Sapa

Our upgrade!
see all photos »

What can I say?  Sapa is a stunning town set in the rice paddy mountains and I had an amazing 3 days there!

After Halong Bay Cindy, Ella and a few other girls we met on the boat took a trip to Sapa.  Unfortunately we made a little mistake and brought a hard sleeper train ticket.  To be honest the name gives a big hint but Ella and Cindy had frequently travelled on hard sleepers in India and they were always comfortable...well this time not so lucky!

Our cabin consisted of 6 small beds and a very small fan.  When I say beds, I mean blocks of metal with a straw mat on top and a pillow as well! Just imagine the looks on our faces after the luxury of Halong Bay.  We decided to set up camp and settle in alongside the bugs and mosquitos...it was like we were in the jungle!  Luckily we had come prepared...oreos and red wine! After the train pulled off we had several ticket inspectors hovering around the cabin trying to convince us to move next door.  We didn't want to be woken in the middle of the night by other passengers all of whom seemed to be dodgy looking men saying we were sleeping in their beds. It was only when the guards started saying our cabin was dangerous we thought we should listen! Danger, danger is all he kept saying whilst pointing to the beds. Danger, danger! With slight panic over our faces we had to try and persuade the guards that we wanted to be certain we weren't in somebody elses beds! Slightly difficult to describe in basic Vietnamese and actions.  In the end we had a huge stroke of luck and the guards moved us to pure luxury...quilts, pillows and best of all ...mattresses! Unfortunately we didn't get the similar up grade on the return journey!

The amazing scenery of Sapa
see all photos »

The trek took us through the valleys and mountains of Sapa.  The whole trek gave us spectacular scenery and walked us through hill-tribe communities.  Groups of tribal women and children walked with us for several hours at a time, chatting all the way in the hope we would buy something from them at the end of our time together.  I ended up with bracelets (which haven't turned my wrist green yet!) and tradtional instruments ...those children just saw me coming!

We stayed overnight at a home stay and I helped out in the kitchen preparing the pancakes and washing up under the cold tap.  They were preparing me to become a Vietnamese wife! It was a great night involving far too much happy water! (Check out the vidoe on facebook!)

Me and the rice paddies
see all photos »

Our last day in Sapa was spent walking around the markets and sheltering from the rain...the purple ponchos came out for one last outing!