Enroute to Cambodia

On the way to Cambodia, I planned some days in the north of Vietnam. Flying into Hanoi, then to the mountains for a couple days and finally, no surprise for me, two days on Halong Bay in a Chinese Junk.

I'm in Sapa after taking the night train from Hanoi. It was a sleepler compartment, shared between 4 people. Lucky me, my ticket assignment was for a lower berth. Toilet was down the hall. My companions were a German software guy from near Munich, a Dutch tax lawyer from Amsterdam and his girlfriend, a banker in human resources living in Rostoff, Poland. Dutch guy and Polish gal have a distance relationship. It was nice that the 4 of us all could speak English together and we had interesting conversation before settling down to sleep for the duration of the 9-hour trip.

LOVELY YOUNG HMONG GIRL
SELLS NATIVE CRAFTS TO TREKKERS

Today, my guide and I trekked down to the Hmong minority tribe village. The guide is a young man, pretty good English and very bright. I have him again tomorrow. He was born in a mountain minority village, where most of the children have only a dim future in store. But he had a benefactor from Canada who "adopted" him, sending money and paying for his university education. He has done well, and his success proves the benefit of this kind of aid. He is making his Canadian folks proud.

Leaving on a jet plane.......

It seemed last night that I wouldn't get to the airport this morning. The north-east was slammed with an early nor-easter. And in Oakland where I live, we had about 10 inches of wet, heavy snow. Of course, this brought done branches and even trees all over the region and I couldn't drive up the steep hill to my home last evening. Left my car in the parking lot of the nearby high school. No trees there to fall on toop of my car.
Leaving extra early this morning....a good thing as highways were intermittent blockages of accidents and downed trees on the roadways.....and I arrived at JFK about 3 hours early for my departure.
Routing for my flight, about 23 hours in all, includes a 4-hour layover in Seoul, Korea and then on to Hanoi arriving late eveing on Monday.
Happy wishes to all for Halloween. Bye for now.

Views from Cambodia

Two of our team members have traveled to Cambodia before and supplied these great photos from their visit in 2008. Linda and David Purcell are pleased to return to this friendly country and its wonderful folks.


FLYING INTO PHNOM PENH (TOP PHOTO)
 AND, (LOWER PHOTO), A LOCAL TEMPLE

 



FOUR PHOTOS ABOVE:   THE COUNTRYSIDE NEAR THE CAPITAL CITY



Meet our team leader, Bob Danbeck

This is Bob talking, "First, let me welcome everyone to our Cambodian adventure.  I’m sure we will be working hard, but we will also have the opportunity to experience a really wonderful country. This is my second trip to Cambodia, having participated in a build back in 2009. This is also my second opportunity as a team leader – I’m happy to say I did not lose a single person on my trip to Sri Lanka in February. I’ve also participated in HFHI builds in India, Vietnam, El Salvador, and South Carolina over the past several years. I’ve tremendously enjoyed the Habitat building experience and I’m becoming an expert in cinder block construction! 

I’m retired so I have plenty of time to travel. I spent 35 years with IBM and 6 years with the Federal Government – a double dipper. I also lived for many years in China and India and traveled extensively throughout Asia. I currently reside on Lake Norman in North Carolina with my faithful dog, Sam. On a personal note, I’ll be getting married on October 30th, so if anyone is in the Charlotte area at that time, let me know!"

Getting the site ready

Recent photos show major work already on side for the arrival of volunteers who will complete houses for 22 families. Neat stuff!

FOUNDATIONS IN PLACE



HOUSES LINED UP ALONG A DIRT ROADWAY



THIS IS WHY.......

THESE CHILDREN ARE
GETTING A NEW HOME

....We're going to Cambodia.
    Why we are willing to donate our time and effort.


Click on the link below to take a look at this video:
Why travel with Habitat to Cambodia

Our work in Cambodia in 2011 will allow people living in poor conditions to move out of makeshift housing and into better homes built with the new homeowners and our team of volunteers.



TYPICAL POVERTY  HOUSING



GREAT VOLUNTEERS

Team leader Bob Danbeck sent the official Build Manual and the week's calendar of work. We are expected to arrive no later than Sunday, Nov 13 and the next day will attend a welcome and orientation.

Work on the Oudong Build site, 40km outside of the capital city, begins on Tuesday, Nov 14. Volunteers will spend four days building 22 homes, a half day working on the 5.8 acre farm to help homeowners become self-sufficient and a half day making soil blocks using green technology. A closing ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Nov 19th, the final official Habitat day for the team.

So who are these folks? Who are they, offering to travel half-way round the world to construct a block house of 339 sq ft for an unfamiliar family? They are dedicated volunteers from all walks of life. Here they are, in their own words, posted as information and photos are received.

Nancy DeVries.  Lives in Oakland, NJ and runs a graphics design business, which frequently works on publications for the Paterson Habitat (NJ) affiliate. She volunteers with this group and has traveled with them to Mississippi Gulf Coast annually the last 5 years. Photo is from her 2009 work with the Carter Build in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In 2010, she was in Nepal for the Everest Build and now supports SOS Children's Village and also a school in Pokara. An avid sailor with a USCG 100-ton license, she teaches sailing, trains new boat owners, delivers yachts coastwise. Racing, cruising and offshore passages have added up 40,000+ bluewater miles, including sailing across the Atlantic 3 times. She is nationally certified EMT, married with 3 grown children and 9 grandchildren.

Marcy Shaarda. Lives in downtown San Francisco. She writes, “This is a picture of me and my companion, a resplendent camel named Michael Jackson (and that's Madonna in the foreground) in Giza, Egypt, following my first Habitat for Humanity build. I'm excited about the upcoming build in Cambodia and, as is the case with my most memorable adventures, there's also a bit of trepidation. I'm inspired daily by the world map that hangs in my office at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, where I'm employed as a social worker.”

Diane and Jim Huning live in Maine part of the year, DC part of the year, and San Diego part of the year. We are never quite sure where we are at any given time! This is our 5th HFH build and we have enjoyed them all (Hungary, New Zealand, Alaska, New Orleans (Katrina). Diane spent many years in the health field, fund raising (opera), and fund raising for a multi-lingual educational institution. Jim spent pretty much entire career at NASA's JPL, NASA HQ and then with the National Science Foundation -- retiring a couple of months ago. It has been a good run for both! We enjoy travel and have 2 kids (married, Jim's step-children) and 3 wonderful grandchildren. And, the Hunings sponsor a few children through the CCF, Cambodian Children's Fund.

Linda and David Purcell.  We are long-time residents of Washington, D.C., now retired. This is our first adventure with Habitat and our third trip to Cambodia. Our friends and veteran Habitat builders, Jim and Diane Huning, asked if we wanted to join them, and it took us about 30 seconds to say “yes.” We sponsor 3 beautiful children at the Cambodian Children’s Fund [CCF] in Phnom Penh so this is a perfect chance to see them again. In 2008, we visited the Steung Meanchay dumpsite, where most of the children in CCF come from. We treasure the opportunity to help families escape that wretched, unsafe, unsanitary environment. We are also being joined by long-time friends and world travelers Neal Brengle and John Gibbons of California. We are excited to meet Bob and the rest of our team.  We look forward to hard work and good fun.

Monique Kavanagh. I've lived in Toronto, Ontario for . . . a long time. A friend with whom I was on a trip to Kenya 2 years ago (we volunteered at an orphanage for 10 days) has been a Habitat GV leader in the past. He raved about the experience and thought that I would enjoy the active, outcome-oriented experience. From everything I've read and seen, he's right! I'm looking forward to working hard, two weeks of bad hair and having a lot of fun with this group. This is me in the tea fields of Kerala, India.

Michael Herrington. Owner/Chief Operating Officer of a General Contracting business that mainly engages in Construction and Facility Management of Educational facilities. The company has completed many projects ranging from the $1-$4 million dollars. He enjoys the challenges of business and completing demanding projects. Married once, divorced, and no children, with the exception of a 115 pound German shepherd named 'MAJOR' , a substitute for a child. When not working, he loves to read, travel, fly fish, and participate in almost all outdoor activities. In 2010, Michael traveled to Shenyang, China (Oct) to assist with clean up and construction at an orphanage sponsored by a local nonprofit organization and then to Bali, Indonesia (Nov) to assist with the building of a house with Habitat for Humanity.

John Gibbons and Neal Brengle: Two Californians who  love to travel the world and experience its amazing diversity. Our preferred mode of travel is independent, with a focus on meeting and interacting with the people of the region we're visiting. We first discovered SE Asia about 20 years ago and are always anxious to return. When good friends David and Linda Purcell informed us about their upcoming Habitat build in Cambodia and asked us to join, we were extremely excited about the prospect and immediately began making plans. This will be our first experience with HFH and is certain to be memorable. Our first journey to Cambodia 10 years ago, has always remained one of the highlights of our world travels. We anticipate our upcoming personal interactions at the Khmer build with our team and the local people to be extremely rewarding. Photo: John (l) and Neal (r) riding a tuk-tuk in rural Thailand.

Melissa Silverman: I’m a native of Gainesville, Florida but currently living in Washington D.C My picture is from the top of Mt Masada  in  Israel, my most recent trip abroad. I work in communications for an international nonprofit, and was previously a staffer on Capitol Hill. This is my first Habitat build and first time in Southeast Asia, and I look forward to a new adventure.

Gary Tan: I am from Singapore and am currently on a one year sabbatical starting in Aug 2011. Decided to press the "pause" button after 16 years in banking. This is my first Habitat and Cambodia trip so I am looking forward to this amazing experience. Also am currently undertaking an "Ontological" coaching course so I am very interested in understanding how experiences shape ones outlook of life.

Bernard Tan: Hi, I'm from Singapore. I am an interior designer, one of the few lucky ones that work for my passion : ) I believe that LOVE is both receiving and giving, now, it's time to share. I am so looking forward to this virgin trip to the Habitat Cambodia and hopefully I will be of good help to the team in this amazing project. Thumbs up and cheers!

Jan Younker and Chuck Zwick:  We are long-term residents of the beautiful Pacific NW, living in Portland, OR. Together for 10 years, we just celebrated our first wedding anniversary 9/19/11. We have 6 sons, 4 daughter-in-laws and 7 grandkids (6 girls 1 boy). This is our first HFH Build and looking forward to this new adventure and making a difference in someone's life. We love to travel, meet new people and enjoy life. Jan's passion is Dragon Boat racing which has taken us around the world for international events in clubs and on the USA National team. Jan has spent most of her career in the public school business area and now works for a non-profit agency as Program Specialist. Chuck has worked for a large aerospace company for over 36 years, in engineering and manufacturing. The return to Cambodia is with mixed thoughts: Jan's wonderful experiences in Malaysia racing and touring SE Asia with teammates and Chuck's memories serving in the Army in Vietnam during 1969. We're looking forward to meeting the team for a wonderful experience.

James Vargo: Hi everyone, I live in St. Charles Illinois which is west of Chicago with my wife Ann and daughter Jamie. As a Hoosier by birth, IU was my logical choice, spent a few years in the lumber business and then my primary career has been in the furniture industry. A few years ago good fortune let me pursue other interests and I opened a pool and spa supply store. This August we assisted our daughter in opening a ballroom dance studio. Ann is an exec, star and lifer with Xerox. Because of these two, so far jail and becoming destitute has been avoided. We have lived in many cities and my involvement with Habitat began with the Atlanta affiliate in 1998 and continued on in Austin. A hand up not a hand out philosophy while working with the families gave me a case of Habititis. In 1999 on a JCWP build in Mindanao, I was startled by the poverty and need I saw and after contrasting it to what I was working with at home decided to abandon neither but focus on out-of-country work whenever possible. With a love of travel it became a mission to weave JCWP’s and GV’s together in the U.S. and abroad. I have lost exact count. My brother and sister have joined me on occasions along with Jamie this spring in Guatemala as builder and team translator. New places, nice people, stories shared with a beverage and laughter after work is a perfect day for me. Cambodia is a return visit along with Bangkok but this adventure will continue with a trip to Burma with Nancy and then on solo to Laos. Travel safe, God Bless, see you there.

Jeremy Holland: Jeremy has been traveling in Southeast Asia after quitting his job as the technology guy for a construction firm in the U.S. He said that he has long wanted to do a Habitat Build and is happy to be on this team in the Khmer Build.

Marcy Lockhart: Hailing from Boulder, Colorado, Marci is pictured here having breakfast at our Phnom Penh hotel, the Goldiana.