Hi everyone,
We woke up in our Cat Ba Homestay to an overcast morning. No problem, Cat Ba overcast has nothing on Sa Pa overcast. The crew was up early to tackle a hike to Navy Peak, a telecom tower 259 m above sea level that offers stunning views of Lan Ha Bay. The round trip took a little over 2 hours, and everyone was hit with a bit of rainfall in the middle of the trek.
After the hike, we jumped on a bus to take us to a boat where we were reunited with our luggage. It had been forwarded by the Ecolodge two nights prior. The boat offered a chance to change into some clean clothes and have a delicious meal as we cruised around the stunning scenery of Lan Ha Bay.
After lunch, we kayaked around the bay for about an hour, and, as if by design, the sun came out. An impromptu reef walk allowed for some clam and starfish viewing, and then a bit of time to explore a remote beach.
We then took various forms of transport back to Hanoi for our last night. The highlight was our dinner at KOTO, a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to empowering at-risk and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam through a comprehensive training program. The food was incredible, and a bunch of us managed to pick up a few unique souvenirs in their gift shop.
We also said goodbye to Gabriel as his parents met him in Hanoi, and had our final wrap-up meeting with Ryan. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Ryan for shouldering the responsibility of this trip with Moe and me. He was a big part of why this trip was so memorable and successful. ALIVE understands our school culture and our students so well, and Ryan is a big reason why. Through all of our ups and downs, Ryan was the constant. He reminded us not to take ourselves so seriously and to step outside ourselves to really appreciate the experience we were so fortunate to have been given. We couldn’t imagine a more perfect fit for us on this trip.
So that’s a wrap on Vietnam. I’m writing this from a bench at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei. All that’s left is our flight to Pearson and our hand-off to parents. The students are under strict instructions to give you all big hugs when they see you. We hope they’ll be excited to share their experience with you… maybe after a good night’s sleep.
