Back at the Peace Orphanage ....

Saturday, 24th of July

Slept in … and after brekkie did our daily e-mails and blogging. Then hopped in a cab to go to the Tax Department Store. Got nothing to do with the tax man … just a name. While checking some of the local handicraft products we got a call from Hien. She asked us to come to her office to discuss charity arrangements for Danang. In the Cab again … spent two hours organising a trip, flights and hotels.
Friday we fly out early to be able to meet with the local authorities.

In the afternoon we took a taxi to the Peace Orphanage. We had trouble visiting, as foreigners need some sort of a permit. The nurse was very nice, but very strict too. Matt explained that we had met with Dr. Nhi and the head of the Peace Orphanage and they both agreed it was ok for us to visit the children.
The nurse called her supervisor on the phone. She asked us whether we were the couple who had bought a new computer for Hoan – which we did. She had a big smile on her face and said yes, of course we can visit the children and she apologized for questioning us.

Finally we went to the girls room. Hoan was there as well. Hugs and kisses all round and the little girls came and sat down with us. Again lots of stories to tell. Diep, the little girl without legs got a bit chubby and was playing shy again!!! After a while the little plastic chair Matt was sitting on collapsed and he slowly fell backwards down on the floor. The little girl must have been too heavy!!!
Uli went to the boy’s room. As soon as little Thanh saw her, he came racing towards her and before she knew it, she was carrying Thanh. What a joy … after nine month he still recognised her. Those children get a lot of overseas visitors.

Hoan told us about her progress at uni, she got 8 out of 10 in her uni studies. Not bad under her circumstances. She can only study at night when all the children are asleep, as she is sharing the room with 12 other girls.

It rained when we left, so we hopped in the trustworthy 'VINASUN' taxi. Little did we know, - or better little did he know!!! Boy we got half a city tour to parts we had never seen before. Twice he did a Ue - traffic just stopped in the narrow street. Matt finally recognised a big round about and he told the taxi driver how get us to Bui Vien Street. We made it - meter showed 50.000 VND ~ $3.20 - now way Jose', so we gave him 20.000 VND ~ $ 1.25 which is more than we paid the day before!!!

Hoa made an interesting comment on Friday about taxi rides and tipping. A lot of foreigners think taxi rides are cheap, so the tip generously and the taxi drivers get used to that. But a lot of locals can not afford to tip - so the taxi drivers get stroppy. Hoa told us one of his visitors from the US paid a taxi driver US$ 42 instead of 42.000 VND which is US$ 2 !!!