Saturday, 1 December 2012

Job almost done...

Well, if there would be such a thing as "a job done" over here but it is only 6 days and I'll leave TH behind once more. It has been great to be back and again it will be a little sad to head off as you do make friendships and I think we all make a great contribution beside learning lots as well. On Friday i'll head off, overnight in Hanoi than an 8-hour train journey up north towards the Viet-China border to a place called Sapa...  If you have time google it!! I hope to stop on the way back and visit a Moon Bear Sanctuary in Tam Dao National Park help out where I can.

Just added a few photos....


Sunday visit.. We travelled 70km on Ho Chin minh "Highway" to visit my nephey and his family. A great day out and trully fantastic experience on the Vietanamese Roads. Great fun, hospitality to the max!1

Hup, Nam's wife has to be the best cook around. Subtle tastes put together to perfection....

Nam's father in law. Has been there and done that. 75+ and going strong specailly when he shows on the battle scars he suffered during the vietnam war.  Great old fellow. Keep him on your side!!

Visiting the Le Vua Temples and burial grounds. Le Vua was a Vietnamese King that battle the chinese to return Vietnam to the vietnamese people... That was many hundreds of years ago (sorry for the lack of precise historical knowledge)..




A giant fig tree. At least 300 hundreds years old, on the grounds of the temple.



Some of the dedicated pagodas or temples to the king and his family

Great carvings






Learn Vietnamese and you will know more about Le Vua than me...

Street shops as they often look around the place

One of the many larger rivers flowing through the land

Changing subject... and back to TH but this time we are talking vegetables..  The TH True Vegetable project if goes well will be a big hit in a country with 90 million people and many mouths to feed...  Due to open early in the year and I hate to think I'll miss the big party.....

Tunnel houses, 200 metres long by about 30 wide will each house 150 or so 30 metres long vegetable beds. 



Beds begining to get built. Peforated plastic, gravel than coconut straw as the growing medium..

like this above

almost ready but there are at least 15 of the giant tunnels and many more to be built...

coconut straw bales


But that is how the snmall farmers do it. there are 1000's of these little fields growing a mix of crops from vegetables to cassava to sugar cane .....



A rice field lying fallow and begining to get worked for the next spring planting..


This is only a 100 cc scooter

another..

and another with dad in helmet and kids with lovely soft hats...

After a morning works at the quarantine farm. Hard work treating "many" percent mastitis in the new heifers. 


Official at a function some time ago. To the right is the Chairwoman..

Good Bye!!