Wee String: Week 6 - Trusting

Hello LittleME,

great to hear from you. I am not sure if I am answering in the correct so hopefullty it will get there. So hot and humid over here and i am just about getting used to it. No the same for you guys - it looks so cold over there... Well keep safe, say a big hello to Stephen and keep Vietnam in your travel plans...
Cheer, Joao

Wee String: Week 6 - Trusting: "Target: 55 kg Weight: 72.7 or 72.2 or 71.1 kg Start: 74.8 or 73.7 kg (?) Measurements: 90.5/100.5 cm Why the various weights? The first one..."

Rural Life in Vietnam

Yesterday, on my day off, I took a 10-km walk down  a country  road near and around the project. Walking is (cycling if i had a bike) is a great way to see the countryside. As always,  lots of friendly people and many appeared hard at work as the pictures will show. You kind of get the feeling that the land has been worked so well for so long. Bufalos are everywhere and no doubt part of the ecosystem that has been producing food for so many people for so long. Bufalos carry loads, pull plough and harrows and fertilize the land. Their numbers are not huge, just enough to to help the farmers do the work and produce some of the protein they eat.

Vietnam exports rice to the world. Apparently 2/3 of rice exports traded in the world markets comes from Vietnam. Now consider that most of the work from planting and harvesting is done on a semi-manual fashion with lots of human and bufalo power.

The Meknog River Delta and many other lands growing rice are able to support 2-3 crops per year because of the sheer fertility of the land. The terraces are so well done and built so to allow water accumulation for the first phases of the growing cycle of rice, then slowly drained to allow harvesting....

We can certainly learn so much from the people here. You also notice the deep budist faith with shrines big and small scattered everywhere.

Well check the photos and appreciate...

They love their flag!!

Bufalo having a nibble

Chooks nibbling on bufalo turd. Eventually the locals will nibble the chicken!!

A cute, not so well kept little place

Typical little farm house. To the right is a stable where the all-precious bufalos are kept

Another little place

Rice terraces

Farm House with its terraces

A shrine. I could have walked their but did not since i thought i needed to be invited

Nice place and the yin/yang symbol

Planting rice

Rice seedling nursery. Often around the house

Transplanting the seedlings. Note the lady having a chat on her cell phone. By the way, everyone has a cell phone and use them very well.

From theseedling nursery, bundle of plants are palced in the flooded terrace

The the planters (as in the photo above) come along and plant them out

Terraces at distance

Water-controlling channel

Plant away

This bufalo ploughed the block bellow. Unfortunately the smilling farmer did not allow me to take a shot while he worked.

Looks messy but it will lok a lot better once the bufalo drags the harrows over it.

They followed me for quite a while. Brother and sister.

The bufalo grazes a terrace that is not growing rice this season...

Vietnam News

Farewell Vietnamese Style

Hi All,
It is now just a week since I arrived and my head is just getting around it all. Enjoying the work (it is a routine, organized at times) and loving the company of the vietnamese. I have also tuned up with a few of the Israelis experts, playing the odd pooltable..

Ja se pasou uma semana desde a minha chegada aqui. Estou gostando do trabalho, uma rotina, e adoro a compania dos vietnamitas. Tambem fiz amizades com alguns Israelenses.

The work will pick up pace as quite a few cows are due to calf. The numbers are really quite modest in comparison to local work in the Manawatu but the routine checks required, make it a big job. But nothing we can not cope with.

O trabalho vai ficar mais corrido, com o aumento de vacas prenhas dando parto.

Yesterday we had the farewell for Anita. The vietnamese vets organized the whole thing; a restaurant for dinner and a karaoke place for the wild party. Well, it was a wild party, the vietnamese really get into their "vodka" which we had a certain amount of, they dance magnificently well, are not shy and have little inhibitions. Unlike NZ, the boys get right into the dance and are often the ones dragging everyone into the mood.
I danced, drunk a little and had one of the greatest time in my most recent existence...

Onten houve a despedida de uma colega que retorna a Nova Zelandia. Os veterinarios vietnamitas organizaram toda a cerimonia, restaurante e um local para Karaoke. A festa foi "selvagen", os vietnamitas caem na cachaca, dancan muito bem, nao sao inibidos. Do contrario da Nova Zelandia, os rapazes caen logo na danca e soa eles que poem todos na farra.

Anita did a great job and the vets loved her. They showed great gratitude to her...

We were all up early the next day and the work just carried on....

A seminar helda few days ago. Over 30 attended

Seminar

Life is just so cool!!! Abufalo cooling down after arelaxing day

Small lake near the project



TH Shop near the project. Milk sold here (in small 200 or so mls packs

Typical local dogs. Quite nasty little buggers and I wonder why the can be part of the menu

Getting at the farewell location

never ending photographs

Anita and Nam, Vet supervisor on farm number 1. I'll be  working with him. Great chap, the best of all dancers. Organized the farewelland would not accept any money help (eventhough he does not earn more then USD350 per month



Group photo. Do I look bigger then most? The vet on the far right is Duc one of the very capable and friendly vet




Anita and Bong, a very capable vet (and bloody good dancer)



Eating time (and lots ofvietnamese vodka)

Time for little speech by Duc

Some events are to be treasured!!

Love to be able to know all their names by now..



The fellow on the left is "tien" a ery friendly and all smiles vet technician. Guy Haynes could take a leaf form him and to how to treat me when I get back!!



Always the symbol of peace or may be the "V" of victory!!

Dinner is over, cleaners move in ...

Oh dear, the party is just about to start..

It has started. Booze, soft drinks, lots of fresh fruit vietnamese style.

An extremely friendly , happy environment!!



Chair dancing time. I had a go but all the boys were supporting the chair just in case the old boy smashed it!!



Anita giving it all on the chair..

A little rest

Karaoke by one of the vets

Bong singing away

Bong and Thuy, both vets and may be sweet hearts

Bong and Nam, the top dancers showing us how it is done



A boy and his bufalo. L
Great animals