Sapa

Decided to leave our suitcases with our landlady La and travel light to Sapa and Ninh Bin (6 days). The Grab cab dropped us at the location of her home in the Kiem Hoan lake area … but not quite exactly. A Google photo showed the house, however scanning around nothing quite matched. Two ladies sitting having coffee were asked, and a great discussion in rapid Vietnamese ensued … the coffee shop owner was summoned … more discussion with much pointing, peering at our phones, suggesting the hotel across the road, and finally shaking of heads. We thanked the ladies profusely as they left … and ‘Whats App’d’ La. Son Quan zoomed up minutes later on his scooter … we hadn’t spotted a long, leafy lane off to one side. Problem solved, and once again we’ve met lovely, helpful people.

Limousine van was scheduled to arrive at 6:50 am … all packed, doors locked, waiting on the street when I look down and realized I’d left my camera waist pouch and phone behind! NOOOO! Dump backpack with Glen and raced back to the apartment (thank goodness we didn’t lock the outer gate). Grab keys from under the washing machine cover, retrieve bag, relock and gallop back just as our ride pulled up. Disaster averted! Very comfortable 8-seater van … said Good Morning to everyone aboard and sank into the two remaining seats with relief.

Ha Noi’s name means city surrounded by river, and the surrounding area is very flat and fertile. Rice paddies, lush and green as far as the eye can see – water glinting through the brilliant green shoots. People and water buffalo standing knee deep in the water-logged fields. After leaving the city and going inland, the terrain becomes more hilly with bright red soil contrasting against the million shades of tropical green vegetation and wide meandering river. Orange and muddy here from the soil. The visibility today is not great … hills and distant mountains shrouded in mist and smoke … hope it clears before we get to Sapa.

Two 20 minute stops during the 6-hour drive … both rest areas busy with a constant stream of buses and passengers … aromatic hot rice and noodle dishes being prepared at speed … steamed buns … coffee and mountains of dried snacks to keep one going. The white fluffy steamed Bao were particularly delicious … filled with a savoury rice and tiny hard-boiled quail eggs. We hadn’t quite finished, and I asked if it was OK to eat in the van … no problem, said one of the passengers … as long as it isn’t Durian! That brought laughter from everyone and enquiries as to whether we’d tried it or not. It’s one of those foods people either love or hate.

Constantly climbing now on a winding mountain road … honks from behind indicate vehicles wishing to overtake … staying in lanes is optional and drifting back and forth the norm. Somehow it seems to work, but there have been some ‘gasp’ moments as a multi-ton truck comes barreling down, or a family scooter with two small children squeezes through.

Sapa is exotic … I imagine somewhere like Katmandu to be similar … colourful buildings stacked on hillsides, unusual architecture … streets filled with trekkers lugging humungous backpacks … and tourists, of course. We’re too early for our homestay so decided to tackle The Mountain — Fansipan – the tallest in all of Indochina. Sapa is already around 1500m (5,000 feet) above sea level … Fansipan rises to 3,143m (10,311 feet) and requires a funicular, then the world’s longest non-stop cable car and yet another funicular to reach the top. Views are spectacular when it’s clear …. unfortunately the mist/smoke hadn’t dissipated but the terraced rice paddies were wonderful to see … the mountainsides are covered in azaleas and rhodos … some just coming into bloom. The wind picked up noticeably and the drop in temperature made you glad of jackets. https://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=Awr.1e9jGMlp8HULfLsWFQx.;_ylu=c2VjA3NlYXJjaAR2dGlkAw–;_ylc=X1MDMjExNDcyMTA0NgRfcgMyBGZyA21jYWZlZQRmcjIDcDpzLHY6dixtOnNiLHJnbjp0b3AEZ3ByaWQDZkpZbzlDRVRUWS5EWHJ5MXdrOEc4QQRuX3JzbHQDMARuX3N1Z2cDMARvcmlnaW4DY2EudmlkZW8uc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAzAEcXN0cmwDMTUEcXVlcnkDU2FwYSUyMCUyNiUyMEZhbnNpcGFuBHRfc3RtcAMxNzc0Nzg2Njcw?p=Sapa+%26+Fansipan&ei=UTF-8&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asb%2Crgn%3Atop&fr=mcafee&type=E210CA876G0#id=1&vid=a77cd42ef993f337ef4ec50ad3d6ed5a&action=view

At this elevation, one can certainly feel the reduced oxygen – even just walking around – so climbing the multitudes of steep stone steps to the very top (funicular doesn’t reach there) can be challenging. Lots of rests to catch your breath. Here the wind whips and snaps the flags …. clouds envelope and race by you down into the valley far below … people pose for photos … and it’s cold. Walking down to the cable car station takes a circuitous route (for some reason the more direct one was closed off!) …. past a pagoda, temple, flowering azaleas in pinks, whites and reds … to the immense seated Buddha and his 4 ferocious-looking guards. A memorable experience.

Back in town, a Grab taxi drove us out to the Eco Lodge along a questionable road … the poor driver winced a few times, peering anxiously over the windshield. We gave him a good tip. The lodge overlooks green terraced fields, valley and mountains behind, but unfortunately part of one hillside has been gouged out to install masses of ugly rental condos. The price of progress! This is a hiking Mecca … people can trek from village to village with local guides (H’mong) over several days, or more moderate half-day walks. After a delicious dinner of pork, onion & mushroom, and hot, sizzling chicken with ginger and lemongrass, the fog (and smoke) descended once more you could hear cicadas buzzing in the trees, a solitary deep-toned bell and distant traditional singing. A beautiful day’s end.

As our bus to Lao Cai and the overnight train back to Hanoi didn’t leave until 6pm, there was a whole afternoon to fill, so we hired a car and local driver to explore several of the local villages while not having to carry heavy backpacks, Pros and cons … yes we had transport, but with no clear agenda and only Google translate for communication, it was a little clumsy at times. Nonetheless, in Ta Van we saw local weavers, including one older lady who was dexterously operating a treadle sewing machine. Tried out an old grinding mill – the trick is getting the right rhythm.

On to Cat Cat village – probably the most visited … and you can see why, the location is stunning. A deep gorge with waterfalls and wooden walkways … but also dozens and dozens of stores renting the richly-embroidered local costumes. Throughout our travels in China and Vietnam it’s clear people (mostly women and girls) want to experience local culture by donning elegant clothing from those areas. It was a particularly warm afternoon, and I think some were regretting the heavily adorned outfits and headdresses being worn over top of their own clothes. Many hire professional photographers to follow along, taking shots from every possible angle … mid bridge … on a rock … in a boat … on a horse.

Walking down to the village we noticed a large, amusement park style slide … completely out of place, but what a way to descend with speed … so we did … and it was great fun. Needless-to-say, we hopped aboard a tram back to the car park.

Just time for a visit to the extensive marketplace in Sapa – indoor and outdoor. Busy even this late in the afternoon. A cup of tea with fresh jasmine leaves and a tray of airy iced cakes really hit the spot while waiting for the bus (right next door).

Buses don’t travel this route at night … for good reason – it’s mountainous and there are no street lights. With bags and backpacks, our 12-seater mini bus was crammed full. In the beginning there was lots of easy chatter, but as darkness descended all went quiet as the driver slowly and carefully navigated the curves, on-coming trucks and ever-present scooters rushing home. Definitely the safest driver so far … and when it counts.

Many of the passengers had arranged transport and train through Get Your Guide … however the waiting guide was beyond rude. Any questions he immediately cut off … “you don’t need to know right now, just go inside” (a restaurant). And any follow up query was greeted with “I really don’t care”! Charming, so glad we’re not with him. Instead a pizza place across the road enticed us in with excellent food and lemonade.

The square in front of the train station had come alive – with families … children playing and on bikes, watching the colour-changing fountain … and women’s dance teams. Two quite different. On the left, traditional and ruling party inspired music and movements … on the right upbeat, modern and with great choreography. Both delightful to watch. Getting up to enter the station we paused … was that …? Yes, it was …. Boney M’s rendition of By the Rivers of Babylon. How wonderful!