Sapa

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It's COLD!!!!!! Well, not that cold, but after so long in the sticky heat Sapa was like stepping into a fridge.

Sapa is a very popular spot for tourists, the main reason being to trek through the hills to the various hill tribes around the town. We weren't equppied for trekking at all - no shoes (other than flip flops), no waterproofs, no warm clothes. On this basis we already new we wouldn't see much whilst there, but decided to go anyway. If anything it was a welcome break from town and a space to chill out before starting our journey home to England.

Luckily for us when we arrived in town the weather was clear and we had some great views out across the hills and down the valley. We even manged a walk down to the nearest village about 3km away. That afternoon though the weather closed in at about 3pm and this was the last we saw of the Sapa valley until 2 days later! For the next 24hrs we could see no further than about 40m due to cloud and relentless rain. Quite common up here we were told.

Finally on our last day there we decided that we would nuy a couple of rain coats, rent a bike and head down the valley to try and get under the weather. A good choice too. After no more than about 10mins ride we came out of the cloud and had a great afternoon riding through various villages. If we had had some better footwear we would have been able to trek a little into the nearby villages but we didn't, next time.

Sapa town was great to chill out though. Many of the buildings look like they belong in a european ski resort! Many local women from the various hill tribes walk in to town each day to try and sell their stuff. Daytime - Jewellery, clothes, weaving. Evening - Opium, Hash, Weed! They were good fun to banter with and looked great in their local dress.

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Photos

Weather Changes
Its just like home!