here it is a copper mine

The final days of Hanoi and of our 6 month trip! -Hanoi, Vietnam, February, 2015

More sights from Hanoi including Rus sharing a moment with a sad bird, a crashed plane from the Vietnam war that's still sitting in the small pond of a Hanoi neighborhood, and visitors exiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Hanoi, Vietnam, February, 2015

Sights of Hanoi, Vietnam, February, 2015

Spectators watching fireworks for Tet, Tet offerings, and burning 'hell money' for their ancestors. Hanoi, Vietnam, February, 2015

Back in Hanoi, everyone was preparing for Tet. - Hanoi, Vietnam, February, 2015

We visited a floating village on the way back to Cat Ba Island. Halong Bay, Vietnam, February, 2015

Monkey Island, Vietnam -February, 2015

The next day we took another boat to Monkey Island and stayed overnight in a bungalow. We climbed over a very rocky mountain in search of what we heard were very aggressive monkeys. We spotted a few but kept our distance. - Monkey Island, Vietnam, February, 2015

We rented a scooter and rode around Cat Ba Island. We visited an old hospital from the war, hidden in a cave, and an ancient dinosaur. And it said "sweet bear" on Rus' helmet. - Cat Ba Island, Vietnam, February, 2015

More photos from Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island and 'acts of Social Evil' - Halong Bay, Vietnam, February, 2015

We stayed on Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay, climbed one of its peaks, met some goats, visited an old military fort and Rus made some more friends. Vietnam, February, 2015

We slept on a boat in the middle of Halong Bay. In the morning we climbed to the top of a tiny island and kayaked in the lagoon of another tiny island. Vietnam, February, 2015

We spent a couple days in Hanoi before heading to Halong Bay. February, 2015

Immediately after dining on freshly killed chicken we were lucky enough to witness their pig giving birth! There were four tiny piglets and one stillborn. Afterwards Jee walked us down the mountain to take two motorcycle taxis back to Sapa. We took an hour long busride to the nearest city. When we arrived and walked around it was hard to believe we had only spent a couple days in Jee’s world and how different it was to the noise and cars and people and lights we were now surrounded by. We hoped they eventually made it to the hospital in this city and will never forget how welcoming and kind Jee and her family were. If you are ever in Sapa I can give you her number! - Sapa, Vietnam, February,2015

After we paid extra for some jewelry and crafts and for our homestay (we wanted them to have some extra money to fund their hospital journey),her son caught one of their chickens and they prepared it for us. Sapa, Vietnam, February, 2015

We went to bed early, sleeping under layers of heavy blankets in the one room house. In the morning we took a walk down the same path as yesterday and realized the fog had dissipated. It was like being in a whole new place. We could now see the large extent of rice paddies, the school full of screaming children and the other village across the valley. Sapa, Vietnam, February, 2015

Their house was surrounded by many ducks and ducklings, chickens and chicks, and two very pregnant pigs. We helped prepare for dinner and she cooked over an open fire which was also their only source of heat. Her husband had injured his arm a couple of months ago while working on their new home. It seemed to be infected and he was in a lot of pain. We urged them to go to the hospital and she said maybe after "happy new year" they would venture to the hospital in the closest city for the first time in their lives. While we were having dinner she received a call on her cellphone from another potential homestay guest. Rus pointed out how beautiful the beams of light shining from the outhouse at night were. Sapa, Vietnam, February, 2015