Day 19: On top of the world at Fansipan

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Geo: 22.3945, 104.056

Started the day with a trip to Fansipan. At the height of 3,143m, Fansipan is the highest mountain in Vietnam and "the Roof of Indochina". Actually, that intro may be misleading. Might imply that we skipped breakfast and that certainly was not the case. The Victoria had the biggest breakfast pastry selection to date and served them all up in bite size pieces. Mac selected eight of the delicious pastries to round out his morning repaste.

Right on queue we loaded into Chin's minibus together with all our belongings. It was just a short stay because after the day's adventures we will continue onto the The Ecolodge.

Of course no adventure is complete without a bit of mountain road driving dodging other vehicles, water buffalo, scooters and children. And we did do this for the first 10 minutes and got to throw in road closures and road works as well. But then it was a startling change to infrastructure with a divided highway cut into the mountain. It was smooth and wide and was accompanied by huge parking lots and an impressive assortment of buildings. Looks like there was a commitment to getting the setup right before the tourists discovered it in hordes.

This was Chai's first time on the cable car run and she was terrified! Her normal approach to Fansipan is a two, three or four day hike along the mountain track with overnight camps and local village home stays. Hard to believe that doesn't frighten her, but the swinging cable car does. So for effect, I let out a lovely staged scream as the cable car tumbled out of the housing to reveal the sheer drop to the first valley floor.
The views were spectacular and the engineering feat even more impressive to create this 6292.5 metre ride which holds the record as the longest non-stop three roped cable run. It was reminiscent of Whistler's Peak to Peak (same glass cars) and the infrastructure that has been created around this attraction is on s massive scale. The road has been prepared, the car park and associated transport means incredible capacity, the ticketing, restaurants, gift shops, the multi-level reception and general facilities mean this is an attraction built with future growth in mind.

You would think that four adults would realise that some warm clothing would be needed for this adventure. Well, yes, we each had our jackets and jumpers in the back packs, but in our eagerness to get onto the cable cars both groups forgot them and left them safely with Chin in the minibus. It was only as the wind was howling around the cable car as we approached the end of the ride that it suddenly dawned on us that this was going to be cold. Made me think of @Anthony when he arrived at Toronto when Niagara had frozen over and he was wearing a tshirt, shorts and thongs. At least he had the excuse of lost luggage. We had NOTHING.

We arrived collectively with open shoes, short shorts and short sleeved shirts. Loraine at least had a semblance of preparedness with long pants and long sleeves. "Luckily" there was a shop in the complex that obviously catered to ill prepared mugs. After a few false starts three of us had either a jacket or a shawl. Richard, wanted to teach himself a lesson and refused to buy anything. He claimed that the experience would ensure he didn't make the same mistake again.

Chai led the way for Mac and Richard to tackle the 600 steps to the summit and the combination of wind and altitude ensured it was a steady, step by step ascent. And the summit was worth it. The mist (real this time) and cloud rolled by, the wind roared and brought a cutting chill to the air and every now and then the clouds parted and the sun peaked through to thaw Richard out for about 3 minutes at a time.

Loraine and I added a 100 000 dong addition to our tickets that enabled us to reach the summit via a trolley. Mind you, we did have to climb 60 stairs to the waiting carriage and with the wind, Loraine's chest cold, my now swollen knee from the slip out of Chin's minibus, we were a right pair of crocks getting up the stairs. But we were in no hurry and were even stopped by some Chinese tourists and asked to pose for some pics with them. Guess they will have some great laughs recounting the exploits of the white faced foreigners.

We were greeted at the top by the trekkers who whipped us around the summit and pointed out the sights as they temporarily appeared and disappeared between the clouds.

An absolutely must do experience. We were on a high! And Loraine and I were smiling because we had scored some very nice unplanned goodies from the gift shop!

Back on the mountain roads and more twists and turns and edgey experiences as we held on white knuckle style for the 60 minutes to cover the 20 km journey further into the mountains to the Topas Ecolodge.

There was one stop on the way to look out over the Thank Kim Valley and to pick out Chai's house. The pattern of the rice paddies as they snake around the mountain, layer upon impossible layer, the water collected in various shades of brown, the slow moving water buffaloes, the thatched rooflines and the stillness all add to the "newness" of this vista.

We actually didn't know we had "arrived" because it appeared as if we were stuck in a traffic jam that somehow involved a truck, a bus, another van and a few red scarfed Red Zao ladies. When the chaos and clamour cleared, we were actually in the narrow driveway waiting for our turn to unload.

Perched on the edge of a cliff, the 30 individual bungalows that make up the lodge give uninterrupted (if you don't count the smog) views of the rice terraces in the valley below. It was a return to the simple. One lodge per couple. A verandah, a bedroom and a bathroom. Bare bones, rough hewn wooden furniture. A mosquito net. Glass and wooden panelling. Peace. Quiet.

It was a late arrival and a late lunch that included an introduction to a freshly ground mint leaf and lemon juice and an assortment of new soups. We were refuelled and unpacked by 4 pm and headed out for the afternoon 3 1/2 km trek through the rice paddies, fields and village of the Red Zao.

It began easily enough with a walk along the road to get to the entrance to the village, but quickly spiralled into an endurance session as the now expanded group headed down the rough incline towards the Red Bridge and the river crossing. Our little group of 5 had grown substantially and 8 of the Red Zao ladies joined us. The pre tour documentation had warned of the persistence of this group in pedalling their wares but had indicated that they could be turned away by a "no." Think that the info needs to be updated because there was no shaking this group of 8 - they were professionals and put a new spin on "sticky rice."

And despite the brochure indicating this tour was suitable "even for the aged" I didn't make it past the bamboo grove and after three tiers of increasing steepness on descent had to call it quits. Loraine's chest cold had worsened overnight and was causing some challenge to breathing so, trailed by four of the Red Zao we turned around.

Chai immediately changed the itinerary and led Richard and Mac on the 6 km tour. They trampled through the rice fields, avoided the water buffaloes, found out how to feed ducks live worms ( a handy skill for urban dwellers), challenged some local children in games, crossed the rickety wooden Red Bridge, jumped rocks to cross the river and enjoyed every step!

They were harassed every step of the way by the saleswoman and after paying the ladies to "go away" did return physically unscathed but with very questionable local bargains. What was Chai thinking when she let them buy anything!

Rounded out the day with the usual shared banquet that included duck, pork, prawns chicken and vegetables in a delicious range of flavours washed down with cocktails, beers and a bottle of Sav Blanc and a chocolate fondue. We stumbled home - no more than usual over the ridiculously uneven path ("who would make this intentionally" queried Loraine) to 207 and 208 to dream away the night under the protection of the mosquito net.

And the best part - tomorrow is a rest day.

Steps: 22 789 (Mac and Richard total!)
Temperature: freezing cold to searing hot

PS Richard is turned on at breakfast and has requested acknowledgement for making his hotspot available. No luck for Mac and me - we got limited service from him, but Loraine assures us she knows how to make it work. Going to miss these guys at breakfast! Loraine is shaking her head and lamenting "You can't take him anywhere."

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