Wednesday 22nd, 2009

 Twelve Orange Walk motorbikes came cruising into Nha Trang on April 22nd and for some of us, that means having a chance to wash clothes, lighten our loads and to get pics onto our computers. We will be visiting a few AO families while here in Nha Trang, but will be gearing up for our Nha Trang Walk on Anzac Day (April 25), which looks as if it will draw a few people! We are hoping to receive some new t-shirts prior to the walk, since we went through the first 200 in the blink of an eye! The support that we've gotten has been tremendous.
 
Prior to leaving Phan Thiet, we visited two families that we saw during our last Orange Walk a year ago. Hoa is the little boy that we showcased on our video who was so good at scooting around on the floor. We are in the process of trying to bring him and one of his parents with us when we walk in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6th, so he can be seen by a doctor in that country. We have been told that there is a specialist who has agreed to see him and do an evaluation of all of his medical problems and then we can go from that point to see what can be done. I will get more into all of that when we have more to share, but if everything works out, he may have some real hope for a better future.

Moving down the road, we visited with another young man who actually began our video clip. His was the sound of crying and his mom was the lady that we felt was a true example of humanly patience as she lovingly cared for him throughout his seemingly endless crying. They lived in an absolute shack, with no electricity, dirt floors, no windows or doors and only a small amount of furniture. Since that visit, the family is living in a clean and well lit home, courtesy of our friends in Phan Thiet with VAVA! Both mom and dad are now employed and though the family is a far cry from living in what most of us would call a "well off" status, they are doing MUCH better than they were the last time we saw them. I am very happy at finding this family so much better than they were the last time e saw them and I hope that the lives of many more victims can be improved in similar ways.

Leaving Phan Thiet was a positive feeling after these visits, the team decided to push on and tackle the 240, or so, kilometers to Nha Trang, rather than to stop off in Phan Rang. We were being followed by some nasty rainclouds the entire way, but escaped without any real damage! Coming into Nha Trang from the South along the new highway offered some really spectacular views, but unfortunately, the battery on my digital camera died just prior to arriving there! Still, for us, that view was not lost.


I will leave you all now and get at my dirty laundry!! I hope that as many oif you that are able to do so will join us on the morning of April 25th here in Nha Trang for our combined Orange Walk/Anzac Day celebration. Time and details of that walk are still being determined, but I promise you that I will be back to clarify it all in time for the walk. Big hugs to you all and, as always, thanks for your tremendous support (here and throughout the world)!!!!

Vietnam news report regarding Orangewalk 2009

http://drdvietnam.com/news

Links to

http://drdvietnam.com/news/122353/vi

This news report is in Vietnamease.

It links to 

http://www.tienphong.vn/Tianyon/Index.aspx?ArticleID=158862&ChannelID=7

________________________________________________________________

April 15th -Soc Trang  to  Tra Vinh (101kms)

Today's trip from Soc Trang to Tra Vinh went very smoothly, aside for the bumpy roads. We did have an opportunity to rest our backsides, at least for a small portion of the trip when we took a ferry ride-make that two ferry rides, to break up the trip a bit. As I said, though, when we were on the roads, they were really bumpy! In spite of the bumps, we all made it through this portion of the trip safe and sound.

Once we arrived in Tra Ving, another of Bao Anh's friends, this one living in Tra Vinh, arranged for us to meet with a few families in this area who are thought to be suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. There were two things that I'd like to say about these visits today. First of all, the road out to the second home was a total challenge in that we were trying to navigate our bikes through deep soft sand.

It was hard enough on normal motorbikes, but Peter's motorbike was next to impossible to forge through all of this sand! We did deal with it and ultimately make our way to our destination, but it was a real challenge to do so. Secondly, the family that we ultimately saw in this area was very very needy. Not only was the young lady severely impaired (she had the dioxin lab testing/bloodwork done previously, which showed heavy amounts of dioxin in her body), the home that the family was in was another house that nobody should have to live in. The other families we visited were all questionable, but still worth the visit.

Tomorrow morning, we will be arriving in Saigon. I believe that most of the team will be staying in Phu My Hung at The Milano Hotel. This is also the spot that we will begin our walk through HCMC from. We have decided to walk into the downtown area instead, ending up the walk at St. Mary's Cathedral and the Main Post Office. We will meet at the Milano Hotel at 7:30 am and begin the walk between 7:30-8 am. We hope as many people as possible can join us on the walk, for whatever distance you would like to walk.

We will also have new Orange Walk t-shirts on sale for those that would like to purchase them. We are asking 50,000 Vietnamese Dong for these t-shirts (the cost that we had to pay to have them made) plus anything over that that you would like to donate for the families we see. We are all excited to be making our way into HCMC and look forward to seeing you beside us, or even waving at us from wherever you are at! Immediately following this walk, we will be leaving for Vung Tau, where we are scheduled to appear at Belly's Bar at 7:30 pm (April 18). We invite everyone who would like to join us there to do so--we would LOVE to see you!!! We are so thankful to each one of you we have already seen alongside the road, in coffee shops, or just waving as we pass. Seeing your happy faces truly brightens each day!
________________________________________________________________  

Combination of April 13th and 14th.

April 13th
Yesterday, we were without wifi, so I will attempt to bring everyone up to date with the events of the past two days. Yesterday, we arrived in Ca Mau after a one night stop in Rach Gia. Our accomodations in Rach Gia were really fantasic , which made staying in Ca Mau seem even worse than it actually was, but maybe NOT (worse!). Still, the management at that hotel was very good to us and the price wasn't too bad.

We did accomplish much more than finding hotel rooms, fortunately. We contacted VAVA in Rach Gia with the help of one of Bao Anh's former university classmates, Khoi, who lives in Rach Gia. He made a few phonecalls and off we went with four fabulous members of VAVA. These ladies introduced us to a very large contingent from the local chapter, as well as about 20 local government officials.

From there, we were taken to some rural areas where there were many suffering families and again, families who were living in unbelievable poverty. In many of these cases, VAVA was helping to coordinate some kind of house building projects, but their resources are very limited. Still, the team was all very impressed by the gigantic efforts they are making to help these poor suffering people.

One thing that I would like to add concerning yesterday was the fact that Peter Lawler (Irish Peter) was up all night the previous night with some kind of stomach virus and spent much of the day in bed once we arrived in Ca Mau. Early this morning, we put him on a plane and sent him back to Saigon just to be on the safe side. We have spoken by phone since then and he is feeling much better today. I'm very happy to say that he will be rejoining us in two days when we will be arriving in Saigon.
 
April 14th,
today we departed Ca Mau and after traveling only about 40 kilometers, some of the team began getting sleepy-I mean REALLY sleepy. I'm not sure if the heat and humidity played a part in it, but we stopped at a coffee shop (with hammocks!) and those who were sleepy took a quick nap. While we were there, a young man named Tuan stopped in and, after introducing himself, said that he had seen us on tv during Orange Walk 2008 and he wondered if we would be interested in meeting some AO families in his hometown of Bac Lieu, about 20 kilometers down the road (and along the way).

We all agreed that this was our primary goal, so off we went to Bac Lieu. After scarfing down some really great Vietnamese pancakes (banh xeo), something this area is extremely famous for, Tuan took us off to meet with the VAVA representitives in Bac Lieu. Although this chapter of VAVA is still quite new, the members that we met were both professional AND excited to help out! Chen, the President of the chapter, is a 79 year old man who is so full of energy that we all fell in love with him. He was so happy and helpful that each of us couldn't help but catch his positive energy!!

He and several others from his office took us to see two families and again, they were both very sad cases. Both of the affected people today were a little bit older, both being in their 30's, but still severely disabled by their problems. The first family actually had three siblings affected, although we only actually met one. The mother has been able to rent out several rooms and has used that income to send both of her disabled daughters to the university in Ho Chi Minh City. The thirty year old son that we saw speaks, but in no language that anyone can understand.

His mom told us that sometimes he gets so wild and agitated that they have to place him in a cage until he "comes out of it." At the final home we visited for today, we saw a 32 year old girl who is severely disabled and has never spoken a word. When she is hungry, she opens her mouth and that is the sum total of her communication skills. She cannot walk, sit up or even feed herself. As it turned out, their grandmother had died today, so we didn't stay too long.

After saying good-bye to all of our new friends, we departed Bac Lieu and cruised into our night's destination, Soc Trang. I really must say that this hotel is 200% better and for a cost of $6/night, a great deal!!!!
We wish you all a pleasant night, or day, depending where you are located, and hope to see you again a bit further on down the road. Tomorrow's destination is, Tra Vinh!

________________________________________________________________ 

Sunday 12th April, 2009

Orange Walk 2009-Ha Tien to Rach Gia

We got off to a great start this morning, but after stopping in the city of Rach Gia for a coffee break, we were told of some Agent Orange families that we could see locally. Like last year's Orange Walk, we find that coffee shops are some of the very best places to locate such families and this time was no exception. In addition to that, we also had the pleasure of meeting four wonderful ladies who represented the local chapter of VAVA.

 

This organization (VAVA) was extremely helpful to us last year and without them, we would never have met with such amazing people, all of which are suffering from extreme disabilities as a result of dioxin exposure. VAVA, for those who have never heard of their organization, is made up of individuals who are either survivors of AO, or are vets who have been exposed to the chemical defoliant.

 

They are very involved in the court cases that have been brought against the chemical producers of dioxin and other chemicals used during the war. While our team opts to take no stand on this case (we prefer to let the lawyers handle such things while we concern ourselves with getting immediate help for these familes). Today, these very caring ladies led us to some families who have been suffering for many years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first family that we visited had two children affected (out of four). The oldest child that we saw was a seventeen year old that appeared to be only about three feet in length. He could neither stand nor sit on his own and seemed only comfortable while being held in his mother's arms.

 

I snapped a photo of my foot beside his just to give you an idea of how small this nearly full-grown young man is (included in this photo set). His ten year old brother was a bit distraught when our team first arrived, not being accustomed to so many people visiting at one time. He kept smacking his lips for a good share of the time, but shortly before we departed, he began to smile.

 

This family, although they are in bad shape financially, has been helped considerably by VAVA, who built them a new home, as well as provided the family with a boat for the father to fish from, earning a small wage for the family, Another child, a fourth grade student, must combine her school study time with working long hours in the fields to earn extra wages for the family. With both of these wages, the family barely has enough food to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also stopped by to see another man (46 years old) who was suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. Although he is older that the kids we saw previously, he is also very small. He is able to chat with visitors, but he shares the rental house (virtually just a room and a storage area) with his mother and two others, sleeping on a straw mat on the floor. He has foreshortening of the hands and legs, as well as some gross deformities of all of his limbs. He was full of smiles, in spite of currently suffering from broken ribs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, I would like to stress the fact that we would be accomplishing nothing at all without the help of such agencies as VAVA and the added assistance of the People's Committee throughout each area we travel through. None of us have ever been in these areas before and I'm sure that we are only scratching the surface in terms of victims. Still, what we do is a cooperative effort by many agencies and people from many countries. What is important,

 

I believe, is that we are showing the families that they are NOT alone. Here's hoping that TOGETHER, we can all make a difference!
Tomorrow, we will again try for Ca Mau. This time, we are scheduled to meet with more families, so tune in again tomorrow!! As always, thanks for all of your support!!!!

_______________________________________________________________

Saturday 11th April 2009, Day 9

Today the Orange Walk team spent a restful day in Ha Tien. I would have liked to make it down to the beach for a quick swim, but after getting all of the pics we've taken downloaded, the clouds decided to download something of their own, in the form of precipitation. So I was "forced" to use the time napping in our hotel room. It really has been nice being able to get online here in the coffee shop that now looks upon me as a fixture, both opening and closing the place up with them. Last night, the employees were sweeping and mopping the floors while I tried to squeeze every photo I had stored on my computer into our external hard drive!

Late this afternoon, the rest of the team went off exploring one of the local caves, while I finished up here. We have a long ride scheduled for tomorrow, so we'll be out the door early and grab breakfast along the way. We said good-bye to our biker friends, feeling a bit like one of the characters in the film, "The Wild Hoggs." Seriously, it was great having them along and we will miss them as we forge ahead on our journey.

I repeat something I mentioned earlier that the people of Ha Tien have been simply marvelous! We have all thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. Everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, has been so outgoing and friendly!!
So, up next is Ca Mau and into the southernmost part of Vietnam!!

 ________________________________________________________________ 

The Orange Walk team met with the Long Xuyen Galaxie Motorcycle Club this morning at 7 am. 10 members of this local biker club decided to ride along with us to our next stop in Ha Tien, making for sight similar to an "orange wave" along the local backroads. In fact, the bikers doubled up on five big classic Hondas, the largest among them being a 750 cc model--absolutely huge for anything seen throughout the country. To just drive one of these, the driver needs a special license and proof of being a member of a motorcycle club...I think because the largest Police bike is in the 250 cc range!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and of course, we have our Vespa-a-a-a-a (sounds like a sheep bleating!)

Khanh adjusting his "CIA " Vespa-mobile

We arrived in Ha Tien around noon and stopped first for lunch at a local restaurant. I should point out that we have been receiving a huge amount of support from one of Vietnam's most popular models, Miss Ha Anh Vu. She gave me a phonecall while we were at lunch, informing me of all she has been doing from HCMC! She put together a news conference to be held in Saigon on April 17th, so please look for any articles about the Orange Walk in your newspapers and on tv that night, or the following day.

 

She is also putting together a huge fashion show/charity fundraiser for the Orange Walk in Hanoi for May 9th. We are all excited to see what she surprises us with next! What is important is that what we are doing will bring help to the families we've been seeing all over the parts of Vietnam we've visited so far. Anyway, huge thanks to you, Ha Anh!!!

 

 

Grahme (aka Inspector Gadget) getting situated on his mass of spinning wheels. The kids along the road stop and look on as if they are obserning a UFO...wonder why.

Grahme's bike lost a mud guard.

Tomorrow (Sunday, April 12, we move along to our next stop in Ca Mau.

 

________________________________________________________________

 

On day five of the 2009 Orange Walk, we headed out from Tay Ninh to Ben Luc. It seems as though we hit rain at about 4 pm each day and today was no exception, although the rain showers were a bit less “torrential.” We were able to stop Trang Bang, about 80 kilometers South of Tay Ninh to visit a family affected with Agent Orange.

Like so many other people that we have met that are victimized by these disabilities, this family was extremely poor and unable to raise much money. Both the father and the 19 year old son were adversely affected by these ailments, but as always, the entire family suffers in great ways as a unit.

A 17 year old daughter was about to be forced to drop out of high school because she could no longer afford to pay her school fees, or for supplies needed to attend. She was in tears as we looked at her surroundings, sobbing as we walked by her home made of mud and straw. The floors of this house were hardened dirt, swept so that no loose dirt remained anywhere in sight. The house looked neatly kept, aside from not having a floor or any modern amenities. 

In talking to the father, we did ask if he had been checked for Agent Orange exposure and he told us that he had the paperwork, but didn’t understand how to fill it out. I have also heard that those people requesting such lab work must also pay for those services, well over the amount that such a family could ever afford to pay. Huong, our newest team member (from Saigon), was so moved by the experience that she was unable to talk for several minutes afterward and shed many tears alongside of this family.
 
Families in such a situation as this are precisely the types of families that we aim to assist most. I am hoping to extend a new function of the Orange Walk and we will be offering everyone the chance of helping us. First, the house that is shown above needs to be rebuilt and that can be done, I am told, for as little as $1500 furnished.
 
My thoughts are that throughout the world, there are many grieving families because of Agent Orange. Many others have lost friends and loved ones. What I would like to do is to erect as many of those $1500 homes for as many people here who need them and are in a situation similar to theirs.
 
From that point, I intend to add a plate, or a plaque, to the entryway to the home, listing the name of that loved one and the cause of death: Agent Orange. I will be the first to do such a thing and intend to build a house in my brother in-law’s name, hopefully for one of the very poor families we met with Agent Orange in Phan Thiet during the last walk. Hopefully, a lot more will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. I’m really hoping that we will be buried with such requests!

We also stopped in the city of Trang Bang to visit with the family of Kim Phuc. Many of you may remember the girl in Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize willing photo of the little girl being burned by napalm as she ran from her burning village. Her sister in-law still runs the family restaurant, although they are in pretty bad shape financially. Tai, the sister in-law, went out of her way to take the time to show our team the movie of the tragedy that took place those many years ago.

Orange Walk 2009-Buon Ma Thuot to Gia Nghia

Day three of the Orange Walk went very well, although we did have a few sputtering motorbikes, possible caused by bad gas along the way. Still we are thankful that nobody took any spills and nobody was hurt along this leg of the trip.

We did encounter a few bad spots along the road, but not as bad as the first two days. Luckily, within minutes of pulling into our hotel, The Truong Giang, in Gia Nghia, the clouds opened up with a torrent of rain! It really let loose!! Prior to that, a few members were beginning to notice some sunburn developing and pulled off to either add long sleeves, or pick up some cheap shirts with long sleeves.

 

Aside from that, the travel day was pretty uneventful. From my position at the back of the motorbike "convoy," the group all clad in their orange t-shirts looked magnificent and nearly everyone along the side of the road smiled and waved. Its funny watching their reactions, as if they were seeing one of Macy's finest Thanksgiving Day Parades! Such huge smiles and from all ages!

We did lose a few of our early riders, since they had to return to their jobs in Nha Trang. At the beginning of the day, we lost six riders who pretty much rode the mountain downward back to the East Sea (a.k.a. the S. China Sea) and Nha Trang. We thank each of them for their participation and look forward to seeing Mr Quang and his family when we arrive back in Nha Trang on our way back North on April 25th.

 

We are, by the way, working on two charity fundraisers/fashion shows for the Orange Walk. One of these, hopefully to be held in Ho Chi Minh City, will take place sometime around April 17th. In Vung Tao, there will also be a party at Belly's Bar on the following night. Later on, in Hanoi, there will be another huge charity/fashion show put on for the Orange Walk courtesy of Miss Ha Anh Vu, former beauty queen and one of Vietnam's top fashion models. She is also setting things up in Saigon, in spite of her own busy career, which make us and those we work for very lucky indeed!

 

We are not real sure how far we will be heading today, due in part to two of the motorbikes needing a mechanical check-up to see if it is simply a tankful of bad gas that has them sputtering along. Hopefully, we will be overcoming that and making it to Tay Ninh, about 220-230 kilometers from here. My Internet Connection again shut off, so I am HOPING to be able to post this...before we leave. Huhu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a common site along the way. There are more fatal motorbike accidents here in Vietnam than in any part of the world, or so I have been told. I can believe it.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, we are off to breakfast and then back on the road!!

 

________________________________________________________________

 

On day two or the 2009 Orange Walk, we made our way from Dalat to Buon Ma Thuot. This trip was a bit farther, but the scenery (and the weather) was fantastic. Many of the winding roads were also filled with giant potholes, which became even more hazardous four our two riders on their four-wheelers. As I said, the weather also cooperated much more, although we did have to stop for a few minutes while the clouds unloaded about 20 kilometers outside of Buon Ma Thuot.

________________________________________________________________ 

Orange Carers Departed Nha Trang on Friday 3rd April, 2009

Yip, the Orangecarers 2009 trip is off an running.

Follow the progress by checking the  home page and 

the menu link to "Maps of Orange Walk/Ride 2009"

The group met at 7am, had some breakfast and prepared to depart at 9am.

One of the motor bikes that had just been modified to have 2 added wheels on the back had some design problems. 

Over the next few hours a rebuild of the support brackets was required.

Addional support brackets were welded to the body of the bike and extra strong

shocks were added. 

The first gourp departed around 11am to Da lat. The second group departed 2pm after a de-stress lunch.

For the previous 3 days there had been heavy rain in Nha Trang. Fortunetly it held off  until 4pm.

Chatting with group 1, they had some rain in the mountains going to Dala but fortunetly no problems.

Everyone arrived safely in Da Lat, enjoyed the cold weather and a few beers.

Orange Walk 2009-Nha Trang to Buon Ma Thuot

Day One-Nha Trang to Dalat

Technical Problems with the Equipment

 

Dalat

 

________________________________________________________________