May 31st! "The End of Vietnam Days"

Beginning:

"Primeval Swamp- EARLY DAWN
It is very early in the dawn - - blue light filters through the jungle and across a foul swamp. A mist clings to the trees. This could be the jumgle of a milliom years ago." -Craig Pennington

Yello! I stand before you a man of many emotions! Ive been very concerned for days how I would start and end this Blog interlude I started some 30 days ago. An old friend helped me begin: Thanks Mr. Pennington....I'll take it from here....


If it weren't for the guidance of my Journey I would not be setting here and entering this last installation of my Journey to Vietnam Blog so I have to start here; Giving Thanks! I want to first thank all of my family and friends back in America for giving me the time, spirit, energy and belief to take on this trip!

I don't even know where to go from here: What does a day , a week, a month, a year really bring??? I'm here to tell you: So much my friends. Ever So Much! I've thought back on the person I was sitting at a LAX airport wondering what this would be all about! Now I can after 30 days tell you about .....the ABOUT! It's about Me, You, Us and THEM! Pay all of what I've spoken about and move it to another Pheeer!....another place if you will!??

I'm soo lost in a place I cannot explain that I will not even try to explain! I do wish that you will take this assignment on for yourself and make it your own class assignment! We'll call it a: Extra Credit Report!!! If there's any thing you would like to add to my last Installment....please....inlighten me! Tell me about what I was suppossed to have learned on this month long assessment of Life and learning about this place called Vietnam! I want to walk away with your words! You've been listening to mine for one month now! Perhaps this is the education I'm yearning for! For You....my Blog followers to enlighten me about my trip and teach this very eager Woodiewade and few more Mutza Tricks....Amen....xoxox

PS....Just sign on! I'm waiting to learn from you! xoxoxoxoox

Lise!! May 28th

In my last post...some 4 hours ago I for went to mention that my scalp has been itching for many days now! I went to the baby hospital and was diagnosed with Lise! It's very common and the Orphanage is riddled with this bug! Not a big a deal...I just wanted to be thourough with my investigation of Blogging to you!! My scalp has been itching for days now! I've watched as other elder's scrap the heads of the younger children....asking if this were something I might get???? Got It!!!! I have a medicated shampoo taking care of the current problem....It will be gone before I'm home....I promise! Just thought you should know I'm No different than any other Vietnamese here....only lighter in skin! Good Night! :-)

Day 26th? "So you think your smarter than a Vietnamese 5th Grader?"

Hello, My name is Woodie. What is yours? How are you? I am fine. What is your favorite color? Today is a beautiful day! Yes (or) No?

Woodie Wade is no more smarter than a 5th Grader than when he started this month long journey to Kontum, Vietnam! What a learning curve this has been for the past 22 days. I now know about conjegating a verb, and that a noun is a Person, Place or Thing....for crying out loud at 44 years old! Oh...and lets not forget our old friends; singular & Plural! Or what about their 2nd cousins Past, Present and Future??? I blame You Debo....for allowing us to skip school so often....pick me up from Garfield via....Potomac and miss Mrs. Pearsol's English classes...."how did we do that anyway!???

I'm sorry for the long break in posting a new blog....You will forgive me after what I'm about to write. You see, We've had alot of sickness and storms here in Kontum over the last 6 days. Most of the villages have experienced vomiting and flu like symptoms....and along with all the typhoon like storms comes the most horricfic flies, spiders, moths, bugs I've even witnessed.....ie...Malaria ! I have so many welts on my body! You can not escape the bug factor or Rat factor here.

Question: Is this a Beautiful Country? Answer: Yes

But it is filled with many contridictions and many views not spoken about....I'm here to clear them up:

1. Food. Spice is Nice but, Its Barbaric to say the least to injest a descent meal! I'm totally done with trying!...from the rats, to eating a dog, to their vegtables being washed in dirty water unfit to eat after being cleaned??? I'm sticking to my bread/cheese and crackers....! You can't be the weak minded person to travel to Vietnam! Again, it is a good looking surface here until you crack that surface...very much like an egg..this is just my own take on whats very live and what Memorex!! We all walk a different way thru life....Ur take if you come here may be Beta....Mayber, VCR....perhaps even DVR! or better yet..... Tivo! I guess what I'm trying to say here....Is I'm a very thrifty Woodiewade....Those of you who are in my present company would even say...I'm Cheap....So with that being said: If your not cheap or Thrifty and coming to Vietnam for other reasons unlike my journey: You'll be fine! Staying in accomadations you've never dreamed of...sleeping in Mesquito Net beds...and eating fine Cuisine....

3. Bug Warefare: Last night I came to this very Computer in the open air Lobby of my Hotel to post a Blog and the Bug Warefare was soo thick I could not keep the Flies off my Computer Monitor.

4. Eggs...Even If you buy a free range egg...(any where) and leave it in a sun lit room ready to be cracked for consumption; it still has the possiblility to be fertile and abe to have a live chicken hatch! Yes! Yes...and yes! I saw it come true on the back of my Motor bike! I was returning from the Day market with over 200 eggs and when I arrived to the Orphanage I had only 199 eggs plus a Hitch Hiker I named Alex Zamm! ( My director and Producing Partner "Alex Zamm" of WK does not fancy EGGS) A cute little egg had hatched and became a living little Chic!!!! There is a little Zammy man here clucking around the Orphanage ready for you to adopt Denise!!!

5. Religion in Kontum: You had better be a Cristian or else! Enough Said

6. Rainy season: 9 Months out of a year it rains here like nobody's Kitchen!! Dec, Jan, and Feb is the best time to travel here! Although the rains are magnefiscent...they come every day and with the rains comes the bugs afterwards...and sickness and disease! The village is full of sickness this very moment as I post this blog! I, myself have lost nearly 10 lbs. from my own battle with stomack flu! Only my body knows the true story behind how I got sick!

I'll stop with the unpleasentries only to say.....Its a mistafying courtry full on contridictions....Your story may be different...This one is mine and I'm owning it!

So....am I smarter than a vietnamese 5th Grader? hummmm? Me think Not! But I also think Yes...!!!! What I have learned in my class and in the villages is that it's a daily struggle here in Vietnam .....one that I was not aware of before coming and one that I'm still grasping at Orange straws to comes to terms with!

Would I come here again? Absolutely....and I'd do it probably the same only with much knowledge from my 1st trek here!

So...I'm signing off as a Graduated 5th Grader and now onto 6th grade.

Certificate is in the Mail! Addressed to Woodie Wade of A spanking clean and knowledgable New look at life in Vietnam!!!

Sincerely,
Smarter than a 5th Grader!

xoxoxo & love,
WW

May 22nd, Day 17! 3 Hotels & new friendship!

I'm posting this latest blog from my iPhone so it's going to be my shortest entry to date!

This road trip is coming to an end! It's been quite challenging getting from point A to point B... After
My lack luster bus ride to Quy Nohn my 1st 3 nights here I became a hotel jumper! The 1st night I attempted
To mix oil & vinegar & make a froathy life style change staying @ a four star hotel! Hated it! Felt like a big
Old fool in a castle looking out my one window staring at the beautiful beach and then my over view was looking out at a struggling country just trying to get thru a day!

I checked out and down graded to a middle ground establishment but the Hotel Director had his own agenda! He asummed I had a never ending amount of Dongs in my wallet! I could smell his scent down wind so again I checked out for a 2nd time, jumped on a motor bike taxi and pointed to the other end of the beach! Saw hotel Barbara & yelled STOP! Here I met the lovely New Zealand hotel owner appropiately named BARBARA! She been here for many years but goes home to visit her grand kids! (fade in) Mr. Alex Trafford Martin! 24 year old Englishmen pulls up to the hotel on his bicycle! He's been biking thru Vietnam for 3 months! Rides between 60 to 100 k a day and is obsessed with viewing the season finali of American Idol that evening! I smelled a recipe for success for my evening of discovery of new friendship.... A few beers while both of us in the hotel Cade are cheering on the 2 hour Show! After the show we proceeded to a fair away trek of a restaurant ! "not a good choice so we left" ..sort of my theme of this Blog: Not settling for anything less than Ur heart desires! Keep looking for A Good Thing! Not caving and keep pushing til ur a happy lad!

Alex Trafford Martin... If Ur reading this post in some far region of Vietnam! Cheers Mate....And like I said: " Always Wonder" and I look forward to hearing the rest of your Journey here on you tricked out bike!

As for my journey.... My Holiday ends in the morning as I travel back to Kontum, cooking & English class!

Til next time..... Here's to more themes, recipies & always play with Your Food!!! :-0

The end
By: Your ever soo luvin Woodiewadexoxo

May 18th, Day 13 " Road Trip!!!!"

I sure do wish I had some of my favorite traveling companions with me for the next 5 or 6 days with me for the wild ride I'm about to embark on in the morning tomorrow!! And you know who you are so I won't name; names....Mateo aka..."Bam Bam", Debo aka. "Eddie", Lauren Lee..."The Three of Us", Christine aka. "Pussycat", Barbara aka..."Thelma", "BYRD, grab some vino for the trip"!!! Opps! (That was Fun)

I tried like you can only imagine I would to rent a really nice Motorcycle for this up coming adventure but when the Universe screams back at you that it's a Bad Idea...You listen...Well I do now and the age of 44 unlike when I was a "Wild and Crazy wee woodiewade!!!"

I had the deal on done for the Japanese Bike Debo....You would have loved it. The gas tank was painted like a Lepard or a Chita....I was all ready to buy a Shirt and spray paint on the back: "Chita Boy". Then the dream crashed and burned in front of me. The motorbike renter wanted to hold my passport and my Visa to get into the country until I returned..........all of a sudden I saw visions of me traveling totally naked which is how I would have felt with out those two Documents....I even went as far as to go to the copier place where I get my Pop Quiz's copied and come back to him with copies of my Passport and Visa...but that idea didn't fly with the manager either....I worked on this Bike Rental scheme all afternoon...even coming back with a girl from my hotel who spoke both languages! That's when I saw myself on the bike totally naked and in a ditch somewhere with people wizzing by me laughing at the Naked American with no Paper work and in Distress! That visual was Choclate sauce for my famous Rudolp Stanish Chocolate Roll! My Cream was Whipped and It was now time to look for alternative transportation. Boooooo!

At 7am I'm being dropped off by one of the Bell Boys to the local bus depot to buy a Bus ticket to Quy Nhon. The "Bus" departs at 8pm... Yeah...OK...Whatever!!! Yulkie Poo Poo! a bus, 5 hours on the bus!!! I just saw a bright spot...I'll have everyone on the bus signing Rode songs....there you go! I'll sneak on board food and drink and play my ipod for everyone to hear! A Party Bus! That's it! Ahh! I feel soo much better now!

Going to go lay my Bus attire out now and work on my CB lingo "Good Buddy!"


Over and Out?? (is that one Pop?)xoxoxox

May 17, Day 11 "Professor Woodie???"

Hello My Friends, Family, Loved Ones and Country men....

So this guy you know named Woodiewade who loves children Big and Small and loves to cook decides to plan this trip to Vietnam...see...he cooks up this great scheme to put his life in Los Angeles on hold for a month and travel to Kontum, Vietnam where he will cook, teach some cooking and feed children at Vinh Son Orphanage! (insert Breaks being pushed now) Errrrrrrrrch!!!! (Fade Out)


(Fade In)....Professor Woodie? Helllooooooo! :-O

For the past week I have been teaching a English class at the Orphanage! Every morning at 10am in a lovely little class room and a Big Chalk Board. And lots of Chalk! Who here doesn't like Chalk and a Chalk Board??? ohhh....and a pointing stick! LOL Soo much fun!! Every morning at 9:45 I put on my Chefs Hat....grab my Cow Bell and walk around the Exterior Buildings of the Orphanage ringing my bill and pitching my class! "English!!!" "Come and get some!""""

My 1st day of Class I had maybe 20 children in attendence....No after a week I have "Standing Room Only" Status! Filled with people of all ages! Even 3 of the Nuns have taken my class. Alot of the Teenagers too! I have struggled as many of you know with poor spelling my entire life. I love writing and telling stories but putting a proper sentence together....ummmmm....Me no likie so Muchie! :-0

I've been trying to channel every English teacher I ever had to guide me! It's just Basic grade 1 learning to read! learning the sounds of the Alphabet, A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y sort of stuff. The names of all the Colors, Days of the Week. The Months of the year. Putting sentences together. Filling in the right letter missing in a word . Learning all the names of the Body. Understading Yes and No! But boy....when I child gets it and you see the Light turn on thru their eyes because they understood the different sound that B makes rather than a P! I get goose bumps!

I was eating dinner last night in a little Restuarant down the street from my hotel grading a Pop Quiz I wrote by hand and took to a copy place and made 30 copies. I did not have enouch Quiz papers to do around so some of the children doubled up. So anyway I'm sitting at this restaurant having dinner and going over the papers...found myself laughing at some of the pictures the children had Drawn. Smiling at some really brilliant hand Writing! Lastly, I loved looking at and saying their names out loud which were written on the top right of the papers. Note: I was the only customer in the place at this time!

I never in my dreams thought up this part of the story for myself teaching English on this visit to Vietnam. I thought I'd be the Cook! I thought I'd come back with a new Tatoo from the Kitchen....like the burn I have on my left forearm from the Madeline cookie sheet (which I look at all the time with a smile) Cooking is who I am I thought?

So the news of the English Teacher has spread like Room Tempature Butter!! 3 Mother's in Bahnar village asked if I would come to their village on Saturday's from 2pm - 4pm and teach their Daughters? Vang....Yes...Yes of course! Yesterday was my 1st English lesson with Me, Nien & Niem! We sat a Kitchen table. The girls were very shigh in the beginning....then after a few silly WK eye brow movements or having one eye brown get stuck and taking Niem's finger and placing it on my brow to push it down I had them right were I wanted them in this Kitchen! :-) They never got bored or yawned or wanted to leave. After 2 hours they learned the Alphabet, when to use upper case letters and when to use lower case letters...The sound's of the Alphabet..........Yes and No, Colors, Writing words and spelling them out! The mothers came back at 4pm and we gave them a Oral/Verbal show of how much they learned over the 2 hour class.

So there you have it ......The Story of how I became "Professor Woodie" in Vietnam! Boy has my Respect level risen to the top of my Pantry for teacher's from my Past, Present and in the Future!

I hope your enjoying my Blog posts as much as I'm enjoying writing them to you. I get such a kick out of thinking about you all while I'm writing them. I've recieved lovely emails of delight and encouragement to keep them coming. I know they are reaching you all with laughter and smiles and possilbe a few tears every now and again.

It's Sunday late morning around 11:40a.m . I need to go take a shower, head to the Hot Toc stand for a shave. I'm attending yet another wedding today at 1pm. This will be my 2nd and hopefully not my last! These people know how to have a good time WW style!

Sending you much love and Vietnam Blessings,

"Professor Woodie???"

May 14, Day 9 "If Your Happy & You Know it Clap..."

Your Hands....Pat your Head, Tap your Toes, Wave you Arms, Touch you noise....!!
My Rendition of a classic that I taught the kids putting of course my own spin on this old favorite! LOL

Having a great time and day here in good old Kontum, Vietnam. Things are looking much brighter ever since my 48 hour stent with food poisnoning! As we know that after something like this happens, there is a lesson behind it and I'm suppossed to change my ways!! So what I've decided to do for the nest 24 days in Vietnam in to become a Vegitarian. Especially while I'm in small villages like Kontum. One trip to the local out door street market where everyone in town buys their pig/beef/fish etc would make you feel the same way! I dove into the cuisine here Mutza first...trying everything I set her Paws on. And sadly enough if Mutza were here on this trip I would not be coming home to a show to shoot with her because she would have been eaten! Yes, Dog is a fine food here enjoyed by all. Enough on that topic!!

Today I enjoyed a hot shave at the Hot Toc on my ride to the Orphanage...I was looking a little scruffy! The Barber even tended to my nostrals, ear hairs, and pesky hairs between my brows for 40,000 dongs which is the equivalent of $2.22 USD I loved the experience! Then it was back on my motor bike and off to teach my 10am English class....soo much fun ! I'm not the best speller and my grammor sometimes is not its best but this is only the basics I'm teaching every day for 1.5 hours. I've come up with a really fun way of teaching and the kids love all the antics. The WK Chefs hat get passed around with every right answer a student puts it on. I draw pictures on the chalk board, they guess what it is in English and then we spell and sound each letter out. I do the same with other countries etc...and with songs...They know the Woodie's Kitchen theme song too.

After class, I helped prepare a lovely lunch of Pork, Asian greens and of course Rice. I sat with the younger kids as they ate and if they like the lunch they all scream : "Yum-digity-dum" a tag line of the WK show! Turning them into little Woodie Wade's! :-)

After lunch I rode to a local village and watched men and women working ever so hard in a Sugar Cane farm. It's amazing how primative and simple their way of harvesting the sugar cane is. Watching men and women carrying it in a sling on their backs like they are the Engine that could!!! Its very humbling to say the least! Also lots of chatter and smiles to me while I was documenting this! lots of Hello...Hello!

So now me and my still so tender tummy are on our way back to prepare dinner. I have no idea what the menu is, and I plan on having some cheese, bread and soup for dinner.

Til next time....Keep clapping and stay happy!

love,
Woodie Wade of Woodie's Kitchen

Day 7. May13 "Love and Marriage"

I'm Alive!!! Sorry for my untimely break since posting my last blog. I had a lovely meal yesterday (so I thought) at Son Vihn Orphanage yesterday, but it wasn't until I got back to my hotel that my stomack was in utter pain up until now...some 36 hours later. I will end my food poisoning tale by saying those 36 hours have been horrilble to suffer alone. I'm still not feeling tịp Top so if I'm not feeling somewhat better I've been rêrred to a Doctor.

So I had a great 1st day at the Orphanage on Sunday morning! All your gifts of perfume and all the other toilettrie donations where recieved with Love from the Sisters and Ninh! I was taken on a tỏur by sister Biel and got to meet all the children....As you can only imagine it too was Love and 1st site...They are soo happy and just open to meet new visitors! when I arrived wearing my Chef's hat and Apron I had to pass the wooden church as its called by all the locals. It was early morning and a Mass was going on. I tried to be very rêspectful of it but was not too successful in being un noticed. All the children in the church were pointed at me. I moved swiftly past to be out of any more on lookers from the service.

I left the Orphanage around 11am. A girl leaving the church said "Hello" ! we struck up a conversation and then parted....she then came riding up to me on her bike and asked me if I would like to attend a party at 3pm for her cousin who got married earlier that morning. I was extacted! This is just the kind of thing I like the best about traveling.....when a rare hâppening pops up into fruision. I went home to my hotel trying to find something to wear that would be appropriate for a wedding reception. I mêt Lena and a friend of her's named Hen, who I now call "Little Chicken" back at the "wooden church" at 2:30 and they escorted me to the party in their village. Their people consists not of Vietnesse but of another race called: The Bahnar culture....its an entirely different language. It's people at one time had much land to farm etc....they have been bullied by the Vietnamesse somewhat like they way we took over the Indians land in America. I guess this process is quite prevalent all over the world.

The village is extremely modest to say the least. Its people however are some of the ríchest people in kindness, warmth, genorousity in a manor many westerner's have forgotten to express....(this however does not apply to my big hearted followers of this blog)

I walked into a party already in progress. Being pulled into this group and drink from some wooden Barrel with a hose popping out! It was Banana some sort of Banana wine! Nanh the secretary from the Orphanage introduced me to his wife right away! She wisked me to the dance area where thêre was a band playing and many singers took the mic. I myself even took to singing my version of "Let it Be" lol It was a song that they all knew! It didn't matter how good you could sing....It was all about the joy oF the day and the love and happiness. This I found out was Nanh's són wedding. I didn't realize that the girl wwho invited me Lena; was Nanh's neice.

Me being the only white man stood out like the only foreinger in the room until I noticed another white tall man enter the scene. we introduced ourselves right away because It was a obvious choice. His name is James Randel 36, from England....a Scaffler who jokingly said hẻ was put out of work because of the American Resession and took to taking a long trip around Malaysia and other Asian areas as well as Vietnam. He had literally just arrived in town from the Northern regions and met someone like I did and was invited to this party in the Bahnar village. we became instant alliances and had great chats about both our experiences on our jouneys to this part of the world...so much that all the girls kept trying to break up and join the festivities at hand....and they were right I suppose!

After the party a group of us retreated to what I like to call the tree fort house and had a lovely group dinner of probably 18 to 20 people sitting on the floor in a circle. After the dinner "Little Chicken" wanted me to come to her house to her sister's birthday celebration. I left James at the Tree fort only to find out the next đay from him that he climbed out of the tree fort home to releave himself. After doing so James took a step the wrong way and sunk into a swampy drudge of mudd all the way up to his kneck. He was pulled out be a couple people and cleaned up. He did loose his phone in the pluge.

It was and will ever be remembered as "Love & Marriage" day for myself.

Until next time....xôxo

Day 4. "Six Treasured Hours"

Shing Tai,
Beore I get started I want to send a Great Big Hug & Kiss to all the Mother's of the world! But especially My Own Mom! Mimi Kack who is visiting my sister PJ in Stevensville MD!

where do I begin? My emotions have been sô front and center guys & Gals! My last day in Ho Chi Minh City was Steller! The nicest Motor Bike driver named Hai found me...he really found me! He found me staring at Dentist 2000 office! I met the receptionist at lunch and she told me her office was really a nice place. Hai found me about to go in and said; "Sir, get on my motor bike and I take you to the Nicest Place for your teeth in all of Ho Chi Minh! So off we went! I had a Check up and cleaning for 250 dongs....$15 USD

After I received Four Gold Stars from Dr. Lung, Hai took me via his motor bike to all of the sites of the city! Riding through the streets I felt like a Salmon swimming Up stream with my fellow bikers just inches away from me. I must have reached out to probably about 50 fellow drivers and pasengers on other Motor Bike giving knukkle Bumps ie. Michelle Obama style! Not one refussed. well thêre was the one very Sour faced young man who was holding out! I was persistant and he finally cracked a grin and got the "woodie magic." and caved in and we bumped Knukkles! I won!

My friend Frank Sherer in LA reccommended a great place to have a pint of Beer and Vietnamesse Cuisine. He told me it was their version oF The Red Lion so I could not refuse! As soon as I arrived I quickly knew why,,, when he comes to this City he likes it thêre sô much....It was like a open Beer Garden and with every table came a lovely Vietnameese young girl dressed very provocatively. At one point my server went as far as to pick up a Spoon and force fed me a bite of my fried rice dish! :-0
( i must add hêre that I'm trying to be modest but....what the Hell...I'll just come out and say it! The ladies Like me hêre....They Really really like me...Thank You Sally Fields!

By the end of the Day, Hai; 39 and I were like Brothers, He quickly picked up on my humor and as God is My witness ( and he really has been on this trip) Hai and I have the same exact LAUGH!! (Sorry Barbara...I had to say it) we would be riding around and notice the same odd thing and both break out in our same..."Ha/Ha/Ha", Then we would look at each other very puzzled be the laughter style and laugh some more!!

Hai doesn't own a cell phone. He took me to the Corner later that day to the place he calls his Office. He said upon my return ọn June 2nd to come hêre at 8am and just Hell his name and he will take me to the Tunnels out side of the city Jenna!

AT the corner he pointed to a building some 50 Yards away in China Town and informed me that this was his home that he shares with his wife and 2 children. I asked if he would have me in for téa. Hai was extremely hisatent for which he then told me it was because he was very poor and also afraid of what the older men out front of his Building would think of him bringing a well dressed man with such pretty white clean teeth into his home! Quite the funny man,,,,hey Joseph? My guides inside me told me not to press the issue and respect his wishes! I waved and said Shing Tai to the men as they Scowled at me....This was my first moment of feeling any Hostility from the Country! They were from a generation who remembered what it was like for a white man from America to intrude their country and create war killing nearly 1 million Vietnamesse dủing the Vietnam war. when we walked away just a half a blook away from the Scowling men I rêcived quite a different welcome of "Cheers and Hello, Hello Sir!" I saw both sides of a coin in just minutes! (Im Channeling you Pussy Cat!)

Later I spotted a man and wife selling used sandles and shoes infront of their home like a yard sale. Guess what I have on my feet while I'm blogging this to you? A lovely pair oF black used open toe sandles. I feel so proud wearing them cause I'm truely walking in the shoes of a Vietnamesse man! (Lauren Lee is Skeeving at me right not saying EWWWWW Grosss,used shoes)But I find myself looking down at them constantly with a smile ;-)
fyi....they cost 200,000 dong...$11 USD

I will also tell you that I've been the biggest cry baby blubbering woodiewade thêse last 4 days( I still have a month to go) So hêre came another installation of whatI will now call: " Niagra woodie", sort of like Hanoi Jane! My day came to a close with Hai to utter sobbing! Hai spoke very good english and after our 6 hour day together...I got off the bike infont of my hotel! I got 700,000 Dongs for Hai! Earlier that morning a man at my hotel suggested I pay a quide only 400,000 or 500,000 dongs for a day of touring. I put in his hand 700,000 Dongs but Hai would not allow me to pay him sô much as he put it....He said; "Ruddie....that too much." He put 100,000 back in my hand. I took him by both of his shoulders and Thanked him from the bottom of my heart for everything...My eyes filled up while telling him as they are again now! Then I gave him a great squeeze....he was blown away by my appreciation...then, when I finished my hug....Hai looked right into my eyes and burst into laughter and said: "Ruddie....men hêre dont hug....we just hold up our hand like this and say Sank you!" I said: "Oh well, Too late! I won âgain! LOL
I will definitely be going to his Office June 2nd and yell out his name for another adventure together at the caves. (and free for your education...600,000 dongs is:
$33.33 USD)

"Six Treasured Hours" by: me

Ok my friends, family and loved ones....Until next installation....I'm leaving you with a Teaser of my next Blog....This morning I got up very early, clean shaved,put on my wk cloths and walked a 19 minute stroll and rolling behind me was 75 lb of your heart felt Toothpast, brushes and bars of soup you so gểnously donated to my cause.id tellall about it now...but you see, I Have a wedding to attend in 1 hour from now. That's right, I was invited this morning to a wedding at a familes home today at 3pm....So until next time......follow your dreams and don't be afraid to make them really big ones....Cause ít really fun when they DO COME TRUE :-))

Much Love,
woodiewade xỗ
ps. My computer is running on Vietnam windows...so please excuse all my blunders..Especially my Kindred...LLF

Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh City

I'm posting off of my iPhone so please excuse my spelling. I had a rather sublime 1st day in Ho Chi Minh City! Woke up rather wrecked from the long journey to get here! My highlight of today was eating lunch outside a typical lunch box... I went to where the locals eat! Under a tarp while it poured rain/thundered with lightening with the locals on their lunch break! Sat on a little plastic stool & spoke with a young girl named Vi who worked as a receptionist at a dental office asking me if I was a Christian. I said Yes and she proseeded to pray with me while we gave thanks for our noodles & fresh squeezed orange drink! After lunch we said our good byes and the sky opened up with such a storm of rain and lightning! I tried not to get wet on my walk back to my hotel but then decided it was meant for the rain to hit me! I walked in one of the best baths Ive had in a long time with many native on lookers laughing & smiling at my decision to let the Rain be my friend! I owned the moment & will not forget it for a long time! :-). Here's to staying in the moment and always knowing your always at the right place at the right time with No Mistakes! Til tomorrow my friends & family Bloggers! Oxxo

Up Up & away!

Hello my lovely 3 followers-
First I would like to Thank You for taking an interest in my plight. Children are our future.....Its my passion to help those in need of my help...love and give what gifts of mine I can to infuse their lives for what the future holds for them. I find it interesting that I making the month long journey to nurture these children at Vihn Son Orphanage in Kontum over Our US celebration of Mother's Day and Father's Day in June when they have niether....Interesting observation to say the least.....I don't have children living in my own home but I do feel I'm always creating children to Parent who live outside my home in other regions....I feel soo blessed while writing to you to have this magical journey infront of me!

I shipped soo many donations from my friends and neighbors that the Orphanage requested for me to bring over....their most Primal needs such as Bars of soap and toothpaste. I just checked over 75 lbs of more donations when I checked in to Asiana air! I looked at that bag when handing it to security in such a different way than I normally look at my own luggage... "Who are these provisions going to touch/effect/help? I myself have just a carry on bag for the entire month....I packed enough underwear and sock for one week. I'll wash as I go and pick up some new threads....thats the fun part of traveling...new finds coming back like a Far East Native! :-)

I just met these guys sitting at my gate who are traveling to Tahitti. They asked about me and where I was traveling and what I was doing etc....when I told them of my Heart work at the Orphanages....emediatly they chimed in and told me where they live in Carlsbad beach ( which is very close to Mexico) I told them How I passed Carlsbad exit on my way to Casa Hogar sion Orphanage like twice a month. They have a surf magazine called Trans World Surf and they receive alot of free stuff ie. T-shirts etc....and said I got do a pick up on my next visit to Mexico when I return from Vietnam.....So I will end my 1st entry with the reason I decided to Blog my trip to Vietnam and that is: To get people to think and Ponder? Do it outside the box and realize the power we all have to make change and touch/help others...these two guys at my gate heard my story and wanted to help.....

What I'm asking of you is to do the same...." Hear my story and pass it on>......and on>......and on! Lets make something magical happen through this techno world of telling of ones journey from a blog site! Tell your friends to follow my Blog! Please? Pretty Please? I feel very fortunite to be able to be doing what I'm about to embrass and pass it on to you! (And Vis Versa) I think the thing I'm going to love best about Blogging my trip is that I will create a Blog family and feel apart of some sort of Pilgramege of like minded people!

Ok...my Plane is boarding! Much love and Keep the link Growing so we all Grow from it!

Woodie Wade of "Woodie's Kitchen" xoxo