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Published: September 20th 2012
View from our balcony
Taken within 30 mins of arriving - never saw this view again due to the mistOur journey started by getting the night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai.
So we get into our bunks and this time we had one bunk on top of the other so no more Mike sleeping on top of another Vietnamese, ha ha.
I had the bottom bunk so I left Mike in charge of the rucksacks. It was funny as the last night train trip we had I said to Mike you need to be really careful about your ruck sack as they get pinched from your bunk.
I proved the point as when he was asleep I knicked his rucksack, ha ha. So Mike decided that he needed to keep his arms through each rucksack which did not help with him getting a good nights sleep to start with but the ruck sacks are safer on the top bunk than on the bottom bunk.
So sharing our cabin again this time was another two Vietnamese ladies. it appears they were on the phone for most of the night which really got on Mike’s nerves. So to combat loud talking the ladies were doing on their phones Mike decides to sing really loudly - they must
Cutting Rice
back breaking work this have thought what the hell is going on here and probably kept ringing their friends and saying they have a mad English man in the cabin. Please note all this went on whilst I was fast asleep, ha ha.
Anyway we get to Lao Cai and get picked up by a transit van already full of people and we get in with our rucksacks and up the mountain we go.
Now if anyone has been to SaPa they will know what the journey is like. If you have not here goes. It is really scary as you are right next to the edge and the transit is passing everything on the wrong side of the road - and that is if there is a road there, most of the time it is mud.
We get to SaPa and the hotel is great. They have moved us to a room with Fansipan mountain view. It was lucky that I got a photo of the view outside our room within the first 30 minutes as the mist came down and we never saw it again the whole time we were in SaPa - (make note to oneself you do
What a view
The mist came down! not need to pay for a room with a view when in the mountains!).
So the first day we trek - yes I did say trek to Cat Cat village which is approximately 5kms - thank goodness it was downhill. We visited the H'mong ethnic village. Our guide was called Luan and he was great. We passed some paddy fields and Luan asked if I fancied having a go at cutting the rice - so always up for something different I had a go and I can tell you it is back breaking work. I only cut about a dozen bunches and nearly sliced my leg in two on one occasion. It was good to have a go though.
We got down to the centre of the village and watched a show put on by the H'mong people and before I know it I am on stage dancing with bamboo poles - only I can get myself into these positions.
I also purchased a buffalo horn bracelet from one of the ladies in the Cat CAt village - another souvenir I have to carry home but at least I can wear this if needed.
Remember I
H'mong ladies
These are our stalkers! told you it was 4 - 5 kms downhill - yes you guessed it we needed to get back up the hill. So caution to the wind we decided to get a motorbike back up the hill.
Remember I told you that the roads are mud well hey ho on a motorbike it is not a good feeling when you can see the mudslide coming up in front of you. So I have been on a motorbike in Vietnam and lived!
Next day we are off trekking again this time to Ta Van village which was around 8 kms downhill again. We leave SaPa and we ended up with 3 H'mong ladies following us. We had been told this is what they do they just latch onto your group - so it was not much of a surprise otherwise I would have thought we were being stalked or they were sizing us up for lunch!
After a couple of kms I started talking to the ladies as decided they were going to follow us whatever and would want us to buy something from them so may as well make it pleasant. To be honest they were really
pleasant and observant me did not even notice one of them had a 6 month old baby strapped to her back and that is before I lost my glasses (come to that later on).
It appears that in the H'mong tribe the girls get married around 12 years old and the girl with the 6 month old baby was 17 years old. Another snippit for you here is when the H'mong ladies get married they never cut their hair again and they always have a comb stuck in their hair - plus they get a gold front tooth.
When we stop for lunch which is made by our guide Luan (who luckily for us used to be a chef in one of the top hotels in SaPa) the inevitable happens you guessed it the ladies want us to buy something from them, so we bought a bag from each of them (more things to carry home!).
We carry on down to Ta Van and start meeting the ladies from the Giay ethnic village. Now when these ladies get married they pull their hair out at the front by hand and also pull their eyebrows out. At this
Luan our guide
Happy chappie all the time point I am glad I am british.
The weather is so bad ie misty and rainy and I keep saying to Luan that the view is beautiful and we both crack up laughing as you cannot see anything.
After around 8 km trekking through villages we wait for a van to pick us up in a cafe.
Whilst waiting the road is now really muddy due to the persistent rain and mist. It is quite a picture seeing the motorbikes trying to get up and down into the village - it is quite funny whilst sitting down in a covered cafe (make another note don't forget to think ahead). So after a while Luan says the van cannot get down as it is too muddy so yes you guessed it we had to walk up the hill for a while to find a place where the van could pick us up - told you I should have thought ahead when I was laughing at the motorbikes trying to get up and down the muddy road.
Mike takes our walking boots to a place that cleans and dries them in an hour. This is good as we have to get the night train back to Hanoi and having wet boots would not be ideal.
So we catch the bus back down to Lao Cai for the overnight train and whilst we wait for the train we decide to get something to eat and drink - this is when the fun starts as I go to get my reading glasses to read the menu and realise that they are not in my rucksack - so did I leave them in the hotel or did I leave them in the van?
Luan rings the hotel and checks and they are not there and then he gets the hotel to check with the van driver and you guessed it they are not there also.
At this point I just think no issue I can get some more reading glasses when I get to Hanoi or even at the airport waiting for our flight to Hong Kong. This is when the arguments started as Mike decides to throw a strop with me because I lost my glasses. I do not know why as when he thought he lost them a few days ago I said no issue as I can get some more at the airport. I cannot understand why he got mad at me for losing my own glasses but I suppose that is Mike.
We get on the night train not talking as I thought this was the best tactic only to find we are sharing our cabin with a couple of Vietnamese men who were tour guides. They seemed quite nice but as I was tired and pissed off I decided to take the top bunk and go to sleep leaving Mike and the two men to chat.
The train journey went without a hitch (mind you I was asleep within 10 minutes of setting off so i would not know, ha ha).
We are now back in Hanoi getting ready for our flight tomorrow to Hong Kong. Both of us are hobbling along which is really funny (make another note to oneself need to walk alot more, ha ha).
Hope everyone is ok
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Jason
non-member comment
Amazing read
Hey lady law, I have loved reading your Asian adventure and am looking forward to the Australian leg of the tour. I can imagine you getting on the plane with hundreds of trinkets and having to pay an excess baggage fee LOL.