Intro to Sapa

We start our morning with the hotel shop which has loads of traditional outfits. Mark, Dave, Cathy and Bill start the group out by trying on numerous hats and jackets. Soon they were joined by the rest of the group and everyone was trying on hats, jackets, skirts and scarves. We were all ready to make a deal for all our purchases and do some bargaining when we realize that the three ladies in there were competetors! Fortunately Cathy negociated for us and we all got squared away with all our garb.

Team Building begin...Hunt's and Scott's not really sure what to expect! So we hike the hill out of the hotel and get to a small field where we begin team sports. First activity was plank walking, five to a ski and you have to walk in conjunction with each other. Very challenging at first for all but especially for the youngest two, Isabelle and Elle. True to form, our boys were super competitive and tried to knock over anyone who was looking like they might beat them! Next activity was baton relay where we lined up and passed batons between our knees from one person to the next without hands. Again very funny and competive! Our last team building activitiy was moved indoor which we thought it would be great because it was blazing hot out there! We started our next game which was build a free standing balloon tower. Sounds easy but pretty challenging, only had balloons and tape. Key is to have a good base!

After we ate lunch we decided to hit the town. Seconds after we stepped out the door we were joined by three young H'Mong girls (one of many minority groups of the mountain area.) So we started walking around town to be joined by many many more. Basically each person was targeted by one girl and they stuck to that person like glue! We called them our shadow/personal escort. Literally you stop, she stops. You run ahead, she runs ahead. Everywhere turned she was there. Amazingly the spoke very good english but the standard questions were, what's your name, where are you from, how old are you and most importantly...will you buy something from me! We popped into the market area which really grossed alot of us out. Large fish in shallow bowls picked up and chopped in half, bloody halves flapping on the street and butcher block. We also saw frogs tied together at the waist all looking up like saying get me out of here! There was chicken legs, grubs and mud crabs to name a few. As move along with our heirom we made our way to a Catholic church where there was a key boarding lesson. Then it was off to the lake where we got lots of photos with all our shadows! Once we had a enough of a tour of town we headed back to the hotel for the kids to take a dip in the pool.

That evening we had a beautiful roof top traditional folk dance performance. It began with a flutiest which the flute was made out of bamboo. That and the other instrument that resembled a bamboo bagpipe were surprisingly just as beautiful sounding as an regular instrument. The girls danced, we had cocktails, and the flutist did acrobatics while he danced/played his instrument. Overall a very unique and delightful experience. After cocktails we headed down to a scrupumtious five course meal! Then it was off to bed so we could get rested for our next day trek into town. What a day, never experienced anything quite like it!

trains planes SAPA

Running to Victoria Express Train

Hoi An to Sapa Planes, Tains and Automobiles

We woke up to sunny skies on the beach again and enjoyed a relaxing day at the hotel. Mark took a few out on the sailboat and the sea was wonderful! The kids loved the pool but the sun is fierce here and their faces are burned! Our clothes arrived that we had measured yesterday and it is still amazing that they were able to get all of this stitching done in 18 hours! We had to be ready for an interesting journey to our next spot by four and off we went! The flight from Danang to Hanoi took an hour and then we wisked off by the OpSmile crew to the train station with little knowledge that we were going to have to book it if we were going to make the departure. I, Brigette, felt like I was in the middle of a war movie, as it was dusk and we had to bypass at a jog an incoming train at the very end of the train station in order to jump the tracks with all of our bags and then run to the door where the vietnamese were throwing our bags into the cars and telling us to hurry. I looked at the man as I ran up the stairs and he said we have two minutes and the train is leaving. He wasn't kidding. All of the sudden the doors closed and the click click of the train started. We quickly counted kids and forgot about the bags for a minute. Once the kids were accounted for, Crissy noticed that Celia's bag was missing. In a panic she called out, "Stop the train!" We all had to giggle in her panic because that was NOT about to happen. I am glad Crissy had a sense of humor although Celia did not look happy. Once we figured out which people were where in four bunk cars, we did find her bag. Sometimes a large group can create chaos, but once we were in the dining car, it was all for naught and our fun continued. The kids started dropping like flies so we all got into our bunks, locked the door and before we knew it the wake up call at 5:45 came out way. We had arrived in Lao Cai to a bustling crowd selling anything from baguettes to maps to cards. Every couple days has been something totally different. A wonderful way to see this beautiful country.

Hoian man fishing in his boat

Cu Chi Tunnel's

Saturday, July 23rd. We are a little behind on our posting. The highlight of the day was visiting the tunnels the Vietnamese hid in and traveled through to survive the horror of this war. The kids were enamoured by the creativity behind the booby traps made out of whatever existed in the jungle as well as leftovers of the Americans. The booby traps were mostly made out of spikes that punctured the enemy as they made the wrong step. After spending a couple hours in this environment, one could see why the troops were so afraid of entering this world of the unknown. And what about being told to enter the depths of the tunnel which were dark, narrow and the only way to walk through them was to squat. How scary it must have been to not know who or what was around the corner. Our guide captivated our kids with the stories he had from his time as a soldier during Vietnam’s war with Cambodia. Using tobacco and whiskey to take away the itch of the many mosquito bites and the shoes made out of our tank tires which were designed so that the soldiers could wear front and backwards so that we could not figure out which direction they walked in. The signal this special plant, the Shy Lady, gave them as they closed if touched and would stay that way for 10 minutes. If the troops came upon that they knew we were only ten minutes away. Everything was underground and ventilated by heaway their hiding places. Everything from the medic area where babies were born to the cooking area was underground. Fascinating really. To close our tour out we learned that the remnants of the bombs were used to make church and chapel bells after the war. This was to symbolize how much the Vietnamese wanted peace. As we journey and get to know the people here, we can appreciate their gentle way and the happiness that exists despite having very little. We came back to the hotel that afternoon and we enjoyed the chance to swim, cool off and get ready for our next adventure to Hoi An. A one hour flight took us half way up the country to the seaside. Little did we know we would be swimming in the China Sea very early the next day!

Shopping in Hoian

Woke up to a beautiful view of the China Sea with the man on his boat fishing, so picturesque! Spent the morning getting in and out of the pool and sea, Mark got a massage, kids played sand soccer and ping pong, and we floated in little round bamboo basket boats. Fun morning! Then it was off to town for a little shopping and lunch. First stop was custom shoes for the kids. It was so funny with all the kids picking out colors and styles as they got measured by the ladies in the shop! Then we spent about an hour in the next shop for all the boys to get custom tank tops with Hurley emblem on them and girls getting fitted for dresses. In the end we ended up not getting them as the lady in the shop wanted too much money and wasn’t really into making them, oh well! Bill, Cathy and Mark got themselves some custom blazers that were going to be delivered to our hotel by 7pm the same night, pretty cool! We walk along the town to lunch at a very nice, but totally overpriced for Vietnam, restaurant along the water. We were so hot but they brought us ice cold wash clothes with the most amazing peppermint scent! After a great and refreshing lunch we sent the dad’s and kid’s back to the resort on a little boat that we thought would take 15 minutes to get back in but ended up taking an hour. They spent the rest of the day swimming, playing cards and soccer, and just relaxing. Cathy, Brigette, Marina and Crissy proceeded to continue shopping. We went from shop to shop looking for good deals on the traditional Vietnamese outfit, called Owzi (no idea how to spell that one, pronounced owl’s eye!) We found a very sweet lady who fitted us for those outfits, dresses, and skirts. She and her family must of planned on staying up all night sewing because we left there at 5pm and she said she’d deliver us our clothes next day by 2:30pm! We then “hit up” the little street market shopping where we haggled and bargained until we wore ourselves out! We even had a lady run down the market telling everyone not to sell us these little bowls that we wanted for less than 200,000 dong which is like $10 but we wanted them for $150,000. We got so tired of trying we finally gave in and paid $10 for them but not from the first lady! We then got some large roll duffels’ to store all our purchases to go back home , so we are trekking around town at this point with big bags full of all of our buys from the day- such tourist! Side note- everyone is riding around town in mopeds flying by so you need to stay really alert to not get run over! The Vietnamese women don’t want to get sun because the darker skinned you are the more you look like a peasant working in the fields. So in order to preserve their beautiful light skin they wear heavy socks under their flip flops, full length pants, 2-3 layers of long sleeves, mask over their face and sometimes hats. Don’t forget it’s like 100 degrees here, we sweat just looking at them! Anyway back to the shopping, we end up wanting to shop for artwork but we are dying at this point, we are soooooo hot, sweaty, sticky and exhausted!! But we push through and get some more shopping done and buy some art work. We are so tired we catch a cyclo (spelling?- the little seats with the guy riding the bike) to get back to taxi area. We tried to bargin with them but at that point we were like whatever! 8 HOURS LATER…we finally make it back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and a much needed shower! We all had a nice poolside dinner and off to bed early as everyone was worn out! Tomorrow we are off to another flight to Hanoi and overnight train ride, can’t wait for the adventure to continue!

Will Design's his own clothing

Dave made a new friend at the airport

Elle with our tour Guide

Alec comming out of a Tunnel

Cu Chi Tunnel's

Elle couldn't finnish dinner

Day 1 Ho Chi Minh

Believe it or not, three separate routes and we all ended up in Ho Chi Minh last night very late to wake up to everyone for breakffast this morning! The cliffords and hunts had a hard time sleeping last night which made for some funny pictures tonight as their heads fell to the dinner table. All is all, a great day! We started out visiting The Sunflower Shelter, an orphanage for 30 girls between the ages of 8 and 18. We recieved a quick tour and then introductions were made. The girls sang us a song and then our kids taught them two fun games, "Big Booty" and "ninja" The girls thought this was pretty funny! Elle was a hit as our youngest team member... she is like a magnet for these vietnamese women! We had a great lunch with tons of samplings of food and now we know for sure the kids will eat Pho. Lots of seafood on the menu here and very different. We had to get them some caffeine as well to push them through the afternoon. After lunch we made it to the open market where North Face and Abercrombie items were plentiful. A little hot and overwhelming with crowds so we sent the kids home with the dads and the moms went on from there to the street of vietnamese art to check out our options. some beautiful choices yet we had to be careful as we know our trek ahead will have us with many options to adorn our walls. We met the kids back at the pool which sits on top of our beautiful hotel which is quite a site from above of the city. After discovering the boys got in a bit of trouble playing futbol in the hallway, we were able to relax on the rooftop and watch alec join a group of vietnamese men warming up by running laps around the pool before their swim. quite funny, especially since we were tired! Our evening ended with a wonderful dinner at a restuarant named after MARINA! filled again with food that we could not ever finish and kids dropping like flies at the table. We have some great pics. We were joing by Dr. Anh and Dr. Fung who are a father and daughter team of plastic surgeons who have been very loyal friends to the MAgees and Operation Smile. They are in the midst of getting ready for a local mission next week with 90 kids waiting for surgery. Great people. A lovely way to start our trek. We will get to visit more tomorrow including the tunnels where hundreds hid during the war. must sign off - terry is snoring while I write! tune in tomorrow! ciao!

Packing up!

The Clifford, Scott and Hunt families are packing up for our summer adventure to asia. With different travel routes, we are optimistic that we will all arrive late in the evening of Thursday July 21st into Ho Chi Minh. We will spend our first two nights there to acclimate to the time change. Saturday we set off to a different city with different sights. stay tuned!