Chiang Mai, Thailand

Yesterday (Nov 29) it was raining, not just a short heavy burst, as we have experienced a couple of times since arriving in Thailand, but prolonged heavy rain. Our cottage has windows all across 3 walls and all are usually wide open so the sound of pouring rain filled the room. Olive was able to start writing again after getting her computer back from several days in the shop. The operating system was upgraded and we hope some glitches have been repaired.

While the computer was under repair, we used the time to do some more exploring. We made friends with another Canadian couple from Banff who are in Thailand visiting international workers and spent one day zip lining with them and another day traveling up to the Golden Triangle.

The zip line was a first for both Olive and I. Built high up in a mountainous jungle setting and over fields of rice and sugar cane, the zip line consisted of 35 platforms including 16 zip lines, 4 abseiling (rapid drops of 10, 15, 20 & 40 meters), 2 sky bridges, and 1 each of the following: bamboo bridge, hill tribe ladder, Kung Fu walk, monkey bridge, spiral staircase, zigzag walkway, climbing net, a flying skateboard, monkey ladder, a spider web, timber balancing beams and a zodiac bridge. Wisely, they start you off on a couple of short zip lines to allow you to "get the feel of it" and then they progressively get longer and more exciting.

The trip to the Golden Triangle took a full day and ultimately brings you to a vantage point at a bend in the Mekong River where you can see into Laos and Myanmar while standing in Thailand. 

We took a small riverboat across the Mekong and spent a short time in a Laotian market near the border. We did not cross into Myanmar, as it is a little more complicated getting a visa. 

On the return trip we stopped at another temple, this one called the White Temple (for obvious reasons).

We mentioned previously that one of the highlights of our travels is the people we are meeting and the opportunity to share life stories. We are so amazed and inspired by the stories we are hearing. Here is a brief review of some of the people we have met:

·      A couple from the US who live in Japan (and raised 5 kids there) who work with an agency that promotes parenting programs (similar to Focus on the Family in North America).

·      A New Zealand family of 4 living in an isolated town in Myanmar teaching English to locals.

·      A Swiss family of 5 who are doing consulting work in Pakistan.

·      A family of 4 from Mexico who are running educational programs in northern India.

·      A woman from England who has faced much heartache (loss of her son at age 26, husband who has had several strokes and is now in a care home) here for some personal renewal time.

·      A family of 5 from Singapore who live in Cambodia where he is a physician and councilor for other international workers.

·      A woman from Australia who along with her husband and 3 young children, lives in Bali, Indonesia where they provide surfing lessons to locals, and

·      As we mentioned above a couple from Banff who are on an exploration trip to find further direction in their lives. Those of you from Foothills Alliance may remember Norm and Leona Derkson. Norm was youth pastor at FAC years ago.

Some of these people are very isolated so a week or two at the guesthouse provides much needed rest, focused family time, and an opportunity to visit with other internationals at meal times.

We plan to stay here until Dec. 4 when we leave for Singapore.

Bangkok, Thailand

What an amazing 5 days in Bangkok (Nov 13-18), well more like 2.5 amazing days, as it took us 2.5 days to adjust our body clocks. The guesthouse that we stayed at has nostalgic memories for us as we stayed here 25 years ago when our kids were both under the age of 2. The place has not changed a lot. It was comfortable then and was certainly a great place to stay at again.

Courtyard at Alliance Guesthouse in Bangkok



We have enjoyed Bangkok. No, not the gridlock of traffic or the humidity, but the rides up and down the river on the river boats, the variety of foods always available and the associated aromas as they are being prepared in sidewalk stands, the abundance of fresh fruit (you can buy a small plastic cone-shaped bag of sliced mangos, pineapples or papayas for about $.65), the smell of incense wafting through the air from the shrines or temples that are everywhere, the sounds of ringing bells so common in Buddhist temples, the greenery and flowers, the over-crowded markets (where you can buy everything at a bargain price), the roosters and birds waking you at 5 AM with their crowing and singing and being here to see the people celebrate one of their religious festivals called Loi Krathong. This festival is held on the night of the full moon in Nov or Dec and this year happened to be on Nov 17. In Bangkok, crowds of people flocked to the riverside where they enjoyed a meal then after a time of prayer or meditation, they lit candles and sticks of incense which were placed in the centre of a flower arrangement and this was all carefully lowered into the river and gently set afloat. Many of the same people also purchased paper sacks attached to a metal ring with a centre piece holding wicks soaked in fuel. These were lit and then the sacks were lifted into the night sky as lanterns. The whole event was very colourful, lively and celebratory; we were pleased to be able to see it.

Yes, we did also visit the Grand Palace and several temples (you can't be in Bangkok without seeing at least one of the many temples with a sitting, standing or reclining Buddha) and we were amazed at the architecture.

Amazing temples and manicured grounds

At the Grand Palace

 

 As seen from Wat Arun

Wat Arun at sunset

 

Reclining Buddha

Sellers on Khao San Road

View from River Taxi

Flower Offerings for the River

Lighting Lanterns

Floating Flower Offerings

On Monday, Nov 18 we caught the morning bus for Chiang Mai. The ride was 10 hours long with a lunch break and several bathroom breaks along the way. Loved seeing the countryside; lush green rice paddies, sugar cane plantations, bamboo forests, banana and coconut trees and many varieties of flowering trees and shrubs.

 

We are currently staying at a guesthouse called The Juniper Tree and are in a cottage that has a fan, air conditioning, a fridge, a comfortable bed, hot showers. The grounds are beautifully kept and there is a good sized pool. All of our meals are included so it really is a wonderful place for Olive to focus on her writing and for me to go for long walks into the old town and explore.

Our cottage at Juniper Tree Guest House

With a few days of writing and reading under her belt, Olive and I took yesterday (Nov 22) off to be tourists. We booked a tour to go to an elephant farm (includes an elephant ride and show), an ox cart ride, a ride down the river on a bamboo raft, a great buffet lunch and a visit to a hill tribe village where some of the women place rings around their necks and gradually add more and more rings until it appears that they have very long necks. They do some beautiful weaving and Olive purchased a scarf here.

 

Although you can't tell, we are riding an elephant

Budding Artist

Finished product

Peaceful float down the river

One of the fascinating things about staying at the guesthouse has been the people we are sharing meals with each day. This guesthouse, like the one in Bangkok, is intended to be primarily a place of refreshment for international workers who work in Thailand and neighbouring countries. As a result we have met people from many countries and enjoyed hearing their stories.

We plan to stay in Chiang Mai until Dec 4 when we will head for Singapore

Reflections on our time in the Congo

Now that our 6 weeks of living in the Republic of the Congo have come to an end, here are some reflections on this time:

1.   With regard to moving Chris’s vision forward, we accomplished all that we set out to do including …

·     establishing contact with staff involved in the Sterile Processing (SP) process at 4 hospitals in Pointe Noire

·       familiarizing ourselves with the sterilizing equipment and tools being used at each hospital

·       observing all of the steps involved in the SP process and flow

·       preparing recommendations for change and providing initial feedback

·       involving SP staff in a thorough decontamination of their SP areas (2 hospitals)

·       preparing information posters for mounting above equipment or on access doors with simple steps to follow in the SP process

·       preparing information sheets and making up a binder including information on the equipment being used and on recommended time and temperature settings for each sterilizer

·       inviting a select number of SP staff from each hospital for a tour of the Mercy Ship SP department

·       informing senior and SP staff of the classroom training plans when Chris returns for Phase Two (Mar/Apr 2014)

2.      It was a wonderful time to see Christina in an environment both on the Africa Mercy Ship and in this Central African country where she appeared comfortable, enjoyed the friendships that she has developed and exhibited a passion to make a difference.

3.      It was eye opening for Olive and I to visit the hospitals with Chris and see first hand how they operate, in particular the sterile processing areas.

4.      I was surprised at the lack of restriction as a visitor to the hospitals we have been in and have walked through rooms where patients were being treated, have observed a C-section and been in a surgery theatre where a large facial tumor was being removed – and did not FAINT!! (Olive believes I’ve come a long way from feeling faint simply by walking into a hospital!).

5.      The people in Pointe Noire that we encountered daily were friendly, they smiled readily and gave the “thumbs-up” sign as a greeting.

6.      The port where the Africa Mercy (AM) is berthed is a very busy port with a constant flow of vehicles: massive forklifts and semi-trucks moving shipping containers, fishing boats unloading their catch onto the port right beside the AM, logging trucks transferring raw logs into the port or beside the ships where massive cranes load them, and through all of this, we walked 20 minutes along a sandy, unevenly constructed sidewalk almost every day to the taxi drop-off/pick up point.

7.      It seems in general that people in Pointe Noire were opposed to having their pictures taken so we had to be very discreet (as in, sneaking photos while driving which does not make for very good photography).

8.      Toyota must be doing well in the Congo, by far the majority of vehicles on the road were taxis and almost all were Toyota’s.

9.      Driving is done on the right side of the road; honking is common and an expected part of driving; allowing oncoming drivers to turn in front of you at any point is very acceptable; conducting U-turns on a busy street is fine; lining up three deep, side by side, on both sides of the road, is expected while waiting to move forward.

10.   Some noticeable contrasts in Pointe Noire include contrasts between modern and traditional in terms of construction (new glass high-rises vs mostly cinder block buildings), a couple of very fancy hotels and expensive restaurants due to the oil rigs prevalent here.

11.   We certainly wish we were fluent in French – could have made for much better communication.

12.   We are so thankful that Chris has laid the foundation for this work and that Mercy Ships is interested in partnering and providing support that is critical to taking this work forward.

13.   Our first 4 days in the Congo at the SUECO guesthouse were not all that pleasant so we were grateful that a cabin opened up for us to stay on the Mercy Ship for all of October. For the last 9 nights, we stayed at the Catholic Guest House (had hot/cold water most of the time; electricity most of the time; clean rooms – yeah!!; close to several good eating places – even an Indian restaurant with butter chicken and an ice cream place!!;  and a little eatery where they’ll cook something fresh for you if you have time to wait) that we/Chris can come back to should we not be able to stay on the Africa Mercy in the future. Knowing what resources are available as well as having established relationships with the local hospital personnel will make it easier to do follow up work when the ship is no longer here.

Our flight out of Pointe Noire was scheduled for Nov 8 but about an hour before we were to leave for the airport we were informed that Lufthansa had cancelled the flight. On the 9^th when we went to the airport (24 hours later) we were pleased to discover that Lufthansa had upgraded us to 1^st class – what a treat!

During our 3 days in Frankfurt, we explored the old part of the city, were taken out for supper by some distant relatives of Dan’s where we enjoyed authentic German dishes and apple wine, participated in a TV interview for Deutche Welle (a German broadcaster) and took a day trip to the city of Heidelberg where we explored the city, its university and the castle up on the hill.

We have now arrived in Bangkok where we are staying at the Alliance Guesthouse and adjusting to the time changes. We plan to stay here until Nov 18 when we head to the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.

BBQ at the Beach

We were invited to join a group of Chris's friends on an outing to the beach - bbq and bonfire 

Vegi-kabobs bbq'd on the beach - they were amazing

Dan thinks he's still young!

Thrilled to experience this with Chris

Sunsets in Africa - can't get enough of them