Setting a plan, charting a course...

I have been working on the itinerary for the February trip the last couple of days. For those who are curious I will give you the Coles notes, and include a bit of info about each place that we have an opportunity to visit.

The trip begins with two days in Hanoi. A hustling, bustling city the architecture has been described to me as a blend of French Colonial and traditional Vietnamese styles. Tree lined boulevards abound and reflect Hanoi's history as the capital of French Indochina. The food sounds amazing, and reading Rachael's blog about her first pho experience had my tummy rumbling. One of my favorite things about travel is experiencing the food. I can't wait to cram in as many new dishes as possible.

It's not all play, though. There is work to be done: obtaining supplies for our modules, exchanging money at a jewellery store, meeting with the folks at Footprint Vietnam Travel to get tickets, and recovering (at least trying) from the travel are just a few of the tasks from a long list that need to be checked off to ensure that the trip is a success. We'll be doing this work with the HOU student volunteers, relying on them to help us navigate the city streets.

From Hanoi we travel by overnight train to Lao Cai. The town is located on the border with China, and is an extremely important border crossing and economic link with China. Depending on the weather we might be able to spy Hekou on the Chinese side of the border. We do not have time to linger, as we have a bus to catch to Sapa.

Sapa, I am told, is like a central hub to the smaller villages of Lao Chai, Ta Phin (both to the North), and Ta Van (South)  This link will take you to a map to provide some context. Sapa was established by the French as a hill station in 1922, although it has a history which is barely documented going back to at least the 15th century.

We will be spending two days in Sapa, and this is where the real work begins for our PATA Foundation funded project. We will be prepping for the workshops we will be running. The prep work involves: inviting the private sector operators, figuring out food, and crossing the T's and dotting the I's.

Check back for part two of this blog, where I'll get into the CBT Vietnam activities we will be engaging in in the villages of Ta Phin and Lao Chai.

Bye for now...