Ramble on..

After an interesting night's sleep in a shared cabin on the sleeper - we arrived 1600m high in the hills of Sapa & walked down into the bowels of its enormous valley to a small village - Ban Ho, & our bamboo hut 'homestay',& its hospitable family from one of the 5 hill tribes we visited. To freshen up, our guide, whose name sounded to me a bit like 'Mafanwy', & so that's what she became known as (she didn't seem to mind), then led us to the edge of the jungle & a stunning natural waterfall which engulfed us. A night in the hut - & then a 20k romp up, down, & around humungous peaks, being introduced to the various tribes, then an hours drive out of the mountains to Lao Cai - to embark on the insomniac express back to Hanoi.....we are stiffer than oak today, but feel very proud to have undertaken the trek to raise money for friends of PICU - & spend some time a million miles away from our life/lifestyles to further contemplate & cherish the memories of our little angel.

Short flight to Da Nang in central 'nam, & down to Hoi an - a small fishing village & the victoria beach resort for a bit of a flashpacker's rest....shall keep you posted on what is on offer.. 

edit ; buffalows on the beautifully sculpted rice field terraces, that make the most of the steep slopes