Lost in Tra Vinh

Fasten your seat belts - this was a wild ride!

Tra Vinh is a province in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, and also the name of the main town in the province. It was a 5 hour drive from HCMC through typical towns and villages along the highway (?) and the arms and channels of the Mekong River. It is not a touristy kind of place. But we were going for the afternoon - first to visit the babies, have lunch, and then to the Justice Dept for the adoption ceremony at 3pm. Plus the 5 hour drive back to HCMC.

The group of us set out about 6am - Loan, D&N, Susan, Uncle Howard, myself and our driver Quoc - in a nice air conditioned van. Quoc was a very good driver - Loan complained (in English) that he is too cautious - he drives too slow, but she hires him all the time because he keeps the families safe. Then he got a speeding ticket.

As we were driving through the outskirts of HCMC, we passed through rural areas, but we found that there were often some stands set at the side of the road offering food and refreshments. A few of them had freshly butchered meat hanging on sticks to sell for dinner. A few of them had freshly butchered dogs hanging from sticks to sell for dinner. We didn't stop to shop.

As the morning progressed, there was much to see. I saw rice 'farms' all over the place - all small plots with coconut palm, banana trees and other vegetation separating the plots. Cows were tethered in the fields - I think they probably eat their fill, fertilize the ground, and the rest gets harvested. It was harvest time, so the fields were golden yellow. There was lots of activity - the rice was being cut, gathered into sheathes and threshed by hand. I saw big haystacks of the rice stalks, and the rice kernels get spread out on mats on the ground to dry. In some areas, the rice is spread out on the road to dry, because it is hotter on the asphalt. In some areas, the farmers were raking the rice on one lane of the road, and the cars and motorbikes drove down the other lane. There are no rules in Vietnam.

Right on time, we arrived at the orphanage. Everyone was nervous, dressed in 'nice' clothes that were too hot, then weepy and happy when we first saw the babies. I had offered to videotape this meeting for D&N as Uncle Howard was doing the same for Susan. But, of course, my attention was split between the two families. I was holding the camera towards D&N, and cranking my neck around to see little Quan. We spent over an hour there. There were about a dozen babies in cribs. The nou-nous (nannies) would tie a cloth hammock to the rungs of the cribs, and attach a long tether to each of them to rock them. One nanny could rock more than one baby at a time, by pulling on the long tethers.

I started playing with a couple of other babies, and one little girl took my heart away. She was beautiful - almond shaped eyes smiling at me, and curly hair standing up off her sweaty head. Loan told me that she had parents waiting for her in Canada. Good thing, or I would have taken her home with me. I hope I see her adoption announcement in the TDH newsletter. I would love to know which family she goes home to.

Loan also said that most of the babies have been proposed to families, even the babies with handicaps or medical issues. I did see a baby boy with club feet and other obvious, serious health issues, which absolutely broke my heart, but I could see that he is well cared for there, and hopefully he will continue to get the care he needs.

Afterwards, we drove to the centre market to shop, drove by the hospital where both boys were born, and stopped by a pagoda in the middle of the market. I said a prayer for the baby that I lost a few years ago, and burst into tears. I had a good cry - in fact, I think I cried more that day than the parents did.

We were then told that the two files didn't have the final signature by an official of the People's Committee. The Justice was apologetic, but there was nothing he could do that day. Unexpectedly, we had to spend the night!

None of us were prepared for an overnight trip. Most of us had a change of clothes, but there was much discussion about odorous underwear. We spent some time running around the town again, buying toothbrushes and contact solution, and checked into the only hotel Loan thought was suitable.

It's supposed to be a 3 star hotel, but I figure it loses a point or two for the 2" cockroach in my bathroom. Luckily, on the ceiling over my bed, there was a gecko watching over me, keeping me safe from the mosquitos.

However, I woke up the next morning, and nothing had run over my face during the night, so all was well.

More to come - stay tuned!