Scenes From Vietnam

Spending the holidays with our dear friends Paula and Grant, along with their two children, Charlotte and Connor, was a special treat. Aiston had just turned one year when we traveled with them last in December of 2011.

This year, we met in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam, after school let out, for a six-night stay at Tam Coc Garden, located about two hours south of Hanoi. The bungalows were contemporary and comfortable, and set amongst rice paddies and limestone mountains. Our days here were spent catching up on life, biking along the rural roads, taking walks through the fields, hiking up a mountain to reach a pagoda and boating along rivers in some of the area's nature parks. The food at Tam Coc Garden was delicious and filling. I think Cory ate vegetarian pho twice every day! The staff were lovely and accommodating, helping us out when Ace got a nasty gash on his ankle after it got caught in the wheel of a bike, modifying meals for us, taking the kids on a jaunt to watch how the locals make edible rice and sugar tubes and baking a celebratory cake, at no charge, for Aiston's fourth birthday. We could have stayed longer here, as the surrounding area was beautiful and tranquil.

An eight-hour van ride brought us to our next destination: Sapa, Vietnam, located in the mountains, about 20km outside of the actual town. Topas EcoLodge is a nature resort aimed at sustainability and cultural tourism. Each of their 25 mountain lodges overlooks layer upon layer of mountains, with rice terraces marking their exposed and craggy sides. The lodge is the only accommodation in which to stay and is perched atop an outcropping, affording 360 degree views. Not surprisingly, we enjoyed day hikes through the terraces, being followed and helped along by one of the five local minority groups, the Red Dao. There was plenty of area for the kids to roam, feed a friendly goat, play pretend in a hollowed out stump, run down grassy slopes and slide down a soil-strewn hill until their shoes were filled with dirt and their clothes were cloaked in brown. One walk took Paula, Charlotte and myself to a Red Dao woman's home, where we were offered fresh boiled sweet potato and encouraged to buy their traditional fabrics (of which we did). Here, the air was fresh and crisp and cool and refreshing. There was a wonderful balance between recreation and relaxation. The kids got along well and played lego during down times in the lodge, cozied up next to the fire. The parents drank hot chocolate and "bia" (beer), chatted, read, watched the Hawks beat their opponents and played board and card games.

Topas was also the place where we had a very special Christmas morning when Santa remembered Aiston would be in Sapa. Ace happened to sleep in, ironically, but awoke to find a stocking filled with new airplanes, some non-fiction books and a lego set. Christmas Day also saw us checking out and making the nerve-wracking, nausea-inducing seven-hour journey back to Hanoi, where we spent the next two nights chilling in our hotel room at the Calypso Grand, taking walks in the city, slurping up the last pho we would have for quite some time and linking up with our friends from Manila, the Feren family.

- Hanoi -

Our two-week trip in Vietnam was filled with happy memories, appreciation of nature's beauty, calm contemplation and revitalizing outdoor activities. We were thankful to have spent a long-overdue holiday with the Welshes and to rediscover how strong our friendship with them is.