Blogs from Fansipan, Northeast, Vietnam, Asia
Wonders of the world - Sapa and Halong Bay..
Published: May 1st 2011Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Fansipan
May 1st 2011
Having not trekked since New Zealand we were out of practice despite the 'easy trek' we were sold. Luckily we caught the best two days weather to marvel at the misty linear carved hillside rice terraces. Les lost his footing and ended up wading knee deep in the sludge and everyone at least had one muddy foot. We met the H'mong tribes who are experts at selling though they don't seem to take 'no' for an answer. They keep their hands busy embroidering, weaving and toiling for very little but they have a great sense of humour when it comes to the 'hard sell'. We were humbled by their simplistic lives and long working hours. The homestay was a great experience. Learning more about the locals and bridging relations with people from other countries was ... read more
October 18th 2010
Arriving in Hanoi, the capital, it became immediately apparent that this is the noisiest city on South East Asia. We spent the entire morning looking for the Mongolian embassy to get our visas for the country. When we eventually found it they were closed for lunch. An embassy closed for lunch can be anything up to 3 days or as little, but never less than, two and a half hours. Fortunately Mongolia opt for the 2.5 hour lunch and so we were able to put our applications in with our passports with a promise to pick it all up in three days time. The embassy doesn't get too many visitors. In the days between we decided to go to Halong Bay, the highlight of Vietnam. I first heard of Halong Bay, like many, from the Top ... read more
Mount Fansipan Monsoon, Play Station Pornography & Blind Mice
Published: May 26th 2010Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Fansipan
May 26th 2010
After making the accent to the final base camp on Fansipan, Vietnam's highest peak rising dramatically over Sa Pa, through a trail covered by a thick blanket of mist, shrouding the lush green trees and rocky mud flowing mountain streams with an errie "Blair Witch"/"Lord Of The Rings" veneer, I find myself shivering in the cold... A bare unforgiving wooden floor "supporting" my aching back, with nothing more than a few layers, a wafer thin sleeping bag and a few shots of rice wine inside me to keep me warm, monsoon rain hammers down relentlessly on the roof above as mice scamper past my head in the pitch black... The simple fact is that the night is utterly miserable... No amount of retrospective positive "New Labour" spin could ever distort my memory from the fact that ... read more
March 26th 2010
I arrive in the late morning to the start point. I hire a guide, his name is Kinh, of the Black Hmong people. He doesn't speak much English but seems nice enough and eager. The objective is to make the summit. The mountain is called Fansipan, also known as the roof of Indochina, highest mountain in the whole region at 3143 metres or 10312 feet. Not amazingly high by mountain standards but still not to be taken lightly. The temperature is about five degrees, a constant spray of rain covers us, and the mist seems impenetrable. Not the best of days to be doing this I wonder but then again when am I going to be here again? We begin the trek, I have my jumper and fake skate shoes I got from Hanoi (not the ... read more
October 25th 2009
Đã lâu nay mới trở lại với Sapa, thành phố trong sương vẫn mây bay, sương mờ và những con người lam lũ, nhưng phố xá thì thất vọng vô cùng. lại cái môtip nhà ống 3m... chán như con gián!... read more
August 21st 2009
Vietnam is instantly more pleasant than China. As soon as we crossed the border, the toilets became bearable, the people got friendlier, the food gained flavor, and the sky became blue again. My first experiences in Hanoi and Halong Bay were so relaxed and beautiful, it was easy to overlook the street people literally thrusting items into my hands to buy. Halong Bay is only a few hours away from Hanoi by bus, and has been listed as one of the 7 Natural Wonders. A three day tour package had me swimming in the tropical sea at sunset, hiking in the jungles and climbing through caves on Cat Ba island, kayaking on the ocean between towering limestone pillars, and lots of sun and sand. The food was great, the weather was deliciously hot, and the whole ... read more
June 28th 2009
Halloechen-wir leben. Und das ist diesmal nicht ganz selbstverstaendlich...kein Inselgechille, jungelgehupfe oder Huetten ohne strom haben diesmal zur blogverzoegerung gefuehrt, sondern pure angst... Naja gut mittlerweile sieht alles schon wieder besser aus. Alsoooo Naddl hatte eines schoenen ( unausgeschlafenen, verkaterten) morgens das Beduerfnis mal wieder " an ihre Grenzen zu gehen" und beschloss den hoechsten Berg vietnams zu besteigen, und zwar nicht einfach so touri style sondern der schnelle trip, 2 tage aufi und abi...Conny fand die idee der grenzueberschreitung auch nicht ganz schlecht , aber wollte das dann doch dem vom letzten trek angeschwollenen kniechen nicht antun und beschloss es auf eine andere weise anzugehen...im Nachhinein definitiv auch mutig, wie sich herausstellte, denn ihr trip behinhaltet bergkrankenhaeuser, nachtzugfahrten bei 40 fieber und eine woche i... read more
April 17th 2009
Two days, 54 kilometres of hiking (27 up and 27 down), 3143 metres, "899, 765 bottles of beer on the wall," the highest peak in Indochina, Mount Fansipan...CONQUERED! The idea to climb a mountain was on Matt's travel agenda. We had been talking about going to Borneo to climb the more famous Mt Kinabalu for some time now on our travels however, upon further research we realized that bookings are required at least 3 months in advance at a cost of well over $200 not including meals. One site that we looked at actually recommended Mount Fansipan in northern Vietnam as a great alternative to Kinabalu. Heading in that direction Matt was sold and raring to go! Me? Well I was a little more weary after 5 months of relative inactivity, but I reluctantly agreed to ... read more
