Blogs from Sapa, Lao Cai, Northwest, Vietnam, Asia - page 50

When we returned from Halong Bay the only thing we had to do before leaving for Sapa was to change our clothes and get a shower. About 4 hours after we climbed out of the small bus that took us from the Bay we boarded the night train at Hanoi. That itself was an interesting part of the adventure that we were about to begin. The scenery of the train station reminded me of movies that were set in old Chicago: bits of water dripping from the dark sky of the early evening, human beings crouching into their greyish coats stumbling from out of no where into different directions- disappearing within seconds and only mumbled voices and hushed sounds reaching the ear- whilst steam was rising from the massive locomotives and the ticket man (dressed in ... read more

Well, its time for you all to laugh at us. We are in the Hoang Lien Mountains in North West Vietnam, only 30km from China, and thanks to the world wide web and some bbc weather reports it is colder here than back home. To make things worse.......at least you are all currently reading this in the warmth. Not for us...brass monkeys do not even come close. To add insult to injury...are we prepared with cold clothes?...nope. As I type I am wearing gloves (recently purchased), 2 hats (recently purchased) and a ski mask (see below), and I can still see my breath and not feel my fingers. Unfortunately the budget does not stretch to somewhere with heating so thank god for the several duvets each, and a wood burning stove in the dining room. This ... read more

The last couple of days have been hard, physically and mentally, but they have blown my mind. Picking up where I left off, I was walking back from the internet cafe when I passed by another bia hoi stand. They said "bia, bia" and motioned me over so I joined them. They spoke pretty good English, probably better than the other bia hoi place I frequent. The were vets and we talked about the war. They said that the Americans and the Vietnamese are very good friends. I asked them if they liked tourists and they said they did. I know I would hate them if I was in their position. They even gave me some nice cracker things covered in sesame seeds that you dip on hot sauce. Very tasty! The girls who work the ... read more

I woke up early the next morning feeling chilled to the bones. Despite the thick blanket provided, the slight gap in the wooden wall above me meant that I was in the direct path of the draft. It didn’t help that it starting raining in the early morning. I was up listening to the cocks crowing, trying to decipher the time with what little light that was available. I gave up and tried to go back to sleep. It was useless. Urgh! Before I knew it, it was finally 7a.m. It was a dark and cloudy morning. Not much light. Downstairs, our host was starting up a fire in the kitchen preparing breakfast. One by one, we came to sit by the fire and watch our host prepare breakfast. The smell of cook meat soon filled ... read more

I arrived in Lao Cai early morning - overnight train from Hanoi. This was before I survived the most exhilarating motorcycle ride from the hotel (in Hanoi) to the train station! Something screwed up and the tour bus did not pick me up from the designated hotel to the train station (to head off to Sapa). I patiently waited for an hour (no, the alarm bells in my head did not think that something was wrong as I was having a pleasant conversation with some locals - in English, what else). Finally, I decided to ask the hotel owner (young chap of 29) about the delay. After a flurry of activity (telephone calls and possibly some "screaming" over the telephone), I was told that one of the employees would drive me there. Somehow, I expected a ... read more