Monday 16/2 – Day 14
Walking through Q2 in Saigon is different to the cotton-ball comfort of the Q1 tourist district, and reading maps is a good idea before you embark on foot toward Dieu Giac Orphanage. I can wholly endorse to any Guinness Book of Records judges that may be reading, that Lương Định Của Street in Ho Chi Minh City is the longest street in the Universe. It certainly appears so in 40 degrees (Celsius that is, for our Elizabethan readers) carrying two huge bags of toys and fruit where every single shop on the way, all 60 million of them, sell warm bottles of water. In Vietnam, cold water is for amateurs.
We reached a place, only 500 metres from the Dieu Giac Pagoda, after walking for hours, that was like an oasis in the desert of an alien world. The strangest desert in that alien world, where even the aliens get lost and say “Damn, this is like a desert in a strange alien world”. Headless ducks, packets of snacks that were completely unidentifiable and seemingly unpalatable, warm water, rice vodka (of course I recognized that), strange looks and god almighty heat. The place looked like a café in Hollywood, completely out of place in the dirty streets and ramshackle shops. We entered, sweating and exhausted and I ordered 2 Café Sue Da and 3 bottles of ICE COLD water. They bought them out and I swallowed 2 coffees and 2 waters, Heidi did what all women do and slowly savored her cold bottle of water so that after I had greedily inhaled mine she was like the cat with the cream.
I paid the bill, the Vietnamese Coffee kicked in, and off we went. Walking through the gates of the pagoda was at first distressing, there was a fairly desolate look to the outside. People were repairing motos and preparing food when they spotted us and with a smile, pointed us toward the gates of the orphanage. Well, the kids had spotted us well before we had seen any of them. I’m sure in retrospect that they had sentries located around the perimeter…
“SHHHHK Wall-E to Lord of the Flies, NPWGs (nice people with gifts) are approaching from the Northern Gate, please advise, over. SHHHHK”
“SHHHHK Roger Wall-E deploying attack party, please stand by for further orders SHHHHK”
“Attention all personnel, we have an NPWG breach on the Northern Gate, Hug team and Cute team deploy, this is NOT an exercise.”
“SHHHHK, Wall-E this is Lord of the Flies, Teams Hug and Cute have been deployed, ETA 3 seconds, what is your SITREP?”
“SHHHHK Roger LOF, NPWGs have reached the main gate, sighting Hug Team 5 and Cute Team 7 on route, engagement should occur within the gate area, over”
“SHHHHK Roger Wall-E, stand by”
BANG!
One of the (Attention again Guinness Book of Records people) cutest little girls in the Universe took a running jump and landed a 10 point finish into Heidi’s arms, it was faultless. I had atleast 3 kids attached to each leg, one had somehow reached my shoulders and one for each arm just for good measure. These kids were scared of nothing. It became a day of colouring-in, playing soccer, and children climbing all over you like K2.
A word of advice to people who have just been molested by the Inspiration Fairy: These kids have healthy, but still developing teeth and it costs these orphanages more than a blonde, green eyed chubby woman in Saudi to keep them white, shiny and continually attached to gums. Do not take candy. Fresh fruit is cheap, tastes just as good to them, and is much better for their growing bones, minds and teeth. Secondly, if you don’t want to cause a riot, buy toys they have to share. We bought soccer balls, badminton sets, da cau (badminton type featherballs they kick like hacky sack) and plenty, and I really mean plenty, of colouring paper and crayons. As a side note, be prepared to clean up the colouring paper as after about 30 minutes of colouring time it turns into the tear-it-up-and-throw-it-everywhere game. GO ON BILL GATES, KEEP UNDERLINING “COLOURING”, I’M NOT GOING TO STOP. *Right click, Add to dictionary*.
Here’s some pics, oh and if you’re keen on visiting, the website is http://www.orphaned.org:
