Dang we're going to be tired!!!!

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Wed Mar 5th

Hue-Hanoi-Sapa

Raining and chilly when we wake in Hue this morning and its just dawned on me to check the schedule we built for today. I should have paid a weeeeee bit more attention. Morning is fine..time for a nice breakfast etc and a car picking us up at 10:30 to take us to the airport.. 12:10 flight to Hanoi arriving 1:30 (so far so good)..then hmmmmmm the train doesnt leave for Sapa till 10pm..car is meeting us at the airport..but WTF are we supposed to do for 5 or 6 hours in the afternoon and evening. I should have thought of this before and booked a hotel room or sommit for the afternoon. Driver agree's to keep our heavy luggage..drops us off downtown @2:30 and we have to wander around until 8:30. Fortunately Hanoi is a very pretty city to wander in and M remembers how to find East Lake..a giant park in the heart of downtown so we relax in the park and have a nice dinner before being picked up and transferred to the rail station.

Now we have 1.5 hrs to kill as we wait for the train to depart and OOOOOOPS its a dang non-smoking train!! We depart at 10 pm and we have a private 2 berth room so we immediately try to sleep... not much luck for either of us. Last overnight train we took was in China years ago..there the rails are all seamless etc..built for hi speed rail..here I think they probably predate WW II.. think verrrrrrry bumpy.

Thurs Mar 5th

M wakes me at 5:30 (yes i finally sort of fell asleep..she never really did) and we have a quick coffee in the dining car. Train arrives in Lau Cai (nearest rail station to Sapa) @ 6:30 and finally have a quick smoke on the platform before a driver shows up and whisks us out of the station. Its only 32 km to Sapa but it takes an hour.. narrow switchbacks etc as we climb steadily into the mountains. We arrive at the hotel @ 7:30..check in..to be told room wont be ready till noon. We are both exhausted, badly in need of showers and clean clothes so we have a quick breakfast and plonk ourselves down in the lobby to check emails etc while we wait.



Its raining...cloudy and quite chilly here..they have the fireplaces lit and large gas space heaters running in the common areas as I type this from the lobby.

I also just decided to check the remaining schedule..lets see today we will probably nap 😊 Tomorrow? ........ hmmmmmm let's see..we check out at noon...driver picks us up at 6:30 pm..arrive at train at 7:30..wait for 9:00 departure..(this is sounding long already)..9 hour train ride/sleep? arriving Hanoi @ 5:30 am..transfer to airport..wait 5 hrs for flight..2 hrs to Hong-Kong...1 hr layover..12 hrs to Vancouver..2 hr layover..1 hr to Kelowna!!!! Im not even gonna do the the math...That is going to be one verrrrrrrrrry long travel day.

Another OOOOPS !!!! I should have checked the damn train tickets..the local travel agency in Saigon..did book the private 2 berth car for the journey here but they have us in a 4 berth car returning to Hanoi..now I know M wont sleep again. I shoot off a couple of quick emails and hopefully they can resolve this before tomorrow.

M just returned..room is ready..I'll toss in a few quick pic's from the last 2 days and try and post something more coherant later😊

Take care all

R & M

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Comments

[Marion]

Your right, sounds like a long day home!!! Thanks for the "travelblog". Having never ventured very far away, it's been great checking in, and seeing all the pics! ( oh and glad your having such a good time!!) Marion