Wednesday, December 21, 2005


At Hincesti child gets her gift.

This is a ward in the orphanage at Hincesti where we spent an evening with the mentally or phisically handicaped children.

One of the children at Hincesti.

Two of the children at Hincesti.

Paul with some of his fans outside the orphanage.

Cupcui Orphanage looking up from the village.

Cupcui roadway with warning sign of danger ahead. Well, it's immediately ahead. No warning really unless you are walking. This was similar to what we faced during the night when driving in the truck. You have to be very careful to look for hazards like this.

A house in Cupcui

This is the engine that pulled us all the way there and back. Wonderful Mercedes.

We were lucky guys. The belt lasted all the way to Moldova and back to within 100 miles of home. We could have easily been stranded in Moldova! I don't even want to think about it. Here is the mechanic fitting a new belt.

The River Forth road bridge.

Under the River Forth railway bridge.

Paul resting before entry to Scotland and yet more customs.

Dawn coming past the Bass Rock near the end of our long journey. Our truck is in the foreground.

Brugge

The Ferry that will take us back to Scotland.

Brugge is a lovely city.

Austrian roads are very good too.

Hungarian roads are the best in Europe at the moment. No cars!

This is us after skipping the long queue of about 300 trucks at the Romanian to Hungary border crossing.

Driving through a village on our way out of Moldova. See the people carrying water from the well on the left.

At the Moldova to Romania border crossing.

A typical tyre repair centre. No tyres, just repairs.

Can I take you home?

Their bus for going on field trips.

The drinking well at the Orphanage. It's not used by them now but the villagers still use it.

It's Christmas.

In the village of Cupcui. The cemetry is in the distance.

looking at the village of Cupcui near the Orphanage

In the village of Cupcui near the Orphanage

Philip hugs a wee cutie or two.

The decorated Christmas tree. All the children's work.

Do I really look like Robbie Williams?

Who looks like Robbie Williams?

Putting up the Christmas Tree was fun.

My friend. All she wants is some love and affection.

Three smiling girls.

This is the Orphanage Mangager's office complete with library. The shelves are ablout to break under all the weight.

Paul with another two smilers.

A warm welcome on our arrival at Cupcui orphanage.

Waiting at the Romanian Moldova border for the correct paperwork to arrive from the Mayor of Cupcui. At least the weather was good. The toilets were mmmm not nice.

Carrying in the Christmas presents from the truck.

This is the new boiler room with state of the art control system and diesel fired.

This is the only shower that was available for all the children in the orphanage to use. Philip told me that they all got a shower once a week in here, four at a time! Now, there are shower rooms in the orphanage for the children thanks to the NHT.

This is the coal fired boiler that was being used up to end of 2003 to heat the orphanage. Problem was it wasn't working too well as you can tell.

In anticipation of Christmas.

A lovely smile

Friends together

The boys with their new paper aeroplanes.

Hebron's Hope Villa. Look at the old outside toilet! No longer used, I may add.