Author Archives: jkmarsch

This is the bus we were on where there was a fight with a guy on a motorcycle. The kids fought over who would got to sit in the seat right next to the driver. The rest of us sat in little seats right behind the driver with our feet resting on backpacks and bags. The bus was packed- some people were sitting on the floor. We stopped so many times that we lost count. Sometimes we’d be stopped somewhere for 20-30 minutes. The driver and the guy in charge would get off the bus then all of a sudden come back and we’d continue onward. In this photo, Lennon was pretending he was driving the bus.

This guy was fantastic. (He is the guy whose dad drove us to the bus station in his jammies one night.) Luong is one of the happiest people I have ever met. He was so proud of his hotel- he just took it over 6 months ago and was trying to get it all fancy. He was constantly up and down- driving people places on his moped, arranging tours, taxis, etc. I wish I could have recorded his laugh and sometimes he’d get excited about something and do a little dance. If we had decided to stay and live in Ninh Binh- he’d be one of our best buddies. We were only there a couple of days, but he helped us get Em’s last rabies shot and was always giving the kids fruit, etc. When we left he was hugging us and waved to us until we drove out of sight. Wow!

We picked these up in Laos for our baby friends. They’ll be fine for Walter, but Sid Hamlett is getting so big, so fast! Jackie, what the heck are you feeding him!? hee

I can’t remember if I already blogged about this- I can’t seem to find it. Anyhoo, we got to see some crazy things and meet interesting people while on our quest to get Em’s shots. Mission accomplished! In Haiphong, we went to about six different places including an AIDS clinic and a dental office. Our car broke down in Koh Lanta. In Koh Lipe, we walked in to find a nurse sitting barefoot at a desk picking at her feet. We had to do charades for a dog bite and getting a shot on numerous occasions. In Ninh Binh, our cab driver had to call a friend who could speak English so he could translate and tell the doctor. Whew! 5 sets of shots in 4 different countries! Done deal.

Maddux did some research on stalactites and found out that it takes a century for a stalactite to grow about an inch. That is mind blowing!