VIETNAM January 2009

Visit to Winrock International's USAID-funded
'Asia Regional Biodiversity Conservation Program'

making bamboo handicrafts

bamboo vases nearing completion

Dong Nai river ferry crossing to Cat Tien National Park, some remnant forest giants poking out

a monstrous tree

'Extinction Sucks'!!

arriving at Crocodile Lake

where they've re-introduced the endangered Siamese crocodile

bear recovery center

drying rice (or is it corn?) out on the highway

transporting bamboo from the forest, where it will feed Vietnam's processing sector

crossing a 'bridge'

to visit the farmer's agroforest plots, where they grow bamboo and cacao, and get land use rights in exchange for preventing deforerstation

some friendly neighborhood high school students try out their English on us

duck crossing traffic jam

off to market

Hanoi at night

around the lake

lights gearing up for Tet, Vietnam's New Year

Weekend in Ho Chi Minh City with Craig and Carolyn Martin!!!!

fried fish!

dishing up dinner

Crossing the mighty Mekong, en route to the 'Golden Scorpion' water park

vendor selling us some 'lug chit' palm seeds off her boat

here's the 'lug chit'

chillin'

boats and platform diving

and a water slide!!

Craig taking the wheel

Dinner in Saigon, with my Peace Corps trainers Ooy and Noi

Saigon's opera house

amazing balancing acrobats, at the zoo

mmmm crab

a shiny glowy thing

Saigon at night, in the warm-up to Tet

comfy road-side seating

nap-time

corn and coconut milk dessert

the Post Office

one of Saigon's many beautiful parks

fresh coconut!

Craig and I in front of the Reunification Palace