Blogs from Northwest, Vietnam, Asia - page 67

Hello happy people! I made the night train without hitch and it actually wasn't too bad. Was sharing with a passionate Russian couple or some country that way and a sullen Vietnames guy who kept trying to smoke in the no smoking cabin and snored but a nice man i'm sure! Arrived in Sapa around 6.30am stepped off the train and froze. I had been warned that it was cold but wasn't prepared for it at all. You could see your breath in the hotel bedroom, it was that cold! After checking in and getting breakfast we had a 2 hour trek to a waterfall and then back to the hotel for lunch the afternoon was then our own to kill. I wondered into the town and fell completely in love with the place. If you ... read more

Apres une nuit passee dans le train, nous voila arrive a Sapa au Nord Ouest de Hanoi a 1600 m d'altitude. Il fait plutot frais ce qui donne une bonne atmosphere de sport d'hiver. On se trouve une petite chambre avec vue sur la montagne pour presque rien. Le paysage est magnifique, des risieres a perte de vue. On s'est fait une premiere journee d'excursion en jeep jusqu'aux villages environnants. Il y a plusieurs tribus qui cohabitent dans les montagnes. On s'est tres chaleureusement fait recevoir par une famille Lao. Les Laos se distinguent par leur dents noirs. En fait ils mastiquent une sorte de resine dont ils s' enduisent les dents afin de les protegers. Enfin ils ont plus ou moins tous les bridges en or donc je suis moyennement convaincue par cette technique! Ils ... read more

Spent 3 days trekking in Sapa, up in the far northern mountains, near the border of China, which was absolutely brilliant! I have to say that it is the most breathtaking stunning scenery I have seen in Vietnam, and maybe in the world. The northern mountains in Vietnam are home to all the 'minority people' of Vietnam. 87% of the population are Vietnamese, but the rest live as tribes in small villages and are distinguished by their language and dress - usually a colourful costume with varying colours of headress. They all live in small villages in the mountains and survive by cultivating the land for rice. We took the overnight train to the town of Lao Cai, on the border of China, and from there it was a bumpy 90 minute drive to Sapa - ... read more

Hello! Where do I start? We have had an amazing weekend - Sapa was just what we all needed to take a break from the smog and hustle of Hanoi. Our train left Hanoi on Thursday night at about 10.30pm - 4 out of 5 of us in one sleeper and Claire next door. As you can see in the pictures - the '4 berth soft sleeper' was pretty small, yet still comfortable enough - add an ipod and our speakers to our overtired and tipsy bodies (Claire and Ali had gone all out with their new invention of the Lemon Apple Iced tea with Vodka!), and it was one hell of a ride! Even when the lights went out, I'd say we would have managed a max of 3 hours sleep each, just because of ... read more

for tours with sisi please visit http://sisi-sapa-tourguide.com/ Ah Sapa..... the most wonderful place i have ever been to. Everywhere i go seems to get better and better but this place will take some beating!!! The landscape, the people, the pace of life.....its just a gem. We arrived in sapa on the night train from Ha Long bay. I slept most of the journey after a few beers in the bar carriage on the train which was jam packed and everyone singing to karaoke. Was fun for a while until every song started to sound the same. When you step off the mini bus from the train to sap you notice the temperature difference straight away as it is a hours drive straight uphill all the way so much much colder. You are literally amoung the clouds ... read more