Just getting started

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Just got back from Sapa, quite an amazing place. The train up was great although no amount of luxury in our delux cabin could overcome the the 5am arrival (We seem to be going to bed later while getting up earlier and earlier. Off to Laos today on a 24hr bus so I should get some sleep then). After taking too long to get off the train we were shooed away by the conductor. Our tardiness continued to be our undoing as there was no longer space in the waiting mini-van. 45 minutes later... after the arrival of the next train we were on our way from the station at Lao Cai to Sapa.

After a quick shower and breakky in Sapa we met our guide and started trekking. A thin layer of mud covered most of the path and while nothing like the mud on bush trails in Tassie was no mean feat to walk on... perfectly illustrated by Dans muddy ass (see FB photo album)! Our destination for the night was a little village set on a river bend in a valley out of the mist which covered much of Sapa. It was here in the quiet serenity of our home stay I wondered whether these people were indeed 3rd world. Do they need to develop as the politically correct 'developing nation' would suggest, or is "progress" a backwards step to the more slum like conditions found in many parts of the larger towns. It is sadly ironic that this beauty which so many backpackers strive to find was being tainted by our very presence. The huge influx of tourists to the area has seen the need for a hydro power plant to be built which in my opinion has destroyed the trekking appeal of the area. Huge parts of the mountainside have been excavated to build the dam which will swallow many farms under the eventual lake! This however is not to say that the Sapa region has nothing to offer.

On our final day we traveled to the Bac-Ha Sunday Market, an experience not to be missed if ur ever in this part of the global village. The market, while also quite touristy is nothing like the superficiality of the floating market in BangKok. It still serves its primary function as a place where locals go to buy supplies (Locals outnumber the tourists many hundreds to 1). I like to liken this place at the top of a mountain ridge as the Chadstone shopping centre of the region. People come from far and wide to get everything from clothes to buffalo and while they're there eat from stalls not too dissimilar from a food court! The only difference is that chaddy never gets as busy (not even on Christmas eve). We had to be careful not to get bowled over by the scrum of people half our size.

We were up at 5am again today after the return leg on the train! Trying to kill time atm before we get our bus to Loas at 6pm. Will Check in Again from Vientiane.
All the best
Rob

Ps. Bring back tram conductors, none of this ticket inspector shite, there is no fare evasion here and no problems if you don't have the correct coinage!

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