Hanoi/Sapa trip

I am exhausted after Hanoi/Sapa trip. Finaly slept very well past 2 nites. Nothing like home; my bed, my room, my bathroom, etc... It was a different kind of travel for me and it was the first time i travelled with my colleagues. They are nice company. Though the airport and the train rides were quite unbearable for me, overall it was a good experience.

The visits to the orphanage and the red dao village were an eye-opener for me. I felt so sorry for the kids and seeing their living conditions made me wish i could do more for them, esp the orphans.. They are children of the un-wed mums and most of them were in their teens when they gave birth to these kids and left them in this orphanage and i understand that there's no financial help from the government, they live on charity. I was happy that we were able to organise a small distribution of KFC and chicken soup to all the kids and helpers on Sat. Seeing how excited and happy the children were when they received the food really made me feel so good. Lots of volunteers are there everyday to look after all the 95 children; out of which, 20+ are babies. I respect these helpers very much as i could see how much they truly love the children.

Sapa is beautiful, the scenery is awesome and we managed to see sunset every night. If only there's a direct flight to Sapa, i would love to go again but unfortunately as of now, we only can travel by train....

Took lots of pictures and want to share some orphanage and sapa photos here:-

(Sapa and Red Dao Village)

(orphanage)

Lily