The past two days have been filled with twos.
2 mopeds
2 planes
2 ferries
2 buses
2 countries
2 travelers (still!)
2 time zones
Too little sleep
....and 3 airports
A few more details on Vietnam that we forgot to mention......
Sidewalks: they are for eating on, cooking on, and driving your Honda om up on to parking on. Not really so much for walking on. As a foreigner, it keeps you on your toes, because you're watching for people sitting on stools, motorcycles coming an going up over the curb, potholes and sidewalk damage, and parked motorbikes, along with trying to figure out where you're going, figure out when to cross the street, and figure out when it's safe to step in the street to step around the blockade of motorbikes, people, stools, food carts, piles of gravel, construction debris, etc. I'd say at least 50% of the sidewalk space is taken up by obstacles of one sort or another. That may not be the problem I was having walking, though. Yesterday when we were in the self-acclaimed "city of pedestrians and primitive modes of transport" (mostly bicylces, and Honda om), I ran smack into a cement telephone pole on a completely bare sidewalk (one of the first I've seen!) because I was busy gawking at something.
Suntans: not cool. Women and men throughout the country are often decked out in long pants, long sleeved shirts, hats, and full face masks that wrap around from the back of the head, across the face so just the eyes are showing, and to the other side. It's not a modesty thing or religous attire so much as a culture (or so we read) that favors light skin. The women wear full arm length gloves to ride in. All this in 90-100 degree heat and high humidity.
If light skin is a bonus, we pasty white foreigners must've looked really cool at the beach. Imagine that! Ahhh......the beach. Gotta tell you about that. Clean white sands as far as we could see, warm clear water of the South China sea, fishing boats trolling just 100 yards offshore, and just a smattering of tourists in this tropical paradise. We didn't spend nearly enough time there because we were so busy doing all the other things we were doing, but oooooohhhhh it was nice! We planned our last hours of free time the afternoon before and the morning of departure, and they involved lots of floating aimlessly in the warm sea water, gazing down the beach, and running our toes through the sand. What's more, the jaunts to and from the beach required the services of our trusty Honda om driver named "kayakmedic" and his sidekick "Reb". We cruised on a 1-pedaled motorbike (the other pedal fell off in the middle of the street as we were driving!!! yikes) for as much time as we could manage -- a great way to see the rural areas and explore that beyond the main tourist routes. To rent one, you just walk up to any of the many rental stands (set up on the sidewalk of course), pay your $4 for the day, and they hand you a key and helmets. Easy as that. No paperwork, no licenses, just $4 and an agreement on what time you'll bring the beast back.
Safety: we were really surprised at the safety regulations in place in Vietnam. Mandatory helmet law (as of 2 months ago), seatbelt law, government workers wearing reflective safety gear, litter crew on the river wearing PFDs, and so on.
We are making our way home, right now we are in Seoul S. Korea. We had an 8 hour lay-over so we did a quick jaunt into the city via bus and ferry and did some hiking in a nice park and had a great lunch. We will see you soon and have lots of stories!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Old Man and the Tea
So what do a 2'x 4' pane of glass, a 40-gallon basket of piglets, two flat screen TVs, a hog, two tourists, 47 watermelon-sized squash, and a Vietnamese family with twins have in common?
They can all fit on the back of a small motorcycle. (Actually, if it was Cambodia, they'd all be on the back of the SAME motorcylce!) These drivers are amazing!!! Who needs a station wagon when you can carry all that you need on a 2-wheeler?
We rented a motorcylce today and drove 48 kilometers up into the foothills to explore so Cham ruins. Except for a few short rides in Cambodia, I haven't been on a motorcycle since I was a kid. Andy grew up riding, and so we felt safe enough, particularly in this rural area where the traffic is mostly other 2-wheeled vehicles. It was so fun going at our own pace (not dependent on a driver or having to negotiate fares). The seat was fairly uncomfortable for our big gringo derriers, but the thrill of the adventure far outweighed our aching backsides.
About 2/3 of the way through the trip we stopped for a photo op in the middle of a little village. As I was taking pics of a woman carrying huge baskets overflowing with ....something?...., a very old man came out of his house and crossed the street to talk with Andy. He spoke a small amount of English, and was giving Andy directions up to My Son (the ruins where we were headed). He looked to be in his 80s, so thin of frame that his chest and abdomen were concave, either by age or poor nutrition. But he carried the friendliest smile, and a genuine interest in helping us understand where to go. As we started to put away the camera to leave, in his couple of broken words of English, we understood him to say he was inviting us to his house for tea.
To say his home was modest is to overstate it. His bare cement, one-roomed home room contained a table and chairs, a thermos of hot water, a tea pot, three glasses, a few posters on the wall, and a mango. He shared his tea, mango and home with pride, all the while trying to communicate with us in Vietnamese, English and French (oh how I wish we spoke French!). We got that he used to be a French interpreter, but not much more than that. We were able to share that we have a son (showed pictures), and how old we are. Beyond that it was simply four souls (a neighbor joined us) trying to communicate across a language barrier beyond our abilities. Still. what an honor! He refused our offer of compensation for the mango, only wishing us well and sending us on our way. What a real privelege to be invited in a home, especially by someone who has seen many hard times. I can't see opportunities like this happening in America, with our closed houses, air-conditioned cars, and lifestyles that leave little time for anyone we don't already know.
As for the ruins -- they look like they're straight out of Indiana Jones (duh-duh-duh-DUH!). Over 1000 years old (I bet they didn't have building permit problems back then!), they have survived tropical storms and jungle. The rock is a different color than those at Angkor Wat. Almost a brick red, the contrast with lush green of the forest-jungle is striking.
More tomorrow --- it's bedtime here!
They can all fit on the back of a small motorcycle. (Actually, if it was Cambodia, they'd all be on the back of the SAME motorcylce!) These drivers are amazing!!! Who needs a station wagon when you can carry all that you need on a 2-wheeler?
We rented a motorcylce today and drove 48 kilometers up into the foothills to explore so Cham ruins. Except for a few short rides in Cambodia, I haven't been on a motorcycle since I was a kid. Andy grew up riding, and so we felt safe enough, particularly in this rural area where the traffic is mostly other 2-wheeled vehicles. It was so fun going at our own pace (not dependent on a driver or having to negotiate fares). The seat was fairly uncomfortable for our big gringo derriers, but the thrill of the adventure far outweighed our aching backsides.
About 2/3 of the way through the trip we stopped for a photo op in the middle of a little village. As I was taking pics of a woman carrying huge baskets overflowing with ....something?...., a very old man came out of his house and crossed the street to talk with Andy. He spoke a small amount of English, and was giving Andy directions up to My Son (the ruins where we were headed). He looked to be in his 80s, so thin of frame that his chest and abdomen were concave, either by age or poor nutrition. But he carried the friendliest smile, and a genuine interest in helping us understand where to go. As we started to put away the camera to leave, in his couple of broken words of English, we understood him to say he was inviting us to his house for tea.
To say his home was modest is to overstate it. His bare cement, one-roomed home room contained a table and chairs, a thermos of hot water, a tea pot, three glasses, a few posters on the wall, and a mango. He shared his tea, mango and home with pride, all the while trying to communicate with us in Vietnamese, English and French (oh how I wish we spoke French!). We got that he used to be a French interpreter, but not much more than that. We were able to share that we have a son (showed pictures), and how old we are. Beyond that it was simply four souls (a neighbor joined us) trying to communicate across a language barrier beyond our abilities. Still. what an honor! He refused our offer of compensation for the mango, only wishing us well and sending us on our way. What a real privelege to be invited in a home, especially by someone who has seen many hard times. I can't see opportunities like this happening in America, with our closed houses, air-conditioned cars, and lifestyles that leave little time for anyone we don't already know.
As for the ruins -- they look like they're straight out of Indiana Jones (duh-duh-duh-DUH!). Over 1000 years old (I bet they didn't have building permit problems back then!), they have survived tropical storms and jungle. The rock is a different color than those at Angkor Wat. Almost a brick red, the contrast with lush green of the forest-jungle is striking.
More tomorrow --- it's bedtime here!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Gone from Saigon -- headed far, far a Hue
Sorry for the bad pun :)
We are in Hue now (pronounced "whay") -- a city famous for its poets, scholars, and emporers. Hue sits more or less at the halfway point between Saigon and Hanoi. Since we are on a short holiday (unlike nearly all the Europeans we've met, who are travelling for a month or two or more), we hopped a flight rather than taking the train or open bus here. The down time before the flight gave us a chance to see a few more sights in Ho Chi Minh City before we left. Somehow we found the same cycle driver we had the other day (or he found us..... hmmmm.............???) and so cruised the city at the breakneck speed of, well, as fast as a 58 year old guy can pedal an aging bike with a buggy and tourist attached.
Hue is beautiful at night (which is all we've seen of it, really). Huge old stone structures rising like palaces, waterways lit to reflect back on the stone walls of the canals, giant courtyards in front of the Citadel, and wide tree-lined walkways stretching the length of the many waterfronts throughout the Imperial City. Moats, small lakes and the Perfume River define the layout of the streets in the area, and at night locals come in hoards to walk along the water, play "futbol" in the courtyards, and cruise the streets on Honda oms and bicylces. The whole fortress area is probably 4000 meters across, and every bit of it seems pleasantly alive, and very romantic as far as cities go. (Of course, sitting on a slab of rock along a river bank somewhere, listening to water lapping on PVC, the smell of wet gear wafting through the air is also just as romantic, depending on your perspective.) So...while we aren't exactly city folk, we are loving every minute of it here.
Well...OK. Almost every minute of it.
But first I have to tell you about our hike today. It starts off with a conversation that went something like this:
Waiter: "Where you go today?"
Me: "To Bach Ma"
Waiter: "Ba ca?"
Me: "Oh! Ba Ca." I said it very carefully, so as to get it right this time.
Waiter: "Ba ca?"
Me: "Yes, Ba Ca."
Waiter: "Ba private ca?"
Me: "Huh?" (intelligence dropping by the minute)
Waiter: "You go by private ca?"
OH! ding ding ding! Me: "Yes, by private car!"
Waiter: "Ba private ca to Bach Ma?"
Me: "Yes.....I think so......."
So off we went, ba private ca, to Bach Ma National Park, a huge ecological preserve marking the biggest green space of its kind between Laos and the coast. The mountains there reach up to 1700 meters, and we drove up to nearly 1500m before starting our first hike. The single-lane road was crazy narrow and windy, with hillsides nearly vertical on both sides of the road. Road crews were busy repairing washouts from the nearly 8 meters (8 METERS!) of rain they get there every year. And we thought Washington was wet.
At the top we picked our way through a trail overgrowing with vines, bamboo, and tall grasses, out toward a former helicopter landing area (the whole terrain was a heavy combat area during the American war). Losing the trail, and afraid of losing ourselves, we turned back for the main trail. Andy scampered up and around the corner while I stopped to look at an inchworm that was cruising at breakneck speed (at least as fast as that 58 yr old cyclo driver) toward my foot. I couldn't believe how efficiently he was moving -- tail to head, then stretching out and repeating the whole thing over again, quick inch by inch, as if rushing off somewhere. But why toward me? That was weird.
Then I noticed my shoes. And my socks. And somewhere in the back of my brain I could feel it dawn, the gears of consciousness struggling to awaken... Oh my god. Leeches. LEECHES.
"Andy!" ........no answer.
My feet and ankles are covered in leeches......Breathe. Breathe. MY FEET AND ANKLES ARE COVERED IN LEECHES. Heart pounding.
"ANDY!!!!" ......still no answer. ""AAAANDDYYY!!!!"
YYYucccckkkkkk!
Andy never did hear me (off taking pictures of course!) and I had to act like a grown up and reign in the panic and get the damn things off. UGgggh.
In truth they never did stick directly to my skin long enough to really attach, but they were burrowing in the lace holes and every other crevice on my boots, suctioned to my socks (how they do I don't know), climbing ever higher by the second. Holy cow. There is no caffeine rush quite equivalent to the adrenaline rush I got from the sight of them squirming all over my lower extremities. While I never had another incident quite so bad, I continued to find a close cousin, leechus imaginarius (purely the product of an overactive mind and poor vision) on my toes, ankles and legs throughout the rest of the day.
All that aide, it really was a good day, and a beautiful park. Incredibly steep hillsides just covered in jungle forest, dropping away to rice paddies and the lagoon far below. We hiked along a waterfall trail with several deep, emerald green pools perfect for swimming. :) And yes, we did.
We heard all sorts of insects with little tiny chainsaws (I swear that's what it sounds like), and a number of striking bird calls, including one who would consistently answer Andy's immitation gibbon call. And, we think we actually heard two gibbons calling back and forth, but couldn't be sure since the forest was so thick, and because, well, we aren't entirely sure what gibbons sound like. (Maybe they sound like Andy.)
Anyway -- back at the hotel in Hue now, three fruit smoothies, a Hue mushroom-shrimp-sprout pancake, and a plate of squid later. We topped off the evening with a serious study session on American culture with a local waiter who is studying to become an English teacher. He was preparing for his final exam, and had all sorts of questions he was having trouble finding the answer to: everything from who walks down the aisle immediately before the bride to what the beliefs of Martin Luther King and Malcomb X were. Interesting stuff, it is, to look at "American culture" as a topic of study. Not sure if we successfully explained "Keeping up with the Jones'".
Tam-bi-uht from Hue!
More Pics
Big white guy at the helmHere are just a few pics, We think we have captured some great shots, but when we put this card in to download these pics, a virus was placed on the camera card. So you will have to wait till we get home to see more
One of our guides
The floating market
Check out this chick!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Frogger
So do you remember that Atari game "Frogger". Crossing the street here is much like advanced levels of Frogger, except that we are actually successful at it here (so far......)
Imagine looking to the left and seeing 2 dozens or so Honda om (motorcycles) bearing down upon the patch of street you intend to cross. They come in a steady stream, no clear breaks in between. And then you take a deep breath and step off the curb. Keep moving....moving....keeping the same pace. Handlebars swish behind you, inches from your back. Tires leave the pavement a foot's width before your soles land in the same spot. Keep moving...don't hesitate. It's like a fine set of gears, each tooth out of the way before the next falls into place. The biggest mistake you can make is to hesitate, to interrupt the flow. A cough in the gears could make everything come to a grinding, schreeching, foreigner-squishing halt. Keep moving. Don't think too much.... Almost to the other side. Don't forget to breath. Don't look sideways too much -- have to see where you are going. At last you arrive at the other side. Somehow it all works. I've seen no one squished yet.
They enacted a helmet law here 2 months ago. Amazingly, people seem to follow it. This is the first country I've seen (other than the US) where brain buckets are the norm. I was also going to say they seem to drive more conservatively here compared to Cambodia...but then we had a 3 hr bus ride last night that put that in doubt. Girls on bicycles swerve in and among buses barrelling down the "hip hop highway" (so dubbed by our VH guide because of all the bumps in the road!) at 40 mph, sometimes sandwiched between a bus and a delivery truck with just inches to spare on both sides. We sat in the front seats of the bus along with an Australian and an Irish woman, and all of us were squirming in anticipation of the potential disasters an arms reach out the window, but all for naught. The VN bike riders don't even seem to flinch, let alone look back to see what is bearing down on them. Again, it all seems to work -- buses, bicycles, pedestrians, Honda om weaving together flawlessly.
Imagine looking to the left and seeing 2 dozens or so Honda om (motorcycles) bearing down upon the patch of street you intend to cross. They come in a steady stream, no clear breaks in between. And then you take a deep breath and step off the curb. Keep moving....moving....keeping the same pace. Handlebars swish behind you, inches from your back. Tires leave the pavement a foot's width before your soles land in the same spot. Keep moving...don't hesitate. It's like a fine set of gears, each tooth out of the way before the next falls into place. The biggest mistake you can make is to hesitate, to interrupt the flow. A cough in the gears could make everything come to a grinding, schreeching, foreigner-squishing halt. Keep moving. Don't think too much.... Almost to the other side. Don't forget to breath. Don't look sideways too much -- have to see where you are going. At last you arrive at the other side. Somehow it all works. I've seen no one squished yet.
They enacted a helmet law here 2 months ago. Amazingly, people seem to follow it. This is the first country I've seen (other than the US) where brain buckets are the norm. I was also going to say they seem to drive more conservatively here compared to Cambodia...but then we had a 3 hr bus ride last night that put that in doubt. Girls on bicycles swerve in and among buses barrelling down the "hip hop highway" (so dubbed by our VH guide because of all the bumps in the road!) at 40 mph, sometimes sandwiched between a bus and a delivery truck with just inches to spare on both sides. We sat in the front seats of the bus along with an Australian and an Irish woman, and all of us were squirming in anticipation of the potential disasters an arms reach out the window, but all for naught. The VN bike riders don't even seem to flinch, let alone look back to see what is bearing down on them. Again, it all seems to work -- buses, bicycles, pedestrians, Honda om weaving together flawlessly.
"Me-kon De-uhta"
Wow....where to begin. Just in fromour 3-day Mekong Delta tour. So much to tell but can't fit it all in...
The story begins with an unfortunate incident in the bathroom at our hotel. .....So there I was.....sitting....sitting......when I hear the person on the other side of the wall (another room) flush, and suddenly the toilet underneath me erupted like a volcano, spewing and burbling things from unknown parts all over my back side. EEEEEEeeeeeeWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! Needless to say I hit the showers. Makes one appreciate the finer art of American plumbing.
The next morning we got up at 5:30 (well, woke up at 3:30 because of jetlag,and layed there for a couple hours, until we fell asleep for a few minutes right beforethe alarm went off). We packed our bags, had a quick breakfast of VN coffee, tea, baguette & jam (birthday cake was also on the menu, but we didn't order that!) and then hurriedly huffed our packs and camera gear and water bottles about 1/2mile to the travel agency where we met our tour. We stowed the big bags, then boarded the bus, only to ride it back across town to...the front door of our very guest house, where everyone ELSE on the tour was getting picked up! Oops.
Off we went, 3 days in the delta, a whirlwind tour of boats, boats andmore boats. We probably rode on at least a dozen if not more --- little ones like canoes, speedboats, rowboats with criss-cross oars, junks (refers to the type of boat, not what it carries!). The boats carried us through a maze of waterways and delta islands so intricate we felt as if we could have gone either 4 miles or 400 miles and we wouldn't know the difference.
To our surprise, our enormous new camera lens (roughly the size of a small cannon -- what were we thinking???!) has been a conversation starter rather than an intimidator. The guides and the locals are curious about such a hefty piece of equipment, and love to tell us to take photos of their friends, or they want to take photos of us with it. We've handed the whole thing over a number of times, and so actually have a few pics of us together on this trip. Nice, considering tomorrow is our 10th anniversary!
Today one such venture lead to another, and soon Andy found himself standing at the helm of the rowboat, delicately balanced on the stern platform pushing on the long, narrow criss-cross oars that propel the boat (and me, and our camera and our guide) down the Mekong. The guides thought it was a hoot that the big tall white guy could row, and Andy and I were grinning ear to ear. I got a turn as well, but got "fired" in short order because we were heading in among the houseboats and I simply couldn't steer the darn thing straight! We were quite the spectacle, garnering comments from people on the houses and the other boats. Our guide was enjoying it as well, and didn't laugh too awfully hard at my attempts to do as well as Andy! Our main guide later told us it's the first time he's ever seen a tourist row one of those boats. Pretty cool :)
The first night of the trip was a homestay in a little village on Bihn An island. There, we walked the trails to town in the evening, and on the way got waylaid by a group of men having cocktail hour. Andy was urged then cheered on as he threw back a shooter of sake. (I think they all had more fun than he did!).
Last night we overnighted on a junk -- a beautiful wooden boat with rooftop decks and lots of windows indoors. As we slept, the boat cruised 100k up the Mekong. I awoke at 4:30 (slightly better than the first night), so tiptoed up to the deck for the cool breeze and a change of scenery. As the sun came up, a handful of us watched the waters around us transform from a river as empty as the Columbia to center of commerce as busy as any major US shopping mall. The floating market seemed to wake up more with every minute, and by the time the sky turned from black to pink to a hazy grey, there were coconut barges, banana boats, fishing boats and dozens of others crowded in and among eachother for the next 1/2 mile. We watched, and when they weren't busy, they watched us.
People here are so very friendly. Quick to wave, and quicker to smile. True, genuine smiles. It seems as if they are truly as happy to see us as we are to be here. We haven't experienced the jaded, commerce-laden interactions of other countries.
I haven't yet learned many VN words, as we have in other countries. I was all excited to try out a sentence I've been practicing ("that was a very good meal"), when I read in a book about an American diplomat that was aiming to bridge the cultural gap and ease tensions by doing the same. He intended to say "I am very honored to be here," and instead, in this highly tonal language, it sounded to VN ears as if he'd said "the sunburnt duck lies sleeping!" So........I'm practicing my sentence a little more. :)
I know how to say hair cut, duck, and thank you. Those should come in handy.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
We are boat people (but you already knew that)
Hello from the Mekong Delta! A quickie -- we are on bikes & still have to get back for lunch before our boat leaves....
Statistics for this jaunt: Numbers of:
Boats we've seen -- 5000+ easily
Boats we've been on in the last 2 days -- 6 or 7
Bicycles we've been on -- 2
Total number of bicyle pedals at the end of the trip -- 3
Degrees --- Africa hot
People -- 10 stars :)
Bushels of longan fruit at the "factory" this morning: 30+
Boatloads of long grain rice -- 100's
Photos taken to date: 400+
Spring rolls eaten -- not enough
Waterways & canals in the delta -- 2000
Wonderful 3-day tour through the Mekong Delta. I had no idea how central the waterways are to the way of life here. They are everything. The canals and rivers are freeways, access to homes, transport routes for everything from rice to soda to pineapple to sand to gasoline. Kids grow up on boats. Pilots steer from hammocks (try that on I-5!). At any given moment in any stretch of water there are 20-40 boats within eyesight.
We did a homestay last night. More like a dormitory in the home (all 10 of us slept there), but it was in the jungle. Homes connected by small diked pathways just big enough for a motorcyle. We were free to wander and explore. Watched the sun set over a bridge with kids flying kitess until it was too dark too see. Great uproar when 2 kites got tangled!
Will write more when we can.... off to yet another boat through another waterway. Love it here.
Statistics for this jaunt: Numbers of:
Boats we've seen -- 5000+ easily
Boats we've been on in the last 2 days -- 6 or 7
Bicycles we've been on -- 2
Total number of bicyle pedals at the end of the trip -- 3
Degrees --- Africa hot
People -- 10 stars :)
Bushels of longan fruit at the "factory" this morning: 30+
Boatloads of long grain rice -- 100's
Photos taken to date: 400+
Spring rolls eaten -- not enough
Waterways & canals in the delta -- 2000
Wonderful 3-day tour through the Mekong Delta. I had no idea how central the waterways are to the way of life here. They are everything. The canals and rivers are freeways, access to homes, transport routes for everything from rice to soda to pineapple to sand to gasoline. Kids grow up on boats. Pilots steer from hammocks (try that on I-5!). At any given moment in any stretch of water there are 20-40 boats within eyesight.
We did a homestay last night. More like a dormitory in the home (all 10 of us slept there), but it was in the jungle. Homes connected by small diked pathways just big enough for a motorcyle. We were free to wander and explore. Watched the sun set over a bridge with kids flying kitess until it was too dark too see. Great uproar when 2 kites got tangled!
Will write more when we can.... off to yet another boat through another waterway. Love it here.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Hola! ....I mean sin chao!
Just a quickie here because we're headed to the boat.... And I'm not sure what Andy wrote already because I can't get his posts to pull up, so sorry if this is a duplicate...
We spent the day yesterday wearing down the soles of our Chacos on the streets of Saigon. Found a GIANT market (ooooh....lots of goodies, but don't want to lug them around for a week so we'll come back the last day). Had an avocado shake, lots of spring rolls, etc. It's very sticky hot, but not unbearable. Also didn't see too alwfully many tourists until dinner time. Apparently we all congregate for creature comforts at the end of a long day.
Took a nice long cyclo ride with a toothless guide (Andy's driver) and a guy who reports that he was on the roof when the last Americans were airlifted out of Saigon three decades ago, and has a large dimpled scar above his eye where he was shot. He was my cylco driver. FULL of knowledge about the city and sites. Talked 100 miles an hour and I know he was speaking English the whole time but I only got about 30% of it! Went to the War Museum, a gruesome reminder of things past and present, including a whole recent photography exhibit on land mines and demining around the world. Very, very sad doesn't express it all.
Today we are headed on a 3-day boat (& some biking I hope) adventure through the Mekong Delta. Sampans and fast boats. One night with a host family and one night on the boat. Should be fun! Andy continues his quest for pepper salted squid, but so far the best is still to be found in Portland!
I miss Cedar.
Having fun! Will post again when we can!
Reb (& Andy)
We spent the day yesterday wearing down the soles of our Chacos on the streets of Saigon. Found a GIANT market (ooooh....lots of goodies, but don't want to lug them around for a week so we'll come back the last day). Had an avocado shake, lots of spring rolls, etc. It's very sticky hot, but not unbearable. Also didn't see too alwfully many tourists until dinner time. Apparently we all congregate for creature comforts at the end of a long day.
Took a nice long cyclo ride with a toothless guide (Andy's driver) and a guy who reports that he was on the roof when the last Americans were airlifted out of Saigon three decades ago, and has a large dimpled scar above his eye where he was shot. He was my cylco driver. FULL of knowledge about the city and sites. Talked 100 miles an hour and I know he was speaking English the whole time but I only got about 30% of it! Went to the War Museum, a gruesome reminder of things past and present, including a whole recent photography exhibit on land mines and demining around the world. Very, very sad doesn't express it all.
Today we are headed on a 3-day boat (& some biking I hope) adventure through the Mekong Delta. Sampans and fast boats. One night with a host family and one night on the boat. Should be fun! Andy continues his quest for pepper salted squid, but so far the best is still to be found in Portland!
I miss Cedar.
Having fun! Will post again when we can!
Reb (& Andy)
Day one in Siagon
We had a good first day. Spent most of the day getting in to
the swing and doing a little sight seeing in the city. we
rented cycloes and spent several hours listing to the driver
huff and puff as he tried to push me around the city. We
booked a three day trip down the Mekcong delta, we will do
a combination of boats, busses, biking, do a night as a home
stay and on the second night stay on a junk river boat. back
late Thur night, We will call your Thur AM around 07:30
Andy
the swing and doing a little sight seeing in the city. we
rented cycloes and spent several hours listing to the driver
huff and puff as he tried to push me around the city. We
booked a three day trip down the Mekcong delta, we will do
a combination of boats, busses, biking, do a night as a home
stay and on the second night stay on a junk river boat. back
late Thur night, We will call your Thur AM around 07:30
Andy
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Siagon
Just a short post, after a little over 20 hrs of travel we are here! We will post this afternoon when we get back from exploring
Andy + Rebecca
Andy + Rebecca
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Heading Home
The final Mexico blog
The closer to the end of the trip the busier things became. When I last signed off we were headed to the BBQ. It was a very nice late night gathering attended by a number of dignitaries from El Grullo, the deer appeared to be about the size of a medium sized dog, very small by our standards. It was cooked in a pot with spices and didn’t taste too bad.
Monday: I did all the classroom lectures for my extraction class, in the morning. The afternoon was the Graduation ceremony. We held it a day early due to the Mayors from the towns represented not being available on Tuesday. We had a total of 30+ students throughout the class and gave 23 certificates of completion out, mostly based on attendance. After the graduation the Mayor of El Grullo took all the students, from all the towns, instructors, and all the students families that were in attendance, out to a very nice dinner, well over 40 people.
After the dinner four of us went to Autlan to a small orphanage and saw the kids there. Kyle had brought some small toys for all the kids, they were thrilled. The orphanage was very small with 17 children from ages 4 or 5 to 17, both boys and girls. Two years ago there were 11 children and they thought they were over crowded. They do have a new building that they are waiting to move into. Just like the USA they are waiting for the occupancy permit. It’s hard to believe it is an issue compared to where they are now. Any way I managed to get out, without totally breaking into tears. The kids did seem very well cared for, happy, and very well behaved.
Tuesday morning came before class the former mayor took us out to a great breakfast in a neighboring village. Then it was time to go kill cars, otherwise known and auto extraction. The plan was to start at 09:00 sharp, as I told the students, 09:00, Not 09:05, not 09:15, not 09:30, not 10:00, but 09:00 ready to go. Some how most all the students made it on time. That is were the plan ended. At 10:00 we still did not have an interpreter, tools, know were the cars we were going to cut up were, or know when we would know. At 10:30 I decided to teach a forcible entry class off the cuff. We walked the neighborhood looking at locks, bars on windows, doors and gates making entry plans. I made the students pledge that they would only use the tricks I showed them for good and not evil! Finally about noon we got word were the cars were. We showed up at the junkyard and were met by a really scary looking older man, who showed us which cars we could work on. One was a van that a family had been killed in, on a head-on crash. I could see were they had worked on the doors without success. After being at the junkyard a while I finely gave up on getting the tools I was waiting for. Oh-well, make a new plan again. I was able to show some simple techniques with hand tools and we were able to get the vans doors open, rather off and out of the way in just a few minutes. We also cut up another older car. I think they did learn a lot. The day worked out ok but it was really hot out in the sun with no shade.
After class we checked out of the hotel that had been our home for the past week plus and boarded a van for a three hour ride through the mountains to the coast where we will fly out on Thursday afternoon.
Today we relaxed and wound down from our go full speed all day and night routine as well as did some debriefing and future planning. We also did a nice several mile hike down the beach and did some exploring as well as having a couple of good meals. Tomorrow we will have the morning and the head to the airport.
I want to thank everyone that has been following along with my adventure; left commits, and sent emails. I am planning on coming back to this area in the not too distant future to do more training and scout that river! In just two weeks I embark in an adventure with Rebecca to Vietnam, It will be a different type of trip; I’m really looking forward to seeing her and Cedar again.
Good Bye Mexico
Andy
The closer to the end of the trip the busier things became. When I last signed off we were headed to the BBQ. It was a very nice late night gathering attended by a number of dignitaries from El Grullo, the deer appeared to be about the size of a medium sized dog, very small by our standards. It was cooked in a pot with spices and didn’t taste too bad.
Monday: I did all the classroom lectures for my extraction class, in the morning. The afternoon was the Graduation ceremony. We held it a day early due to the Mayors from the towns represented not being available on Tuesday. We had a total of 30+ students throughout the class and gave 23 certificates of completion out, mostly based on attendance. After the graduation the Mayor of El Grullo took all the students, from all the towns, instructors, and all the students families that were in attendance, out to a very nice dinner, well over 40 people.
After the dinner four of us went to Autlan to a small orphanage and saw the kids there. Kyle had brought some small toys for all the kids, they were thrilled. The orphanage was very small with 17 children from ages 4 or 5 to 17, both boys and girls. Two years ago there were 11 children and they thought they were over crowded. They do have a new building that they are waiting to move into. Just like the USA they are waiting for the occupancy permit. It’s hard to believe it is an issue compared to where they are now. Any way I managed to get out, without totally breaking into tears. The kids did seem very well cared for, happy, and very well behaved.
Tuesday morning came before class the former mayor took us out to a great breakfast in a neighboring village. Then it was time to go kill cars, otherwise known and auto extraction. The plan was to start at 09:00 sharp, as I told the students, 09:00, Not 09:05, not 09:15, not 09:30, not 10:00, but 09:00 ready to go. Some how most all the students made it on time. That is were the plan ended. At 10:00 we still did not have an interpreter, tools, know were the cars we were going to cut up were, or know when we would know. At 10:30 I decided to teach a forcible entry class off the cuff. We walked the neighborhood looking at locks, bars on windows, doors and gates making entry plans. I made the students pledge that they would only use the tricks I showed them for good and not evil! Finally about noon we got word were the cars were. We showed up at the junkyard and were met by a really scary looking older man, who showed us which cars we could work on. One was a van that a family had been killed in, on a head-on crash. I could see were they had worked on the doors without success. After being at the junkyard a while I finely gave up on getting the tools I was waiting for. Oh-well, make a new plan again. I was able to show some simple techniques with hand tools and we were able to get the vans doors open, rather off and out of the way in just a few minutes. We also cut up another older car. I think they did learn a lot. The day worked out ok but it was really hot out in the sun with no shade.
After class we checked out of the hotel that had been our home for the past week plus and boarded a van for a three hour ride through the mountains to the coast where we will fly out on Thursday afternoon.
Today we relaxed and wound down from our go full speed all day and night routine as well as did some debriefing and future planning. We also did a nice several mile hike down the beach and did some exploring as well as having a couple of good meals. Tomorrow we will have the morning and the head to the airport.
I want to thank everyone that has been following along with my adventure; left commits, and sent emails. I am planning on coming back to this area in the not too distant future to do more training and scout that river! In just two weeks I embark in an adventure with Rebecca to Vietnam, It will be a different type of trip; I’m really looking forward to seeing her and Cedar again.
Good Bye Mexico
Andy
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Just got back from the Square, the city Square is like the hub of the town with a carnival type atmosphere on a very small scale. The square is encompassed by and ice cream shop on each side, the church, city building, a couple of banks and countless other small shops, in the square are lots of park benches, food venders and lots of trees, it seems to be the place the entire town cognates in the evenings. Beings that graduation in tomorrow after noon we all took our boots down and had them shined. Mine were in very bad shape due to them being my work / teaching boots, they have not seen any wax in a long time. The shoeshine dude spent nearly a half of an hour on them and made them look academy new. He only charged $1, I gave him $3 what a bargain. Last nigh the guys from the fire department killed two deer for a BBQ tonight. So I’m headed off for a late dinner. Hope it’s not to late of a night I’m doing the teaching in the morning.
Day of ropes and more
Yesterday was my day to lead the teaching. I had the job of doing a rope rescue class. Ordinarily that would be no problem, you know ropes and me. The challenge was the lack of equipment. To do rescue systems by the book it is very gear intensive. Here we are very limited by equipment. El Grullo had two ropes, two prussic cords, several pulleys, six locking carabineers, and four non-locking carabineers. Autlan had one rope, two figure eights and two carabineers, Ayutla had nothing! I had brought down thanks to “Firefighters Crossing Borders” two prussic cords and a couple pieces of webbing. I started out by teaching knots followed with ladder slides with a two to one system. After lunch we moved up to the skate board park known as “Kent Washington” and built several systems with the gear on hand. The students all seemed to learn a lot, I really received a lot of good feed back saying that my class gave them real skills they would be able to use with the limited gear on hand. At the end of the day I was both mentally and physically exhausted, but it was a great day!
So we get done with teaching and it was time to go to dinner. We were hosted by Tiemo a rancher that heads the public lands distribution for farmers in the area. Just that night he had finished his new courtyard and entertaining area at his home (very nice). Also there were many other “movers and shakers” in attendance, including the past mayor that started the fire department, most of his former administration, a police chief from the next town and several other people that I’m not sure who they were. We had a great meal and lots of laughs and even got some work done. Home around 23:00.
I had a great talk with Rebecca via IM Live through the Internet before heading to bed. This morning I embarked on a cultural adventure and left at 07:00 with Tiemo, to go “milk cows” something that I had not done since I was a kid. It’s a good thing I don’t need to make my living milking cows. I was very slow. We still managed to get back in time for breakfast and get to class on time.
It hard to believe I’ve been here a week already, in some ways it seems like we just got here it others it seems like we have been here a long time. At any rate we have done a lot in a short time, and will do even more in the next few days.
This is a nine-day class with no days off. We know this has been really tough for a lot of the students, most of which are volunteers that had to take time off work to be here. The students from Autlan and Ayutla travel over and hour each way to be here. One of our students Gissell comes to class all day, leaves class to work an evening shift as a nurse at the hospital, then some nights pulls her volunteer shift all night at the fire department, before coming back to class. All of the students have put a lot of effort into their training. Today (Sunday) we are doing strategy and tactics, Monday I’ll teach the classroom portion of my extrication class, with Graduation in the afternoon. Then back again on Tuesday for the hands on part of extrication. Hopefully we will have several cars to kill at the wrecking yard. The Graduation will be attended by the student’s families, as well as the mayors and officials from the towns represented.
The El Grullo fire department had a video made that is on the Internet at http://www.cheshvan.blip.tv and click on the second picture. The guy that made the video is a local filmmaker that is very talented. Watching the video you would think they don’t need much help, just keep in mind some things look a lot better with editing and a good script. Anyway check it out it does give a good view of the area and people we are working with.
Yesterday was my day to lead the teaching. I had the job of doing a rope rescue class. Ordinarily that would be no problem, you know ropes and me. The challenge was the lack of equipment. To do rescue systems by the book it is very gear intensive. Here we are very limited by equipment. El Grullo had two ropes, two prussic cords, several pulleys, six locking carabineers, and four non-locking carabineers. Autlan had one rope, two figure eights and two carabineers, Ayutla had nothing! I had brought down thanks to “Firefighters Crossing Borders” two prussic cords and a couple pieces of webbing. I started out by teaching knots followed with ladder slides with a two to one system. After lunch we moved up to the skate board park known as “Kent Washington” and built several systems with the gear on hand. The students all seemed to learn a lot, I really received a lot of good feed back saying that my class gave them real skills they would be able to use with the limited gear on hand. At the end of the day I was both mentally and physically exhausted, but it was a great day!
So we get done with teaching and it was time to go to dinner. We were hosted by Tiemo a rancher that heads the public lands distribution for farmers in the area. Just that night he had finished his new courtyard and entertaining area at his home (very nice). Also there were many other “movers and shakers” in attendance, including the past mayor that started the fire department, most of his former administration, a police chief from the next town and several other people that I’m not sure who they were. We had a great meal and lots of laughs and even got some work done. Home around 23:00.
I had a great talk with Rebecca via IM Live through the Internet before heading to bed. This morning I embarked on a cultural adventure and left at 07:00 with Tiemo, to go “milk cows” something that I had not done since I was a kid. It’s a good thing I don’t need to make my living milking cows. I was very slow. We still managed to get back in time for breakfast and get to class on time.
It hard to believe I’ve been here a week already, in some ways it seems like we just got here it others it seems like we have been here a long time. At any rate we have done a lot in a short time, and will do even more in the next few days.
This is a nine-day class with no days off. We know this has been really tough for a lot of the students, most of which are volunteers that had to take time off work to be here. The students from Autlan and Ayutla travel over and hour each way to be here. One of our students Gissell comes to class all day, leaves class to work an evening shift as a nurse at the hospital, then some nights pulls her volunteer shift all night at the fire department, before coming back to class. All of the students have put a lot of effort into their training. Today (Sunday) we are doing strategy and tactics, Monday I’ll teach the classroom portion of my extrication class, with Graduation in the afternoon. Then back again on Tuesday for the hands on part of extrication. Hopefully we will have several cars to kill at the wrecking yard. The Graduation will be attended by the student’s families, as well as the mayors and officials from the towns represented.
The El Grullo fire department had a video made that is on the Internet at http://www.cheshvan.blip.tv and click on the second picture. The guy that made the video is a local filmmaker that is very talented. Watching the video you would think they don’t need much help, just keep in mind some things look a lot better with editing and a good script. Anyway check it out it does give a good view of the area and people we are working with.
Friday, February 29, 2008
We started the day with our normal breakfast with lots of fresh OJ. YUMMMM! Each day we start the students with PT and a run. We head into the heart of town circling the square several time singing cadences while running. We sure get a lot of looks from the citizens. They know their fire department that is out training with the “Gringos”. It is a lot of fun doing the morning run this way and gives the community something to talk about.
Today I responded on my Mexican fire response in the engine. During this morning’s class the call came in for an unknown type fire on the outskirts of town. Now let me tell you how a fire response works here. The call somehow comes into “066” and get radioed to the fire fighters, Here in El Grullo “Oscar” the paid captain is the only one that can drive the engine. This is somewhat of a good plan because the streets are so narrow and choked with parked cars. More than once we had to do multipoint turns to get around parked cars, (I have trouble getting the mini van around here, none the less a large Fire engine) He is a very good driver! Oscar had to come from wherever he was, get the engine and respond while other firefighters responded via mopeds. It must have taken us 10 minutes to get less that two miles. One at the scene it turned out to only be a garbage fire that got into some tires. The bad part was, that the fire was at the water purification plant and may of damaged the utility lines that supply the plant.
Last night the beds that we bought for the firefighters were delivered, much to their surprise. They were very happy, something we all take for granite, a bed off the floor.
Today has been a full day of first aid and CPR training. (I think we need Cedar here to help. Last week at 3 ¾ years old, he taught his preschool classmates CPR, we are not sure if his teachers were ready for that or not)
Last night while both of the interpreters from our group (Gonzo and Jose) went to have a several hour meeting with the Mayor of Auytla. We went to at taco shop in the main square of town and were forced to order without help. We were all so happy that we managed to order in Spanish without any help. Of course when our food came we were let down, due to not getting what we thought we ordered. Despite that we all enjoyed our meal and finished to evening off by stopping at an ice cream shop. There is nearly no tourism in this region and very few people know any English.
I did learn the river in the gorge out of town runs year round and there is access on hour north into the gorge. (I’m thinking KAYAK run) I hope I can break free for a couple of hours before we leave and do some scouting. But I’m not going to hold my breath, our schedule is really tight. Tomorrow I will be spending all day leading the teaching of rope rescue, Sunday will be tactics, fire extinguishers and on Monday and Tuesday will be “Crunch Time Mexico” auto extraction.
We just finished a quick trip up to “Kent Washington”. “Kent Washington” is the name of a skateboard park up on the hill, paid for by one of the civic originations from Kent. The park unfortunately is just far enough out of town that it does not get used. ---Except by us, being that it is on the hillside it will be a great place to do our ropes class. The only down side it is on a south facing hillside with no shade. It will be a heavy sunscreen and lots of water day tomorrow.
It is so hard to get the experiences and paint a picture of these trips into just a few paragraphs. Please drop me a line ask any questions, give comments and let me know someone besides Rebecca is reading and following along.
Andy aka Kayakmedic
Today I responded on my Mexican fire response in the engine. During this morning’s class the call came in for an unknown type fire on the outskirts of town. Now let me tell you how a fire response works here. The call somehow comes into “066” and get radioed to the fire fighters, Here in El Grullo “Oscar” the paid captain is the only one that can drive the engine. This is somewhat of a good plan because the streets are so narrow and choked with parked cars. More than once we had to do multipoint turns to get around parked cars, (I have trouble getting the mini van around here, none the less a large Fire engine) He is a very good driver! Oscar had to come from wherever he was, get the engine and respond while other firefighters responded via mopeds. It must have taken us 10 minutes to get less that two miles. One at the scene it turned out to only be a garbage fire that got into some tires. The bad part was, that the fire was at the water purification plant and may of damaged the utility lines that supply the plant.
Last night the beds that we bought for the firefighters were delivered, much to their surprise. They were very happy, something we all take for granite, a bed off the floor.
Today has been a full day of first aid and CPR training. (I think we need Cedar here to help. Last week at 3 ¾ years old, he taught his preschool classmates CPR, we are not sure if his teachers were ready for that or not)
Last night while both of the interpreters from our group (Gonzo and Jose) went to have a several hour meeting with the Mayor of Auytla. We went to at taco shop in the main square of town and were forced to order without help. We were all so happy that we managed to order in Spanish without any help. Of course when our food came we were let down, due to not getting what we thought we ordered. Despite that we all enjoyed our meal and finished to evening off by stopping at an ice cream shop. There is nearly no tourism in this region and very few people know any English.
I did learn the river in the gorge out of town runs year round and there is access on hour north into the gorge. (I’m thinking KAYAK run) I hope I can break free for a couple of hours before we leave and do some scouting. But I’m not going to hold my breath, our schedule is really tight. Tomorrow I will be spending all day leading the teaching of rope rescue, Sunday will be tactics, fire extinguishers and on Monday and Tuesday will be “Crunch Time Mexico” auto extraction.
We just finished a quick trip up to “Kent Washington”. “Kent Washington” is the name of a skateboard park up on the hill, paid for by one of the civic originations from Kent. The park unfortunately is just far enough out of town that it does not get used. ---Except by us, being that it is on the hillside it will be a great place to do our ropes class. The only down side it is on a south facing hillside with no shade. It will be a heavy sunscreen and lots of water day tomorrow.
It is so hard to get the experiences and paint a picture of these trips into just a few paragraphs. Please drop me a line ask any questions, give comments and let me know someone besides Rebecca is reading and following along.
Andy aka Kayakmedic
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
dinner with the Mayor
So much of what happens on these trips gets done off the training ground. Having the right political connections is key to getting the whole system to work. Tonight we had dinner with “El Presidente” other wise known as the Mayor of El Grullo. The Mayor appears to have much more influence than even major US city mayors; it was a real honor to have dinner with him. We were picked up by the former Mayor, the only Female that has ever been elected in this area. We drove to the Mayor’s residence, a villa that looked like a drug cartel casa from the movies. He is a very well known businessman in the area and has made it possible to have five career firefighters to be hired since his election. He also was the one that allowed the training to take place in El Grullo. We were planning on training in Autla, but none of the equipment we were planning getting here including the engine, arrived in time for the training, so like most training we do, quickly a new plan was laid out and students are receiving great training. We were treated to some of the best enchiladas I have ever had, cooked by the Mayor himself. We also had the best-grilled prawns I have EVER had!! Some un-named members of our group did secure the continued need for Agave plants. (We’ll see if they show up for breakfast) Today at the fire station we did confirm the on duty crews are sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Noting the need for comfort all the instructors pulled cash together and bought them beds, they should be delivered in the morning.
Another great day of work. We started the day with PT that included a several kilometer run through the main square of the town. A few side aches, lots of sweat and even more smiles. Once PT was finished we split the group onto two teams and congealed the two groups b y having a team building exercise. Today the challenge was to move an egg from a starting point about 12’ and place it into a cup, only touching it with their personnel utility ropes. Neither of the eggs were broken and teams were solidified. Then it was off to the cultural center and fire station for advanced ladders and hose operations. Once again in near 100F heat, (just like at home) Tonight we have been invited to the Mayor’s home for dinner. I’ll try to write later tonight.
Andy
Andy
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Mexico 07
Oh to Mexico
Oh what a fast change of events, a week and a half ago our house was selling and we were going to be “homeless” this week. Well last weekend the house sale fell through and looking for the bright side I said “hey now I con go to Mexico on the teaching trip! And Rebecca agreed as long as I agreed to go to Vietnam next month. So just a few days later I was on the plane, catching up to the group already in Mexico.
We are doing training in southwest Mexico between Guadalajara and Manzanillo in the state of Jalisco. (an area Pancho Villa apparently spent much time in based on his picture hanging every where) This is an area “TAP-FIRE” (the organization I am down here with) has come for several years as well as having support from Firefighters Crossing Borders. Currently we are in the town of El Grullo, which is a sister city of Kent WA. Two years ago the city of Kent donated a very nice 1989 Pierce engine that they surplused to the city of El Grullo. The fire department is very well established and supported by the local Government quite the contrast from Cambodia, were we feel like we are starting from scratch with limited support. One thing in common is the enthusiasm and eagerness of the students.
My adventure started Sunday night after getting no sleep on shift Saturday / Saturday night. A 21:00 flight from SEA to LAX and then a 01:45 flight from LAX to Guadalajara getting in right at sunrise Monday morning, with nearly no sleep on the flights. After getting through immigration and customs, I was met by Gonzalo Tello, a volunteer firefighter from Gig Harbor that had arrived two days before. After a couple of stops in Guadalajara, including a great breakfast at a market that included a 32oz fresh squeezed mixed juice we were off on a three plus hour drive to the training site in El Grullo. After leaving the outskirts of Guadalajara heading into the Sierra Madera’s, the drive and scenery looked identical as the drive from Phnom Penh to Sinokville in Cambodia, with rolling mountains, cactus and sparse vegetation. Once in the mountains there was quite a contrast from Cambodia with the vegetation continuing to be sparse and the desert continuing. The most amazing thing in the mountains were the thousands of acres of agave plants. Agave plants are the principle ingredient for Tequila. (I have not seen where they grow the worms yet) Also along the way I saw numerous authentic cowboys outfitted on horses. Oh yes, the car that picked us up and hauled us to El Grullo also was part of the adventure. Typical of much of the world, the standard are not quite the same as the USA, we only had to push start it nearly every time we stopped and my door would want to fall off if I opened it too wide (about 10”) but it did get us to our destination safe and sound. We arrived at the Hotel around 13:00 met with the rest of the group that was at lunch. Rather that getting some much needed sleep, I elected to go to the training site and get a “feel” for the students and what we would be doing. Well once there my stand back and watch for today plan didn’t last long, So I ended up helping teach ladders the rest of the day, after walking back to the hotel to get boots, helmet and gloves. The day was rounded off with dinner and a quick phone call to Rebecca. After three days with nearly no sleep I am caught up today and feeling great.
A little about the town we are in. El Grullo has a population of 32,000 including the surrounding areas and is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen! There is no litter, the streets and sidewalks are all washed and swept, the buildings despite being older than dirt all sport fresh paint, there is no signs of poverty, the people are very friendly and appear to be happy and content. It is very obvious the citizens here take a lot of pride in thier community. (I really like this place!) We really are in the “real Mexico” no fuffy resorts here.
Today we started with breakfast at a local restaurant (fried bread with jelly and bacon, withy a very large glass of fresh squeezed OJ. Then more training with ladders and hose opps at the canal. Lunch was provided by another local restaurant, Spanish rice, a meatball and potato soup, and fresh tortes with a fresh fruit drink served in a 5 gal. Bucket. (Yummmmm) Well training for the day is complete and I am posting this before we head out to dinner and getting a shower after training in near 100F heat. Will post more ASAP
Andy
Oh what a fast change of events, a week and a half ago our house was selling and we were going to be “homeless” this week. Well last weekend the house sale fell through and looking for the bright side I said “hey now I con go to Mexico on the teaching trip! And Rebecca agreed as long as I agreed to go to Vietnam next month. So just a few days later I was on the plane, catching up to the group already in Mexico.
We are doing training in southwest Mexico between Guadalajara and Manzanillo in the state of Jalisco. (an area Pancho Villa apparently spent much time in based on his picture hanging every where) This is an area “TAP-FIRE” (the organization I am down here with) has come for several years as well as having support from Firefighters Crossing Borders. Currently we are in the town of El Grullo, which is a sister city of Kent WA. Two years ago the city of Kent donated a very nice 1989 Pierce engine that they surplused to the city of El Grullo. The fire department is very well established and supported by the local Government quite the contrast from Cambodia, were we feel like we are starting from scratch with limited support. One thing in common is the enthusiasm and eagerness of the students.
My adventure started Sunday night after getting no sleep on shift Saturday / Saturday night. A 21:00 flight from SEA to LAX and then a 01:45 flight from LAX to Guadalajara getting in right at sunrise Monday morning, with nearly no sleep on the flights. After getting through immigration and customs, I was met by Gonzalo Tello, a volunteer firefighter from Gig Harbor that had arrived two days before. After a couple of stops in Guadalajara, including a great breakfast at a market that included a 32oz fresh squeezed mixed juice we were off on a three plus hour drive to the training site in El Grullo. After leaving the outskirts of Guadalajara heading into the Sierra Madera’s, the drive and scenery looked identical as the drive from Phnom Penh to Sinokville in Cambodia, with rolling mountains, cactus and sparse vegetation. Once in the mountains there was quite a contrast from Cambodia with the vegetation continuing to be sparse and the desert continuing. The most amazing thing in the mountains were the thousands of acres of agave plants. Agave plants are the principle ingredient for Tequila. (I have not seen where they grow the worms yet) Also along the way I saw numerous authentic cowboys outfitted on horses. Oh yes, the car that picked us up and hauled us to El Grullo also was part of the adventure. Typical of much of the world, the standard are not quite the same as the USA, we only had to push start it nearly every time we stopped and my door would want to fall off if I opened it too wide (about 10”) but it did get us to our destination safe and sound. We arrived at the Hotel around 13:00 met with the rest of the group that was at lunch. Rather that getting some much needed sleep, I elected to go to the training site and get a “feel” for the students and what we would be doing. Well once there my stand back and watch for today plan didn’t last long, So I ended up helping teach ladders the rest of the day, after walking back to the hotel to get boots, helmet and gloves. The day was rounded off with dinner and a quick phone call to Rebecca. After three days with nearly no sleep I am caught up today and feeling great.
A little about the town we are in. El Grullo has a population of 32,000 including the surrounding areas and is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen! There is no litter, the streets and sidewalks are all washed and swept, the buildings despite being older than dirt all sport fresh paint, there is no signs of poverty, the people are very friendly and appear to be happy and content. It is very obvious the citizens here take a lot of pride in thier community. (I really like this place!) We really are in the “real Mexico” no fuffy resorts here.
Today we started with breakfast at a local restaurant (fried bread with jelly and bacon, withy a very large glass of fresh squeezed OJ. Then more training with ladders and hose opps at the canal. Lunch was provided by another local restaurant, Spanish rice, a meatball and potato soup, and fresh tortes with a fresh fruit drink served in a 5 gal. Bucket. (Yummmmm) Well training for the day is complete and I am posting this before we head out to dinner and getting a shower after training in near 100F heat. Will post more ASAP
Andy
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