May 11-13

Hi everyone,
Here at a sort of Post Office in Quang Tri, Dong Ha.....just over the bridge into Northern Vietnam. I am happy to find this computer to update everyone on what's happening. The last 2 days have been difficult but we have covered alot of ground. On May 11, we began the walk out of Hue in good spirits...we had a new walker, although just for a day. His name is Trung and he is from Hanoi but works in Hue at a coffeeshop. Not sure exactly how he heard about us or the walk but we happily accepted him into the group without any kind of horrible initiation. He was a hilarious addition to the group. He was dubbed "Jerry" and he honestly IS the Jerry Lewis of Vietnam. Same humor (?) and expressiveness (?) and he was just downright fun. As soon as I can, I will post some pictures of my new friend Jerry. When we stopped for a break....Jerry lifted our spirits by singing. HEY JUDE was my favorite. Especially when he sang...."the minute, you let her into your skin, then you begin....." I didn't have the heart to tell him "heart". Then there was "Drowning my sorrows in the rain" followed by "goodbye orange brick road". At the end of the day, Jerry could barely walk and summoned a van, calling it "the caravan of life". We will miss him.
The following day was spent walking close to 20 miles in the heavy rain and wind. Very tough but somehow I avoided blisters, even though my feet were wet for many hours. There are many big trucks on Hwy. 1 and it can get a little scary when it's raining. We were very tired that night. I guess that's when the rat decided to enter the bathroom. Bob has an especially good film from a dining experience where a cat killed a rat, brought it to the table and played with it. I'll try to get it onto you tube, so you can experience it too. The next day, more rain, less wind, then it cleared up and started baking the roads and us, again.
I have come to appreciate the countryside, the beautiful rice paddies, seeing people with their water buffalo....the beauty here is amazing and every moment seems to be asking for a photo. Each place we stop, each face we see, is a story.
We recieved a call from a rep. from the Red Cross of Vietnam and she went with us this morning, along with the Vice Pres. of the Province, to see 3 AO families in this area. She said that there are approx. 2,000 people in Quang Tri are affected by AO, 40% of those being children. Roughly 2% of their population affected. We have to decide who we give assistance to along the way and it's really difficult because the needs are so great. We find out if they receive any gov. help, if they have gone through any testing at the hospital, if they have access to school, etc. We also look at the home, the health of the parents...on and on. There is so much to consider and we sometimes disagree about who to help or not help. But so far, I think we are doing well with this, and are developing a system that seems to work. It's a little overwelming at times, because they ALL need help.
The jeep keeps breaking down and has fragmented the group. We may be abandoning it before long because it seems to be having one problem after another. We have been stranded many times. There is talk of finding someone to donate a van to rent for the remaining trip, but we'll see. In the meantime, we keep walking to Hanoi.
Thanks for the encouragement. Some days this is so hard. It really helps to hear from people! Love you all.