We are now settled in Da Lat. I much prefer it here to Saigon - less traffic, friendlier people and nicer surroundings.

Sunday I went wandering, and despite Marg promising us that it is "impossible to get lost in Da Lat", I naturally proved her wrong and got miserably lost. I didn't mind though, there isn't one city anywhere in the world I've been to where I haven't got lost, so don't see why this should be any different! I still reckon the best way to explore a city is to get lost in it. I found the markets and the lake, and made a detour into the slums . . . !

Yesterday we made our first trip out to the village of K'Ren, about 35 minutes out of the city. The priest was soooo excited when we got there. He gave us a guided tour of the town, which reminded me of the Khayelitsha township in South Africa - many houses, all made with bits of wood, aluminium and what ever else could be found.

We weren't allowed to go into the school, as the priest dubbed it "much too dangerous". But we did visit the little pre school. The smiles on the faces of these kids when they saw us was incredible. They would have all been about 2 or 3 years old, and were quite happy to show us the colouring in they were doing with bits of broken crayon. They also sang a song for us. There were not many resources - a few old toys and a few books, that was about it. The toilets out the back were also horrible (check out the photos).

The priest also showed us the room next to the school, which he would like to use as a doctor/nurses office. We have decided to spend some of the money we raised back in Australia on getting that set up, and helping to pay for the costs of the nurse, as well as much needed medication.

We then went to visit an old lady who had had one leg amputated. She spends her days in her little shack. By far the things that upset us most was a teenage boy. We think he has muscular dystrophy or something similar, at least that was what the priest was saying. He doesn't talk, but what devastated us were his living conditions. He was sitting in a wooden chair outside that had a bar across his chest and another across his waist to keep him upright. Judging by the amount of urine surrounding him, and the stench, he'd been there for days. He had no-one to look after him, was covered in flies, and nobody but us seemed bothered. We've discovered over here that any person with any kind of disability is labeled as "crazy" and virtually disowned. It is so sad, especially as people who are called "disabled" are normally the ones who can achieve the most amazing things. Here, they aren't given a chance.

After our tour with the priest, we discussed our plan of action - Tomorrow we will go in and play with the kids in the school. We are going to take all the books, stuffed animals, toys, exercise books and some new crayons and pencils we've bought with us.

Friday we are having a massive party for the whole village - around 250 kids. Naomi, Peggy and I went shopping today, and spent around a million dong (about $50!) in half an hour - we've bought jigsaw puzzles, soccer balls, needlework sets for the girls, pens, face cloths needed for the school, etc etc, enough for the whole village (we also made the day of the little shop keeper we bought it all from, who couldn't stop smiling - we figured what we spent there this morning was probably three weeks wages for her).

We will then be using the rest of the money we've raised for medical supplies, setup of a nurse to visit the village, to assist with water supply and food, and other things the priest has told us he needs.

We've also had word that Caroline at the Long Hoa Orphanage that we were in in Saigon will be using the money we gave her to purchase a new computer for the kids. In today's age, especially over here, computer skills are essential, as is access to the outside world. So they are thrilled that the kids there will have the same privileges as others.

It's amazing how far a little money can go over here, and how much it means to the people.