Operation Bac Ninh

Mekong Delta...

2008-07-25T08:46:00.002+01:00

Cu Chi Tunnels...

2008-07-25T01:51:00.001+01:00

Meeting the Children...

2008-07-25T01:14:00.004+01:00

Presentations.....

2008-07-25T01:07:00.002+01:00

The Orphanage - After...

2008-07-25T01:02:00.001+01:00

The Orphanage - During...

2008-07-25T00:58:00.001+01:00

The Orphanage - Before...

2008-07-25T00:42:00.003+01:00

Staying in Bac Ninh...

2008-07-25T00:36:00.001+01:00

Ha Long Bay Pics

2008-07-25T00:26:00.000+01:00

In Hanoi...

2008-07-24T20:44:00.003+01:00

Travelling Pictures...

2008-07-24T20:33:00.002+01:00

The first & last from Joe...

2008-07-13T17:32:00.002+01:00

Hi guys,

I suppose it's about time I write something to the blog (Being that it's our last night). I have had a ball over here. The weather was great the food was only amazing and the people are great. I'd like to thank everyone for making the trip the best holiday everish. Especially my dream team. Smiley Lisa, whooper Becki, and my new best buds Shelagh and Anna Louise. I'll be expecting all the gossip Al, Now I know all about your mates. Well done to everyone of the guys over here for their hard work, they worked there socks off. I tell you what lads I hope I don't have to go shopping again for another 10 years, The girls go at 100 mph and I just cant keep up.

A few key phrases from the trip.

It's not a puzzle,
Right lads lets make a move,
It's basic
I don't care about anything once I get to see a jungle
Rushing me will achieve nothing,
Do you want to see my fountain,
Do I have to take ny shoes off for a foot massage,
With a happy ending
Do you not what that is? It's only amaaaaaaaazing.......
Shelagh can I read your log book? I swear I wont laugh not at even at the funny bits.Etc..........

You guys know what I'm talking about the anicdotes go on and on. They are all fond memorys of the trip.
Anywho? Its getting late,

talk to you all soon.

Regards

Joe

Lisa's last word!!!!

2008-07-13T17:30:00.000+01:00

Well last day 2day!!! cant wait to get home and see everyone.....

AND i cant wait for cold weather and rain its been an amazin trip, a bit harder then i expected and a few ups and downs here and there but it was an experience of a life time that none of us will ever forget!

We all owe the leaders a lot for their effort and patience with us. Over all we worked really well as a team and the final result is one that we are all really proud of.

Well im off to bed now....early flight home in the mornin....yay!!!!

All my love to everyone at home,

Lisa xxx

Ho Chi Minh... Beckie Style!!!

2008-07-12T18:22:00.002+01:00

Sooo we're in ho chi minh now!

It's SO much more modern than bac ninh and hanoi! AND THEY'VE GOT WHOPPER MARKETS! like the amount of things i've bought for a tiny bitta casheesh! it's whopper!

We went to the Cu Chi tunnells today, we had to CRAWL through them! and word of advice going through one of the little pothole thingys... take off they money belt of you WILL get stuck!! after that some of us went out for lunch to this real nice noodle place, and then we went shopping! me and Shelagh got loadsa good bargains, bartering is deadly!

Goin to the mekong delta 2mo and maybe a waterpark, can't wait!

See yous all soon!!

Becki!!

Quick Post

2008-07-12T12:12:00.002+01:00

Don't have much time....

We arrive in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday safe & sound, (albeit a bit late!!!)

Last night we hit the street markets & our bargain hunters were out in force, (well done Shane & Beckkie)

Today we spent the guts of the day at the Chu Chi tunnels, an out of this world experience!!, Got in the tunnels & shot AK47's, M60's etc...

Head for the Mekong Delta for the day tomorrow.

Hard to believe our time is nearly up...

No doubt the rest will post soon, (if they get a minute that is!!!)

Noel

Pauls Thoughts...

2008-07-10T12:50:00.002+01:00

We just finished in the orphanage today and we got to see and meet the babies... mad stuff altogether!

We're having a bit of a party for beckies 18th tonight and then flying out to Ho Chi Minh in the morning. Looking forward the "holiday" part of the Trip! lol

Its been brilliant so far, going to miss bac ninh and everyone we have got to know here!

Mrs hotel is a legend!!

Last Days Work...

2008-07-10T12:36:00.002+01:00

Well the work is over... What a two weeks it's been... Everyone has worked very hard to get the rooms finished on time...

Leaving the centre today, we had all the bedrooms & an office painted & cleaned, bunk beds repaired & painted, lights fixed, bed clothing replaced on all 120 beds, halls, stairs & facade painted, pressies left for all the kids, logos & designs on the walls & without a doubt left the place in a much better condition than we found it...

This week was great. On Tuesday, the deaf children that board in the school came to visit us & helped us with the work, we had gifts for all of them & smiles were the order of the day...

Without a doubt, one of the main highlights of the trip so far was today being able to vist the babies in the nursery part of the centre, we had not seen them up until today!!! Everyone enjoyed holding the babies & talking to them... It would melt the toughest of hearts!!!

We're off to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow for a few days of R & R before we return home...

Thanks to everyone for the comments & emails, it's difficult to respond to them all, but they're all read!!! Will post more pics at some other stage...

NoeL O'C

Robs Last Day...

2008-07-10T12:33:00.002+01:00

Well today we finished the orphanage, it looks quite good i might add thanks to the amazing art skills of the group!

The last week was mainly a rush to get the work done as soon as possible, fortunately we finished before lunch today. The work today was pretty easy, mainly just cleaning up after the weeks work and preparing all the rooms and beds.

After lunch we had a meeting with the orphanage director and the rest of staff to say thank you's and give gifts etc. We were all given a small certificate from the staff and the group were given a weave which was made by the kids in the orphanage.

Today is also Rebeccas 18th so we'll be having a party no doubt...

See yis all soon..

Rob T.

Last Day...

2008-07-10T12:25:00.002+01:00

ahri people wats up??

Last day in d orphage 2day it was deadly, we got 2 c de babies and all!!!

Everytins finished now and it all looks deadly such a big change from when we started into the work 10 days ago, its unreal d difference!! I wouldn't even mind sleepin der now!!

Ho Chi Minh 2mro, cant wait shud b deadly wer getin 2 d proper holiday part of it now even doh id love 2 stay in bac ninh longer, its great here de hotel is like sumtin out of a kung fu movie its greati dont wan ta come home havin d time of my life here definatley comin back wen im older.

Its goin 2 be mad weird goin home 2 d bad weather, its roastin here!! jus taut id rub it in!

Anyway im off,

c u all soon

bye

Matthew F

Hi There

2008-07-10T12:23:00.001+01:00

Hey everyone!!!

Before ya start wonderin why im only writing on this now its not because i havnt tried its because i cudnt send the one i had written to noel for sum reason.

Any way Vietnam is fantastic! I've neva seen any thing like it in my life! Its taken me a while to get used to the people starin at you as ya walk by and the funny smells and the food but when ya look by all that the place is, as brenner would call it, a scream!

Some of the kids came into us 2day to help us wi the work. Surprisingly enough i found it easier to communicate with them then with the other people because the expressions on they use are very easily understood. They were all jus gorgeous! They really appreciated everything and were jus full of smiles!!!

We're headin out shoppin 2mo in sum markets so that should be good.....cheap stuff....YES!!!!

Missin everyone at home loads!!!!

Love Lisa xxx

Profound insights!!!!

2008-07-10T12:15:00.003+01:00

ahri boss

matthew here

havin a deadly time in vietnam sorry u havent been graced wi my prescence sooner bu i was 2 busy and d effort of wriitingd highlights of

d trip by far was definatly wen der was a rain storm i never saw netin lik it in me life it was incredible i jus had 2 go ou in it coz its jus so hot over here .

Halong bay was d most amazin place ive ever been in my life nvr seen anytin lik it we got 2 go swimin off d boat dats all i wanted 2 do we all jump off d boat 20ft high it was deadlyim definatly cumin back here again 4 much longer its unreal here cnt wait 2 go againanyway i mite get on dis again i dnt know

tlk cha l8r

bye

Mathew F.

(sorry about the text lingo..., there's a dictionary available for people that can't understand!!!)

Overnight in Halong Bay (2 of 2)

2008-07-07T06:57:00.001+01:00

Afternoon

Shortly after departing we were served lunch which many of us had beenwaiting for after enduring the monotony of the hotel food. Lunchseemed to consist entirely of plates of food that looked back at youbut were none the less delicious, we were given whole crabs and prawnsthe result was reminiscent of a large scale battle packed onto aplate. After making fools of ourselves through a lack of knowledge onthe subject of cracking crabs we went to the top deck to enjoy thescenery (which was totally devoid of dragons). We approached an islandsurrounded by other junks and where we were given a tour of a largecave system that was inconveniently located at a height that seemed tobe on par with the Himalayas, we then headed back to the boat tochange into our swimming gear.

Evening

We rented kayaks from the local boat people that apparently neverventure onto land, we made our way around one of the 3600 islands andafter passing through a rock tunnel found ourselves in a cul de sac.From there we had a race back out to which Noel still wont admitdefeat. When we went back to the boat we moved to a location moresuited to swimming and began to jump off the third deck into thelukewarm water we did this until it became too dark to see the water.We were again served a meal of beautiful seafood for dinner(keepingwith tho whole nautical theme I suppose). Karaoke was suggested butnever came to fruition, the more adventurous slept on deck until badweather forced them to retreat below decks.

Gavin McGreer

Overnight in Halong Bay (1 of 2)

2008-07-07T06:55:00.001+01:00

Morning

We awoke in our room to the ambiance of a fridge freezer, created byour Eco unfriendly air conditioning unit, at a bleary eyed hour of 7o' clock. After a nutritious breakfast of lean beacon and fried eggs,as predictable as the tides by now, we were carted on to a luxuriouscarriage ready to take on the Vietnamese roads of the Soviet era.During our off road on road journey we briefly stopped off at afactory store where mentally handicapped people produce andmanufacture hand made goods. These unfortunate people are oftengeneration victims of the chemical Agent Orange used by U.S forcesduring the war and now years on those who survived passed thispoignant legacy onto their children as a result.

Afternoon

At around 12.30 we arrived at Halong City, birthing port of the boatthat would take us around Halong bay. We were greeted with a touristatmosphere and all its flashy and alluring side-kicks, street sellersthat stick to you like glue, high rise hotels reminiscent of theBallymun flat towers with a better patina and finally a histrioniccocktail of numerous accents both comprehensible and head scratching.Our boat was a Junk, junk being a noun not an adjective in this case,on which we cavalierly hopped on yelling "Tally Ho". The tour ofHalong bay had commenced. Our guide, whose real name does not computewith a western tongue, was called Tony and he vehemously told us allthe names of the various elegant rock features which we saw, allhaving some connection to dragons. We solemnly nodded, not having theheart to tell him they don't actually exist.

Shane Mac

One down, one to go!!!

2008-07-06T15:22:00.002+01:00

Well week one is fully over, & it's hard to believe..

The week has been fairly hectic... The refurbishment is at an advanced stage... The bulk of the main painting is done!!! The building was a lot bigger than we anticipated, so we set about hiring 10 locals to assist us in our work... So far the complete facade of the building has been painted, all the bedrooms and one of the admin offices and we also have got some retiling done... Our plan for resurfacing the courtyard did not come to pass as upon inspection on our arrival we saw that it was actually in fairly good condition, the beds however where another story... We are getting all the beds repaired, cleaned & Painted. Putting new bases on them and supplying new blankets, mats & pillows... For all 120 of them!!!

Our interaction with the locals has been interesting, we have been made feel very welcome & our guide is excellent!!! There has been some interaction with the local children & the team have been playing football, frisbie & hurley with them after our days work & during lunch. We have not seen the babies in the orphanage, but they are there... We can hear them... Some of the children that stay in the centre part of the facility we are renovating are coming to meet us on Tuesday & all the gang are very much looking forward to that. We have a lot of gifts that are burning a hole in our suitcases that we want to pass on!!!

This week our work will focus around the finishing. We plan to finish painting the beds, & the staircase. We intend to stencil some designs on the walls to brighten up the place a bit, so as the man says, 'a lot done, more to do!!!'

So far the entire experiece has been great, the group of Venture Scouts over here are second to none & have got stuck in woth the work and adopted to the way of life very quickly!!! They will be going into 'Challenge Anika' modfe in the morning as they realise that we are on the countdown & only have 4 days left to finish our work before we move on...

Thanks to all for the comments from home, everyone loves hearing from yis, phone facilities are not great, but the emails are coming through loud & clear & everyone is well...

See yis all soon..

Noel

The weekend...

2008-07-06T14:52:00.004+01:00

The trip to HaLong Bay began at half 8 Saturday morning, an early start for all but by now we are all used to early mornings. The journey to HaLong was around 3 hours long, fortunately the bus we were in was nicely air conditioned which kept us all cool!

Our tour guide, Tony or some Vietnamese name none of us could pronounce and whom we also really like, talked a bit and then sang us a traditional Vietnamese song. That is what the bus trip to Ha Long mainly consisted of, it was quite uneventful, except for when we stopped of at a rest stop along the road, where we were brought to a handmade crafts store.

When we arrived at the dock, we got on our boat which was a junk boat, thats its name! The boat was nice, bedrooms and all although some had no air conditioning, hate that!! The first day on the boat we ate nice food, went kayaking for a bit to Monkey Island and later in the evening went swimming which most of us had been looking forward to for quite a while.

This morning we got up and went swimming again, then after a quick lunch and we were off the boat and on our way back to the hotel.

All ready to go for another tough weeks work!!!

Rob T.

Weekend Off Pics in Ha Long Bay...

2008-07-06T12:20:00.003+01:00

This was pure class & a must do activity...

Working Pics...

2008-07-06T12:10:00.001+01:00

Brendas Holidays!!!!

2008-07-06T12:06:00.002+01:00

Hi all,

Well we have just had our first little holiday, we went to Ha Long Bay and stayed on a boat for the night. You have never seen anything like the boat traffic jam, if a boat wanted to pull in a spot, well they just push their way in, unreal.

Everybody went swimming from the boat, most were brave enough to jump from the boat, water was like soup, everybody had a blast.

The food was great, all fish, vegables rice, finished with fruit, we will be all so healthy. We drove back from Ha Long Bay today, Sunday, and are now back in the hotel, refreshed and ready for work tomorrow, it was just what the doctor ordered.

regards,

Brenda.

Boaty Trip...

2008-07-06T11:55:00.003+01:00

HEYYY!

So last night we stayed on this WHOPPER boat like, it was like something out of pirates of the caribbean! we went on kayaks (which really hurt your arms!), and we were able to jump off the boat from the top deck too!! it was so cool, but then we thought we say jellyfish in the water so we got out fairly quick!

We had a deadly tour guide, tony, he sounded like the king lemur from madagascar!! It was really deadly, we decided to stay on the deck of the boat last night, but the only thing was that it started to rain, so it was short lived!!!

Anyway, whopper night!!

Becki!!

Hi There...

2008-07-06T11:52:00.001+01:00

Every thing is going great over here. We spent the week sanding, sealing and painting the kids room. The bulk off the work is done now!

The local kids are obsessed with us.The come into the orphanage everyday to watch us work. We play soccer with them at the end of the day and then they follow us halfway home!! There so cute!

We stayed in last night and played pictionary (which Mattew organised for us). It was great fun and going on a boat trip tomorrow.

Missing everyone loads,

Anna-Louise

Insights from Dave!!!

2008-07-06T11:44:00.002+01:00

Last nite we stayed over on a boat. Today after we had breakfast we all went swimming (except brenda and beckie). Then we got off the boat and snaked off to the hotel in a minibus.. The drive was uncomfortable not only because the road was bumpy but there was a bit of a concert goin on... Before we reached the hotel we stopped in a factory for disabled workers where Matthew and i bought some old school emperor pyjamas...

More Info

2008-07-04T07:15:00.001+01:00

Well hi everybody,

We are now here nearly a week, everybody is settling in well, the hotel is brill and a lot more comfortable than we were expecting. We have all been working really hard and coping well with the heat. Today (Friday) it is 36 degrees.

We are all heading to Ha long Bay tomorrow, which everybody is really looking forward to.. Noel has organized for everybody to go Kayaking.... we are going to stay on a boat overnight, so a chance for everybody to dress up....

We have not been shopping yet mainly because where we are staying there is limited shops.

The girls especially are looking forward to shop till they drop, the ladz I reckon are much the same, but would not admit it.... money is burning a hole in everybodies pocket......

Noel is going off today to price up new blankets for all the children in the orphanage... hopefully we can replace them all.

We are hoping to be able to see the babies soon, will keep ye posted.

Brenda.

Howdie!!!

2008-07-04T06:49:00.002+01:00

So Vietnam's HOT!

The weather today is supposed to reach 36degrees by lunch time, and we're slaving away trying to get as much done as we can with the weather like this!

Yesterday a few of the local kids came into the courtyard of the orphanage and were playing with us for awhile, they were all adorable! all the people are so smily and welcoming!

Tomorrow we're going to Ha long bay for a boat trip, everybody can't wait to jump into the water to cool down!!

We miss all you guys at home!!!!

Beckie

And More

2008-07-02T14:41:00.003+01:00

& More

2008-07-02T14:29:00.003+01:00

Some Pics...

2008-07-02T14:21:00.003+01:00

First Day of Work

2008-07-01T07:01:00.001+01:00

Hi all,

Wer;e all having a brill time even though its roasting and really humid. Today was the first day wer went to the orphanage, we arrived by mini-mini bus and we really surprised by the size of the place. It was much bigger then anyone had inticipated. Unfortunately though all the older kids are gone for the summer! But there was still local kids hangin around the place.......

The work was soooooooooooooo hard, we sanded 10 rooms completely. By the end of the day we were all nice and crusty.............We haggled on the price of paint and got a really good deal.

Anywho, i gotta go......

ttyl..

Achille

2008-07-01T06:59:00.001+01:00

Hey,

I'm in an Internet cafe now. Its absolutely roasting over here, sticky weather and close.
And mossies at night time.....

We all went into Hanoi today do the touristy things, Ho CHi Mihn mosoleum, water puppetry and the oldest university in Vietnam. Went on these rickshaws which was kinda mad and loads of crazy sights and sounds. Noel is on scout cam so were all sure not to miss a thing, two cameras on the go full time!!

Were all meeting the orphanage guy tomorrow and were gonna see what kind of a job we have ahead of us!!!!!!!

Its gonna be Great!!

Some profound insights from Maurizio

2008-06-29T16:11:00.002+01:00

alri wats de buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Vietnam is cool but different sooooooooooooooo different, we buzzed into hanoi today to do some site seeing.The hotel is good the rooms are deadly.The food is good very spicey and loads of rice were all havin a good time.

Going to the orphanage for the first time tomorrow were all looking forward to it.

Thats me done i am going to bed.

Mo

We're here!!!

2008-06-29T16:06:00.001+01:00

Hi all,

Arived safely yesterday morning after a VERY long flight. Got settled into the hotel and our rooms have air conditioning, a proper toilet and showers so we are all happy. We met our translater Linh and the girl from helping hands Cao. We had dinner in the hotel yesterday and we got rice, pork and spring roles and for desert we had fruit. We had a walk around the town after dinner and we had everyone looking at us like we had 10 heads, we came back and went to bad because everyone was wrecked.

Today was a very long day we were woken by Joe banging our doors at 7.40 and weren't impressed!!

For breakfast we had bread and greasy rashers that were actually alright and we headed on our way to Hanoi to see lots of different things such as the Ho Chi Min museum, the Ethnic museum, and some water puppet show that everyone fell asleep for except Joe and Brenda and a few other heads.

We all got a ride on a rickshaw through the streets of Hanoi. Finally we went for dinner nd then back to the hotel.

Cheers for now,talk soon!!

(stay tuned for more...)

Shelagh/ Anna-Louise

Greetings from 'The Nam'

2008-06-29T15:52:00.002+01:00

Hi to all back home.

Just a short post to say we've arrived safe & well... No baggage lost, but there is a story!!! & it's a long one.

It's a mad place over here. You'd have to see it to believe it & it's roasting!!!

We'll be in touch soon with more info, but wouldn't hold out too much hope for pics, the internat connection is not quite broadband, but we will keep trying!!!

Off to the orphanage in the morn & everyone's really excited about seeing it for the first time & sussing out the work...

Thanks for all the comments so far, the group are really glad to hear from all.

See yis soon

Noel & Brenda

1 day to go...

2008-06-25T23:05:00.002+01:00

Well we're nearly there...

The fundraising done, bags are packed & we're all mad to go & get stuck in!!!

Stay tuned for the updates over the coming weeks...

C yis all soon...

Noel

The project...

2008-04-23T20:20:00.001+01:00

This summer our Venture Group is undertaking it’s biggest project yet. We are travelling to the Bac Ninh area of North Vietnam to refurbish an orphanage.

The orphanage is the home to children between the ages of six years to sixteen years with hearing disabilities, although there are about forty young infants there at the moment. Our group will be in Vietnam for 18 days, and working in association with the Irish – Vietnamese adoption agency ‘Helping Hands’, we have committed to refurbishing this orphanage. Our scope of works also include the resurfacing of an outdoor play area.

Something that is very important is the fact that our Venture Scouts will also have an opportunity to mix with the local Children and share our wonderful Irish culture with them, while absorbing some Vietnamese culture themselves. In total there are fifteen people traveling with our group, eleven of who are between the ages of 16 – 18, boys & girls, from the groups of Mount Argus, Walkinstown & Leixlip. This will be a wonderful yet very challenging experience for the Venture Scouts, both physically & mentally.

The entire group has been working tirelessly since before Christmas fundraising and trying to the raise the profile of this project. Some of the scouts involved in this project represented Ireland at the World Jamboree last year and have really embraced the idea of service to the community. They are fine ambassadors of Scouting Ireland and indeed Ireland.

Stay tuned for updates on our project...