Setting a plan, charting a course...

I have been working on the itinerary for the February trip the last couple of days. For those who are curious I will give you the Coles notes, and include a bit of info about each place that we have an opportunity to visit.

The trip begins with two days in Hanoi. A hustling, bustling city the architecture has been described to me as a blend of French Colonial and traditional Vietnamese styles. Tree lined boulevards abound and reflect Hanoi's history as the capital of French Indochina. The food sounds amazing, and reading Rachael's blog about her first pho experience had my tummy rumbling. One of my favorite things about travel is experiencing the food. I can't wait to cram in as many new dishes as possible.

It's not all play, though. There is work to be done: obtaining supplies for our modules, exchanging money at a jewellery store, meeting with the folks at Footprint Vietnam Travel to get tickets, and recovering (at least trying) from the travel are just a few of the tasks from a long list that need to be checked off to ensure that the trip is a success. We'll be doing this work with the HOU student volunteers, relying on them to help us navigate the city streets.

From Hanoi we travel by overnight train to Lao Cai. The town is located on the border with China, and is an extremely important border crossing and economic link with China. Depending on the weather we might be able to spy Hekou on the Chinese side of the border. We do not have time to linger, as we have a bus to catch to Sapa.

Sapa, I am told, is like a central hub to the smaller villages of Lao Chai, Ta Phin (both to the North), and Ta Van (South)  This link will take you to a map to provide some context. Sapa was established by the French as a hill station in 1922, although it has a history which is barely documented going back to at least the 15th century.

We will be spending two days in Sapa, and this is where the real work begins for our PATA Foundation funded project. We will be prepping for the workshops we will be running. The prep work involves: inviting the private sector operators, figuring out food, and crossing the T's and dotting the I's.

Check back for part two of this blog, where I'll get into the CBT Vietnam activities we will be engaging in in the villages of Ta Phin and Lao Chai.

Bye for now...

Home sweet home!

Its 2:00pm in Vancouver but 3:30 am in Hanoi. I should be asleep right now, that is what my body is telling me. The race to catch up on not only sleep but all of my assignments has begun however,  I can't seem to focus; all I can think about is the previous 12 days. For a third year university student I consider myself impressively lucky to have been a part of the CBT VietNam project not just once but twice over the past year and a half. It has been an honour to participate in this project and I wish to take this time to express my deepest thanks to all the amazing organizations involved:

• Capilano University
• Hanoi Open University
• PATA Foundation
• Sofitel Metropole Hanoi
• Buffalo Tours
• Footprint Vietnam
• RTC Vietnam
• and Handspan

Thank you all for your contributions. This has been the most significant career building exercise of my life and with out all the above noted it never would have happened. Also I would wish to thank Stephanie Wells, Chris Carnovale, Jen Reilly and Chris Bottrill for their dedication to this project and the to students of Capilano University.

Lastly there are the villagers to thank. The Red Dao and H'Mong communities invited us into their homes and dedicated their time to learning and participating in our project. These people have touched the hearts of all involved and I can only hope to see them all again.

Many Thanks to our Friends in Hanoi!

Two days of meetings have been highly productive in the Hanoi Old Quarter for our CBT group. Ta Phin entrepreneurs have met with numerous private tour operators. We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest thanks to following companies that have hosted us over the past two days:

• Buffalo Tours
• The Responsible Travel Club of Vietnam
• Hanoi Backpacker Hostel

Tonight the women will be participating in a Cultural Night hosted by the Sofitel Metropole. Then tomorrow the meetings will continue as we meet with the Hanoi chapter of Handspan.

The women are learning about the expectations and clientele of the tour operators. The experience has been valuable and enlightening to the Ta Phin entrepreneurs, whom as a group are ready to entertain the idea of packaged tourism to the villages.

Work, work, work!

Yesterday we had an exciting day again! Taryn and Louise met the Footprint family for the first time and we all had lunch together (some duck for good luck - viet?) in a restuarant that overlooked the Red River.

Following that meeting we had a great meeting with Ngoc Anh from HOU. We're all looking forward to working together in Sapa next week! In addition to working with Hanoi Open University, we are very happy to accept the invitation to attend this years graduation ceremony starting tomorrow!

Today we'll be working on honing our activity and lesson plans, and staying hydrated in the 38 degree humid heat of Hanoi - we are definitely not in Canada anymore!