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Published: August 7th 2007
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This blog by Lucas:
Sapa is definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far. We arrived here via an all-night train ride from Hanoi - picture Bill, Lindy, Lucas and Jacqui sharing a 4-berth sleeper car built for, at most, two asian-sized people! Sapa is a bustling mountain hamlet set atop an expansive valley terraced with rice paddies and surrounded by huge mountains, including Vietnam's highest peak, Fansipan (3,143 metres). The townspeople are all ethnic Black H'Mong, and the surrounding countryside is full of other hill tribe groups including Red H'Mong, White H'Mong, Flower H'Mong, Gaiy, and Dzao. All of these groups wear distinct dress which is full of silver jewelry and adornment, and each tribe's clothing is very different even though they live right next to each other. All of these groups are ethnically Chinese (having emigrated in the 18 century), but they certainly display the Vietnamese entrepreneurial spirit (the handicraft business is alive and well in Sapa). They are fierce but friendly negotiators, and they will spend hours trekking alongside you with their goods, laughing and talking all the way, and generally having a good time with the funny-looking white people. The town retains a distinct
ethnic Vietnamese character despite its burgeoning reputation on the tourist trail, and for now there aren't too many white faces, no Air Jordan T-shirts, no 7-11's, and no pirated DVD/CD shops. But get there fast before there are!
We spent our days wandering the bustling market and having breakfast noodles with Black H'Mong children, doing a couple day treks in the countryside, eating some good wild boar and venison, and generally enjoying the cool mountain air. Bill claims our day-long trek through the hillside villages was the best hike of his life - this from a man who has forged the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, the steep inclines of the Swiss Alps, and the grand rolling hills of Tulsa!
The highlight of Sapa, more than the stunning treks and scenery, more than the friendly locals, more than the food, was the ride out of the mountains. For some reason, the day of our departure, Lindy thought it would be a good idea to sample some prawns at lunch, despite our altitude and significant distance from the coast. Come dinner time, Lindy is looking a little worse for wear, and we have a 1-hour drive to Lao Cai followed
by an overnight train ahead of us. We pile into a nice Toyota Landcruiser, and proceed to maniacally straddle steep cliffside roads at high speeds in pitch black. About 1/2 hour into the trip, Lindy is turning a faded 70's shag carpet shade of green, and in the midst of her sickly haze, she realizes that she left her most important bag at the restaurant - the one with the passports, money, camera and credit cards (Mom, the queen of bags - she travels with no less than 10 suitcases, purses, ethnic shoulder bags, backpacks, zip-lock bags, camera bags, etc.)! We quickly turn around and again maniacally straddle steep cliffside roads at high speeds in pitch black, I run to the restaurant and retrieve the bag (Vietnamese, I will say again are super friendly and highly trustworthy), and we head down the mountains yet again in a fashion that most NASCAR drivers would be fearful of. Again about halfway through the 1-hr drive, the food poisoning bug hits big time, and we have to pull over for poor ol' Mom so she can leave her prawns on the side of the road, with a few more pit stops the rest
Lindy and her Red Dzao Artist Friends
These ladies are distinguished by their red hats and shaved eyebrows and foreheads. of the way. We arrive to the train station with minutes to spare, and of course it is delayed for an hour. We treat Mom to a Sprite while the rest of us calm our nerves with some cold Ha Noi draught, and I endeavor to tell Mom some of the basic rules of traveling - don't eat prawns in any town that boasts the highest mountain in whatever country you are in, and keep your passport taped/locked/bolted to your body at all times. I think she now understands.
Recommendations in Sapa:
Trek leader - a guy name Thoa at Mountain View Hotel. He actually has a degree in Tourism with a Major in Tour Guiding from Hanoi University, and speaks English, French, Mandarin and a few Hill Tribe dialects!
Hike up Dragon's Breath Mountain above town for some incredible views, rock formations, a few ostriches, and some high altidtude gardens.
Stay for awhile and do 3-5 day trek - we wish we had more time!
Skip touristy Thailand hill tribe trekking and go to Sapa!
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hello
What an amazing trip . so nice that you were all together. We are just back from SA so will contact your folks soon Love