Today our group split in two.
One group went to a Hoi An community garden. We rode
there on bicycles, which was quite an adventure in itself, battling motorcycles
and bicycles swerving in a synchronised dance. The things we saw can not be
well described in words. The beauty and the poverty, the heat, the smells, the
traffic, the animals roaming freely: families of chickens, friendly dogs, lots
of butterflies, wild flowers, interesting fruit. Some of the motorbikes have 4
people on them, some riding side saddle, some holding large items.
At the garden we shovelled cow manure; dug plants out of
the river which we then chopped up; heard interesting information about
permaculture and these people's passion for building a sustainable garden from
land which had been affected by Agent Orange from the Vietnam War.
We had a wonderful Vietnamese banquet lunch, followed by
a refreshing swim. The afternoon consisted of learning about and trying some of
the traditional crafts and ways of earning a living: weaving mats, and making
rice noodles over a fire. Our working day finished with creating a giant
compost heap, using the items we collected this morning, and loading bamboo
onto a truck.
Group two embarked on a house building project. This
house was a two room house shared by a mother and son, the poorest in the
village. We were adding two rooms to this house because it had no kitchen and
no toilet or bathroom.
The first task we were assigned was to move a huge pile
of bricks in the scorching sun into the worksite. Then some of us helped Phuong
make cement; he spoke little English but was very friendly. Others were asked
to demolish a small wall. After 3 hours of hard labour we went to a bed and
breakfast-esque villa, where we were treated to a Vietnamese lunch and a
refreshing swim in the pool.
When we returned to the house, we worked side by side
with other villagers laying bricks, and establishing a foundation for our
kitchen.
The day ended with a beautiful swim at Hoi An beach and a
delectable barefoot dinner at an ocean front restaurant.
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