Surveys and Investigations

Two months ago, it was decided that our detachment would take on additional investigation and survey duties in line with some recent personnel changes here.  In the shuffle, it looks like I will be moving more in the direction of these investigations and surveys and, at some time in the future will be relieved of some of my more mundane office tasks.  I am not holding my breath waiting for those more mundane duties to be passed to someone else, but hopefully it will happen.

During this current field activity I, along with a colleague, went to Son La and Dak Nong Provinces to do two surveys.  The provinces are geographically separated by a great distance, but both of the sites lie in similar terrain - both of them are in highland country.  Fortunately, neither of the sites were difficult to access and both locations were in varying degrees of rural development.  Not so fortunately, however, my trip to Dak Nong came in conjunction with landfall of Tropical Storm Pakhar and the area experienced all-day rain and swollen streams and rivers.  We did the best we could under the circumstances, but the muddy roads and age of the witnesses forced us to look at an alternative to perambulating.  I spent the better part of two hours sitting in the back of a hard, steel tractor cart with ten other fellows moving out to and from the site.  I think I broke my ass. I became so sore on the way in that I opted out of the cart and took my chances on foot for the rest of the trip in and most of the trip out.  Some parts of the trail were so muddy, it just made sense to stay in the cart.

Vietnamese Tractor (xe công nông) taking the witnesses back to the vehicles

It has been to get out of the office and the surveys remind me much of my days as a party chief on a survey crew... the good parts.  Hopefully we will continue to develop our capabilities and I will be able to transition more into this line of work.  With more experience in analyzing, reporting and surveying sites, it may better suite me in getting a job in the U.S., if and when I see fit to leave.

Crossing swollen streams to and from the site proved to be interesting