From Lizards to Leeches

Today our team had church, and heard the powerful testimony of Hien, who was imprisoned and in a refugee camp for years. I can't say why or Who saved him from despair but you know...


For Sunday R&R we rented motorbikes and rode north then onto a dirt road, then We scrambled down cliffs, swam and slid thru rivers, then hiked to a sweet waterfall:






The downside to the waterfall is the realization that Ow! hey what are all those little brown things on my-- AACK! LEECHES! under my watch, in my shoes, holy cow is that a snake on my calf? We took turns doing the leech removal dance today


needless to say there was no skinny dipping at the waterfall...




What tastes like chicken but 1000 times chewier? LIZARD meat! It's the Vietnamese version of Extra gum - seriously 20 minutes later I still had a piece of ??? in my teeth. For bonus points, click on the photo and see if you can find: a)lizard teeth b)lizard tongue c)your appetite after staring at a cooked lizard...


30km south of A Luoi, and for about 50 cents, you can seep in sulfurous scorching springs as long as you can stand - we did:


The best thing about the hot springs was riding past miles of rice paddies and villages on the motorbike

Crowd control!

Word has spread to surrounding areas, and I guess they like us! Today we were met by this substantially larger swarm


We looked out and saw Mike was stuck in the mass of people - he was eventually rescued, to the amusement of all...


Everyone was really very patient and kind, and we saw even more than we hoped - over 300 patients today!




these hands belong to a young lady who is losing function in her dominant (right) hand due to an enlarging tumor. We are taking her to Hue to see a hand surgeon for evaluation and treatment, courtesy of VWAM.




My interpreter Phuong, who is now assisting me in surgery each day!


These marks are from a common practice of pinching the skin in specific areas (poor man's acupuncture?) to cure various disorders. I'll let you know how it works...


Here's a handmade wooden fetoscope I am using - what a delight it is to tell the women their baby has a healthy heartbeat!

first clinic in A Luoi

So, maybe the hotel isn't quite as nice, maybe there is no A/C, the TP is microsized, the shower sprays directly onto the toilet and the bath towels are the size of American hand-towels, but I tell you the team worked long and hard today with a fantastic attitude!

here is our delightful pharmacy crew for example






We saw many more elderly patients today, many in traditional dress


by lunchtime the clinic was so popular we had to part the "seas" to get back in!


This 49-year-old lady is nearly blinded by cataracts, but thanks to VWAM and you our sponsors, her surgery is covered, and she should have her vision restored this week!


Here is a poor little baby covered in scabies



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this was our traditional breakfast this a.m.


I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings - stay tuned!
remember you can click on any photo to see it larger, and if you want to save a copy on your computer, right click and choose "Save Image As"

welcome to A Luoi!

Before we left Hue we went to the BottleCap cafe, where a hilarious man entertained us with his bottlecap removing skills (including making the bottle opener out of a stick, a nut and a bolt)- see photo above - he is in back, the opener in front COULD BE YOURS if you are the first to guess the meaning of the gang signs below. Post your guesses in the comment section, and first correct guess wins. Team members and immediate family are not eligible.



We arrived safely in "A Loui", about 10-20 miles from the border with Laos, the poorest area of Vietnam we've ever been to.

So here's how we got there:





a brief pit stop for a, um, waterfall?




A Luoi people are wonderful...









After dinner some of us stayed up late doing, yes, you guessed it - KARAOKE ! ! !

from Joyce and Jess Mayfield

from Joyce and Jess Mayfield: (click on images to view larger size)

Gary Jacobson's photos

Here are a few of Gary Jacobson's photos fresh off his camera - these are people at our clinic: