Cambodia, Part I

32-This Japanese ship, the Kunisaki, met us in Vietnam and has also come with USNS Mercy to Cambodia.

33-Gari (nurse from Boise, Idaho) at Serendipity Beach at Sihanoukville, Cambodia.


34-A Cambodian food vendor at Serendipity Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia.


35-Gari (nurse from Boise, Idaho) and Liz (ophthalmologist from Sydney, Australia) take a ride in a Tuk Tuk (with Jeff and Helen) around Sihanoukville, Cambodia. A photo of the Tuk Tuk will be coming later. By the way, when I told Liz that Mikel had been a member of the marching band that played at the opening ceremonies for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, she said that she had attended the opening ceremonies, and had probably seen him.


36-At the Market in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, standing by one of the fruit sections. The market is huge, with open ends, and many aisles. I've been there twice, and haven't yet seen the whole thing.


37-Kelli tries her hand at some impromptu badminton in front of one of the shops near the market in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.


38-At sunset, our Tuk Tuk driver drove us to the fishing village where his family lives. The dook (boat) just to the left of center is about to depart on a five day round trip to Thailand.


39-The family of the captain of the boat that is leaving for Thailand lives in the house to the right, and our Tuk Tuk driver's family lives in the green house just to its left.

How about if I try out some of my Cambodian on you?

Sooh suh-day.
Kuh-nyohm chuh-mu-ah Nelson.
Kuh-nyohm ma bee sah-rowt AA-me-rihk.
Sohk sa-baay day?

(Hi. My name is Nelson. I'm an American. How are you?)

Vietnam, Part II

23-Kelli and Georgia at the Long Khanh Pagoda in Quy Nhon, Viet Nam.

23b-Taylor (who speaks Vietnamese and Cambodian), Amy Wilde (from Alberta) and Kayla go shopping at a small stationery store in Quy Nhon (pronounced Wee Nyong), Vietnam (pronounced Vee-et nam, NOT Vee-et nom).

24-The Buddha statue at the Long Khanh Pagoda.

25-Inside a shrine at the Long Khanh Pagoda, Quy Nhon, Viet Nam.

26-Here's the second photo from inside the pagoda: A group chants and meditates inside the Long Khanh Pagoda.

27-At the beach at Quy Nhon, a Vietnamese child checks out a mysterious creature.

28-On the beach at Quy Nhon, Viet Nam, fresh sealant is applied to a small Vietnamese fishing boat; in the background, USNS Mercy can be seen.

29-Kite flying at the park near the beach in Quy Nhon, Viet Nam.

30-The market at 110 Nguyen Hue in Quy Nhon, Viet Nam is in a kind of a breezeway (which made it a nice place to shop when it was raining); Georgia (ICU nurse from Salt Lake City) is checking out the many fruits and vegetables which are available for purchase.

31-The Vietnamese boat that we took from USNS Mercy to visit Quy Nhon.

31b-A statue of Nguyen Hue, Vietnamese hero from the 1700's, overlooks the harbor at Quy Nhon, Viet Nam.

Vietnam, Part I

15-On the way to Vietnam--A few days before we got to Vietnam, Lizzy (from England), who works in the Pediatric Ward, suggested that "Under the Sea" decorations would brighten up the Pediatric Ward. So a group worked with construction paper and glue and markers to make decorations. From left to right: Liz, Gari, Kayla, Georgia, Amy Wilde, Lizzy, Taylor, and Kent.

16-Here's a photo of kids flying kites in the park along the beach in Quy Nhon (pronounced Wee Nyong) Vietnam.



17-Here's a funny photo. The first day ashore in Vietnam, I couldn't find a floppy hat big enough for me, so I bought a bamboo hat. The women are laughing because, in Vietnam, only women wear these hats; but the sun was hot that day, so I used it.


18-Nguyen Hue street in Quy Nhon, showing the scooter traffic, and also the construction that is found almost everywhere.



19-At the beach at Quy Nhon, a volleyball game is is progress, with USNS Mercy in the background.


20-Transportation for a family of 4, Vietnam style!



21-June 6, 2010, the 8 p.m. LDS Group Meeting aboard USNS Mercy. "Jonesy" and Jeff in front; from the left, Army Captain Blunck, Louise (Vets without Borders), Bert and Charla Nielsen (who will be going to South Africa the end of November), Kelly, Amy Wilde, Helen, Gari, Karen, Steve, Kayla, Jeff Hamilton, Lizzy, Brad, Cathy, Delores, and Cliff. Hi, everyone. I finally got a clear photo that included Bert and Charla Nielsen, so I thought I'd send it and include David. I'm trying to remember to take a photo after each LDS group meeting, because that's one thing I regret not doing two years ago; it's so easy to forget who was there each different day.


22-At the harbor at Quy Nhon, one of the ships may have had some sort of association with BYU. (smiley face!)

Guam

9-Here's a photo from Gab Gab Beach at Guam. Kayla is in front. Others, from left to right: Amy Jensen (Alberta), LT Brad Clove, Taylor (speaks Vietnamese and Cambodian), Kent, Amy Wilde (also from Alberta), Jeff Hamilton (corpsman in Sick Call), Gari (yes, that's how it's spelled, from Boise), Cathy, and Lizzie (from England).

10-At Gab Gab Beach, as I prepared to take a sunset photo, Amy Wilde (from Alberta) has just walked through the shallow water. The resulting photo, quite accidentally, looks rather nice.

11-Here's a photo taken after church, at the Talisay Branch, on Guam. Let's see how I do with the names.

From left to right:

Pirkko, Kaylah, Brad (back behind), Cliff, DeLayne (in front), Taylor (translator extraordinaire), me, Lizzy (from England), Kent, Kelli, Amy Jensen (from Alberta), Bert and Charla Nielsen (in back; they're going to South Africa later this year), Debbie (in front), Cathy, Shannon, Amy Wilde (also from Alberta, in front), Gari, Louise (with Vets without Borders), Karen, Liz (in back), Georgia, Steve, Jay, Delores, Jeff Hamilton (who was set apart as the assistant Group Leader today), and Helen.

12-Here's one more photo from Guam. After church on Sunday, the Talisay branch had a pot-luck lunch which they invited us to attend. (That was wonderful news for me, because I had missed breakfast that morning, helping with a brief sacrament service for some of the members who had duty on the ship that day.) Here is a photo from the breezeway where the lunch was held.

From left to right, Georgia, Bert Nielsen (facing the other way, who, with his wife Charla, will be going to South Africa after this mission is over), Kent, LT Brad Clove (our group leader, able to wear white shirt and tie this day), Pirkko, and in between, three sister missionaries.

13-I hope everyone had a happy Memorial Day Weekend. I had a great photo op on our Memorial Day here (almost a day earlier than in San Diego); VADM Robinson, the Navy Surgeon General, visited USNS Mercy, and had time for photos with folks on the ship.

It was 100 degrees today (here at this place where we haven't been three days yet), and so humid that the air is hazy. Have a great week!

14-Here's a photo of the Mercy just before leaving Guam, on its way to Vietnam.