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.