Drive to Mekong Delta

On Saturday we drove with eight other people from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho near the southern tip of Vietnam. The drive there took most of the day and went through the rice basket of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta. We stopped at a few places along the way, including a war memorial. 

 Memorial stone for "Ap Bac Victory" (Jan. 2, 1963) amongst the rice fields.

Shot down helicopter with Southern Vietnam's colors. 

The memorial's staff were cleaning it while we were there. 

Traditional Mekong meal. Whole fried chicken (feet and head included), wild river eel and fresh chicken eggs. The eel was good, but I wasn't a fan of eating the chicken with the skin on it.

Puppy cleaning up the bones at the restaurant.

Lotus in pond at rest stop.

School opening in rural Vietnam

The organization I'm interning with, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, built a school in rural Thai Nguyen Province with the help of the Boeing company. We went there today for the ribbon cutting ceremony. It took over three hours to get there by car and the last part was weaving through mountains and tiny unpaved roads. 

 A village baby I made friends with at the school opening. 

Note the blonde locks sewn into her bandana.

 Kids at the school.

 The official photo of school staff and VIPs. 

This is only a small percentage of the students at the school.

 The kids wore VVAF hats made for the occasion.

Boeing representative Kevin Heise and VVAF country director Thao Griffiths.

Around Hanoi

Tennis courts across the street from my house in Hanoi. 

People play between 5 am and 11 pm every day. 

 Drawing contest for disabled children at the International Day of 

People With Disabilities Festival in Hanoi.

Mural at Hanoi's Museum of History.

Around Da Nang, central Vietnam

 Dried shrimp at the market

Dried seahorses. 

(To use, soak them in white wine for a month and then discard seahorse. Supposed to be good for male virility.) 

 Wedding photos in hotel pool.

The view from my hotel balcony onto China Beach.

Moreton Island Trip

A couple weeks ago some friends and I went to Moreton Island (off the coast of Brisbane) for a "Driving Divas" day. We drove 4-wheelers around the sand island and took in the sun. The car ahead of us is our guide.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

We made the society page

At the QUT gallery.

Last Friday, we went to the opening of the Roy Lichtenstein exhibit here in Brisbane. After a few glasses of free wine, a society reporter for Weekend Edition asked to take our photo. We weren't sure if they were going to use it, but it was published today. Looks like we're finally in the "in" crowd!