adamsugihto.com

Jess Dean: Still Serving Bangkok

Adam — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:16:46 +0000

This is an interview with Jess Dean that was held at the beginning of the Serve Bangkok IV Missions Trip. What Jess shares is a behind-the-scenes insight into who she is and the faith & leadership journey that she has found herself on as she continues to Serve Bangkok.

“I felt like I had found a part of me that doesn’t exist when I’m elsewhere.” – Jess Dean on returning to Serve Bangkok

Interview with Serve Bangkok IV team leader, Jess Dean

Adam Sugihto (AS): Jess, did you always know that you were going to be on this particular Serve Bangkok trip?

Jess Dean (JD): Definitely. Its very hard for the church to feel engaged when its 12 months between trips – so when I was here in January 2009 I thought it would be great if we could run something in the middle of the year. I was the most obvious person to do it and was also really looking forward to running it – particularly having found a specific need (music), I was really excited to bring a group back to meet that need.

AS: You’ve led a number of teams now – is there anything that you’re expecting to be different this time around?

JD: I think every trip is different. The last two I’ve led have been very different to each other - obviously the group of people influence the dynamic. This time I am really looking forward to bringing a group of people that have already been a team. I think that will be interesting. I am also excited about this team in terms of the music need that we are meeting.

I also feel like we have made some progress with our relationship with Jim and Judy Larson of The Well. I noticed in January that they had really began to trust us as a church and to open up to us about what they wanted to do. So this time I’m expecting that that trust and openness will continue and grow.

AS: This is your fourth Serve Bangkok trip now. Is it a given that you’ll always be on these trips?
JD: No its not a given. Part of the reason I’m wanting to stick around for the next few weeks, is to establish more things so I’m not here forevermore. I feel more like my role is to establish something, to start something then to pass it on to someone else to run with. I love it and I’m excited that I’m coming back and leading teams and creating opportunities for people to come. I could very easily do it for a lot longer, but don’t necessarily feel like God’s saying “I want you to be in Bangkok forevermore”.

AS: We often hear you talking about your heart for missions and outreach overseas. Where does that come from?

“For me, missions was always ‘why would you want to do anything else?’ and it took me a while to learn that not everyone else was wired like that!“

JD: The easiest answer and I know it sounds like a cliche, is that God put it on my heart. As long as I can remember, I always wanted to go to Africa so there was always this desire to help the underprivileged and help those who were less fortunate than myself. As I learnt more about the world and watched things around me, that heart just grew. For me, missions was always “why would you want to do anything else?” and it took me a while to learn that not everyone else was wired like that!

AS: Tell me about your heart for Bangkok. Was there a ‘moment’ when you fell for this place or did it take time?

JD: To be honest, I never really had a heart for Bangkok the first time we came – but what I was passionate about was being able to help people in less fortunate situations. So that’s what caused me be involved in the Serve Bangkok trips more so than the location. That’s one of the things I love about these teams – that I get an opportunity to introduce people to something I’m really passionate about. I enjoyed the first trip, but I didn’t immediately feel like “oh my goodness I have to go back”. It was more about helping people and meeting needs – not necessarily the city of Bangkok.

But then when we returned, even though there wasn’t a moment, God really changed my heart. It was like I came back to Bangkok and realised that I had left a part of my heart in this city. I felt like I had found a part of me that doesn’t exist when I’m elsewhere. So there wasn’t a ‘moment’ – I don’t tend to have a lot of times in my life when its a ‘moment’. For me it was more a process that took weeks and months.

AS: Leading teams and coordinating people internationally isn’t easy – but you make it look easy. What are some of the challenges that you’ve had?

“I was 21 when I ran the first trip and there was a lot of ‘what the heck am I doing’?“

JD: There’s definitely been a lot of challenges that’s for sure. There’s been a lot of having to deal with doubt – I was 21 when I ran the first trip and there was a lot of “what the heck am I doing”? I remember arriving that first time before the other guys and thinking “I can’t do this, I don’t know what I’m doing, no one in Bangkok ever gets back to you, you can’t organise anything. This whole thing can just fall over”. I remember Matt Deremer sending me that verse from Ephesians “that God can do exceedingly more than we can ask or think”. When I got that message I said to God “Okay, I’m just going to have to trust you in that” and by the end of that first trip, God really did blow away all of my expectations and it was much greater than I ever thought that it could be.

There are also a lot of challenges around working in this city – its difficult to organise anything and have any certainty in your planning. The more I’ve been here, the better I’ve been at leading teams in that uncertain environment and being OK with just letting things go. If I don’t have it all organised, it doesn’t really matter because it all kind of figures itself out.

“The first trip I felt like I had to have it all together and prove that I could hold this thing together and that it will work.“

I’ve changed also a lot about how open I’ve been about that (with the teams). The first trip I felt like I had to have it all together and prove that I could hold this thing together and that it will work. Whereas now I’m happy to let people know that’s just how it is and if it changes, well it changes! I’m a lot more comfortable with who I am in leading it. I just do what I can and the rest we just work around. I definitely learnt a lot in terms of my personal leadership and character building stuff.

The other challenge is just around self doubt of what you can and can’t do at a young age. I think I have learnt more so than ever what it is to trust God because I have found myself more so than ever in situations where I’m saying to God “if you don’t come through I can’t do anything else”. I think I’ve learnt the power of being outside of your comfort zone and what God can do in that. That verse in 2 Cor 12:9 where God says “my power is made perfect in your weakness” – I feel like I’ve actually learnt what that means and the truth in that. The more I’m not good at doing things and just do it anyway, the more I’ve seen that God just moves powerfully in that. I’ve learnt that if you get it wrong or if it goes badly, what’s the worst that can happen? Unless I try and give it a go then I never would have known.

I would encourage people that, even if it seems like the scariest thing in the world, when God says to go and says its right then He won’t let you fail at that. That doesn’t mean you won’t have your challenges along the way. Its okay to get it wrong. Its okay that it doesn’t work. On both previous trips I’ve had things that have gone completely wrong but that’s the experience.

AS: Your position is a bit different to the rest of the team in that you’re staying in Bangkok for an extra 8 weeks. What are you hoping to see happen in that time?

JD: My main aim is to have some headspace and time to understand what God’s doing in this city, particularly for The Well and Riverside Church. Right now I feel what He’s saying is that “I’m not going to give you a whole lot other than the doors I’ve opened up for you at the Well so explore that and let me show you what comes next”. I think there’s a lot we can be doing but I think God’s also saying that “I need to know that you’re going to be responsible and trustworthy with what I give you”. So I want to spend some more time at The Well and understand more of Jim and Judy’s heart – what God’s spoken to them, what are the things they’d love to see happen and then figure out the things that are standing in the way of that. That way when I come back to Melbourne we can figure out which of those needs we can meet and which of those we can’t.

I also want to begin to create something that’s sustainable. So that if its God’s will, in 10 years time, we’re still supporting these guys and actually contributing to real needs. So mainly the 8 weeks will be with The Well but also spending time in the city – with the Refugee Centre, Newsong Church and whatever else is going on that we could link into – and to just have some time to sit and be here without having to run a team and organise.

I’d also like to be able to put something in motion that is a bit more tangible – so that whoever God has to take on these teams next, can run with them and know that the groundwork that we’ve done doesn’t get lost.

AS: Any other final thoughts?

JD: If you haven’t been and aren’t regularly putting yourself out of your comfort zone that’s an important thing to do. Whether that’s coming to Bangkok or going to St Kilda in Melbourne isn’t the point – experiencing new stuff for God is. He has so much for us, we just need the courage to step into it just a little and see God do amazing things. But always remember God’s more interested in how we’re living our lives rather than what we’re doing. I can do a great job on these trips and lead them but if I’m not living a life that honours Him then it doesn’t really matter how awesome a job I do on these trips.

AS: Finally how can people pray for you or support you over the next few weeks?

JD: The biggest thing to pray for is wisdom and discernment. I’ve got some structure but not heaps because its Bangok and because I don’t really know what Gods going to say in the next 8 weeks. So please pray for me just to have clarity around what He’s saying and wisdom and discernment to know what to do with that: to know what to follow up and what not to, where to spend time and where not to. Pray that God would have his way and that whatever it is that He wants instilled, that I’d get that and that ongoing we figure out the best way to put it together and make it into something that more of the church can engage in and is useful on this end.

AS: Thanks Jess and all God’s best for your time here in Bangkok!

Footnote: Jess Dean is aiming to be back in Melbourne at the end of September. If you wish to send her your thoughts, prayers and support, either email her directly or write her a message in the comments box below.

The Journey Continues…

Adam — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:02:50 +0000

Thank you to everyone who supported us through Serve Bangkok IV. Over the next few weeks, with a little help from my friends, I’ll be posting up further articles reflecting on the team’s time away as well as some Life Lessons Learned. If you’ve never considered or are thinking about going to Serve Bangkok I believe these posts will be of special interest to you. Finally I would love to hear thoughts from previous Serve Bangkok teams!

The Journey Continues

Here are some future posts that you can expect on this blog in the days to come:

Serve Bangkok IV: Before and After

Before we commenced our journey, I asked each team member 2 questions: “Why did they decide to come on this Serve Bangkok trip and what were they expecting?” I’m in the process of revisiting some of the team and finding out their perspective now that they’re back. These posts will be a series that will highlight the personal faith journey that is an intrinsic part of the Serve Bangkok mission.

Life Lessons: What taught me about God

When travelling because every experience is new, one looks at everything with fresh eyes. Through this, God taught us so many awesome Life Lessons. Some of these we shared at church, others will be brand new and hopefully surprising! These posts will be a series sharing some of our team’s Life Lessons learnt.

What not to wear (& other Mission Trip disasters)!

We learnt a great deal about travelling – practically speaking – and I look forward to being able to share some of the things we would (and wouldn’t!) recommend you bring if you are thinking of one day going to Serve Bangkok!

Serve Bangkok I, II and III

Have you been on a previous Serve Bangkok team? I would also love to hear from you! What lessons did you learn while over there? What advice would you give prospective Serve Bangkok team members? I’d also welcome posting any stories and photos that you feel needs sharing. So if you were on a previous Serve Bangkok team, why not get out those notebooks, revisit the lessons that God taught you and pay them forward!

Readers Questions

If there are any questions or comments you had about going on a Serve Bangkok trip and/or about our experience this time around, let me know!

It is my hope that this can be something of an ongoing resource that future teams can continue to use and add to as they learn more about the practicalities of mission overseas.

Be sure to check back here regularly (or Subscribe with your Email Address at the top right corner of the blog to automatically receive future articles directly in your inbox)!

If you would like to contact me, feel free to post your question/comment in the comment box below or email me directly.

See you on the blog!

Adam

Serve Bangkok IV: Journey’s End

Adam — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:37:05 +0000

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
- Psalm 139: 9-10

12 days, 9 volunteers, 3 ministries, 1 heart: to seek and to serve God’s heart for the city of Bangkok. From micro-finance loans to the poor, to church community that unites locals and expats, to safe houses that offer bar girls a path out of the sex industry, we witnessed and experienced God’s hand touching and changing lives – theirs and ours!

After the craziness of Hanoi, Josh and I were so relieved to return to Bangkok for one last day before returning home to Melbourne. It was ironic that just 2 weeks earlier, we would have described Bangkok as chaotic, but compared to Hanoi, Bangkok was organised!

Returning to Bangkok was a surprisingly therapeutic way to say goodbye to a city that had impacted our lives so dramatically. Boarding the BTS skytrain without the team didn’t seem quite right but each station reminded us of our many God encounters along the way.

On Nut BTS was our stop to go to The Well. It was at The Well that we saw God in the process of changing very raw hearts of bar girls struggling to leave the sex industry. Whoever said Thai girls do not show emotion hasn’t visited The Well. Over the days we were here, many tears (and laughs) were shared with real heart-tugging stories and struggles. We came here to teach music but left having learnt a whole lot more.

Na Na BTS took me straight back to the nights where the girls on team shone the light of Christ directly into the bars. It was here that divine appointments were made between the girls on team and the girls working the bars. Over the course of two weeks, friendships were formed and more stories and struggles were shared behind many more tears (most of them Nat’s!). Na Na also happens to be a very funny and contagious Thai word to say (just try it next time you’re around a Serve Bangkok team member).

Khlong Toei BTS reminded me of the slums and the day that we spent there with Timotheus of YWAM/Step Ahead Micro Enterprise Development. It was here that we not only were told stories of the poor who have been able to stay in business because of Step Ahead, but we were also able to visit them and see several of the micro-businesses they run – we even ate at one of the borrower’s kerbside food stall!

Asok was the BTS closest to our hotel – the place where the team returned for debriefs, washing parties, swimming pool antics, impromptu prayer and worship sessions, emailing, skyping, blogging and very little of the thing we needed most: sleep!

Phrom Pong BTS was the stop closest to Newsong Church Bangkok – where we joined them for dinner and a special free prayer & worship night. It was here that we experienced a taste of what it would be like to be planting an international church and the very different challenge involved in knitting expats and Thai locals – several different languages and cultures – together into one Christian community.

The walk between our hotel and Phrom Pong was also the site of perhaps the team’s funniest ghosting effort. It was here that 8 of us tandem ghosted an older couple for a good 5 minutes until the lady suspected something was up. Later on that evening, the same couple turned up to the same massage place where some of the team were at! The ghosters became the ghosted!

Phrom Pong BTS was also a very special stop for us this day as we had our last chance to meet with our fearless Serve Bangkok IV Team Leader Jess Dean! Jess is staying on in Bangkok for eight weeks to investigate different opportunities for future teams coming to Serve Bangkok. I’m not sure who was more pleased to see the other but we were so glad to share this last day together, reminisce about how amazing these last few weeks have been and also talk about plans for the future – both here and in Bangkok. Please pray for Jess for wisdom and clarity in decision making – and also to be surrounded with great and lasting friendships while she’s there.

In addition to all those fond memories, who would’ve thought what a great source of humour the skytrain station names would be for us? If you see any of the team be sure to drop any or all of these BTS stations to them in conversation: Na Na, Phloen Chit, Mo Chit, Bang Sue and Thong Lo!

I’ve still got a million thoughts running through my head which I’m sure will find their way onto the blog in some way, shape or form, but for now to wrap it up, I think Jodi summed it up perfectly when she prophesied to the girls at The Well on the last day of Serve Bangkok IV:

“Its our last day but don’t be sad. We are running our race in Australia and you are running your race here in Bangkok. For these 2 weeks our paths have crossed and we run together. We may not see each other again here but we will see each other again one day – in heaven! There we will all be together and sing together and there will be no more need for translations!”

Kup Kun Krup!

Adam (on behalf of the team).

Related Links:

* Photos from the last day in Bangkok
* The Well
* YWAM / Step Ahead Micro Enterprise Development
* Newsong Church Bangkok

Vietnam: Day Five – Hanoi

Adam — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:05:48 +0000

When in Rome do as the Romans do – the mantra for many a traveller. Today we got to do two very local Hanoi activities – one with a surprising Melbourne connection. Along the way I may just have had the meal of my life – and it was made by street kids!

Traditional Vietnam and Community

Today started off as our museum day at the Museum of Ethnology – a museum dedicated to the history of the ethnic tribes of Vietnam. In telling the story of the Vietnamese people, the museum also brought together the historic links between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and China. By far the highlight of the museum for me was each tribe’s full scale replica huts that were constructed outside the museum. Visitors were able to walk through each one and experience what it would be like to live in each tribe.

The word that has been following us this whole trip came up yet again – Community. Much of tribal living is communal. Several of the huts were the communal or tribal meeting huts. One tribe’s replica consisted of five huts in a square facing a communal courtyard – they were designed for community.

The story that stood out the most was found in one of the last huts we walked through. In this tribe, if a couple got married, the newlyweds would stay in the wife’s in-laws who would have to construct a bedroom for them. However bedroom is too generous a term because it was essentially a makeshift bamboo screen that was placed right next to the space where the mother and father in law sleep! I know the desire for community is great – but this custom may be taking it a bit too far…

Local Experience #1: Da Cau

The afternoon gave us one of two very special moments not just for today but for the entire three weeks we’ve been away. While walking through a park on the way to dinner, we saw some locals playing Hacky Sack. Not so strange. Until something caught Josh’s eye – it wasn’t a ball they were playing with but something that looked like a shuttlecock! Wierd as!

So we strolled over to have a closer inspection. These two locals were going at it like pros using body, knees and legs – the rules seemed exactly like hacky sack but the flight of this shuttlecock thing was so strange. We cheered them on from the sidelines and were over the moon when they invited us to join in a game of doubles. The shuttlecock was homemade from what looked like a Jeans button which was the centreweight and plastic streamers acting as the tail feathers. Josh and I were hopeless and the locals were rolling their eyes at our lack of skills – but that didn’t stop Josh from trying some world cup soccer back-kicks and I threw in a few headers for good measure. It was so much fun and such a workout. We were later to learn that the game is a very old one called Da Cau, with the shuttlecock itself called the Cau.

Local Experience #2: KOTO restaurant

Dinner time – and I think I may have just had the most memorable meal of my life!

For those wishing to dine for a good cause, the Vietnam Lonely Planet recommended dining at KOTO restaurant. KOTO and its philosophy of giving underprivileged streetkids a go seemed quite similar to Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen. But that’s all we knew going in – and I’m glad that we left with much more.

First impression was that all the waiters could speak English to us – that in itself stood out. The next impression was that we were actually being served! Not sure if I’m generalising but we’ve found that genuine service in Vietnamese restaurants has been quite lacking. Sometimes its due to language difficulties which is understandable. Sometimes we get no service at all. Sometimes we get served so aggresively it borders on stalking – where every spoonful consumed is watched like a hawk and a plate or glass is taken away the moment one puts it down. In KOTO our waiter – for the first time in Vietnam – actually *asked* us if we were finished and if he could take a plate away. Wow! Something was different here.

During the course of the meal – and I *will* get to that later – we asked our waiters, Cong and Thanh, to tell us a little about KOTO and were blown away by what we heard. There was so much to take in but here it is in summary form:

* KOTO stands for “Know One, Teach One”

* KOTO takes in street kids and orphans who are disadvantaged and offers them a chance to change their lives through the medium of cooking & hospitality.

* KOTO only accepts 25 students per year – the year that our waiters enrolled, there were over 250 applicants. Each applicant is interviewed and examined. Those who pass the exam and are most in need are accepted.

* KOTO students are enrolled in a 2 year Cooking or Front-Of-House service course that is run by Box Hill TAFE! Students study life skills (such as English, budgeting & sex education) on top of their vocational training in the KOTO training centre for four days per week and then spend two days per week in on-the-job training at the restaurant.

* KOTO students progress through ‘ranks’ and these are visible on the sleeve on their uniforms. New students are red, intermediate students are orange and experienced students are green. Our waiters were so proud to be green!

*After the two years, students leave the program and KOTO helps them find a place to work. KOTO has such a great reputation that students are snapped up immediately (and its not hard to see why).

Our waiter Cong shared with us some of his story which was amazing. His father died while he was very young and his mother is disabled. He is the oldest of four children and the only one who could work. A friend introduced him to KOTO and he was interviewed and accepted. Since then his life has been completely changed – he counts himself as so lucky. KOTO isn’t just a place to work – its a family. All the people he works with are like brothers and sisters. He is so grateful to KOTO and its founder – Jimmy Pham (a Vietnamese Australian) – who he knows well and says is a very loving, generous man.

Cong is three months away from finishing and would like to work in a five star hotel somewhere – and earn enough money to not just support his family but to give back to KOTO. He was also so proud to show us the “Graduate Gallery” on level two where photos of past students are framed and hung on the walls. All of the students are now working in the hospitality field – some are even working overseas. One of Cong’s friends is in Dubai. He also showed me a picture of a graduate who was working overseas and is now the head chef of this restaurant here in Hanoi – and was the one who cooked my meal tonight.

And what a meal it was!

We started with the KOTO Starter Plate that consisted of fried Pork wontons and a combination of Vegetarian & Beef Spring Rolls. Presentation was A1 and needless to say was delicious!

Josh ordered the Crabmeat Ravioli which he downed like there was no tomorrow but that unfortunately for him any conversation between the two of us ended as KOTO had transported me to another world when they brought out my Five Spice Duck on Potato & Mushroom cake.

THANK YOU LORD!

I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever enjoyed a meal that much. Every flavour worked, the duck was perfection – just crisp on the outside, tender on the inside and complimented the jus on the side perfectly. The potato and mushroom was to die for! I could have that meal over and over. Wow.

I may have just had the meal of my life.

And the food was just the beginning.

If you’re ever in Hanoi, you *MUST* dine at this place!

Till tomorrow,

Adam

Related Links:

* KOTO restaurant

* More info on Da Cau on Youtube

* Photos from Vietnam: Day Five – Hanoi

Vietnam: Day Four – Return to Hanoi

Adam — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:16:28 +0000

Today was a day of goodbyes and hellos as we left Halong Bay and returned to explore more of Hanoi. At the same time we farewelled some new friends that we’ve made along the way. Its quite extraordinary that it only took less than three days to build a sense of community. Even though we’ve only just met our fellow travellers, it feels strange not having them around. That word, community, would crop up yet again before the day was done.

Deja Vu

It felt a bit like Deja Vu, because in a similar way to Serve Bangkok: Day Eleven, today was going to be a day of ‘last times’. This was the last time we’d be on our Junk, the last meal our tour group would be sharing, the last time we’d spend with our travel companions and the last we’d see of our tour guide, Duan.

Despite the sadness of saying goodbyes it was a spectacular day to be on the water, departing Cat Ba Island and returning across Halong Bay to the mainland. It was also sad to know that we’d be leaving the peace and beauty of this place for the noise, pace & grime of Hanoi. I had to force myself to check my attitude so that I could look forward to whatever awaited us in Hanoi.

The four hour bus trip back to Hanoi from Halong Harbour went much faster than expected. I reckon Josh made the purchase of the entire trip when he bought his aptly named Belkin Rockstar five way headphone splitter. He had half the bus hooked up to his MP3 player as he was playing sister Jess Lee’s upcoming EP on the way home.

Goodbyes & Hellos

Arriving back in Hanoi - we said goodbyes and exchanged details with Stuart from England, the most amazing family from the Netherlands – Theo, Elza, Matts & Thom – and of course our tour guide, Duan. It was so funny because I think everyone wanted a proper goodbye with hugs and photos but Duan quickly kicked those leaving off the bus because we weren’t supposed to be stopping in peak hour traffic! So we all mouthed our goodbyes through the bus windows as our driver sped away!

I’m still amazed at how great it was to be sharing all our Halong Bay experiences with them. Funny how paths cross when travelling – Stu will continue to join he Dutch family as they all travel to the remote village of Sapa to experience true Vietnamese tribal living. We know they’re going to have a great time together!

The perfect Creme Caramel?

Josh & I found a great French restaurant for dinner not far from where we were staying and indulged in some amazing steaks – the first we’ve had since being overseas! I’m so loving the French influence over here! So much so that my search for the perfect Satay has now been usurped by the search for the perfect Creme Caramel while we’re in Hanoi! I tried one at this restaurant but I’d only rate it a 7.5 out of 10. This is one search that I’m going to enjoy!

Community

On the walk home we remarked about the number of people who were out and about on the streets at 11pm on a monday night. Even though most of the shops and market stalls had shut, people were gathered on the sidewalks in the dark everywhere in groups of at least 6, some larger, sitting on makeshift chairs, some cooking on small stoves, some lit by only mobile phone light, their motor bikes and scooters parked everywhere.

It dawned on us. Community was happening all around us. There was that word again.

We talked about it all the way home. One thought we had was that high density living (every house here is 4 or 5 stories and are joined by party walls) actually contributes to and encourages community. People are forced to live in each others faces and spaces – both in the same building and in the buildings up and down the street. Combine that with the fact that everyone has a motorbike and a mobile phone so one is always within easy reach of everyone else in your circle. If one decided to do something, one’s whole group of friends could be there within 5 minutes *with food* (important!)

It made me think of the contrast with our Australian desire to still want our own big house on a quarter acre block. Even though we all have cars, for some reason its still not that convenient. Its an effort to get people together spontaneously. In fact its almost rude to drop in un-announced. We still want community and relationships, but do we try and organise it on our terms behind our fences? Is the very thing we need (community & relationship) at odds with the desires of our culture (to own your own home & be independent)? Could inconvenience and spontaneity be the best thing for us – rather than convenience and schedules?

Obviously the answer to building better community is far greater than high density living but I’ll be giving this one a bit more thought – and not just because I’m involved in property development!

Till tomorrow,

Adam

Related Links:

* Photos from Vietnam: Day Four – Return to Hanoi

Vietnam: Day Three – Cat Ba Island

Adam — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:35:06 +0000

Who would’ve thought – even 2 days ago – that we would be waking up this morning on an old Junk floating in the middle of the most stunning bay of limestone islands? I was a bit hesitant to sleep overnight on a boat (sea-sickness wasn’t high on my to-do list) but the boat was so still all night that I couldn’t even tell we were on water. How wonderful to greet the day with such a stunning vista and end it with new found friends!

Cat Ba Island

The plan for today was to spend the day at Cat Ba Island – the largest island in Halong Bay.

We reached Cat Ba Island around 9am and was picked up by a crowded minibus that had no air-conditioning! We knew that part of our tour included a hike but no one was told that it would happen straight after docking! I think everyone was expecting to check in to our island hotel first, have a shower and then get changed into suitable hiking gear. But in true survivor style – we were herded off the minibus, dropped off at Cat Ba National Park with whatever we were wearing and directed straight up the hiking trail!

Ngu Lam Peak

And what started out as a pleasant stroll ended up as more than just a trail – it was a 70 degree climb to the top of Ngu Lam Peak with some irregular steps, mud everywhere, rusty ladders and tricky footholds. I was wearing a pair of runners that were barely adequate – I felt sorry for all the poor guys who did the ascent in thongs!

By the time we got to the top, 45 minutes later, everyone had lost about 5kg in sweat – from both the humidity and the energy exerted! I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in such a short period of time. When we finally got to the top, there was a fantastic view but for the competitive amongst us, it wasn’t over.

There was a tower at the top that went a further 225m higher that we simply *had* to climb. Attached to the tower was a sign that warned people to only climb five at a time. Usually I’d poo-poo such a sign – that is until I got on this thing and felt the rusting steel shake with every step. Then anytime another tourist wanted to get on, all five of us who were already climbing yelled at them in unison!

Getting to the top was no easy feat – I’m usually okay with heights but the metal steps were made of such thin strips that it looked like every step you were taking was into thin air – straight down! The viewing platform at the top wasn’t any better – the floorboards were creaky and loose reminding you of your precarious position. Thankfully the risk was worth it – the 360 degree view was absolutely stunning!

What goes up must come down

The next challenge was getting down. In and of itself this was already a challenge but now it was getting to the busy part of the day and more and more tourists were arriving to do the trek. It was already difficult enough making our way up in single file, now we had to go down – the same way – weaving our way in and out of sweaty foreigners. It wasn’t unlike being in a mosh pit on a 36 degree day at an outdoor festival….uuuurrrgghhhh….

After what seemed like forever, we got to the bottom where Josh and I both almost went head over tail on the very last step! Thankfully we held it together because a few steps more revealed a freshwater well. Everyone was so happy to drench themselves in the cool water found there. There was not a dry patch to be found anywhere…

Cat Ba Town

Thankfully the evening was a whole lot less work (I don’t think the tour operators were told we were on holiday!). We arrived in Cat Ba Town which is the main town centre for Cat Ba Island. It was a bit reminiscent of Bondi Beach in shape and outlook but that’s about where the similarities ended – all the hotels were on one side in a semi circular fashion overlooking the water. Unlike Bondi, this water wasn’t for swimming however – it was a working port for boats. A swimming beach was 10 minutes walk in the opposite direction.

We checked into our hotel which was spectacular – it was the newest and tallest hotel on the promenade. We can’t believe that we could afford a place like this on the budget tour we are on! Bonus was that air conditioning and Wi-Fi were both awesome not to mention the view!

Unfortunately the praise pretty much ends at the hotel – Cat Ba Town is really quiet (especially for Vietnamese standards). There are the usual street vendors and night shops but they all pretty much sell the same things as each other. Josh & I searched high and low for a pub, bar, even Karaoke to hang out to no avail. I’m sure they exist but with barely any people inside them (other than restaurants) there wasn’t really much of a night scene.

The best thing about backpacking?

What was great though was spending some time with a few new friends we’ve made over the course of the last few days. Possibly one of the best things about backpacking is that every now and then your path criss-crosses with a few others. Tonight our path just so happened to cross again with Stuart, a builder from London, and Lu & Nandi, two students from Seattle who are here to study Vietnamese history and culture.

We met Stuart on day 1 on the bus from Hanoi to Halong Bay and thought we lost him as he was booked onto a different Junk. The next day we bump into him again when we had to transfer Junks. Lu & Nandi were in a different group trekking through Cat Ba National Park at the same time as us earlier today. They both gave us a Vietnamese history lesson while we were hiking.

It was great to be ending the day sharing stories and laughing at shared experiences with new found friends over Mango Creme Brulee, Chocolate Fondant & Green Bean Ice Creams!

Its actually going to be a bit sad to think that tomorrow we’ll all be leaving this magical place and each other – perhaps never to meet again…

Adam

Related Links:

* Photos from Vietnam: Day Three – Cat Ba Island

Vietnam: Day 2 – Halong Bay

Adam — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:46:57 +0000

Xin Chao! Today was always going to be an excellent day! This is the day that we get to go to Halong Bay. Prior to the trip, whenever we mentioned that we were going to Vietnam, the first question anyone who had any experience of Vietnam asked us was: “Are you going to Halong Bay?”. So we made sure that whatever happened, we would find our way there. So now writing this post at midnight while in our air conditioned (very important!) private room floating on a Junk nestled between limestone islands in Halong Bay, I can say – everything we heard was true. This place is *AMAZING*!

Leaving for Halong Bay

After being spoilt with a free brekky (including a great ice coffee with condensed milk) from our hostel, Josh & I made our way through the Vietnamese countryside on a four and a half hour bus trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

It was good to see the country – but the honking never leaves you, no matter how far from the city you get. We unfortunately passed an accident where a guy drove his car over the curb down a ditch into a rice field – probably about a 2 metre drop. With the number of head-on overtaking manouvers all drivers were pulling (ours included) I’m surprised we only saw one accident. Driving here was like a continual game of chicken – we toyed with other cars, bikes, buses, trucks and even cement mixers – only to pull in again at the last minute (to a symphony of honking!)

Josh the “Supa Star!”

Josh and I spent much of the bus trip getting to know some of the other tourists on the bus as well as our tour guide, Duan, a lot better. Duan gave us more Vietnamese lessons and we talked a lot about life, love and tourism! As has been my custom on this trip, I again made it a point to ensure that all locals realised that they were in the presence of Josh the “Supa Star”! So wanting to keep the fans happy, and being the consummate professional that he is, Josh pulls out his MP3 player, plugs us all in and puts on some tunes. To Duan’s delight, Josh picks some tracks that he’s played on including sister Jess Lee’s upcoming (& yet-to-be-released!) new album which now becomes the soundtrack to our Halong Bay expedition! Btw, Jess if you’re reading this – cracker of an album! “I can wait” is soooo catchy and was perfect road-trippin’ material!

Halong Bay

After making a toilet stop at a cheesy Vietnamese tourist centre, we finally saw our first glimpse of Halong Bay. Even from a distance, it was confirmation that today was going to be an amazing day. We arrive at Halong City harbour where our Junk, the Canh Buom, is waiting for us. The Junks are genuine, old sailing vessels that have been converted inside with modern amenities. We have an *incredible* private room with modern bathroom and a view to die for.

Caving

The Junk sets sail and we have time for a delicious lunch as well as getting to know our fellow tourists. After not too long we make our first stop: Cave Island – which very much looked like something out of Jurassic Park. I’m not that into caves so was glad that this wasn’t too long a detour. The great part about the caves are that they’re about 10 degrees cooler – almost feels air conditioned. The interesting thing that Duan, our tour guide, mentioned is that this cave is sometimes called the cave of Heaven because, depending on the angle you’re looking from, the stalactites and stalacmites sometimes look like people and animals. I found it interesting that some people think that this is what Heaven will look like – its not the heaven I’d want to end up in! There was one very cool section where the roof had caved in and a tunnel of light shone through to the caves below. It reminded me of the stone being rolled away from Jesus’ tomb and only light being in its place.

Island Hopping

We did heaps more island hopping (including James Bond island!) aboard the Junk and just had a great time relaxing, reading, and chatting with the other guests. As we sail, the two things I love are that the islands are completely untouched and that locals still use the bay for their day-to-day activities (fishing and transportation). We passed so many fishermen in tiny sanpans – it wasn’t like we were at a tourist destination but that we were allowed to catch a glimpse of locals doing their everyday thing.

Swimming with Jellyfish

Along the way we were warned about – and saw – several jellyfish in the water. Some were really long-tentacled ones. That didn’t stop most of us from experiencing the highlight of the day – jumping off the Junk and swimming in Halong Bay! There was a bit of commotion as two of us who jumped in brushed a Jellyfish or two – but no serious harm was done. The water was *soooo* warm and inviting and every angle that you looked, you were surrounded by nature’s wonders. It was truly an unforgettable experience! I still can’t believe that yesterday we had no idea what we were going to do and today we’re bobbing up and down in one of the most spectacular settings anywhere on the planet. What a moment.

Dinner on board

We ended the day sharing dinner with a Dutch family who are on the same tour as us. They have two young boys who are both massively into music so Josh is having a field day talking music with them. We’re both so blown away (& jealous) that these kids are already bilingual at 10 years of age – effortlessly switching between Dutch and English.

Dinner was amazing yet again – with the highlight being an incredibly fresh grilled fish in some special Vietnamese saucy goodness. We also tried Dragon Fruit for the first time. Josh reckons it tasted like a cross between a kiwi and a potatoe. I reckon I’d pay that.

Local Experience #2

Unfortunately we finished the night on a bit of a sour note as there was a *massive* argument on our Junk. Another Junk had anchored alongside ours for the night and their captain came aboard our Junk and started yelling and screaming – and went on like this for half an hour. (If you haven’t heard Vietnamese before, its already an aggresive sounding language – without raising one’s voice!). It got so bad that it pretty much put a damper on everyone’s night so we all retired to our rooms. Later on we found out that the other Captain actually owns the fleet and was venting because he just found out that his son was involved in a fight and may have to go to prison. Although I’m not entirely sure what that had to do with our Junk’s captain. What was surprising was that the Vietnamese culture is one of ’saving face’ so to have such a public outburst – in front of paying customers – was remarkable.

So even though the night ended a bit strange, on the bright side we seem to be experiencing a very ‘authentic’ Vietnam – being shafted by a street vendor on Day One and being involved in a domestic on Day Two!

What could possibly happen tomorrow?

Adam

Related Links:

* Photos from Vietnam: Day 2 – Halong Bay

Vietnam: Day 1 – Hanoi

Adam — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:49:59 +0000

Good morning Vietnam! Josh and I have arrived in Hanoi on a wing and a prayer! We left our plans really open – the only thing we had confirmed was the first night’s accommodation at a backpacker’s hostel and that was it! We’d go with the flow and figure out all the other details on the fly! So far that looks like it was a good choice.

Arriving

It was fortunate thing that the only other thing we did plan was to agree to have the hostel arrange for a taxi to pick us up from the airport on arrival. I’m so glad we did – reading the Lonely Planet for Hanoi revealed that a number of dodgy taxi drivers take unwitting tourists to establishments that sound very similar in name to reputable hostels, but who then go on to charge more – sometimes double.

So we arrived in Hanoi airport with fingers crossed – thank God that the taxi driver was indeed there to pick us up as promised. That was such a relief. So at least initial transport was sorted.

Money

Next came money. Compared to Bangkok, Josh & I were so underprepared for Vietnam! We were such ignoramuses – we didn’t even know what the exchange rate was between Aus dollars and Vietnamese Dong (we still don’t)! We had only just gotten used to dividing everything by 25 for Thailand – now in Vietnam we had to divide by roughly 13,000!!! I think it’ll be the only time in my life that I’ll ever withdraw 2,000,000 dollars from an ATM! So now, at least money was sorted too.

Language

Yet another thing we were underprepared for was language. For Bangkok we had Gavin to teach us basic Thai. This time we had no one – and we hadn’t prepared at all! So for the 45 minute drive from the airport to Hanoi, we had basic Vietnamese lessons from our taxi driver.

Road Rules

While in the taxi we were also very quickly educated about Vietnamese road rules – there are none!!! No lanes. No lights. No courtesy. Just go. Go where you want, when you want, then its everyone else’s problem to maneuver around you. It actually made me think of the effect that this sort of attitude has on the Vietnamese as a people – but thats for another post.

Hanoi

We arrived at the hostel to be greeted by the hustle and bustle of possibly the most Asian streetscape I’ve ever been in – it was straight out of the history books. Women wearing straw hats carrying baskets of vegetables and rice suspended from long poles. Open sewer smells. Street vendors on the side of the road. Dirt, grime & muck everywhere. Motorbikes and bicycles galore.

Oh, and the honking! Honking is actually a form of communication here – not just when you’re getting road rage during a traffic jam. Josh & I tried to time the longest gap of silence between honks and couldn’t get past 2 seconds. Its incredible…

Hostel

So we finally check in to the hostel and the guy, Bao, is brilliant. He speaks fluent English, is funny, personable and ever the salesman books us into a 3 day, 2 night Halong Bay tour. Within 5 minutes of entering the hostel we’ve got the next 3 days figured out for us.

So how much would you expect to pay for a package that includes 3 days away, 2 nights – with one night spent onboard an airconditioned luxury renovated Junk and the other night in a 4 star island hotel, plus caving, kayaking, swimming, trekking, transportation to and from AND all meals included? Can you believe Aus $80?????? Josh was saying its cheaper to do this than to stay home!!!

Internet

So we were pretty stoked. This “go-with-the-flow” plan was really working for us. Now that we had accommodation and the next 3 days sorted it was time to hit Hanoi. We stopped at a local cafe just to get our bearings – with the added advantage that it was offering free wi-fi (ie. Hello Twitter!!!). There we were served up the most *amazing* bread that I’ve had since leaving Australia – thanks to Vietnam’s French history.

Meat Market

We spent the rest of the day exploring Hanoi. We have an amazing streetside meat market thats just around the corner from our hostel. It was pretty high on the gross out factor. As well as the to-be-expected Asian ‘unusual fare’ such as pigs heads, chicken feet & maggots(!), we saw live frogs and chickens being killed & gutted. I’m normally not too grossed out by different customs, but seeing frogs being bludgeoned to death & quivering their last breaths in front of me was pretty upsetting.

Random Hanoi Observations:

* Humidity is astonishing. We thought Bangkok was humid – this takes it to another level. I was very tempted to go topless but my agent quickly informed me that my contract wouldn’t allow me to expose my washboard abs without payment upfront…

* English is virtually non-existent here so if you’re thinking of coming, brush up on your Vietnamese!

* Did I mention the honking? This is definitely not the city to come to for some peace and quiet!

* Did I mention the hucking? I had spitballs hucked up and spat right in front of me three times in 2 hours.

* Houses are really skinny (about the width of a single garage) but go straight up. We’ve seen seven storey skinny houses. There’s actually a really great story behind this but I’ll save that for another post.

* The Vietnamese language in its current form was developed by a Missionary – Alexander De Rhodes – who was evangelising to the Vietnamese people. Its yet another great story that is worth a post in its own right – but if you’re intrigued, you should google him! Every time I see something written in Vietnamese it makes me think of the legacy of this man of God!

* The women appear to be the hard working ones here. Every street vendor and every ‘courier’ (woman carrying baskets of goods on a pole) was a woman. And there were *heavy* goods being sold…There were a whole lot of men, on the other hand, sitting around on street corners drinking beer, playing cards, just hanging around. I’m going to have to find out more about this…

Night Markets

Josh and I ended the day at the night markets. There was *heaps* for sale however it appeared to be a matter of quantity over quality as the exact same items for sale were being sold at 10 different vendors and most were of a very budget nature. The encouraging thing was that the markets were full of locals with barely a foreigner in sight so this one wasn’t for the tourists.

The other cool thing (Nat Valle – you’re going to love this) is that the shops in each street in Hanoi pretty much specialises in one thing. So its kind of like the entire city is one massive department store with each street being an ‘aisle’. So one street is devoted to mens clothes, one street to electronics, one street to fresh food, one street for animals – and the rest to female fashion!

Falling for the oldest trick in the book

Despite the lack of foreign tourists, we fell for the oldest trick in the book. A street vendor tried to sell us some pineapple to which we politely refused because we had just finished some that we bought from another vendor. She then took a different tack and asked where we were going and pointed on my map where we should go. I thought that was very helpful. When I turned around she had placed the pole carrying her baskets on my shoulder and invited Josh to take photos of me. When Josh had finished she demanded payment for the pineapples (that we didn’t want) and started raising her voice and complaining. We paid her off just to get rid of her but I was so dark that her ‘helpfulness’ was in actuality, opportunistic. I hope that this is not a representation of the Vietnamese people – I was sad that this was one of my first impressions. I don’t think I can ever look innocently at another pineapple again!

Till tomorrow!

Adam

Related Links:

* Photos from Vietnam: Day 1 – Hanoi

Serve Bangkok IV: Day Eleven

Adam — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:46:14 +0000

All good things must come to an end, or so the saying goes. Right now its almost midnight, I’m sitting on my bed in a blackened room looking out at the night lights of the city of Bangkok from our hotel window. I’m supposed to be up in about 3 hours in order to get to the airport on time but sleep is far from me. I’ve got about a million thoughts running through my head right now – and about the same number of emotions through my heart – as I try and process every experience that has happened over the last 11 days & 12 nights.

I’ll leave a summary of the entire trip for another post – that will require a whole lot more processing. Besides, today has more than enough to keep my mind occupied.

Perhaps I’m the sentimental kind, but knowing that everything we did today would be for the last time made everything we did today count all the more. Even little things like breakfast became even more valuable because it was the last time we’d do brekky as a team.

Our session at The Well was yet another emotional roller coaster as Jess led everyone present in a sharing time of everything that God had done and spoken in and through us over our time here.

Girl after girl got up and shared of how God has somehow used something that the team had offered – music, drawing, time, heart, friendship – and spoke something very deep and special into their lives. The team should have been sponsored by Kleenex! There were tears flowing and flowing easily.

I was so touched when one of the girls I was teaching guitar, got up to share in front of everyone, then couldn’t say a word as she just couldn’t stop crying. In the words of Ronin Keating: “You say it best when you say nothing at all”…(Gordo – that one was for you!

A special highlight for many of us was the presentations of the Visual Arts elective students led by Gavin and Gordo. We didn’t see much of them during the week as they were in a different centre but their stories of their God-inspired drawings were yet again heart wrenching. Gav outdid himself yet again (dont know how he keeps on doing that) when he showed a photo presentation of a compilation of all the artwork that the girls had produced set to worship music – *gulp* (excuse me while I clear the frog in my throat)!

Then the moment came that we had all been working towards: bringing all the electives together to play the song “Everything” (including the extra verse that they wrote!). What a proud moment when we as a team could sit back and watch our students play together by themselves – something that they didn’t (and even we didn’t!) think they could do when we started working with them a mere 7 days ago!

Richelle finished off our session at The Well on a perfect note by giving a solo acoustic rendition of the song she co-wrote with Miranda – Beautiful Girl. Once again, you could have heard a pin drop. It was so evident that this was more than a song – but a gift from God to the girls at The Well (that we got to share as well!).

It took us forever to say goodbye – I can’t believe how much the girls honoured us and thanked us. Even girls who I wasn’t teaching and hadn’t really had a chance to get to know wanted to have their photo taken with me and were thanking me. I should have been thanking them – I don’t think they’ll ever know how much I learnt from them as opposed to being the one who was supposed to be teaching them.

With that we returned back to the hotel – once again for the last time as a team – as we had to check out by 4pm. With everyone packed we had one final team debrief. I think everyone just couldn’t believe how much God’s hand has been on every part of this trip – from the planning, logistics, team dynamic, teaching, language barriers, relationships, slums, bars, quiet times… He has just been in all and through all and all we could do was just be amazed and grateful that we had the privilege of playing some small part in all that He is doing in this city of Bangkok.

He truly is the God of this city.

On behalf of the team, thanks for your prayers, comments, support, emails, feedback – everything! Hope you’ve been just as encouraged reading these blog posts as we have been writing them.

Adam

PS. Josh & I will be travelling to Vietnam for the next 6 days so, depending on internet access, I will try to keep posting our adventures. You are welcome to keep coming back here to follow our journey! See you in Vietnam!

Serve Bangkok IV: Day Ten Youtube

Adam — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:47:04 +0000