Receiving the memento for 20 service years from K. Pichai, COO of TISCO Bank Plc.
With the management of TISCO.
With our bosses: K. Suthas and K. Metha.
I and Lim work for 20 and 5 years, respectively at TISCO.
With Treasury Department.
(Note: Thanks. All pictures are taken by Pui and Note with their Nikon D80.)
Waiting for the flight in the afternoon, we visit the Temple of Literature. It was established by King Ly Thanh Tong. Names of successful examinees were engraved on stone steles at the back of the stone turtles.
We start walking down from that tower to the village below.
Dying the cotton with the natural plant.
View at Cat Cat Village.
We all contribute a small part to the well-being of the local hill tribe people by buying a lot of their products.
Bye Bye Sapa
We then board the train back to Hanoi in the evening. Thanks for the leader of the trip, Mer, who knows me enough to arrange the trip to be short, only 4 days trip. Because my legs do not support me anymore even after taking a ‘relieving pain’ medicine.
Start our day at the city market where the fresh products are sold on the ground floor and the handicraft on the second floor.
Our breakfast with the local food.
Mer is looking for the Hmong whom she took a picture in her earlier trip (January) and wants to give a photo to her.
Ethnic ladies from different tribes.
For the last one - Her very effective sale techniques in this competitive handicraft market is to invite tourists to try on her costumes and take a picture and then ask to buy her products for return. Salute for her non M.B.A.study.!!! 555
We buy the trekking tour to visit the hill tribe village. Our group consists of 6 ladies often take a break every 15 minutes (or shorter than that???) with the excuse to take some pictures or buy things from local. Of course I checked before that it would be downhill trekking, otherwise I would have waited for the gang at the hotel.
Although we start trekking early in the morning, groups after groups of tourist walk pass us.
The panoramic view of rice field in Sapa.
Another stunning vistas and impressive rice terraces.
Let me show - one last picture of today trekking for the worth of my sore legs.
Glad that finally the car comes to pick up us at the last village because I don’t think that I can climb up to the main road.
After arriving at Lao Cai station, we visit the hill-tribe market where we start to shop. Because of their colorful dress, they are called “Flower Hmong” instead of others Black Hmong.
I begin my shopping mode from here on so that finally the shopping expense almost equals to the trip expense.
Members of the trip: Mer, Patch, Lek (Alex), Lee and Hui.
We arrive to Sapa in the late afternoon. Sapa is located in the northwest of Hanoi (350 kilometers) in the Fansipan Mountains and 3,000 meters above sea level.
Visit the small lake in the city.
In Sapa, you will see a lot of ethnic minority people adorn in colorful hill tribe costumes walking and selling thing in the streets.
Refill our energy at a lovely café.
Today is the children day in Vietnam. Parade of decorated light lanterns are processed to the football field.
We enjoy our meal at P. Aey's house warming party.
