Blogs from Lao Cai, Northwest, Vietnam, Asia - page 3

After our initial this-is-ok with the room and getting into bed in all our clothes waiting for the electric blanket and heater to kick in, we noticed a big big draught from the window. It didn't seem to close, and looking harder there was a 2cm gap at the top where you could see straight through to the 4 degrees outside. Closing the curtain didn't help. After shivering for an hour I went downstairs to see if they could move us. Sadly, booking.com said there was only a quad or a dorm bed for tonight. Didn't fancy it. The guy on the desk said immediately 'Window not close?'. He came up, fiddled with the wire on the handle, closed the curtain and started to leave. Nonono! He said bed warm, heater, is OK. Not OK! So ... read more

It was my second evening in Hanoi. I took an overnight train to Sapa. I love traveling by trains, well, when it is possible. I did the same when I travelled to Chiang Mai from Bangkok in Thailand. To me, it brings a whole lot of different dimensions to my travel. I look out the window of my train traveling in the darkness in the middle of the night, I see just the silhouette figures,- trees, hills, forests all passing by in the darkness. Sometimes a level crossing appears with shower of lights, shops, and traffic waiting at the crossing,…just a touch of civilization for a moment. Then it is gone, …gone forever in the darkness. It’s mesmerizing! With an alien world of darkness out there, I stray around in a mystical world….”hello darkness my old ... read more

Cloudy, foggy, freezing, rainy. Those were all the words I heard to describe Sapa. Don't get me wrong, I had also heard it was beautiful. But it's December in north Vietnam, and if it's foggy, you can't see anything so don't bother. Back in Saigon, I had met that Kiwi guy, and he gave me a phone number. He told me that when I go to Sapa, I should call that number and say, "Mama Sung, pick me up at the church." With all the tours offered, I decided to wing it and call Mama Sung. Knowing that I would be trekking all day after a night bus and not napping, I decided to take more extreme measures. So, in Vietnam, you can buy Valium over the counter. About $8 for 10 pills. I've never taken ... read more

Our German friends from Luang Prabang had told us wonderful stories of their homestay with Mama Sung in her village near Sapa, we just had to give her a call :) As soon as she answered the phone, I knew we were in for a treat, she had such a sweet and wispy voice and a real joker! We met her at the church, she was speaking with other villagers who belong to her tribe (Hmong tribe) and some were making and selling their handmade items, they all have bucket loads of talent. We introduced ourselves and she had the brightest smile and warmest heart (could tell by her hug :)) She reminded me of a grandma from a fairy-tale. Whilst we waited on another couple who would be joining us to do the homestay, we ... read more

My last blog left off with one more day in Hanoi, I filled it with a bicycle cab ride around the city, going to the fabric market with a tailor to pick out fabric for the clothes I'm getting made and then dinner with my parents and Alaysia. My last night there involved me organizing my gear and going to bed early since our bus to Sapa left at 7am. It was an uneventful ride through some beautiful countryside and up a very windy mountain road that included a few significant near misses and passing big trucks on a blind corner with double solid lines. I actually don't know why they even paint lines, not a damn soul ever follows them... In any case we made it in one piece and settled into the hostel in ... read more