Blogs from Lao Cai, Northwest, Vietnam, Asia - page 57

Asia » Vietnam » Northwest » Lao Cai » Sapa June 23rd 2005

Now that I am in travel mode, I am feeling more settled - go figure! The course is becoming a distant (at times bad, then good) memory. I had a week of sickness and exhaustion following it, as well as reaching saturation point in Hanoi. It seems like the more I learn and speak Vietnamese, the more miscommunications I have. The good news is I've passed the course and am looking forward to teaching. It's actually loads of fun! I am in a sleepy town called Sapa in the far north of Vietnam - a stone's throw from China - with a friend from my course, Jan, a Londoner. Sapa is the Asian equivalent of a European alpine resort, replete with stunning mountains (snow-capped in Winter but no skiing) peppered with rustic villages, French alpine architecture, ... read more

LZ - Sapa

Asia » Vietnam » Northwest » Lao Cai » Sapa April 13th 2005

The steppes of Sapa

Lt Col Lewin

Operation Flying Hmong A short afternoon in Hanoi was all that I had before I was off to experience my first Vietnamese train ride. This ride would be on the overnighter that would dump me just short of the Chinese border in a border town called Lao Cai, which lay 60km downhill from Sapa. The funny thing is, the distance from Hanoi to Lau Cai is almost 300km, which is just a few kilometers more than the distance from San Diego to Los Angeles. However, Amtrak gets me there in 3 hours while the Soviet Express, as I’ve termed this decrepit hunk of steel and iron, got me there in just under 13 hours! Fast is not an adjective one would ever attempt to use when describing this monstrosity. At the train station in Hanoi, a ... read more

Adventures in Sapa

Asia » Vietnam » Northwest » Lao Cai » Sapa February 11th 2005

Typically scene when walking around Sapa.

Bon Bon on the Go Go

Made it to Sa Pa. A little disorganized Went for a small trek. Since I had the whole day to myself in the almost empty (except for tourists) town of Sa Pa I decided to take a little walk south to see what I'd find. It was stinking hot out but I continued walking for about an hour and saw some of the amazing terraced landscapes that Sa Pa is known for. Just a little teaser before my two days of trekking through the villages... I probably would have continued walking for longer than an hour but realized that my walk was mostly downhill so decided to turn around and head back, plus, did I mention it was stinking hot? lol After lunch I rested up a bit in my nice hotel room and ended up ... read more

Mi Sapa es su Sapa

Asia » Vietnam » Northwest » Lao Cai » Sapa June 9th 2004

Yes, mom we're in heaven...

nardobram

Hello all, Danielle's mom, Vianne (Vi-ahn) is with us and after some getting used to, it's been okay. Danielle and I have been travelling for a month and a half. To add a new person is always difficult, but like the apes, and after a talk, we've all adapted. I have to admit that seeing her cross the street at first was very frustrating because we're used to no traffic lights and scores of bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, and cars making a bee-line for you. So Danielle and I just go across the street. The key is not to hesitate and when you hit a mark, look up to see how the traffic looks. The Asian people are used to this chaos so they'll move as long as they can anticipate where you are going. If you're ... read more

Brief history of Vietnam

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forc...more history

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