5:30 am!! Ahhh!! The train staff switched on the lights very abruptly to wake everyone up, but we dozed for a few more minutes and then got ready to leave.

When we got off the train, we hooked up with the South Africans (Claudia and David) and then met up with some Vancouverites. Together, we decided to take an organized bus transfer to Hanoi. It seemed more reasonable than the alternative of a do-it-yourself hodgepodge of multiple trains and taxis which was cheaper but would take longer.

The bus was beautiful, lots of legroom and very clean, plus we got complimentary water and a stewardess who was pretty cool, as well. The kids dozed on and off during the trip but each time they opened their eyes, the landscape had changed. There were amazing rock formations jutting out of fields, and multiple rice paddies, vegetable gardens, bamboo or scissor plants crops, meticulously tended to, designed in eye pleasing, creative shapes and sizes. The hills were all planted with trees, which made each and every hill seem like a work of art and it was a pleasure driving through this unique countryside.

When we reached the border, we lost the Vancouverites as Tyler had hoped to gain his Vietnam visa at the border, which, it turned out, was not possible (his girlfriend already had a visa). So we had to say goodbye, which was too bad, as they seemed really fun. However, the remaining six of us crossed, after getting off of our original bus, going through multiple check points, filling out forms, paying health fees and loading back up onto a new bus on the other side of the border.

When we got to Hanoi, the Lewises didn't have a place to stay. We tried to book into the same place as David and Claudia but it was full, so we went down the street and ended up in the ritziest place we've stayed in yet. It was $70.00 Canadian for two rooms, which is really expensive here in Vietnam, but we decided we'd earned it after all our hard travel in the last week. Anyway, trying to find cheaper accommodations seemed like a real pain at this point, so we stayed at the Morning Star hotel, luxuriating in the beautiful rooms.

The next order of business was looking after our starving and exhausted kids, so we met up with Claudia and David and walked across the street for supper. We enjoyed authentic and not so authentic Vietnamese food - the point being that we all pigged out and enjoyed our meals and desserts immensely.

Overall, we were pleased with how everything turned out and Connor was especially enamoured with Vietnam. It is strange how quickly the kids take to places and how at home they feel, even when things are very foreign to them.