Photo from the Beach at Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand

Photo from the Beach at Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand

People starting to gather for our clinic in Rach Gia, Kien Giang

People starting to gather for our clinic in Rach Gia, Kien Giang

A house near our clinic in Kien Giang

A house near our clinic in Kien Giang

Measuring "patients" in Kien Giang

Measuring "patients" in Kien Giang

Boys at the Kien Giang clinic

Boys at the Kien Giang clinic

More photos from the clinic days in Kien Giang

More photos from the clinic days in Kien Giang




Applying flouride in Kien Giang

Applying flouride in Kien Giang


A cemetery outside the dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang

A cemetery outside the dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang

The dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang

The dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
Many of the people we served in Kien Giang live in the dump. You can see "houses" in the distance on the left.

People living in the dump

People living in the dump


These are the same boys from the fifth photo above. I saw them in the clinic one day and then again at their home in the dump the next day.



This is a source of water in the dump...

This is a source of water in the dump...

...and this is a truck pumping raw sewage into that water

...and this is a truck pumping raw sewage into that water

Our clinic in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap

Our clinic in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap

Life in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap

Life in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap




Driving through the Mekong Delta

Driving through the Mekong Delta

This bridge crosses the water between the road and a house. There are donzens and dozens of bridges, one after the other, spanning the waterways.

Our clinic in My Hiep, Dong Thap

Our clinic in My Hiep, Dong Thap


Our clinic in Saigon

Our clinic in Saigon
During our clinic day in Saigon, we saw girls from the Little Rose Warm Shelter, including those who have been the victims of human trafficking.



This little girl is holding one of the many "goodie bags" that we handed out.

Bikes, bikes, bikes

Bikes, bikes, bikes
We distributed 250 bikes while in Vietnam, including to the girls we saw at the Saigon clinic. (You can see that this little girl is using the bike to haul the food that we distributed as well.) Bicycles are an important mode of transportation in Vietnam.


Photos from Camp in Long Hai, Phuoc Thuy

Photos from Camp in Long Hai, Phuoc Thuy
We hosted camp for 330 kids, including the girls we saw at our clinic sites.

The camp was held on this beach on the South China Sea.


Most of the kids at camp had never been on a bus, taken a shower, or slept in a "real" bed. Everything from having a lunch big enough to fill their bellies to using a toilet that flushed, was brand new to them.




I painted A LOT of little fingernails at camp!

Saigon Opera House

Saigon Opera House

Government building in Saigon

Government building in Saigon

Sidewalks in Saigon

Sidewalks in Saigon

The team for the 100-mile bike ride from Dong Thap to Saigon!

The team for the 100-mile bike ride from Dong Thap to Saigon!
The ride raised money for the bikes that we donated to children in Vietnam.

Hitting the road at 5:30 a.m.

Hitting the road at 5:30 a.m.

Early morning traffic in the delta region

Early morning traffic in the delta region

Taking a break along the road

Taking a break along the road

Lots of bridges along the route

Lots of bridges along the route

Cars, trucks, motorbikes, and bicycles all share one road

Cars, trucks, motorbikes, and bicycles all share one road

Carb loading -- Pringles and...

Carb loading -- Pringles and...

...bread carried me a long way

...bread carried me a long way

Lunch at a local restaurant along the way

Lunch at a local restaurant along the way

Our last break with 15 miles to go

Our last break with 15 miles to go
One rider jumped in the van so that Tuan (middle, long pants) could get on a bike and lead the way into Saigon for us.

Saigon at last!

Saigon at last!
This is what we looked like 100 miles and twelve hours after leaving Dong Thap. We had just finished weaving our way through Saigon's rush hour traffic.

Monday, March 31, 2008

More on Biking

Huh... Well, I was pleased to learn yesterday that our biking escapade was about more than blistered hands and sore backsides. Specifically, the ride provided a benefit to Catalyst and our work here in Vietnam. A company in Minnesota that donated funds to pay for 60 of the bikes that we've given to the children here in Vietnam, contingent on the bike team doing the 100 mile ride. There was a second organization in Maine that then matched that donation, again, based on the ride. Fantastic!
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