It was great to return to HCMC. I was spent the afternoon exploring some of the city, saw the Reunification Palace, and had a drink at the Rex Hotel. I'd like to stay longer, but instead will have to compromise and return in the future. The majority of us are returning, but some of my colleagues are going to explore the Cu Chi tunnels tomorrow. Others are visiting different parts of Vietnam, including Ha Long Bay, and Sapa.
All of the southern Vietnam Operation Smile Teams are here, and we had a big celebration tonight. It feels like a class reunion, seeing so many friends and colleagues from previous missions. Bill and Kathy Magee, the founders and CEO/president of Operation Smile International, visited our site in Can Tho. Dr Magee performed a surgery on one of our children. Of course, they both attended the celebration. They have motivated me to take the initiative in re-starting a Minnesota Operation Smile Chapter. Here's a photo of Bill, me, Kathy, and Khai, our mission coordinator, at the celebration
As long as I'm posting photos of myself (yuck), I thought I'd include a photo from last night. Some of my colleagues bought me gifts...including not one, but two traditional Vietnamese outfits, called, "au dai." This is me and my friend Dao. We're both wearing an au dai. Of course, she's quite elegant!
It's almost 1:00 AM in HCMC. And so begins my very long day. I fly out this morning. Due to the time zones and crossing the International Date Line somewhere between Tokyo and California, November 15, 2009 will last 37 hours for me.
Before I log off, I'll post some of my photos of some of the people I saw on my trip down the Mekong (Hau) River.
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