Cambodia III

52-Kevin, and Bert Nielsen, join in the victory celebration at Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Kevin, who is LDS, and who worked as one of the translators for USNS Mercy, has received a call to serve as a missionary in Cambodia. As Elder Den, he will begin his mission in a couple of months by spending several weeks at the Missionary Training Center in the Philippines, then return to Cambodia for two years of service as a missionary.

53-Bert, followed by Delayne and Brad (and some Cambodian vendors with trays of snacks on their heads) cross the bridge to Kbal Falls. We had to pay to cross the bridge; the toll was 2400 Rial. Brad asked me how much that was; I told him that it was about 57 cents.

54-Kbal Falls, near Sihanoukville, Cambodia

55-Ochheuteal Beach at Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

56-At Kbal Falls, Kevin prepares to help a monk down the steps.

57-Waiting for the band concert and Operation Handclasp ceremony to begin in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

From right to left: Some sweaty guy, Brad Clove, Bert and Charla Nielson (with "Kevin" Den in between them), and, in front, Debbie and Delayne.

58-The navy band performs a jazz concert at the Operation Handclasp ceremony in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

59-The Operation Handclasp ceremony has begun, with Bert and Charla Nielsen on the left, Chaplain Horne and Petty Officer Snow on the right, and the Cambodian government representatives in the center, along with Commodore Franchetti and the interpreter.

60-At the ceremony, Bert and Charla Nielsen hand a box representing over $100,000 worth of medical supplies to a representative of the government of Cambodia.

61-After the ceremony, Commodore Franchetti joins several Cambodian children playing rhythm instruments as the band performs again.

62-RP1 Snow, at the lower left, stands by a pagoda that we visited in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

63-A monkey in a tree on the grounds of the pagoda we visited in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Cambodia II

40-One more Father's day photo; a poster with names (and some photos) of kids from fathers on USNS Mercy.

(I had photos of all five, but they were on three different photos, from three different parts of the world, and three different sizes, and I couldn't figure out a way to make them look good, so I just put the names at the bottom of the poster.)

41-Jeff, Gari, Helen, and (in front) Liz from Australia, having a cool drink at the GST Restaurant on Serendipity Beach Road, Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

42-Helen, Liz, our Tuk Tuk driver Nah (at least that's the way his name is pronounced), and Gari take a look at the dook that is about to sail to Thailand.

43-The Cambodian dook leaves at sunset for its five day round trip to Thailand.

44-Our Tuk Tuk driver with his wife and daughter; they're also expecting another child soon.

45-Our Tuk Tuk driver, and his Tuk Tuk.

46-One of the intersections in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, that has a traffic light. Notice all the scooters.

47-Sihanoukville at twilight. This is where the bus from USNS Mercy drops people off; the Golden Lions are just out of sight to the left of the photo, at the center of the roundabout.

48-Back at work (hacking): One of the Petty Officers on USNS Mercy used my hacksaw to modify this heat sink so that an up-to-date video card could be installed in this workstation. I thought you would all get a kick out of how much "hacking" we do at work.

49-The Golden Lion roundabout at night, Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

50-Delayne, RP1 Snow (who works with the Chaplains), Chaplain Horne, and Brad, preparing to take a ride in a Tuck Tuck.

51-Jeff, Chaplain Horne, RP1 Snow, Delayne, Bert, and Kevin prepare to have lunch at Luna's, an Italian restaurant in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

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!)