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Published: October 21st 2011
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Sapa is amazing! We caught the night train to Loa Cai and it’s not the best thing in the world but hey it gets you there. People can be so rude and don’t have any respect for others who are trying to sleep. The carriages sleep 4, bunk bed style and let’s just say we had one lady who would not keep still and kept getting up all the time…..very annoying when you can here every little thing that goes on. And some rude old men that kept talking really loud at about 2am!! People are trying to get a little sleep you know. So ok, now I’ve had my whinge I’m all good!! Lol After the train you catch a mini bus to the motel (once you’ve found the bus driver – it’s utter chaos nothing like in Australia), and that itself if an experience.
So once we were there safe and sound, we had some brekky and then decided we would go for a walk around town. If you thing the ladies and are bad in the cities trying to get you something……think again!! These ladies and kids also are pros!! As soon as you get off the
bus they pounce on you. “You buy, you buy – lady you buy from me” and if you say no thank you, “you buy from me later!” We had four girls follow us around for about ½ an hour before they got sick of us saying NO! We headed for the local markets and there is just so much to look at. We saw our first doggy barbequed….the poor little thing, and so many herbs, vegies and craft items.
After a little nap and some more food (all we do here is eat!! Lol), we booked a 3 hour trek down to Cat Cat Village with our very own tour guide. She was fantastic and spoke great English! The walk down was spectacular and the scenery just breath taking. We took so many photos and had so many experiences in this short time. The walk back up the mountain…..man oh man…..it’s a hike and a half. You could catch a moto but we decided to walk, so many people cheat and catch one back up but I don’t really blame them but we had a great experience with our guide and we learnt so much from here.
I had back
Fish anyone??
In the market place massage which cost a whole $6!! It was fantastic and I decided….why not splurge and get a foot massage as well after dinner! $4 for ½ an hour – what a bargain!!
An eight hour trek the next day was an experience needless to say. Our guide was really nice and was full of information and history about the area and helped us on our way through the hills and valleys. The trek was going down some sealed roads, some dirt tracks and some downhill rock climbing (down the hillside) which was a bit slippery in places but the village people helped you down and made sure you didn’t fall on your butt! There were great views of rice fields, village people working in the fields, buffalo’s ploughing up rice fields and of course the villages themselves. There is a dam being built so that the Vietnamese people don’t have to buy their power off china in the valley and it is a really shame that some of the village people will have to move their homes because they will be under water once the dam is finished and filled. This will be such a great loss of home
and memories for these people.
So I don’t think we have ever eaten so much food since we have been in Vietnam….It’s like a three course breakfast, lunch and dinner….I’m getting fatter!! Lol But it just tastes so good! In saying that…..I was sick for the last day we were in SaPa and we were meant to visit the Silver Waterfalls, and we did, we Paul did! I just sat on the side of the road like an idiot trying not to throw up. Paul walked up the one hundred or so meters of stairs to the viewing point for the water falls and this is what Paul has to say about them….”yeah”! They are three meters tall and consist of 3 cascading waterfalls. Once we had done that we went to another viewing point of the valley and had a picture there and then it was back to the motel and sleep for me!! Poor Paul just did his own thing and had some lunch and go some supplies for the night train later that day….all the while looking after me!! What a good husband he is!!
The night train was much better this time and we
both actually got some sleep, but they are no luxury 4 star room like the brochure says!! Nope definitely not!!! We got to Hanoi about 5.30am (to the hotel) and had a shower and a lay down and then got some brekky and headed out for a walk and then it was time to take a car to the airport and fly to Hue.
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