Addenda

Dear Mr. Mike Stricklin,

I am Tran Hong Chi, project coordinator of Clear Path's Vietnam office.

I am writing to you today on behalf of CPI Vietnam as Ms. Toan is on her

maternity leave.

I would like to inform you and your friends, Marilyn and Edward

Stephens, that your kind donation value US $200 have been granted to the

hands of people in need.

A total of 7 students, who are affected by explosive remnant of war

(ERW), have been selected to receive these educational scholarship

grants. Each grant values VND500,000.00 (approximately US $28.00).

These seven students come from four unfortunate families north and south

of the former DMZ: one family from Le Thuy district, Quang Binh

province; one from Hai Lang district, and the other two families from

Trieu Phong district, Quang Tri province.

On October 30, we delivered directly the grants to six students in Quang

Tri province and we will send the last grant via post office to the

student in Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province.

Please find photos of the 6 students attached; and to help you

understand more about the ERW situation here in central Vietnam as well

as the families circumstances of these students, the links below will

tell you more.

last entry

On the late train from Hong kong to Kowloon...a very crowded one...we were lucky to get these seats. And as we tiredly sit down I take my camera out...signal non-verbally to a man standing nearby...hand him the camera...he nods in acknowledgement...and voila.

what a long, wonderful trip it's been!

Epilogue

So we now have arrived home. Since the last posting we have flown to Hong Kong, visited a giant buddha via cable car, spent the evening in the Kowloon district...the old city across from Hong Kong metropolis. It has been exhausting these last several days but the encounters have been well worth the adventure. It will now be time to digest this experience, sort the photos, and resume our lives here in Rhode Island.

Many years ago as I was ending an Outward Bound sailing experience in Maine... as a team we engaged in processing our 30 day sail along the coast line. The trip was impactive in many ways.

Our team leaders facilitating this process would pose the question..."so what...you've been on this trip...how will it make a difference in your life...?" Over the years there have been many instances where that particular experience wove its way into my life, my work, my role as a parent, husband, and friend. And now I begin to ponder how this trip...the return to 'Nam will weave its way into my contemporary world.

What will be everlasting will be the encounters, the faces, and the interactions with the people of Vietnam. We had not one negative encounter. We experienced a population that seems to have resolved any ill feelings towards the states. As Americans we seem to be in good standing in the eyes of the people. Quite an irony really considering our role in their recent history.

That is about as prophetic as I can be for the moment. What just comes to mind now are Bob Marley's lyrics.."one love, one heart...let's get together and feel alright..."

I think these lyrics initially sum up what we shared with the Vietnamese people.

tam biet- goodbye

hong kong buddha and beer

sky line to Buddha in Hong Kong

"Former enemies"

Halong Bay

While on this trek I taught the crew several of my favorite knots, we met a couple from Chile, discussed world cup qualifications, another couple from Australia, and a gentleman from Hanoi who was an NVA anti-aircraft gunner during the war. As we met he sighed..."ah...my former enemy...now my friend."

We swam, I drew in the moleskin, we ate prawns and tasted the local beer called Halida, we explored a cave, and shook hands heartedly as we disembarked for our return to Hanoi.

This was a contemplative journey full of Peace.

boat people in Halong

The locals who live on a floating village arrive to sell their bounty...I purchased bananas.

We really had to pinch ourselves during this entire 4 hour exploration.

Oh yes...we also dove in from beamside.

Myth has it that a dragon helped protect the local

people from pirates by turning itself into limestone thereby creating these natural barriers that mimic the contour of the beast.

This visual experience and peaceful pace

makes the 3 hour ride here all the more appreciated.

Aboard a "junk" about to explore the limestone islands of Halong Bay.

Harvesting since the beginning of time.

The sickle to slice the stalks...ever so sharp. We were invited to try.

Rice harvest on way to Halong Bay

Along road northeast to Halong Bay.

It's harvest time for second cutting of rice.

incense

streets of Hanoi

central lake in Hanoi

Hanoi

There is no question Hanoi is the cultural center of Vietnam. From music to architecture, art in the streets, community flower projects in the park, government buildings adorned with preparations for their 2010 millennial celebration...this is the thriving metropolitan heartbeat of the north.

Our hotel is centrally located so we began our day walking around the large Hoan Kiem Lake and first stop-a buddhist temple. From there our long day journey through the streets began...mainly through the old district in the northern section.

It is hard to imagine the bellowing warnings of US aircraft about to bomb the city. I don't know much about the targets sought after in those days. I may just have to visit the real Hanoi Hilton to bone up on my history here.

This has been a relaxing day and we have made plans to travel to Halong Bay tomorrow. This will be a long day journey. We almost talked ourselves out of it but our travel sense tells us to not miss this geographical phenomenon.

A brief story here. I messed up when locking our safe this evening therefore nullifying our combination...the safe now was inaccessible. No biggy...we call room service so they could send someone up with the master combination access device. Instead they sent up a maintenance worker thinking the AC was malfunctioning...the wrong guy. A young man named Choug who has been here 10 years. As our conversation dwindled while waiting for the real guy to arrive I break out my few photos from 1970. His intrigue was immediate. He begins to relate in very broken english that his father was VC and he had served in the Saigon area during the war. And after that war culminated in 1975 he fought in the Cambodian war. His father is still alive and after several minutes of conversation he takes leave...bowing and thanking me profusely for sharing with him my story. He was anxious to share this chance meeting with his father when he arrives home...over an hour away.

The Vietnamese are about as gracious a people as I will ever encounter. We never cease to enjoy each encounter no matter how trivial.

Capping our evening after some great cuisine of prawns and scallops we stroll back near the hotel and encounter a fellow we had briefly engaged when we arrived yesterday. A tall gentleman, shoulder length hair and seemingly travelling alone. We ask him to join us for a drink. He is an acting consultant from the UK, hired by the United Nations, working in Hanio to evaluate Vietnam's current economic dilemmas and will provide potential avenues for future growth for the nation. He comes from a family with 5 brothers and one sister and he is the number 2 son. Well ...that took the cake with Nancy... who is from a family with 5 sisters and one brother and she being the number 2 daughter. Bernard, with his charming english accent, stayed and chatted a good while before calling it the night. I'm sure we will encounter him again.

Tomorrow...Halong Bay.

ferry from Can Tho

Baskets of mangoes on way to market.

Our Interpreter looking at a picture of me from 1970...as we discuss the war.

The Moleskin

Journal writing is such a valuable endeavor on treks such as these. A full-inked fine point sharpie, a "moleskine", that legendary notebook, the "silent and discreet keeper of an extraordinary tradition..." a must!

Honor your trips...honor your thoughts...let your fingers do the walking.

Thankyou Gilly and Rene for supplying this essential travel soul-mate.

hello

friends

the silver lining

When Mike told me he was doing a blog, I must admit I was not that interested....my anti-technology nature was kicking in. Let's just go on our trip.....who would want to read this? Well, many days later, as I have read his blog and read emails responding to him, I have embraced this new form of communication and now have begun to "suggest" what photos to put in and what to say. Mike has accused me of now trying to control his blog...not really, but I felt compelled to weigh in today, because my experience watching him in Vietnam has been compelling.

The last two days have been incredible. The first day we took a boat trip along the Mekong Delta to two busy floating markets. There were no other tourists, so we felt as if we were immersed in the real culture of the river life. The men and women work tirelessly, selling and buying fruits and vegetables, rowing boats, maneuvering around each other and quietly and calmly conducting their daily activities. They were gentle and pleasant and did not mind that we were there. We took many photos and smiled and waved and they returned the same. It was a comfortable and incredible experience. We witnessed life as it has existed for hundreds of years, and not much has changed, as the boats and vessels on the water were ancient looking and classic. We spent hours on the river and meandered down smaller canals and saw life along the river. Poor yet prosperous in food and family, the people we saw were constantly engaged in an activity that supported their daily existence. We have, of course, hundreds of photos of this day, and will not bore you with them. But I think Mike has added a few (that technical step is not one that I have accomplished yet!)

The following day, we decided to do a bike tour of the local villages, rice paddies and farms. We had a guide and set off on a day of riding (mind you, I do not ride a bike often, if at all) and we rode 35 kilometers (I still do not know how to change that into miles, but I think it is about 20 miles). I must admit, I am proud of myself for even considering this, but when this far away from home and from my regular life, it is not unusual to do unusual things! Also, it is all flat, no hills! So we ventured forth through villages, passing simple homes, children, dogs, pigs, through rice paddies flooded because of the season, watching thousands of ducks in the fields eating insects on the paddies which helps the farmers, crossing many wooden bridges, watching the daily routines begin (we started at 5:30 am). And for the next 5 hours we continued on, stopping occasionally for photos and rest. We stopped at a Buddhist pagoda and met the monk who has lived there for 72 years and lit incense while he rang the bell. We stopped at a home where the family makes rice flour and watched the women and children working together in the task of creating this product that supports them. The father invited us in for tea....our guide interpreted for us and we chatted with him for a while. The most amazing part of this journey were the people along the way. As we passed the homes and families out and about, we started to notice the smiles and "hellos" that came our way. In fact, over the course of this trip, literally hundreds of people stopped, looked at us and smiled, waved and yelled "hello" in English. Our guide told us that they don't ever see Americans and were happy to see us and welcome us to their villages. We spent most of our bike ride feeling like celebrities, with grandmothers, children, mothers, fathers all stopping what they were doing, calling to their friends, and coming to the pathway in front of their homes to welcome us and say "hello".....apparently the only English word they know. And it became clear to me, watching Mike waving and smiling and talking to the local people, that although he was not able to go back to the location of his stint in Vietnam, he was spending a day immersed in the culture of the families and being welcomed and appreciated and accepted in a very, very special way.....it was a joy to experience this with him. He truly loved it. He stopped often, talked to children, smiled with the mothers and simply cherished this day. After a long ride, we decided to take a boat back to our hotel, and that led to another incredible few hours. We rode down canals that never ever see a tourist and became, again, a focus of attention of the people along the way. Local people came to the river's edge to watch us go by, all along yelling "hello" to us. Mike was standing on the boat, waving....I know this sounds so strange but we had to wave back and smile and let them know we were happy to be there. The sharing of emotions, without words, was priceless. Again, a great moment for Mike in his return to Vietnam. So, even though the itinerary of his planned journey back to Vietnam was completely changed, we both realized that this was, by far, an incredible "silver lining" of the Ketsana typhoon.

Tonight we have just arrived in Hanoi and I'm sure Mike will continue this blog soon.

With such grace their toes

grasp the gunnel as they make their way

from stern to bow

all the while carrying a bushel

full of lemons and limes

this dance in balance

while adrift and countering

numerous wakes of a myriad of vessels

all competing

to set up

to sell

to barter

all with such grace

their feet caress the wood

the stone

the rain

which has just kissed the ground

-m

Going to Hanoi

We have had difficulty accessing internet these past few days.
It is now monday morning and we are packing for our trip back north to Saigon then fly to Hanoi.

The Mekong Delta: words cannot describe our encounters here...we are still digesting this unforgettable experience...we will catch up once we get to Hanoi

market day

Can Tho evening

Victoria Hotel hallway

incense cluster

family making incense

Can Tho and the Delta

I am writing from paradise along the Mekong Delta.

We were picked up at our hotel in Saigon (HCMC) courtesy of newly made arrangements through the travel agency we are connected with in Vietnam. The trip south will take 5 hours and we will travel in a new Toyota with the driver and an interpretor. Phuoc, our interpretor is the son of a former high ranking South Vietnamese officer who had been sent to "re-education camp" for 3 years after the communist takeover. The fact that I had been in the military had now opened up all sorts of dialogue. He in fact provides tours for many veterans returning ...so how lucky are we? Also...he has been ,many times, to the areas in the north to the exact locations we were to go and to where I "rumbled in the jungle". He said it is completely under water, very difficult to get to now, and that there would have been no way to travel there... so this info helped confirm we made a good choice...on to Can Tho.

The drive south along the infamous highway 1 is a sprawl of shanty domiciles adorned with assortments of whatever gets the family by...piles of dried coco shells for fuel, old tires, motorbikes requiring repairs, fruit of all varieties piled high. Our conversations as we drove coupled with the visuals passing by...we just had to pinch ourselves we were making this trek.

Schools are divided into am and pm hours so around 11am the first sessions were being let out so hundreds of students dressed in white flooded the roadside on bikes and scooters. The young women with their flowing white form-fitted outfits("ao dai") brought many memories back of the first "naisons" (young girls) I saw in 1970 making ther way hurridly along the mud slopped hamlets.

The landscape is slowly changing to more rice paddies and the yellowish hues of the tops of the rice plants clue you that harvest time is near...one of 3 major harvests throughout the year.

We are digesting more historical info from Phuoc about the way of life here in Vietnam and more on the delta region... which increases our anticipation about this uniquely fertile area.

We pass though Long Binh...a bustling town where many a battle was waged in the day. Along the roadway we stop to take in the beginnings of rice harvest...tarps with rice laid out in front of homes along the roadside to dry. Incense also is made by families for the temples and pagodas.
The colors of this process overtake you and since we light incense for our Buddha at home we asked to stop and visit a family incense making operation along the road. As you can imagine we became the fascination for the particular house we happened to walk by...we were invited in.

The family was very gracious sharing with us, smiling and intrigued. 3 young boys also mesmerized...one wearing a Chelsea FC shirt...well..that began an entirely new exchange.

We resume on our way to the ferry which will cross the Mekong to bring us to the area where the Victoria Hotel is. The ferry...one of six offered ...all working at the same time...is a short 20 minute ride across the swiftly moving current of the Mekong...a timeless river filled with history galore.

We arrive at this French provincially adorned hotel that blows us away. It is paradise along the riverfront. The town of Can Tho is along the same side of the peninsula but just a motor taxi ride away.

It is not crowded and we are blessed with a peaceful locale and zen-like aura.

Tonight begins a Lunar celebration in which the children are the focus for the evenings festivities. After a brief rest pool side we pack up and get our boat to town. It is bustling with young and old, all on scooters riding their young children who are practically sitting on the handle bars as they file along the main drag...pack tightly with revelers.

We dine on the 2nd floor overlooking this central part of town...it's noisy, happy families are all together, young teens hanging and making the scene...and a large statue of Uncle Ho overseeing the Lunar festival in honor of all the children.

A night time return on the river back to the Victoria caps our day.
Tomorrow we spend all morning on the water to visit the floating markets of Can Tho.

Nancy getting her temp. reading prior to a school visit.

nancy

Finalized plans

After much deliberation, phone calls, countless spellings of email addresses over the phone...our arrangements have become final. We will get a ride to Can Tho in the Mekong Delta and explore for 3 days. We will then return to Saigon and fly directly to Hanoi for a 4 day stay. The trip now is not as broken up as was previously planned. We are ready to go.

Nancy's schedule has been a grueling one. I have still been acclimating to the pace and fitting in rest periods but I have realized that for almost 2 weeks she has not stopped. Her regimen of college fairs, presentations, meetings with her group, and of course, the evening social events have been constant. I have met many of her compadres last night...all are seasoned travellers with stories to tell. They are all now on their way to Singapore where earthquakes and a tsunami are the current threats. She bid farewell to most of them this afternoon.

10.1.09-cyclo thru the city

Nancy had one last commitment this morning so I took the opportunity to travel via "cyclo" throughout the city. Yes I could have rented a scooter...but I have 2 children, a wife, and an undernourished dog to help support so...rent the cyclo. (images below)
My driver , named Mahn, must have been the only person on the road not wearing a bandana kercheif over his mouth...which became evident as I heard his coughs above my head the entire ride. Other than that supreme exposure the ride was like being a slow moving heavy piece of dust caught up in a cyclone...not quite riding the main swirl of movement. Nonetheless we made our way in slow motion to a few destinations I wanted to see. First was the US Embassy where in 1968 the Vietcong attacks during Tet in broad daylight brought to light the extreme resolve of the North Vietnamese's intent to make known their business was not to lay down and die during our occupation. I was hoping there was a US Marine at the front gate but that was not the case.
Next...not planned...was a quick right turn to watch a soccer match we happened to stumble upon. Just a small caged-in field where a small sided match was taking place. I was ready to join in but players were wearing official shirts...figuring an official match taking place.
All soccer players know you usually can join in, especially if you are from outside the norm...but this time I stayed a spectator.
On to the Ben Thanh market for a stroll through. My route began in fabric areas , very narrow pathways and all women at their stalls grasping my hands and arms to keep me at their station trying to convince me what I needed to buy. It was the normal "confrontive" market approach all foreigners must get used to. I do wish I took some photos here as I made my way through but sometimes that too is all too difficult to undertake. I proceeded to the food area where the assortment and display of raw everything was about as "ripe" of an experience as I've ever had. By ripe meaning the combination of smells of raw meat and fish in the tight environment almost knocked me over. I'm not a "skiddish" dude but now I had one mission...I needed to get out in the open. So much for the market today.
A few more stops in the park for a walk, checking out the famous Hotel Rex, then several back street alleyways off the beaten path then back to the hotel. The 2 hour excursion cost 100,000 dong= 6 dollars. By the way we cashed some travelers check early and realized we were millionaires for a day. Do your math...1 dollar =17,834 dong.
I find it interesting that the hotel personnel when exchanging money are commonly counting in the millions...it's an everyday mathematical occurence.

Now back to the hotel to finalize our change of plans.

cyclo riding

Yupoong greetings

A new plan-flow and rythym

A new day...a new plan.
We have decided to visit the Mekong Delta south of here so we are making arrangements to stay for 3 days in Can Tho. We have heard it's very beautiful , a place where the floating markets provide a unique exposure to the delta way of life. Tranportation will take 5 hours by a pre-arranged taxi. We will return to HCMC to fly directly to Hanoi and spend 4 days in the northern city. We realize now we can soak up more of the northern spice ofVietnam in this french Provincial city we have heard so much about ...by staying a few extra days.

So as these plans come to fruition it is with zen-like acceptance that this trip will not be the return to 'Nam as was expected. No regrets...no only ifs. I must now email ClearPath to let them know we will not visit their center.

Nancy is now on her last school visitation and is looking forward to finalizing this portion of her trip. Needless to say she deserves a big break as she has been juggling her work and these changing logistics.

While going for a long walk at sunrise this morning and as the scooter traffic began to build I realized that there is a "flow and rythym" to movement here in Vietnam. Traffic and pedestrians never stop....but rather always adjust speed to swerve and maneuver ones intent. This flow and rythym is wonderful to watch and implement. If you stop and wait, for instance, to hesitate because of traffic then the flow becomes disrupted and all in this "web" are effected.

Our trip must now adopt this "flow and rythym" concept. We are maneuvering without interruption as we must and be open to all possibilities.

haiku:
changing plans a must
a typhoon determines fate
flow and rythym time

Our schedule in question

It appears that the devastation in Danang , Hoi An, and Hue is significant enough that a major change in our itineray may transpire. Nancy's planned event in DaNang has been cancelled since the hotel has experienced damage. The coastal areas were hit hard and the prospect for a drive to the areas I was located looks slim to none due to flooding and mudslides. We hear Hue is under water and to get to Dong Ha north of Hue where ClearPath is located would entail a possibly dangerous drive through a mountain pass that has been comprimised due to the typhoon...the worst in 46 years. So...time to get something to eat AND DRINK and discuss what our possibilities are. This is travel...to accept the unknowns and devise a new plan. Logistically a challenge now but we know we can at least stay in Saigon one more night if we need to.

Nancy had a fascinating day and even met a Vice Cosul from RI stationed here. He has warned us the travel now to the north may be troublesome...so as I sign off here at 0430 I have no idea what the next 24 hours will bring and where we will be. Carpe diem!

10.1.09 factory visit

I had arranged through work that I visit the Yupoong plant in Bien Hoa. This factory manufactures many hats that we design and electronically produce for the nfl, nba, and nhl, So at 0900 I met the driver outside our hotel and we were on our way. The drive lasted 40 minutes ...traveling NE through a myriad of traffic...mostly scooters with either 1,2, or 3 aboard. There were as many women drivers a men -scooter savvy is across both sexes. Arrival at the factory to see my name displayed on an ornate welcome podium and was greeted by Jeong Joon Mo, Adm Manager . He intro'd me SH Kang, Genral Director, and we proceeded to a welcome room to discuss my tour. A very cordial beginning. The plant employs 2000 workers, mostly women. As we toured the plant and all of the processes in sequence for hat production there was no doubt I was being accompanied by the big bosses...bows were omipresent.
I will be brief here with tour synopsis. The Korean based compsny est. this plant in 2002 seeing the economic opportunity in Vietnam...as many companies are now experiencing...and success has followed. Our tour was insightful for me...they were extremely gracious as hosts and knowing my wife was here on business Mr Kang presented to me a silk scarf as a gift.
Following several handshake photgraphs I was on my way back to Saigon.

Upon my return, while Nancy still at a college fair I decide to take to the streets and face the scooter hoardes.

HCMC arrival

I could not believe that the lights below me was Saigon. Better yet...Nancy just minutes away.

I had never been to Saigon. Most USMC units were stationed in the northern section of South Vietnam...for me...I was SW of Danang in the north...so...first time here.

I must have been the first person to have my bag show thru the turnstyle. I knew that Nancy had arranged the Sheraton to have a driver there so as I direct myself to exit the airport I am staring at a sea of faces gathered at the front exit of the airoort. It reminded me of the Beatles movie A Hard Days Night. This must be the customary waiting area for all arrivals...outside behind a roped line and you walk the guantlet to get where you need to go. All that is missing is a red carpet. I found my contact...he called for my car and the driver, Long, and I proceeded to engage in conversation...the war, what I do, and of course...futebol! He was a Maradona fan.

So...a 20 minutes taxi ride to the Sheraton...directly adjacent to the famous REX hotel.
I go to the front desk...ask for the room key and go to the 15th floor...knock on the door (it's 11:15pm) and Nancy, with her beautiful smile...opens the door...and we embrace and laugh at the same time. As Greg Brown had sung once..."Who'd a thunk it"

We are concerned about how our plans may change for our northerly trip to Danang. There's been considerable damage to the coastal areas where we are scheduled to travel to. Nancy's college fair in Danang, which she was really looking forward to...may be cancelled. There is flooding, no power so we have no way as of yet to determine what will transpire...so stay tuned.

This morning I will be picked up to visit the Yupoong plant. This will be fun.

9.30.09- the flight

It is 4:44am.
I arrived after one of the longest travel days in a long time. The flight from Chicago to Tokyo took a more northerly route...overlooking the Queen Elizabeth Islands...barren chalk-like expanses of tundra. We flew a bit over Russia (I can see Russia from my plane window! Didn't someone say that recently?) as we made the turn south. An arduous plane ride in tight spaces. Music is the healer in my book... ipod, a book and imagination. I have started "The Battle for Hue". I have been listening to the Beyman Bros.
My seat neighbor was an engineer from Honda traveling with colleagues for a 3 week introduction for the new CRV.
They will take part in design meetings while sitting around a life-size clay mock up of the car.
The interior is a separate mock up as well.

From Tokyo to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) a 5 plus hour flight. I had heard Ketsana had already hit Danang and 100,000 people were evacuated. I could see thunder from above as we made our way over Corregidor and Manila.

A Japanese business man my neighbor on this flight. Two sons...the youngest a fledgling "Kondo"
trainee...the eldest a challenging 17 year old who loves scooters. We were barely able to communicate but with patience on both sides managed to share much about out trips, our family and Obama.

I am always fascinated by the dress style of young Japanese women...funky layerings of contemporary see thru fabrics, waist high sweaters, whacky sneakers and black stockings. Each one I see carries her own signature style in a "break all rules" sort of way...I like it.

touchdown HCMC

leaving home

So... our last skype before I leave for Boston for the evening. Nancy in Taiwan about to embark on more college fairs.

We are keeping a close eye on the tropical storm. Next stop...Ho Chi Minh City.

haiku of the day

travel west to far east

towards sweltering heat and rain

ketsana be gone

9.27.09 our Envision Peace statement hangtag for our hats