worked out beautifully for them.  The wife has been manning the store while the husband shuttles people on his motorbike as needed during the day and sews by night.  Honestly, these people have an amazing work ethic if they have the opportunity to work.

The most exciting thing of the day was visiting the home of the family that we and some of you contributed funds to build a home for.  This family has had a tough set of circumstances and the wife/mom has had to really shoulder a lot.  Her husband suffers from mental illness and seizures.  He is unable to work and often unable to even get out of bed.  He was having a better day when we were there, and he proudly stood in his home and graciously hugged and bowed his head in thanks to us.  They have three children.  The oldest is away at University.  The mom had to beg and plead to borrow from relatives to scrape up enough to send her child.  Then when funds ran dry, she tried to borrow from the bank, but knowing that it would be impossible for her to repay them, they turned her down.  GIBTK stepped in when she explained her situation in her application for a Compassion House, and her daughter's education has been fully funded!!  They have a middle child who was at school while we were there.  Their youngest is eleven and has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.  She didn't look like she had that to me, but clearly there is something going on.  The mom explained that she has the mind of a three year old.  She certainly had the joy of a three-year-old, and she and I had a blast blowing bubbles and jumping around together like goofy kids.

We were also able to visit Ko again.  This is the woman whom we have decided to build a home for.  Steve wanted to scope out her neighborhood for his "business plan."  It turns out that it's good that we went back.  She was very happy to see us (and we were able to see her kids with the bikes that we got for them... SUPER fun!!), but Steve discovered another "store" very close to her home that puts the idea of a c-store out the window.  So, more brainstorming for her...

We said our good-byes to our new friends, the wonderful staffers at GIBTK and headed to the airport to fly back to Saigon.  A big part of what made Vietnam such a great experience was getting to make real connections with real people and partner with them for change in their nation.  They really made their mark on our hearts.

When we arrived back in Ho Chi Minh, we were able to visit District 7 briefly on our way to take Marie home.  Marie and her husband are missionaries that have spent 26 years (or something like that) in Africa.  They're now in Saigon with their 14-year-old (youngest) son starting an international church.  District 7 is a lovely suburb of HCM, much cleaner, more family friendly with nice parks, etc.  It was nice to see.

We caught a late dinner at Broken Rice, a Vietnamese fast food chain, with Yoona (I've been spelling her name wrong it turns out... along with everyone else probably), and packed up for our flight to Phuket in the morning.

Tam biet, Vietnam!!!  I did learn a little Vietnamese :)

Heading out to the countryside on a rainy day

Beautiful landscape

It is seriously amazing what they load onto their motorbikes

More sweet kids

Beverly showing how fuel is purchased at the stores

Happy Girl in her new home

This is the Compassion House that our
"Party with a Purpose" funds built.  Thanks, friends, for
making a difference in this family's life!!



Steve works some bubble magic



Pet monkey along the roadside

Ko's children with their new bikes!!!

Steve scoping out the neighborhood so that
he can brainstorm business ideas for Ko.

Me and Ko

Cow grazing in a cemetary.  Can you see the trash?
Sadly, littering is totally acceptable here, even in a cemetary!

Steph with the GIBTK staffers
What a great crew!!  This is considered a GREAT job.  They each make
around $200 per month, which seems still so low to us, but is more than double
what a teacher there makes at $90 per month.  One of the girls is the sole source of
income while her husband is a stay at home dad to their 2-year-old. 
They have what would be considered a nice lifestyle.

One last pic before we're off to the airport
Steve, Yao (which turns out to be Giao), Steph, Tam, and Robert

4th Vietnam Entry

So, it's Wednesday night, and we are officially half way through with our trip.  This is super exciting because while we are having a very fun time and an amazing and purposeful trip, we are missing our kids tremendously.  It's SOOO hard to not be with them.

Today was a GREAT day!  It was full of joyful moments.  We got to assemble wheelchairs (well, really it was Steve and Truk) and give them to people in true need.  The first man that we met was such an inspiration.  I just LOVED him.  He was eighty-years-old and had had a stroke three years ago and left one side of his body paralyzed.  He had been in bed for literally the last three years.  He was blind in one eye, but sat up in his bed with the biggest smile and just the best attitude.  He and his wife have been married for over sixty years, and they have lived in the same home for over fifty.  They have TWELVE children and 40 or 50 grands and greats.  He wasn't sure on that :)  He had been in the military for many years fighting with us in Southern Vietnam.  When Robert was done "interviewing" him with standard questions (with one of the girls translating), he told the man that he wanted to apologize for our country, for pulling out of the war in a way that left him to fend for himself (Apparently, many of the military from South Vietnam were imprisoned, sent to brain-washing type of camps, treated terribly, etc.)  The man reached his good hand out to shake Robert's hand, then went in for a hug, and he just sobbed and sobbed.  Which meant that most of us cried, too.  It was awesome to witness such healing and forgiveness.  Robert said to us later that this man had probably been waiting for an apology for forty years, and I believe that is true whether he realized it or not.  It was clearly a very loving moment.  He was thrilled to get in his wheelchair and cruise around outside with the help of one of his sons... absolutely thrilling to be a part of. 

We ended up walking to the houses that followed because there were a small handful in the same neighborhood.  I think it was our next recipient that had had his stroke 18 years ago.  He has been immobile and virtually bed-ridden for the last ten years (due to another health issue that came on at that time).  Again, it was just exciting to see the sheer joy in him as he anticipated getting in that wheelchair.  It's not just freedom for him, but it's freedom for his family to an extent as well. 

Another stand out recipient was a 57-year-old man. He had had a stroke three years ago and had been in the bed since that day forward.  The Vietnamese culture encourages keeping your emotions to yourself, but some of the people simply can't contain their emotions, whatever they may be, and this man was one of them.  Clearly, he did not want to be emotional in front of us, and I believe he was trying to retain as much dignity as possible as he sat in his pajamas with 1/2 of his body contorted and uncooperative.  But he couldn't hold back.  I think above anything else, for him, getting a wheelchair and mobility is about regaining some of the dignity that has been stripped from him.  It was very touching, and you just can't walk away from that without feeling love for that person and a real sense of satisfaction.

After we finished delivering the wheelchairs, we headed back into the downtown area to have lunch at Bread of Life.  This restaurant is an impressive place indeed.  It is run by an American couple that has been in Vietnam for 13 years.  They came initially to serve the disabled and have ended up serving the deaf community.  This need was and still is huge as deaf people in Vietnam are looked at as dumb and incapable of a job, etc.  Many are uneducated and can not read or write or sign.  Some, especially in the rural areas, don't even know about sign language.  Apparently they have no means of communicating even with their family (I would think that they must have a self-developed language of some sort for communicating with an immediate family member at least...).  Anyhow, this restaurant is so much more than a restaurant run by and staffed with the deaf.  The floors above the restaurant are a girls' dorm and boys' dorm where they stay for free.  The kids are 16 to 26 when they enter the program.  Then they can stay as long as they'd like.  They attend school, are taught sign, are given jobs and paid WAY better than their counterparts.  They have insurance and all sorts of other benefits as well.  They cook and bake everything from scratch, and these kids do it all!  Anyhow, I just loved everything about it.  This place has seriously changed lives! The food was great, and I was able to sign with a few of them, which was very cool for me.  Imagine, I can't speak Vietnamese, but I'm in a restaurant there and for the first time can actually have a conversation with someone who can't speak my first language either.  Actually, only three of the staff can sign ASL (American Sign Language).  The others have learned only Vietnamese Sign Language, but it was close enough :) 

We came home and had a couple of hours to hang out on the beach, really our first chance to get in our suits and have some beach time.  Then we headed out to dinner with the some of the team and some of the GIBTK staff.  We went to a pho (pronounced "fu" with a short u sound") restaurant.  It was like a fast food place for noodle soup.  It was plenty good.  Pho is a Vietnamese staple.  They even have it for breakfast.  After that we went to karaoke.  Steve, Ashley, Yuna, and I expected that they were taking us to a bar-type of set up, what you'd expect at an American karaoke place.  Well, here it's more like how we do bowling.  Your group pays for a private room to karaoke in, and you pay for however long you use it.  They bring you food and drinks if you'd like, and away you go.  There's a BIG screen for the karaoke words and a remote control to enter the codes to keep the songs coming.  It was SOOO loud and hilarious!! We loved it!  We karaoked and danced around in full goofball mode to our hearts' content.  I think we need karaoke places like that in the States.   ;)

We're flying back to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow evening after visiting some Compassion Houses that have been built, including the one that we sponsored with our friends.  It should be exciting!!

Here are pics from today.
Love to you all!

Fishing boats off of China Beach

Niehm translating for our first wheelchair recipient

Yay!!! Sitting up in his chair with his family (some of them anyway :) )

Me and Yuna with him.  We loved this guy!
What a great soul!

This is just a vacant lot, but we see this often. 
They will use any extra, unused piece of land to plant a garden.

Out of the house after TEN years.
These wheelchairs only cost about $60 US each!

This is the other guy that I really liked.
I'm just so thrilled for him.  He has so many other concerns due to
his stroke (like how he'll make money), I'm just glad this
is now off of his list.

Steve and Truk assembling the next chair to go

Vietnamese are just beautiful people.  I'm always wanting to snap
the picture of some little kid or older person.

Part of our team in one of the neighborhoods we visited

Ashley and Steve headed to our next stop with a wheelchair

He gave me a big smile!! Truk went back to his home
later in the day with a cerebral palsy kit to extend the height
of the back of his chair.

These huts are from the war.  They were used to store/protect Hueys and Tomcats.

This is the pricelist here at the hotel for water activities.
We took the pic because the prices are crazy cheap compared to most places.
The really bizarre thing is that you can hire a ball boy for when you're playing
tennis for $2 an hour.  And this would be good wages for him.
A teacher makes $90 a month.  Many families that we see make about $30,
and some as low as $10 per month!  That is of course why they can NEVER
save enough to pay for surgery for their child or build a small home.

Our pho ga (noodle soup with chicken)

Our karaoke room

Yuna rocked it, and we all got into it!

This is Beverly and Don (pronounced more like Dong).
Don is the husband of Tam, the program director for GIBTK.  He can't speak
a word of English, but that boy can sing English karaoke like nobody's business!
Beverly is the "mom" at Father's House.  She's a pastor's wife living in
Ho Chi Minh City.  She flies up here every week and a half or so and stays for 4 to 7 days
usually to check in on the girls and their supervisors (two Vietnamese women on staff
that live there).  She has whipped that place into shape: loving those women and their babies
 and teaching them how to discipline, care for their babies, clean... You name it!
They love her and we do, too!

Yuna and Ashley

Steve, Yao (our driver), Beverly, Huhn, Huong, Yuhm, and Niehm



Me and Thao
We're going to miss these sweet people ;)