Sapa (NW Vietnam)

From Hanoi we took the night train (this time a 4 berth, soft sleeper so it was a lot more comfortable) to Lao Cai, got up at 4.30am and took a very cramped minibus to Sapa. We had booked a trekking tour with a guide and a small group of other tourists, which was just as well as Sapa itself is nothing special: v small with NOTHING to do.

Hotel was dreadful, arrived about 8am and there was no available room, despite the fact that we were due to start a trek at 9.15am. As you will all know, I refused to go anywhere until I'd had a shower so they eventually gave in and gave us a key. Opened the door and the room hadnt been cleaned - sheets were all falling off the bed, rubbish everywhere - disgusting!! After numerous attempts to usher the maids into our room we finally were able to meet the group downstairs at 9.30 (the food in the hotel was also vile - just thought i'd add that...)

The first trek was ok - very very hot and we only visited Cat Cat village; home of the Black Hmong people. Bit touristy: they were all trying to sell us pillow cases, bags, bracelets etc etc, but I loved going inside their homes - about 15 people share one shack - very basic with 2 seperate fires - one for maize, rice and veg and the other for animal. ALL the huts did however boast their very own colour tv!! The most entertaining part of the day was the korean couple in our group. The women turned up for the trek: dolled up with high heel shoes, white gloves and a white sun hat?!? She looked ridiculous! They walked 5 mins down the road, decided it wasn't for them and hired a motorbike...What did they think they were getting when they signed up for a trek??

That eve we met up with a guy who had been sleeping in the bed next to me in our dorm in Hanoi - small backpackers world! Went to a bar near to the hotel where u could make ur own playlist - pretty cool. I played darts and drank tiger beer - what a lad! (well wayne thought it was funny, hence the pic - see snapfish)

We both really enjoyed the next day - it was hard work: 20km trek in sweltering heat, but the views and villages were amazing. The korean couple (minus the high healed shoes) tried once again to explore the region, but 10 mins later hopped on the back of a bike! Our group dwindled down to 3: us 2 and a vietnamese tourist from Saigon; who proceeded to address wayne as 'nature boy' for the entire trek, because he believed wayne was a genuine animal lover?!? very odd man, although flicking through our photos I can see where he was coming from. Wayne has taken thousands of photos of animals (which I have - for your benefit - deleted the majority of).

Visited Sin Chai (Black Hmong), Lai Chai (Black Hmong) and Ta Van villages (Zay tribe). That morning 2 little Black Hmong girls (6 and 7 years old) followed us from Sapa to their home village (Lai Chai) - see photo of me posing with 2 ethnic girls in snapfish. They were so sweet, spoke very good English and made myself and wayne crowns, bracelets and wands out of ferns and grasses enroute. They walk to and from Sapa evey morning b4 school (2pm) to try and sell bracelets etc. We visited the health centre in their village - filthy! But the village was extremely proud of the centre: medicines and treatment were free (although only minor ailments could be dealt with as there were no doctors - just 3 local nurses).

Walked through numerous maize fields, a bamboo forest and across waterfalls - one of which wayne swam in (I was too much of a whimp - far too cold!) I thought wayne was going to drown because the current looked incredibly strong but we both survived to tell the tail.

A lot of the bridges we crossed were a little rickerty to say the least - again see pics - I kept saying mum would HATE this - I even began to feel edgy because wayne and the guide kept jumping along these unstable pieces of wood!

I felt like giving up on what was (although I didnt know at the time) the final hill - I was soooooooooooooooooooooo HOT and Sweaty and we had been walking for hours - it was starting to feel (but not quite) like one of uncle rich's holiday 'strolls'. i made it though, and we were picked up in an ex-army jeep - very scary ride over waterfalls and very narrow mountain roads...

One last story of interest on this sapa trip, which wayne has requested I include to highlight a (RARE) moment of stupidity on my part... we had been sitting, waiting at the train station in Lao Cai for hours for our night tarin back to Hanoi and I realised we hadn't sorted out our tickets. I therefore went over to the ticket office but was told by someone that I wasn't in the right place....he started pointing outside of the station and so I began to follow (without telling wayne). Basically I ended up wondering off without telling wayne where I was going in the middle of the night....I did begin to feel a little scared when we turned a corner and I couldnt see the station anymore...but as i headed back I saw wayne struggling down the road with ALL our luggage - bless!! He was a little mad! Whoops! But I am NOT impressed that he is using this minor mishap as an excuse for smoking YET AGAIN!

Since returing from Sapa we have survived a typhoon and its accompanying floods but I will write that in my next installment - which I will try type up 2moro as I have been on this computer for far too long! I will also try and upload photos 2moro so watch this space (and snapfish)... in Hoi An (central Vietnam) at the moment just in case anyone was wondering...

Lots of love E and W XX