today was always going to be both fantastic and dreadful for me. On the one hand I was going to meet some people I had been conversing via email with for over a year, but on the other hand, I would see some of the issues which we usually only see on the news.
Today started with a visit to our friends at Cambodia World Family, our partners in our Smiles and Hopes appeal. After a quuick visit and a chance to meet the staff, we saw the dental clinic in the middle of a busy clinic. With 2 English dentists and 2 French volunteers the clinic was full and busy.
We then took a trip to see one of the orphanages in the Smiles and Hopes programme looking for funding. The building was flooded just over 2 weeks ago, with the water reaching half a metre up the lower floor. Luckily the home director saw it comming and ordered everything be moved, so they actually had little destroyed. The home was spacious and spottlessly clean - which they told me would not be the case once the 36 children got home from school!! We met a group of the children who were not at school this morning as they attended the afternoon sessions. We rounded the back of the building and saw 4 young boys weilding a rather large cleaver. Now I must stress, we were in no way alarmed for our own safety, but small boy + large knife = trip to hospital in our house. But the boys had simply decided to climb up and grab a few coconuts and prepare a drink to welcome us. (no boys were harmed in the making of this drink!)
After some pictures and a reading session with the younger children follwed by a hugging session which Janet would not have survived!! We were on our way to our afternnon appoinment.
I have to say at this point that believe it r not, the morning session with the orphans was always going to be the easy part of the day. The children may have had a hard start in live, but are now happy, well cared for and face an amazing future thanks to the home they live in. The same can't always be said for the children who lived on Cambodias rubbish dumps. Many of you will remember our appeal to provide a dental clinic for these families, and so it was a great opportunity to meet the staff and familied they help.
In an attempt to stop the dangerous practice of scavanging on the toxic dump, the government have decided to close the dump and relocate it. However all that this has achieved is that the people who once earned a meagre living, now have no income at all. They still spend time on the dump trying to find any last bits of metal or plastic they can sell, but most are now without any income at all. CCF not only provide accommodation, but food, medical care, training, schooling and with Dentaids help, free dental care very soon. The equipment has arrived and will be in place withing the next 6 weeks. This was a great visit, but walking around the village and witnessing the poverty that these families have no way of getting out of, made me appreciate the work done by our partners in CCF.
I would like to appologise if this blog is somewhat over sentlemental, but today I was touched by people who will never know the riches we take for granted, but were so gererous with their time and their smiles. I feel humble to have experienced today and would like to thank our frinds and partners for sharing their work with me.
I am now going to sign off for today and think a well deserved dinner with Partick from CCF is in order. However he is bringing some pictures and photos of the children, so think I better bring a box of tissues....just call me Janet!!
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Friday, 22 October 2010
the final countdown!
Our last evolunteering day started very early..welll for some of us as we were to pick up Reggies team by 6am. Eventually by 6.30 we left with the team who had arrived and set off for a long windy road towards the mountains. Although it was only 25km, the road was very narrow and full of pot holes so it took time. At one point, the locals had to move their market stalls to let the bus through!
We arrived at the foothills and immediatly got to work setting up. We had learned a lot from our first clinic and the team had lots of ideas to improve the efficiency of the day. Firstly Gary and John would register 6 people and then send them through to the waiting area we had set up. This group was then taken into Oral Health Education and Nutrition advice. This was one of the biggest sucesses of the trip, as on day 1 of the clinic, Anette did a sterling job of teaching, with the help of a translator. Today that same translator took over the sessions and would not let anyone leave without showing them how to brush and giving advice on diet before handing out the toothpaste and toothbrushes. This really is what Dentaid is all about. Not simply turning up and helping for a few days, but to help give the skills needed for the local community to help themselves.
After oral health ed, the patients were then taken into the dentists. Today, rather than everyone in a single room, out team had set up to make sure we had more room. 2 dental rooms were set up with 3 dentists in each. So the UK team had 3 teams. Mark and Janet, Carol and Anetts and Aisha and Jane. Watching them work was amazing for us non-dentists and made us so proud to be a part of the team.
Today we had a lot less support staff so Penny and Dani took on the role of cleaning and sterilising the instruments. I'm not sure how many of our readers have performed this task but they were in a very small room with a toilet having to scrub the instruments in washing powder before getting them into the steriliser. Neither of these 2 ladies had ever had anything to do with dentisrty before and I know thew whole team wants to say thank you. The day would not have happened without you.
We saw 152 patients in total which was lower than we expected but due to the very heavy rain none of the tribes people made it down from the hills.
A few highlights for you!!
The UK dentist room in the afternoon had become known as the extraction room with a few patients being a bit nervous to come in!
We had a 6 year old girl who was the size of a 3 year old as she was no malnourished. She had been abandoned by her mum and so grandma was attempting to raise her and everyone of her teeth was decayed. We hid this case from Janet as it had me in tears so goodness knows what would have happened if she had seen it.
We also had an 84 year old lady who had all black rotten teeth, high blood presure and godness knows what. She wanted Aisha to take out 3 very wobbly teeth which helped her be painfree for a little while at least. She then jumped on the back of her grandsons moped and went off home.....I kid you not.
After a very long day, we headed home for a quiet dinner as a few of the team have fallen at the last hurdle with tummy bugs. However a fun dinner was had by those who were well enough. Let me just say.....a hose pipe and rescue boat featured!!!
The final day of the trip was a well earned rest in Halong Bay on board a fabulous Junk. Swiming in the warm water, eating too much and sleeping in the sun was just what the dentist ordered, and at only 24 hours, not too much to ask I think for this hard working bunch.
I have been proud to call myself part of this amazing team, who have never stopped laughing, working, supporting each other and giving to the local community. Hope you have enjoyed our blog, and if you fancy joining next years trip to India or Morocco then just email me at diane@dentaid.org.
I am not off to Cambodia for a few days to visit some Dentaid projects old and new so if you are interested, then please keep reading for the next few days.
Final note to my team, had a day in bangkok today and kept attempting to round up 9 strangers to take with me....sad but true. Di xx
We arrived at the foothills and immediatly got to work setting up. We had learned a lot from our first clinic and the team had lots of ideas to improve the efficiency of the day. Firstly Gary and John would register 6 people and then send them through to the waiting area we had set up. This group was then taken into Oral Health Education and Nutrition advice. This was one of the biggest sucesses of the trip, as on day 1 of the clinic, Anette did a sterling job of teaching, with the help of a translator. Today that same translator took over the sessions and would not let anyone leave without showing them how to brush and giving advice on diet before handing out the toothpaste and toothbrushes. This really is what Dentaid is all about. Not simply turning up and helping for a few days, but to help give the skills needed for the local community to help themselves.
After oral health ed, the patients were then taken into the dentists. Today, rather than everyone in a single room, out team had set up to make sure we had more room. 2 dental rooms were set up with 3 dentists in each. So the UK team had 3 teams. Mark and Janet, Carol and Anetts and Aisha and Jane. Watching them work was amazing for us non-dentists and made us so proud to be a part of the team.
Today we had a lot less support staff so Penny and Dani took on the role of cleaning and sterilising the instruments. I'm not sure how many of our readers have performed this task but they were in a very small room with a toilet having to scrub the instruments in washing powder before getting them into the steriliser. Neither of these 2 ladies had ever had anything to do with dentisrty before and I know thew whole team wants to say thank you. The day would not have happened without you.
We saw 152 patients in total which was lower than we expected but due to the very heavy rain none of the tribes people made it down from the hills.
A few highlights for you!!
The UK dentist room in the afternoon had become known as the extraction room with a few patients being a bit nervous to come in!
We had a 6 year old girl who was the size of a 3 year old as she was no malnourished. She had been abandoned by her mum and so grandma was attempting to raise her and everyone of her teeth was decayed. We hid this case from Janet as it had me in tears so goodness knows what would have happened if she had seen it.
We also had an 84 year old lady who had all black rotten teeth, high blood presure and godness knows what. She wanted Aisha to take out 3 very wobbly teeth which helped her be painfree for a little while at least. She then jumped on the back of her grandsons moped and went off home.....I kid you not.
After a very long day, we headed home for a quiet dinner as a few of the team have fallen at the last hurdle with tummy bugs. However a fun dinner was had by those who were well enough. Let me just say.....a hose pipe and rescue boat featured!!!
The final day of the trip was a well earned rest in Halong Bay on board a fabulous Junk. Swiming in the warm water, eating too much and sleeping in the sun was just what the dentist ordered, and at only 24 hours, not too much to ask I think for this hard working bunch.
I have been proud to call myself part of this amazing team, who have never stopped laughing, working, supporting each other and giving to the local community. Hope you have enjoyed our blog, and if you fancy joining next years trip to India or Morocco then just email me at diane@dentaid.org.
I am not off to Cambodia for a few days to visit some Dentaid projects old and new so if you are interested, then please keep reading for the next few days.
Final note to my team, had a day in bangkok today and kept attempting to round up 9 strangers to take with me....sad but true. Di xx
Thursday, 21 October 2010
our day at the orphanage
This morning we left at 8am to visit Reggie and Chi in their home. We had tea in their lovely large home which was easily the nicest in the area. Reggie explained that their house was built through a kind donation from a supporter and how blessed they were.
We then got on the bus to get to the orphanage following Reggie on his moped and drove down narrow lanes with wires hanging down. At one point Mark was holding a 10 foot pe trying to hold up the wired lomg enough for the bus to get under. Eventually we made it to the end of the road and walked to the family four house. The home houses 30 children aged 8 to 19 who have been orphaned or who's family can't take care of them anymore. The building looked a bit like a small school with a painted courtyard which was old but well cared for. One room had been damaged by water and had mould all down a wall but was too wet to paint so we planned to scrub it to remove the mould for them. However we were able to paint the dining room a shade of blue called heavenly blue which coincidentally the same colour as Reggies house. We got half the room painted when a local painter decided to help by watering down the remaining paint!! We had 1 ladder which wouldn't have passed any UK health and safety regs but john was happy to climb up and we got started. At one point we went to check on the other room and found Kye, our local guide balancing on a stack made out of 2 tables and a bench, scrubbing down the wall for us. We painted, scrubbed, washed floors and curtains and had it all ready for lunchtime with the kids. We then spent some time with the kids and learned that they all want to be superstars.....not stars.....superstars!!
After that it was back to the hotel for a quick splash in the sean a lost room key and a quick dinner before starting all over again tomorrow.
We then got on the bus to get to the orphanage following Reggie on his moped and drove down narrow lanes with wires hanging down. At one point Mark was holding a 10 foot pe trying to hold up the wired lomg enough for the bus to get under. Eventually we made it to the end of the road and walked to the family four house. The home houses 30 children aged 8 to 19 who have been orphaned or who's family can't take care of them anymore. The building looked a bit like a small school with a painted courtyard which was old but well cared for. One room had been damaged by water and had mould all down a wall but was too wet to paint so we planned to scrub it to remove the mould for them. However we were able to paint the dining room a shade of blue called heavenly blue which coincidentally the same colour as Reggies house. We got half the room painted when a local painter decided to help by watering down the remaining paint!! We had 1 ladder which wouldn't have passed any UK health and safety regs but john was happy to climb up and we got started. At one point we went to check on the other room and found Kye, our local guide balancing on a stack made out of 2 tables and a bench, scrubbing down the wall for us. We painted, scrubbed, washed floors and curtains and had it all ready for lunchtime with the kids. We then spent some time with the kids and learned that they all want to be superstars.....not stars.....superstars!!
After that it was back to the hotel for a quick splash in the sean a lost room key and a quick dinner before starting all over again tomorrow.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Our First Dental Mission
On the 16th of October we had our first meeting about the Dental field trip and although it wasn't plain sailing, we got everything sorted and were ready to go. We were early to breakfast and what treat did we have in store.........noodle soup!
We were joined by 27 other volunteers from Dr Hungs surgery and the staff of Love who had all agreed to join us on this special Sunday. The clinic for this mission was set in the heart of one of the poorest areas of Danang in a permanant medical clinic who had allowed us to use the facilities. So in total we had 39 volunteers to run a free dental clinic from 8am to 4pm.
It all seemed a bit chaotic on arrival but we all settled down and realised, chaotic is the normal state of affairs. We had 7 dentists, 7 nurses, 3 translators, 7 patients and 7 parents, not to mention a few others helping/hindering! all in one small room. The noise was overwhelming to start, but Carol Mark and Aisha got to work and had seen their first patients within a few minutes of starting. Our volunteers were so hard working, setting up the clinic and getting ready that treating patients was underway very quickly. Everyone of the team had an important role to play.
John and Gary were fantastic receptionists! The crowds needed some carefull handling to avoid queue jumping and the boys were well up to the task.
Anette and Jane - started the day by taking over the oral health eductaion, which was a key aspect to the project and much needed when we had a 3 year old girl who did not have a single tooth left without decay. The kids were mesmerised by the toothbrushing exhibition and were thrilled with their free toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Penny got everyone organised into line and in the afternoon moved the waiting patients back from the treatment room to help the nervous patients. In general, the kids were very brave, but when one did start to get frightened, it seemed to have a domino effect and set some of the waiting patients off, so by moving things back, she helped reduce the fear.
As mentioned our dentists were amazing. Mark was absolutly fantastic. The daddy of the dentists with a "just do it" attitude. Nothing fazed him and he had some of the toughest cases. Carol, was an inspiration with no nerves and a few tricks up her sleeves. I actually saw her convince a small boy there was nothing in her hand, and she managed to remove his tooth before he even saw it coming. Aisha was the only dentist not to have experienced overseas dentistry, but you wouldn't have known that. She quietly and confidently saw patient after patinet with no problems at all.
Janet - in the afternoon, Janet proved to be invaluable as a nursing assistant to Carol and was calm and professional with an infectious laugh which is universal. We realised that when she was busy, it stopped her crying which she had been doing all morning. Now, Janet thinks we are laughing at her, but the truth is, it's easier to laugh than to join in with her tears! We had dozans of children turning up at the clinic with no parents and such bad teeth. But we couldn't treat them with no adult to explain the treatment to so they had to be sent away to bring a parent back.
Di - I was the chief runner and photographer today. Just trying to be a help anyplace that needed it. Making sure the team had drinks, and being dragged into take extreem close ups of some very disturbing dental issues and extractions....thanks Mark!
Dani didn't think her skills would be very usefull, but let me tell you there are over a hundred little girls bearing very proud painted toenails today....and several little boys too! Dani was also a great support to the whole team.
The patients had been given time slots so from 8am, groups would arrive every hour to be seen. From 8am to 11.10 we saw over 100 patients.
Lunch was followed by a busier afternoon but with all of the team finding their feet it was more organised.
I could fill the whole internet with horror stories about what we saw, but there were several very small children with a "Vietnamise Smile" which meant that all of their teeth were rotten. One very interesting case involved a old lady who had never visited the dentist before and had what we all thought was a black stone in her mouth. It was about 2 inches long and actually attached to her teeth at the bottom right hand side of her mouth. It turned out to be a build up of chewing tabaco and other debri but had hardened and had to be chipped off with hand instruments by Dr Hung. Finally towards the end of the day a small girl aged 12 years came along on her own and Aisha saw her. She actually had such good teeth, that Aisha wouldn't let her go home without toothpaste, so a quick shopping trip was organised as we had run out.
We finished at 4pm and had treated 211 people.
An amazing day, amazing team and more to come very soon!
Tomorrow we will be visiting the orphanage to do soem painting so we will be getting some rehydration sachets for Janet!! Just the mention of it, sets her off.
To all of our readers who have a loved one here in Vietnam, you should feel very proud. Because of 11 people and a bag of Dentaid instruments, there are 211 people no longer in pain tonight.
We were joined by 27 other volunteers from Dr Hungs surgery and the staff of Love who had all agreed to join us on this special Sunday. The clinic for this mission was set in the heart of one of the poorest areas of Danang in a permanant medical clinic who had allowed us to use the facilities. So in total we had 39 volunteers to run a free dental clinic from 8am to 4pm.
It all seemed a bit chaotic on arrival but we all settled down and realised, chaotic is the normal state of affairs. We had 7 dentists, 7 nurses, 3 translators, 7 patients and 7 parents, not to mention a few others helping/hindering! all in one small room. The noise was overwhelming to start, but Carol Mark and Aisha got to work and had seen their first patients within a few minutes of starting. Our volunteers were so hard working, setting up the clinic and getting ready that treating patients was underway very quickly. Everyone of the team had an important role to play.
John and Gary were fantastic receptionists! The crowds needed some carefull handling to avoid queue jumping and the boys were well up to the task.
Anette and Jane - started the day by taking over the oral health eductaion, which was a key aspect to the project and much needed when we had a 3 year old girl who did not have a single tooth left without decay. The kids were mesmerised by the toothbrushing exhibition and were thrilled with their free toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Penny got everyone organised into line and in the afternoon moved the waiting patients back from the treatment room to help the nervous patients. In general, the kids were very brave, but when one did start to get frightened, it seemed to have a domino effect and set some of the waiting patients off, so by moving things back, she helped reduce the fear.
As mentioned our dentists were amazing. Mark was absolutly fantastic. The daddy of the dentists with a "just do it" attitude. Nothing fazed him and he had some of the toughest cases. Carol, was an inspiration with no nerves and a few tricks up her sleeves. I actually saw her convince a small boy there was nothing in her hand, and she managed to remove his tooth before he even saw it coming. Aisha was the only dentist not to have experienced overseas dentistry, but you wouldn't have known that. She quietly and confidently saw patient after patinet with no problems at all.
Janet - in the afternoon, Janet proved to be invaluable as a nursing assistant to Carol and was calm and professional with an infectious laugh which is universal. We realised that when she was busy, it stopped her crying which she had been doing all morning. Now, Janet thinks we are laughing at her, but the truth is, it's easier to laugh than to join in with her tears! We had dozans of children turning up at the clinic with no parents and such bad teeth. But we couldn't treat them with no adult to explain the treatment to so they had to be sent away to bring a parent back.
Di - I was the chief runner and photographer today. Just trying to be a help anyplace that needed it. Making sure the team had drinks, and being dragged into take extreem close ups of some very disturbing dental issues and extractions....thanks Mark!
Dani didn't think her skills would be very usefull, but let me tell you there are over a hundred little girls bearing very proud painted toenails today....and several little boys too! Dani was also a great support to the whole team.
The patients had been given time slots so from 8am, groups would arrive every hour to be seen. From 8am to 11.10 we saw over 100 patients.
Lunch was followed by a busier afternoon but with all of the team finding their feet it was more organised.
I could fill the whole internet with horror stories about what we saw, but there were several very small children with a "Vietnamise Smile" which meant that all of their teeth were rotten. One very interesting case involved a old lady who had never visited the dentist before and had what we all thought was a black stone in her mouth. It was about 2 inches long and actually attached to her teeth at the bottom right hand side of her mouth. It turned out to be a build up of chewing tabaco and other debri but had hardened and had to be chipped off with hand instruments by Dr Hung. Finally towards the end of the day a small girl aged 12 years came along on her own and Aisha saw her. She actually had such good teeth, that Aisha wouldn't let her go home without toothpaste, so a quick shopping trip was organised as we had run out.
We finished at 4pm and had treated 211 people.
An amazing day, amazing team and more to come very soon!
Tomorrow we will be visiting the orphanage to do soem painting so we will be getting some rehydration sachets for Janet!! Just the mention of it, sets her off.
To all of our readers who have a loved one here in Vietnam, you should feel very proud. Because of 11 people and a bag of Dentaid instruments, there are 211 people no longer in pain tonight.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Messages to home
The team have decided that the level of difficulty of a mountain climb, is directly proportionate to the amount of massage parlours at the bottom!
Machu Pichu - none
Mount Killy - none
Mount Fansipan - 73.....and we made use of many of them. Most of the team have been unable to walk upstairs without going sideways and we have termed it the Fansipan walk, so a massage or two has helped. Manicures, pedicures and hair washing were all deemed essentials too (and that was just for the boys)
Please excuse the spelling etc but spell check in Vietnamise is not very helpful!!
Here are a few messages from the team
Penny - Why did I volunteer for this? Wet feet, soggy clothes, sore muscles and a bunch of mad dentists! Air mattresses that don't contain any air. Beds on namboo poles, and the sorting of 69 socks that stink like...well they stink! We all have the Fansipan walk - which means that we go downstairs sideways or in Carols case, shuffle! Loved the hike, love the guys and the day is saved by banana fritters and chocolate sauce.
John - This is an AMAZING experience. You have to come to Vietnam. Fansipan peak is a must for everyone! This is a beautiful country and people are great.
Dani - OMG. My legs hurt!!! But what an experience, but must get some marino wool clothes for next time (eh Gary!) This has been a great mountain CLIMB and am looking forward to being a dental technician. The other guys have made this such a good experience...THANK YOU. A big thank you to Thuy for being the most amazing guide and fibbing to us at all costs.
Gary - The most amazing experience ever! The most challenging Trek ever. Fantastic group. When the going got tough there were no complaints, just a great team spirit. Laughed all the way up and down Mount Fansipan. Vietnam is just lovely. Happy Birthday to Sue for the 17th xxx
Di - Mum and Dad - happy anniversary for the 13th. Sorry couldnt phone but was up a mountain (good excuse?) Amazing time with a wonderful group. They are making my job very easy. The "trek" turned out to be a scramble up sheer cliff faces and so not exactly what we were expecting but certainly a challenge. First part of the adventure over with no broken bones, sprains or illnesses.....fingers crossed. Dentaid workmates - will be seeing Reggie today so will let you all know how it goes
Anette - I never thought I would go scrambling and climbing! It was an amazing trip with great company. Haven't laughed so much in a long time. Hope all is well at home.
Janet - I am speachless (editors note: no she isn't!!) and so would John and Huw be if they could see where I have been!!! No words can explain this trip, but god have we laughed. John - well done, have just heard about the champion xxx
Aisha - Wow. I simply cannot believe we all made it to the top of mount "fancypants" Evereything about this trip has been anmazing. The whole team are wonderful, Vietnam is a beautiful country and the people are lovely. What a great way to start my adventure into the unknown. Love to all family and friends.
Mark - Hi guys. Conquered Mount Fansipan! Eaten Silk worms! Great team. Hope all is well at home/work. Heading off the dental field trips tomorrow. Bring it on !
Jane - Although I must say don't ever let me volunteer for anything like this again, I may well weaken. Fantastic group and such a laugh but the challenges are getting rediculous. Nothing at altitude ever again.
Carol - mixed emotions - still in ne piece...well almost! Still laughing. See you all soon.
(editors note - 24 hours can go a long way in supressing the memories! Here is Carols latest blog) Dear all, 36 hours later my body and brain have acclimatised and recovered from the nearest description of "shell shocked" For those of you who know me well, the events of our past few days would make you roar with laughter. Carols major fears and dislikes: Hights, getting a cold, mountain rescue, lack of mountain rescue, helicoptors, cold and wet weather, lack of sleep, being uncomfortable and long walks. Well we conquered all of these on top of the mountain with the exception of the helicoptor. Enough mud to keep a hippo happy, and a problem with my left hip. Achieved the summit only by the support of a fabulous group of fellow trekkers who were ever tolerant of this novice.Gave laughter to feed the brian and a good bit of muscle when I needed hoiking up a cliff face or two. Thank you to each and every one of you. To all at home I am fine and having fun. xx
Thuy - (pronounced Twee or in Janets case Tweet) Our guide for the first half of the trip - This is a realy interesting trip as I met happy and brave people. At first I thought maybe 3 of them would make it to the top. but they showed their best ability and made it through very bad weather. Indeed very very funny interesting nice group, the nicest I have ever taken and have given me a new slogan "race against time" Something here must be said "sad but true" I wishing you all the best. Thuy
Machu Pichu - none
Mount Killy - none
Mount Fansipan - 73.....and we made use of many of them. Most of the team have been unable to walk upstairs without going sideways and we have termed it the Fansipan walk, so a massage or two has helped. Manicures, pedicures and hair washing were all deemed essentials too (and that was just for the boys)
Please excuse the spelling etc but spell check in Vietnamise is not very helpful!!
Here are a few messages from the team
Penny - Why did I volunteer for this? Wet feet, soggy clothes, sore muscles and a bunch of mad dentists! Air mattresses that don't contain any air. Beds on namboo poles, and the sorting of 69 socks that stink like...well they stink! We all have the Fansipan walk - which means that we go downstairs sideways or in Carols case, shuffle! Loved the hike, love the guys and the day is saved by banana fritters and chocolate sauce.
John - This is an AMAZING experience. You have to come to Vietnam. Fansipan peak is a must for everyone! This is a beautiful country and people are great.
Dani - OMG. My legs hurt!!! But what an experience, but must get some marino wool clothes for next time (eh Gary!) This has been a great mountain CLIMB and am looking forward to being a dental technician. The other guys have made this such a good experience...THANK YOU. A big thank you to Thuy for being the most amazing guide and fibbing to us at all costs.
Gary - The most amazing experience ever! The most challenging Trek ever. Fantastic group. When the going got tough there were no complaints, just a great team spirit. Laughed all the way up and down Mount Fansipan. Vietnam is just lovely. Happy Birthday to Sue for the 17th xxx
Di - Mum and Dad - happy anniversary for the 13th. Sorry couldnt phone but was up a mountain (good excuse?) Amazing time with a wonderful group. They are making my job very easy. The "trek" turned out to be a scramble up sheer cliff faces and so not exactly what we were expecting but certainly a challenge. First part of the adventure over with no broken bones, sprains or illnesses.....fingers crossed. Dentaid workmates - will be seeing Reggie today so will let you all know how it goes
Anette - I never thought I would go scrambling and climbing! It was an amazing trip with great company. Haven't laughed so much in a long time. Hope all is well at home.
Janet - I am speachless (editors note: no she isn't!!) and so would John and Huw be if they could see where I have been!!! No words can explain this trip, but god have we laughed. John - well done, have just heard about the champion xxx
Aisha - Wow. I simply cannot believe we all made it to the top of mount "fancypants" Evereything about this trip has been anmazing. The whole team are wonderful, Vietnam is a beautiful country and the people are lovely. What a great way to start my adventure into the unknown. Love to all family and friends.
Mark - Hi guys. Conquered Mount Fansipan! Eaten Silk worms! Great team. Hope all is well at home/work. Heading off the dental field trips tomorrow. Bring it on !
Jane - Although I must say don't ever let me volunteer for anything like this again, I may well weaken. Fantastic group and such a laugh but the challenges are getting rediculous. Nothing at altitude ever again.
Carol - mixed emotions - still in ne piece...well almost! Still laughing. See you all soon.
(editors note - 24 hours can go a long way in supressing the memories! Here is Carols latest blog) Dear all, 36 hours later my body and brain have acclimatised and recovered from the nearest description of "shell shocked" For those of you who know me well, the events of our past few days would make you roar with laughter. Carols major fears and dislikes: Hights, getting a cold, mountain rescue, lack of mountain rescue, helicoptors, cold and wet weather, lack of sleep, being uncomfortable and long walks. Well we conquered all of these on top of the mountain with the exception of the helicoptor. Enough mud to keep a hippo happy, and a problem with my left hip. Achieved the summit only by the support of a fabulous group of fellow trekkers who were ever tolerant of this novice.Gave laughter to feed the brian and a good bit of muscle when I needed hoiking up a cliff face or two. Thank you to each and every one of you. To all at home I am fine and having fun. xx
Thuy - (pronounced Twee or in Janets case Tweet) Our guide for the first half of the trip - This is a realy interesting trip as I met happy and brave people. At first I thought maybe 3 of them would make it to the top. but they showed their best ability and made it through very bad weather. Indeed very very funny interesting nice group, the nicest I have ever taken and have given me a new slogan "race against time" Something here must be said "sad but true" I wishing you all the best. Thuy
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Sad but True!!
12th October we arrived in Sapa at about 6am after a surprisingly comfortable night on the sleeper train. We were woken by a very nice man screaming "TEA....COFFEE" at 5am so not a bad start to the day.
We went to a lovely little restaurant for breakfast called the Lizzard, to set us up for our adventure up Fansipan Mountain. We got on the bus to take us to our start point at 2000 metres, when the heavens opened and we knew we were in for a wet start to the day. After getting into waterproofs, and making sure we were all equipped, we set off.
Day 1 saw us climbing to 2700 m........and when I say climbing....I mean climbing. Trek was a word used to describe this trip, but when you are on hands and knees clambouring up a sheer cliff face, trek seems too mild a description!! Lunch stop was at a very basic hut (or at this point so we thought. The facilities were to get much more basic) but there was lots of food which was most welcome. There was not a great deal of hanging around as we were so wet and getting cold. At this point we asked if the going would get harder, to which they replied "No it is about the same"......they lied.
We were also aware we were in a race against time or we would be facing a treacherous night trek, and one of the team might not make it (eat your heart out Ben Foggle!) The afternoon was tough, with everyone being soaked to the skin and trudging in ankle deep mud in between sheer cliff faces. But we did make it to base camp in a total of 6 hours, only 1 hour behind schedule. We were elated..until we saw our camp for the night. Basic is a kind way to describe the facilities. We had a long walk through the mud to get to the loo and the tents were perched on terracing with quite a drop from the front, so we all had to be carefull if taking a trip out in the middle of the night. We were told to wash in the stream, which we all did to try to get some of the mud off, only to descover the porters were washing the food downstream from us, so not sure exactly how clean the carrots were that night!
Day 2 started brighter after a stormy night and noodle soup for breakfast!!! We again set off for a "gentle acclimatising walk"....again all lies. It took 3 hours to reach the summit, and it was as tough as any of the team have ever experienced. Sheer climbs, ladders to climb and huge drop offs to contend with. However the summit was reached and although it wasn't as clear as we would have liked, the feeling of elation surely matched that of the first people to reach Everest...and we don't think it would have been any harder than what we experienced. A trip back down to lunch took another 2 and half hours ..........MORE noodle soup. Then back to the bottom base camp to spend the night. The sun set at 5.30, and so this time we lost the race against time and did indeed face a treacherous night trek into camp. We finished day 2 with a cold beer and some great food before settling down to bed, with us all sleeping in a bamboo hut covered with a tarpolin. Even our guides joined us so we all felt a bit like the waltons.
Day 3...homeward bound. Well to Sapa at least and the call of a hot shower and clean clothes.. Banana Pancakes were greeted with a huge cheer....no noodle soup to be seen. We set off for a leasurely 3 hour walk down to the bottom and the end of our adventure. This section was walked in the dry so looked completly different than on the first day.
Special mention must go to:
Mark - Mountain goat Mark, almost fell in the river but not quite.
Annete - kept the same pace throughout. Uphill, down hill and on the flat...quite amazing
John - was very confused as to why he kept being sent to bed at 9pm!!
Dani - never stopped laughing or giving us reason to laugh for the 3 days.
Jane - quiet, focused and steady, an inspiration to us all.
Janet - the loudest and fastest of the bunch. Kept us going as we were always following the sound of laughter up ahead.
Gary - always giving good advise to help everyone along
Carol - again an inspiration as she kept going, even through injury and cold. No airlift this time!
Aisha - our official photographer. There is not a single leaf we do not have a record of
Penny - our lovely hippy guide, always encouraging us to be on a "voyage of discovery"
Diane - the one to blame.
The trip has been hard, wet, cold, hot, tretcherous, dark, and a race against time, but the whole team made it and never stopped laughing for 3 days. On day 2 Dani made the mistake of asking our guide if we were the worst group ever......his reply....sad but true!! But he did admit we were the most fun. And we have since found out that a lot of people turn back at the first stop so we were the worst of the best
Tomorrow we will be posting messages from everyone. See you then
We went to a lovely little restaurant for breakfast called the Lizzard, to set us up for our adventure up Fansipan Mountain. We got on the bus to take us to our start point at 2000 metres, when the heavens opened and we knew we were in for a wet start to the day. After getting into waterproofs, and making sure we were all equipped, we set off.
Day 1 saw us climbing to 2700 m........and when I say climbing....I mean climbing. Trek was a word used to describe this trip, but when you are on hands and knees clambouring up a sheer cliff face, trek seems too mild a description!! Lunch stop was at a very basic hut (or at this point so we thought. The facilities were to get much more basic) but there was lots of food which was most welcome. There was not a great deal of hanging around as we were so wet and getting cold. At this point we asked if the going would get harder, to which they replied "No it is about the same"......they lied.
We were also aware we were in a race against time or we would be facing a treacherous night trek, and one of the team might not make it (eat your heart out Ben Foggle!) The afternoon was tough, with everyone being soaked to the skin and trudging in ankle deep mud in between sheer cliff faces. But we did make it to base camp in a total of 6 hours, only 1 hour behind schedule. We were elated..until we saw our camp for the night. Basic is a kind way to describe the facilities. We had a long walk through the mud to get to the loo and the tents were perched on terracing with quite a drop from the front, so we all had to be carefull if taking a trip out in the middle of the night. We were told to wash in the stream, which we all did to try to get some of the mud off, only to descover the porters were washing the food downstream from us, so not sure exactly how clean the carrots were that night!
Day 2 started brighter after a stormy night and noodle soup for breakfast!!! We again set off for a "gentle acclimatising walk"....again all lies. It took 3 hours to reach the summit, and it was as tough as any of the team have ever experienced. Sheer climbs, ladders to climb and huge drop offs to contend with. However the summit was reached and although it wasn't as clear as we would have liked, the feeling of elation surely matched that of the first people to reach Everest...and we don't think it would have been any harder than what we experienced. A trip back down to lunch took another 2 and half hours ..........MORE noodle soup. Then back to the bottom base camp to spend the night. The sun set at 5.30, and so this time we lost the race against time and did indeed face a treacherous night trek into camp. We finished day 2 with a cold beer and some great food before settling down to bed, with us all sleeping in a bamboo hut covered with a tarpolin. Even our guides joined us so we all felt a bit like the waltons.
Day 3...homeward bound. Well to Sapa at least and the call of a hot shower and clean clothes.. Banana Pancakes were greeted with a huge cheer....no noodle soup to be seen. We set off for a leasurely 3 hour walk down to the bottom and the end of our adventure. This section was walked in the dry so looked completly different than on the first day.
Special mention must go to:
Mark - Mountain goat Mark, almost fell in the river but not quite.
Annete - kept the same pace throughout. Uphill, down hill and on the flat...quite amazing
John - was very confused as to why he kept being sent to bed at 9pm!!
Dani - never stopped laughing or giving us reason to laugh for the 3 days.
Jane - quiet, focused and steady, an inspiration to us all.
Janet - the loudest and fastest of the bunch. Kept us going as we were always following the sound of laughter up ahead.
Gary - always giving good advise to help everyone along
Carol - again an inspiration as she kept going, even through injury and cold. No airlift this time!
Aisha - our official photographer. There is not a single leaf we do not have a record of
Penny - our lovely hippy guide, always encouraging us to be on a "voyage of discovery"
Diane - the one to blame.
The trip has been hard, wet, cold, hot, tretcherous, dark, and a race against time, but the whole team made it and never stopped laughing for 3 days. On day 2 Dani made the mistake of asking our guide if we were the worst group ever......his reply....sad but true!! But he did admit we were the most fun. And we have since found out that a lot of people turn back at the first stop so we were the worst of the best
Tomorrow we will be posting messages from everyone. See you then
Monday, 11 October 2010
trains planes and rickshaws
Well after travelling for almost exactly 24 hours and eating at least 6 meals each, we have finally arrived in Vietnam. Just to make everyone jealous, its 29 degrees and sunny. However with 80% humidityn its a bit draining. Today we visited Ho
Chi Ming memorial only to find his body has gone to Russia for treatment!! We have had a great experience so far and are just about to get on the overnight to Sapa. We walked around the lake with Janet in her amazing hat who brought a feeling of ladies day to Hanoi. Mark has just had a dinner of fried grubs everyone has got lost at some at some stage and we all ended up at the prison!! Yesterday was the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi so there were huge celebrations with hundreds of thousands of people. We will be having a pajama party on the train tonight. Will post again soon
Chi Ming memorial only to find his body has gone to Russia for treatment!! We have had a great experience so far and are just about to get on the overnight to Sapa. We walked around the lake with Janet in her amazing hat who brought a feeling of ladies day to Hanoi. Mark has just had a dinner of fried grubs everyone has got lost at some at some stage and we all ended up at the prison!! Yesterday was the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi so there were huge celebrations with hundreds of thousands of people. We will be having a pajama party on the train tonight. Will post again soon
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Last minute panics!!
With just over a week to go, everyone has raised the money needed, and in some cases has exceeded the amount by huge margins! Now its onto the important issues such as boots, blisters and packing. So far this week there have been many pairs of boots bought with I hope enough time to wear them in before we are off.
The projects are ready for us and extra weight has been secured on the flight, for the 400 toothbrushes supplied by our friends at Oral-B. But to date we have had no toothpaste samples supplied, but fingers crossed we will have some last minute help.
If you have some samples you would like to donate or would like to make a contribution towards the costs of the field surgeries then please email diane@dentaid.org
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Four weeks to go...
With only 4 weeks to go until the team leave for Vietnam, 2 things are uppermost in our minds…..training and fundraising. Most of the team have managed to raise the total amount needed, £2,500 which is no mean feat, so well done to them. The others are well on their way and we have seen some great imagination shown during the last few months.
Training for the 3 day hike up mount Fansipan, is well underway and with an 8 hour hike on day 2, we will all need to be at our fittest.
We have now received official confirmation of the projects we will be volunteering at.
On October 17th we will be at Hoa Quy Medical Centre near Danang. This trip is sponsoring a whole days treatment and we expect to see over 150 people throughout the day.
On October 18th we will be visiting a children’s home and undertaking any volunteering work they have for us, so it may be on with the overalls and picking up paintbrushes or spades!
October 19th will see us out in the field again, this time at Hoa Bac medical centre, and will again be looking to treat 150 people.
The visits will cost approximately $400 each and so if you can make a contribution towards the cost of the drugs and transport, it will make a huge difference to almost 500 people in these poor areas.
You can donate online now by clicking here.
http://www.justgiving.com/dentaid-vietnam
Training for the 3 day hike up mount Fansipan, is well underway and with an 8 hour hike on day 2, we will all need to be at our fittest.
We have now received official confirmation of the projects we will be volunteering at.
On October 17th we will be at Hoa Quy Medical Centre near Danang. This trip is sponsoring a whole days treatment and we expect to see over 150 people throughout the day.
On October 18th we will be visiting a children’s home and undertaking any volunteering work they have for us, so it may be on with the overalls and picking up paintbrushes or spades!
October 19th will see us out in the field again, this time at Hoa Bac medical centre, and will again be looking to treat 150 people.
The visits will cost approximately $400 each and so if you can make a contribution towards the cost of the drugs and transport, it will make a huge difference to almost 500 people in these poor areas.
You can donate online now by clicking here.
http://www.justgiving.com/dentaid-vietnam
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
On the 9th - 22nd October 2010, Dentaid will be taking a group of people to Vietnam to get involved in some fantastic trekking and dental project work to raise funds for Dentaid and support local oral health work in the community.
During the trek, we will discover the unique cultural diversity and 
magnificent rugged scenery of northern Vietnam, scale the heights of Vietnam's tallest peak and encounter colourful hill tribes before returning to Hanoi, the leafy capital with its tree-lined boulevards and colonial villas, where we have the opportunity to spend three days volunteering, to improve the lives of the people in a nearby town.
We will use this blog to keep you updated of our progress throughout the trek and to let you know how Dentaid have helped the people we will meet during our time in Vietnam.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
