Home

We are home. What an amazing trip! I feel so lucky to get to take Josie on this adventure. It was everything we hoped for and more. The children were great and did so well. They really loved Vietnam. I do to. Lotus Travel, Vietnam Explore and our guides Phu and Thanh did a great job taking care of us on our travels. Thank You. Angie did a great job getting the trip organized, Thank you. This trip was such a powerful experience for the children. They gained so much knowledge about themselves and Vietnam, knowledge that could only be achieved by visiting to their homeland. This trip is just the start of our travels to Vietnam. Josie is already planning the next one in her head. We do need to pay off this one first and then start saving. Thank you to all of you who followed our travels, we hope we see you soon.

Last Days

Yesterday we left our delightful hotel in Can Tho , to head back to Saigon, but on the way we took another Mekong river cruise. This time the cruise was in Vinh Long province. We took a boat to see a some small villages and homes up the small canals of the Mekong. We even ate lunch a a local home that runs as a restaurant. They served quite an impressive whole fried elephant fish. It looked a little pre-historic. Then we went to see a coconut candy making shop. It was yummy and a big hit with the kids. Then it was back to the big city. Both, Tien and Josie were sad to be leaving the Mekong, so was I.
In Saigon we had enough time to relax an hour or so and than we went on a dinner cruise. We were rather tired, but it was fun.
Today was the last day for shopping. Josie and left the group to head out for some power shopping. Saigon is a dream for shopping. The best part is that we got to pick up Josie's custom made ao dai, tonight after a morning fitting. Than we came back to relax and swim. Maron and Tien invited us to attend mass with them at Notre Dame. It was quite nice and very interesting. Only in Vietnam would the church include some neon around Christ and the Virgin Mary. Then we ran down to pick up Josie's finished ao dai. Then back to the hotel for a quick bite and packing, ugh!
Tomorrow we leave in the morning to head home for Oregon.

The Mekong and Massage

Well, we had a lovely night at the Victoria Can Tho. Very charming hotel, with excellent service. The children played at the pool after our long trip and we had dinner. They had the first childrens' meal menu we have seen in Vietnam. The other kids had the nuggets, but Josie of course went for the goat cheese ravoli.
All this comfort is juxtaposed to the poverty that we see much closer here than anywhere else. I think between that and being close to their original "home" has made it emotional for both Tien and Josie. In the north everyone asked Kurt if he was Vietnamese and not Tien and Josie. But here it is Tien and Josie that are asked if they are "Vietnam". Faces that that could be theirs, but grown up are everywhere. I can see already that this trip has paid off for both of them in a way that can never be measured. I think that knowing Vietnam and seeing Vietnam gives them a much stronger sense of their selves and their place in the world. I think even home (Oregon, Family and Friends) has a much stronger meaning for them. They love Vietnam, but they love home, the true meaning of home.
Yesterday we went on a cruise of the Mekong River to a wholesale produce market, all on boats. The Mekong is the life blood of this region. It is transportation, food (fishing) and home to many. The wholesaler advertise what they are selling by putting their produce on a high pole, so you can see what they have to sell. Then smaller boats come to buy and take back to their village to sell. It was really fun to see. The highlight for the kids was when a small boat with two little children came to sell us water, which we already had. The boys were so cute and I wanted to give them something (I have included a picture of them). Then I realized I had just given our kids a piece of candy from our candy bag. I gave them each a handful and their smiles were huge.
That afternoon all the parents got massages at the hotel. They have lovely little spa, with little grass huts. Very inexpensive, $16 for a half hour. The parents took turns, as the kids played at the pool. A relaxing afternoon for all. Today we are going back to Saigon, with some stops on the way.

Thank you Nicole and Curtis, Viv, Sarah, Judi, Elizabeth and Owen for your comments! Josie and I loved hearing from you. Sarah congratulations on the job! I am going to miss you so much!

The Big Day!

Today was the big day. The day that was most of our reason for coming to Vietnam. The visit to the Tra Vinh Orphange, Josie's home for her first six months. I have to admit I was really nervous, I hardly slept the night before. I don't know what I was worried about, but It was an emotional day. We had to drive four plus hours to get to the orphanage. As we drove through the gates I was back to the day I adopted her. What a rush rush of emotions. I remember being in a daze of fear and joy and more fear. What was she going to be like? Would she be happy being my daughter? Would I be a good Mom? Unfortunately The worker's were all at lunch and we decide to have an earlier lunch and come back. We had lunch, which I couldn't eat (too nervous). On the way back we stopped at a Khemer Pagoda. Josie is Khemer, as are 60% of the people in Tra Vinh Province. It was very interesting we met a young monk who wanted to practice his English on us. All Khemer boys become monks for at least 3 months, at some point in their lives. Then we went the the orphanage. We went into the office and they asked what Josie's birth name was. When I told them the nanny's all started saying "Loan, Loan, Loan", looking at Josie and smiling. They recognized her. Then they pulled out this big book and there was Josie's Vietnamese name, Nguyen Ngoc Loan and my address. Then went to meet the director (again) and we gave them some gifts and a donation. I had time to ask the dirctor some things Josie wanted me to ask and they checked her file, to let us know what they knew. When I adopted her, I did not think to ask anything. Then they took us to see the babies. There were only five babies. The older children must be a different facility. Three of the babies were waiting for families in Canada and two babies that looked to have some kind of birth defect or developmental delay. Josie and I then went to the room that she lived in. It looked just the same, but no babies or cribs. It is no longer being used. Then we headed for the van. It was a big day for us both. We headed for our base in Can Tho. We are staying on the Mighty Mekong river in a hotel that has a colonial look that looks like a movie set.

Waterpark Fun and Saigon

Well, we had one last day to play at the beach, pool and waterpark. Then we took a plane to Saigon. Goodbye VinPearl. It is exciting to be somewhere, that we are familiar with the lay of the land. We are staying a block from where we stayed when Josie was a baby. Josie is very excited to be here. The hotel is french and very art deco. I love the rooms, with fresh flowers, wood accents and french pastries (in the lobby shop). Everywhere we go I am saying "That is where we ........were when you were a baby". We went to the Rex and past the Carvelle Hotel, and down Dong Khoi. We went shopping and we had a great time looking for things to buy. Josie got fitted for a beautiful ao dai (traditional dress). It will be lovely, I can't wait to see the final product. Saigon has grown bigger and gotten so hip and upscale. There are lot of luxury brand stores, that were not here last time we were here. we went to the Re-unification Palace or the President's Palace if you were born before 1970. This is where the President of South Vietnam lived until the fall of Saigon. Today we went Cholon, the Chinese part of Saigon, we went to a big market and a temple. Then we went to a waterpark, it was very noisy and crazy and a bit to much for Josie. This evening Josie has a fitting downtown for the ao dai. Tomorrow we go to Josie's orphanage at Tra Vinh. I think she is very excited.

The Amusement Park by Josie

We went to the amusement park. We went on the roller coaster and we went on the cable car. The next day we took Kurt and went on this boat that rocks back and forth. He didn't like the boat. Then we went on the roller coaster and he didn't like that. Then we went on the carosel swing and he did not like that. So we went in the bouncy house.The we went back to the hotel.
Bye Bye

Shangri-la Vietnamese Style

VinPearl Land rocks! We are staying at the nicest beach resort (VinPearl) I have ever stayed at. The beach is lovely, clean with darling cabanas. The ocean is clean and calm. The pool is the largest in Asia, with play structures and waterfalls and varing depths. There is a play area, a wonderful spa and a small amusument park. Needless to say the children are in heaven, and the parents too. We had to take a speed boat to the hotel (it is on a private island)and then a tuk tuk (a small open air electric car). It was like arriving at Fantasy Island, minus Mr. Rourk and Tatoo. I think we are the only Americans here, Mostly Vietnamese Families, a few Russian and Australian Families too. Yesterday Josie, Maron and I went to the Spa. Josie got her hair cut and nails painted, Maron and I got our feet massaged. They whisked Josie off and she went to one place, we went to another. She came back with a beautiful doo and the fanciest nails I have ever seen. Small works of art on every nail. I will post a picture when we get to Ho Chi Minh. She said that everyone came in to look at her, this little American Girl, with the Vietnamese Face. We took the children to the amusument park, rode the cable car to the mainland, did the roller coaster and some crazy video games. We also played in the ocean. What a beautiful spot. Josie says it is better than Disneyland! Very high praise. Well tommorow we fly to Ho Chi Minh and the next day out to Can Tho. Hope everyone is well.

Temple of Literature and Cyclo Ride

First some business. We are leaving for Nha Trang today, so I don't know if the internet connection will work there. But if it does we will keep on posting. Also, Thank you for those of you who have posted comments, Josie and I have loved reading them (Hi Adin, Sarah and awesome Vesta). The blog is blocked here so I can't view it or respond to comments. Also check out earlier blogs as I have added some pictures (I think it worked). On to what we have been up to.....

Yesterday we went to the Old Quarter. We took a hour cyclo ride through this old part of town. A cyclo is like a bike with a seat for two in the front for passengers. It was so fun! Josie and I had this awesome talk about Vietnam and her impressions, the differences between it and home and the scenes we were seeing on the street. Then we went to the Temple of Literture, a University set up a thousand years ago. going to the university was avaliable to all the brightest students, both peasant and noble. It was very like the Forbidden City in Bejing, but smaller and lovely. Phu brogught us some ice cream at the end as it was burning hot. The flavors were taro, winter fruit and green bean. Yummy but a little weird. After that, we did some power shopping, yeah! Then we had lunch and came home for swimming, and relaxing.

Adventure to the Orphanage by Josie

We went to an orphanage in Hanoi. I got to hold a baby. She was really cute and chubby. She was very light. She smiled at me. The orphanage was really really nice. There was a baby with a blue neck. It medicine for skin. After we came back we went to the pool. We watched movies and ate mac and cheese with Keith while the Mom's went out.

Orphanage and Cooking Class

I can't believe we are here. We have waited so long for this trip. Talked about it for years and here we are. Josie is an awesome traveler and so are Kurt and Tien. They have been so easy going about the trip, I am amazed. The time change, the crazy traffic, the total change from what they usually experience is a lot for such young children. Our guide is great, his name is Phu and he really is easy going, but organized.
Today, we went to an orphanage outside of Hanoi. It is the orphanage that took the place of the one Kurt was in. I was curious to how the children would react. We did the whole meet the director (he was out, so it was the second in command). We sat in a room and had tea and he gave kind of a speech and we ask some questions. It was very formal and quiet, then Kurt knocked over his glass of water and everyone laughed. Then we went to see the babies. There were about 30 babies waiting for families in the US, Canada and Italy. There were about five or six in each room and five rooms. At first the kids sort held back, but one of the worker was determined to get Josie to hold a baby. As soon as Josie held the baby, they all were cooing over the babies and having a great time. It was pretty cute to see the kids playing with the babies. I think they had fun. There were no older children at this orphanage, at least not at this time.
After the orphanage we went to the hotel and the kids swam and played. Then it was time for the Mom's to take a cooking class and brave Keith took charge of the kids. He had a bold plan of Mac and Cheese from a hot pot and Harry Potter 1 on my computer. By the look of things when we returned, he had it well planned. The cooking class started with a walk through the market. There were all sorts of interesting fruits and veges, but the seafood was the best. The seafood vendors had snails the size of your fist, eels, snakey things and jumbo prawn the size of your shoe. All alive and kicking, or jumping and slithering to be exact. Then we headed back to the restaurant. We made fresh spring rolls with pork and shrimp, tamarind catfish, chicken in lemon leaf and sweet potato pudding. We did the all the chopping slicing and got do a portion of the cooking. There was this odd couple from South Africa that joined us, they had some different observations on life. The food was all good, but I could bring myself to eat the pudding that really looked like the end of Josie's nose during a bad cold. Yuck! I am sure it tasted good, but the consitency was to much for me. We came home the little snuggle bugs almost asleep and felt so lucky to be here with them, and lucky that Keith was willing to take them all for the many hours we were gone. What a trip.

Halong Bay and Water Puppets

We drove out, June 22 to Halong Bay. On the drive we saw the countryside. The rice was being harvested. They were threshing it and drying it everywhere, front yards and beside the highway. We got Halong Bay and rode a small boat out to our Junk. We had our crew and a couple from Spain on the boat. It was very cute. All wood and like something out of a movie. We had a bit of a mix up with the rooms, but they gave us an extra cabin for Kurt, as they all slept two and the Jansons are three. The kids quickly slipped into pirate mode, and had this great imaginary play all over the boat. The Bay is so beautiful. Just like the pictures. I will try to post some tonight, if I can figure it out. We cruised through the amazing sight and stopped at this huge cave inside one of the karst rock island. With the hike up and the heat and sweat pouring out of my body, I was shaking, so I decided to forgo the next trip off board. the next trip was to Titov Island (named for the Russsian Astronaut). Angie and Maron took the kids so they could swim on the man made beach. The water was a little yucky, but it was so hot, I thought what the heck, Josie needs to cool down. They had a ball! For meals it was seafood galore, eight to ten courses each all seafood. Crab, shrimp, calamari,fish and so on... That night after dinner the guide brought out fishing poles for the kids to try to catch a squid with, the guide did it quick. The kids not so lucky, but happy trying. The night was a bit rough, it was so hot and the air conditioner was moldy smelling and stinky. Josie woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to go back to Hanoi. We woke in the morning and went on a boat ride through a cave into a hidden lagoon. Then it was back to the port and Hanoi. We got to Hanoi and had time bath the sweat off. We all felt like we had been camping for a few days. Then it was out to the Water puppet Show. Water puppets are laquered puppets that have a stage on water that they do their show on. The puppets are attached with bamboo poles under the water. They did about 15 different little shows, like the lion dance, fishermen and hard to catch fish and traditional tales. The kids really loved the show and so did the parents. Afterwards we ate at a great restaurant Indochine. Very Yummy Vietnamese food. Then off to bed in our comfy hotel.

Fantastic Days by Josie

Day 1- I had a lot of fun the first day. It was very hot. We went swimming too. We walked across the crazy streets four times. Then we went back to the hotel and had Pho.

Day 2 - We went to Halong Bay and we went on a big medium sized boat. We saw a cave and went swimming. We had a lot of seafood.

Day 3- We went into another cave with a little boat, it was tiny too. We saw a water puppet show when we got back to Hanoi. I liked the water puppet show very good. We ate dinner and this time we knew what we were going to get. I almost fell asleep at dinner.

Hanoi At Last!

Well we made it to Hanoi. We were picked up by guide Phu at the airport. He is a young guy and a great fit for the children. We had a nice van that even had lap seat belts. Mom was a happy camper. When we got to our hotel we just stayed around the pool and relaxed. The kids were in a great mood. At about four thirty we decided to walk to restaurant Phu had suggested, Wild Lotus. It was only a few blocks away. We had to cross our first street in Vietnam. I told josie hold my hand and don't look at the traffic, look at my feet and don't slow down or speed up. Josie did good until a motorbike came too close and she sped up. I told her the drivers were gauging our pace and that they could hit us if we changed our pace. A hard lesson to remember for a girl who has always know stop lights mean stop and the walkers have the right away. We walked a while and realized that we were walking in the wrong direction. We started in the right direction, but one by one the children fell apart. We were not to far from the hotel so we decided to go eat there. I think the whole experiencing Vietnam for the first time up close, the heat and being so tired did them in. A little food shored them up for a while. But Josie hardly touched her head to her pillow before she fell asleep. And that is where I am headed now. We are going to Ha Long Bay tomorrow. A famous World Heritage Site. I won't being bring my computer so I will not post tomorrow, but maybe late the following day.

Hong Kong Layover

Almost to Vietnam! No Vesta, we aren't there yet, but soon. What a long flight for three little people and four old people. With a five hour layover in Vancouver and a 12 hour flight, we are so happy to be in Hong Kong. The flight to Hanoi will be quick. The kids were troopers, in spite of two cases of motion sickness, not Josie, thank goodness. Josie is doing handstands now, as we wait. I will post soon as we get there.

24 hours to go

I can't believe that in twenty two hours we will be leaving. I am starting to get nervous, for the first time. Josie, I can tell is starting to get excited. She can't wipe the smile off her face. Every question is "Mom in Vietnam do they......?" or "What should I buy so and so?" We have a bag full of mac and cheese and granola bars in case Josie get sick and/or tired of Vietnamese food. I am debating bringing the car seat, I know that none of the car will have seat belts, but the Mom in me has a horrible time of thinking of Josie sitting without both a carseat and a seat belt. We did it when she was a baby, but now, hmmm... I don't know.

So here are the top ten (just like the David Letterman list) worries I have as I am less than 22 hours away from leaving...

10. I forget or lose our passports.
9. I lose my purse or credit cards.
8. The whole car/traffic/seat belt/carseat thing!
7. I get sick.
6. Josie gets sick.
5. Our guide doesn't meet us at the airport.
4. Our plane trip is horrible in some way.
3. I find out that Josie gets seasick on our cruise, but to late.
2. Josie wants to go home. RIGHT NOW!
1. Josie doesn't love her birth country.

Well I should go, because I have not packed yet. I have everything , but I have not packed. Wish us luck.

Our Trip

June 19 - Portland to Vancouver AS2428 (8:55P/10:05)

June 20 - Vancouver to Hong Kong CX889 (2:55A/6:55A)

June 21 - Hong Kong to Hanoi CX793 (9:00A/10:00A)
Day of rest at the Nikko Hotel.

June 22 - Cruise Halong Bay aboard the Huong Hai Junk for 2 days and one night.

June 23 - Continue cruising Halong Bay. Return to Hanoi in the afternoon for dinner and a water puppet show.

June 24 - Visit an orphanage in the morning. In the afternoon the Mom’s will take a cooking class, while the kids play at the pool.

June 25 - Visit the Temple of Literature and take a cyclo ride. This afternoon we fly to Da Nang and transfer to the VinPearl Resort for some beach fun.

June 26 - Beach Fun in Nha Trang.

June 27 - Beach Fun in Nha Trang.

June 28 - Beach Fun in Nha Trang.

June 29 - Fly to Ho Chi Minh City. Check in at the Sofitel Plaza. After Lunch do a city tour.

June 30 - Visit Vietnamese waterpark. Tour Cholon and end the day with a river cruise.

July 1 - Drive to Tra Vinh Orphanage to visit Josie’s first home and meet her nanny’s. Spend the evening in Can Tho at the Victoria Can Tho.

July 2 - In the morning take a boat trip to visit the Cai Rang floating market in Can Tho. Then visit our friend Tien’s Orphange in Soc Trang. Back to Can Tho for the evening.

July 3 - Visit Vinh Long and take a boat ride to Binh Hoa Phuoc Islet, followed by a lunch and return to Ho Chi Minh City and the Sofitel Plaza.

July 4 - Free day in Ho Chi Minh

July 5 - Leave for Home

Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong CX766 (11:25A/3:10P)

Hong Kong to Vancouver HCX838 (4:35P/1:05P)

Vancouver to Portland AC8127 (4:50P/6:05P)