Sunday 13th October - Sapa At the station we were met by Pang, a Hmong lady from the hills, dressed in traditional dress who was to be our guide. She spoke excellent English but told us that she can neither read nor write but will learn from her eldest daughter who has started school. Pang took us for an excellent breakfast before we were driven to the Sunday market in Bac Ha one of the larger "villages" where we were shown round a massive range of stalls sell...

Wednesday 9thOctober Flew out of Perth on a Tiger flight to Singapore at 9.50pm. The flight was pretty full & the seat spacing was tight but we survived. Thursday 10th October - Hanoi Left Singapore at 10.00 am & arrived in Hanoi at about 2.30pm local time. We were met by a driver who took us into old Hanoi to the Art Trendy Hotel where we were greeted like long lost friends. The hotel is narrow & tall with 5 storeys. We went out for a walk t...