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Sapa, Vietnam

13 Sunday Mar 2011

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The only way to get to Sapa is by train to Lao Cai and then bus or taxi from there to Sapa. Or of course car or motorbike but we chose the train. We booked the overnight train from Hanoi that left about 9pm and arrived in Sapa at around 6am. We arrived at the train station in Hanoi to chaos. We had no idea where we were supposed to go with our vouchers. We had bought tickets in the Orient Express sleeper train. We went to the main ticket booth and they told us to go outside but we still didn’t see where we were supposed to go. Thank goodness some guy selling snacks pointed us in the right direction. We got sorted with our tickets and then still didn’t know what to do. Were we supposed to wait in the station or go straight to the train? We ended up deciding to go straight to the train and if we weren’t supposed to someone would say something but they let us go through. Immediately our luggage was hijacked by some kid who I tried to grab my bags from but he wouldn’t let me. I knew this was going to cost us but I was too tired to care. So he walked us over about 5 different train tracks to our train. Felt a little unsafe just walking blindly over all these tracks but he did get us to the right train and right into our soft sleeper bed berths. Cost was only 50,000 dong which is about $2.50. I was fine with that. We were on the train and that was all that mattered. We were sharing out berth with a couple from South Africa, Chris and Crystal. Really nice kids who were on a guided tour throughout Vietnam. The train left on time and off we went. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep so I took half a sleeping pill and nighty night it was. It was odd sleeping on a train. You get moved around a lot. Just felt strange to me. But I was glad to have slept a little bit at least.

We arrived in Lao Cai on time. As we came out of the train, we saw our names on a sign. We had arrnaged with our hotel for the shuttle to take us to Sapa. We piled into the van and off we were. Scariest drive ever. It was very foggy out and the road is essentially all up hill with a cliff on the side. Our driver insisted on passing everyone and sometime coming close to drivers coming the other way. I was petrified!! But we arrived safe and sound at our hotel. Sapa Eden Hotel. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone who is visiting Sapa. From management, to the hotel rooms to the breakfasts. Everything was fantastic!

We wanted to book a private trek for the day but there was no guides available so we ended up joining another guided tour. But first we needed more clothes as it was so cold in Sapa. We walked up the hill to the market and bought a North Face jacket, gloves and warm socks. Clearly we were not prepared for the weather being as cold as it was. Having bundled up we were ready for our hike. We met up with Kay and Tony who were on the same shuttle with us from Lao Cai. Such a nice British couple.

It was very foggy out. Basically could only see right in front of us.

 

As we hiked lower though, we finally got a better view of some of the rice fields. Simply stunning. Apparently they only have one rice harvest a year here in Sapa. They have to make that rice last as long as they can.

The one thing about Sapa is that the women of the various hill tribes follow you on your treks. They want you to buy something from them at the end so they will try and create a relationship with you on the walks so that you will buy from them. They ask you your name and where you are from. They speak very good english. Our guide was saying that because as babies they are carried on their moms backs as they trek with all the visitors, they pick up english very early on in life. The kids do go to school but if the family is struggling for food, they will stop school in order to help their family out by selling their trinkets etc. The image below shows, the women as they walk with us on our trek.

As we got closer to the village of the H’Mong we saw how much they rely on rice. The rice fields blanketed the hillside.

And a picture of Sue and I.

Some pictures that I took when we were in the H’mong village.

The women surround visitors as they come into the village. As I said, they want you to buy from them. I didn’t need anything that they were selling so I just gave the girl the equivalent of $5 and she ran off. I am assuming to take the money home. As much as they hound you, I understand that this is how they feed their families so I can fault them for it. The women are the only ones who wear the tribe dress that is unique to each tribe. The men wear regular clothes.

It was so interesting walking through the villages. Their homes are open, bare and cold. There are chickens, dogs, pigs, ducks and buffalo roaming around everywhere. It makes you think about how we live. With hot water, beds and heat. Is that better though? They live simple lives but I don’t think the complications that happen with living the life I do is better at all. Just different.

Some other pictures from our trek that day.

 

After a day of trekking, we couldn’t wait to have hot showers and have a little nap. Love Sapa Eden hotel for having heated blankets. It made my day!

We went to a little place called Natures Bar and Grill for dinner. It is on the main road (Cau May). We were the only ones in the restaurant as we were eating quite late. We sat next to the indoor firepit. So enjoyable and so cozy and the food was once again fantastic! It was February 14th so Happy Valentines Day!!!

Day 2 on Sapa was more trekking. Again, Tony and Kay joined us. This was their last day in Sapa. For this trek we went to Cat Cat village which is just a short trek from our hotel. Another foggy day so as we walked along our guide would stop and say this is the view of and tell us how great it was. We would laugh and play along.

A great example of how thick the fog was.

We walked slowly through the village. I took lots of pictures along the way and tried to capture a little bit of village life.

We were lucky enough to go inside one of the village houses and see how they live. As I have said before, they live simply. They are not unhappy people though. This is just the way it is for them.

This is the woman who’s house we visited and her cute little baby! They have a clinic set up in Cat Cat village that has been teaching them about birth control and how it would be better for them to only have one or two children. They are just not able to feed more than that.

We walked through Cat Cat down a ton of steps to the waterfall. A picture of Sue, Kay and Tony.

Instead of walking to the next village our guide asked if we wanted to walk through the national park instead. Of course we did! What an amazing walk. Tough at times though. Lots of steps and some precarious moments climbing up some steep hills but it was great to see.

We then walked to a little village for lunch, over the below bridge that was way too wavy for me to be comfortable with. Lunch was shared with the pig, the dog and the monkey.

After observing the interaction between the three, this is what we discovered. Dog trumps pig. Monkey trumps dog. But sometimes dog trumps monkey. So funny.

Our feet were sore from another day of walking around so after the trek, we went for a 45 minute foot massage. Was just what the doctor ordered. Our feet were happy campers after that!! And ready for a final day of treking.

 We woke up the next morning to sunshine. I yelled at Susan to grab her camera and we took some pictures from our balcony. We couldn’t see anything the days before but to wake up to this was a miracle! We watched as the fog rolled in and out. So incredible!The manager at the hotel recommended since it was sunny (which he had been telling us since we arrived that this day was going to be sunny and was now saying “I told you so!”) that we should climb Hamrong Mountain and get a great view of Sapa. We headed off and before we knew it we were stripped down to just our tank tops. We went from wearing three layers the previous two days to tank tops! So amazing! The view from the top of Hamrong Mountain was incredible!

We had a little snack at the top. So relaxing. We sat for about an hour and just soaked up the sun.

Since our guide had gone on about how amazing the view on the way to Cat Cat village was the day before, we decided to walk down again. The view did not disappoint. You could clearly see the view of the valley and Fansipan Mountain.

We then strolled through Cat Cat village again, seeing things that we had missed the day before because of the fog.

This kid was the cutest. With his little teddy bear back pack!

We did not wanted to walk back up thr 3km hill so we hopped on the back of this bike and off we went to the market in Sapa. Cost us $2. I laughed the whole way up. As we went over bumps etc I thought I was going to fly off the back but we got to the market safe and sound. We had to experience the motorcycle taxi before we left Vietnam and doing it in Sapa seemed like the safest of all the cities!

 The rest of the afternoon we just walked around and I took some pictures of the local tribeswomen. When I took a picture of the one shown first, she asked if she could see the picture. Her comment: I look old. She was the cutest. I told her she looked fantastic!

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel, shower, pack and get the shuttle back to Lao Cai so we could take the over night train back to Hanoi. We were meeting up with my brother Jason in Hanoi and heading to Halong Bay.

Final thoughts: If you come to Vietnam you have to experience Sapa. It is a lovely town with incredibly friendly people. Although you get a bit tired of having the tribes people say “Buy from me”, you know it is the way they feed their families and you get used to it. Regardless if it is foggy or sunny, you will see things you haven’t seen before. I was so happy to have experience it!

Hanoi, Vietnam- Part 1

09 Wednesday Mar 2011

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A 13 + hour flight is not what I call fun but my plan for the flight was executed perfectly. Glass of wine (or two) accompanied by half a sleeping pill and I must have slept on and off for 6 hours. Cathay Pacific definitely makes it easier. Comfortable seats. More leg room. It is no business class or first class pod but for economy, it’s not so bad. And for a scared cat flyer like myself, the flight was pretty smoothe. A few bumps along the way but nothing that I couldn’t handle. We were flying through Hong Kong and as soon as we landed we were met by DragonAir staff who herded us through the airport. I had been worried about making our connection with the tight time between but they were on the ball. Before we knew it we were up in the air and on our way Hanoi.

I really didn’t know what to expect when we landed. I had heard amazing things about the country and I had done my research but I don’t think any of that really prepares you. We hopped in a taxi and were off to the old quarter where we were staying. I think Sue and I were pretty silent on the ride in. Just took it all in.  It is hard to put into words. I was explaining to a co-worker how I was struggling with putting it into words and she said it perfectly. It is like you were plucked out of Vancouver and put into the set of a movie (Thanks Aly!). It was so different. So stripped down. Culture shock. Big time.

The closer we got to the old quarter the crazier the traffic got. And the honking. I did not understand the honking at first but there is a method to the madness. They honk to say they are turning, they honk to pass, they honk to say watch out I am here or move over. You get used to the sounds but when you first experience it…. it’s just nuts!

We got dropped off at our hotel and after our taxi driver tried to make us pay more than we were told (we didn’t let him get away with that), we settled in our hotel room and then immediately hit the streets. The next thing we experienced was trying to cross the street. Again, there is a method to the madness. You can’t wait until there is a space because more than likely there is not going to be one. You can’t run across the street because you will get hit. You have to slowly make your way across making eye contact with all the mopeds, motorcycles and cars who are coming at you from all angles. They will move around you but you have to be slow and steady and basically go in between them all. Petrifying at first but we became professionals by the end of our trip.

Here is a video of what it is like. Not one of the busier streets but you can see that there is no stop signs or lights. Anything goes.



We just walked around the streets of the Old quarter that day. Walked around Ho Kiem lake. Got lost pretty much every second turn. Avoided getting hit by a million mopeds. We got aquainted.

That afternoon we napped. There was no way we were going to make it through the day so as much as we hated to miss out, we had 18 days so getting on a schedule was important. A short nap and we were back out ready to find a place for dinner. We really just wandered around until we found something that looked good. It ended up being a Lonely Planet recommendation, Little Hanoi. A great meal to start our trip. And the fantastic meals never ended. 18 days. Not one bad meal.  

We had an early night but woke up in the morning with no power in our hotel. So me deciding not to have a shower the night before ended up being a horrible idea as I now wouldn’t be showering for another day. Was a little bit of a theme for us in Vietnam. Things went a little sideways at times resulting in showerless Jen and Sue. Oh well. What can you do?

We headed down for breakfast but of course there is no power so no food can be cooked but the guy downstairs puts a menu in front of us anyway. So we are looking at it thinking they must have figured something out until the people next to us said that they couldn’t cook anything but they have bagettes. We laughed as the guy was standing waiting for our order.  Clearly, we will have the bread. So I say “I will have the bread” and Sue says “I’ll have what they are having” and points to the couple next to us. So freakin funny! So we have our bread and head off into the streets of Hanoi once again.

A busy day! We took a taxi to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Total cost for the taxi was 30,000 dong. About $1.50. As we entered, there was a sign that said we had to drop our bags off as well as any guns, weapons, explosives etc we might have. Good to know that we can carry them but just can’t bring them in with us. We filed into line to enter the mausoleum. A very strict process. No talking. Single file. But so crazy filing passed him. So perfectly preserved. And a little creepy to be honest. We then got to wander around the grounds and visit the Presidential Palace.

The stilt house where Ho lived on and off from 1958 to 1969 is beside the palace. A humble abode. Here is a picture of the inside of the house.

After the Mausoleum, we walked down to the Army Museum which has a large collection of planes, helicopters and wreckage captured from the years of warfare in Vietnam. It was really interesting walking around.

Probably shouldn’t be smiling as there was so much death associated with all of these wars but it was cool to be able to go inside and see what it was like.By now, I was starved so it was time to eat! We stumbled into a restaurant that once again we realized was another Lonely Planet recommendation. Cafe Smile. It is part of the Hoa Sua chain that trains disadvantaged kids for careers in the culinary and hospitality industries. Our server was the cutest thing. He was just so happy and a perfect host. And the food was fantastic! There was a moment though when i got my meal, that I thought “Is this chicken” but it was and it was great!

Right across the street from Cafe Smile was the Temple of Literature. Along the wall of the Temple, were people of Hanoi selling their artwork. I actually really wanted to get one but new it wouldn’t pack well. Below is one of them creating.

The Temple of Literature was packed that day. Made for a hard visit. Not much room to enjoy it. But it was beautiful.

Our next destination was the Hao Lo Prison Museum. Heart wrenching. What these prisoners went through here. Apparently the prison was supposed to hold about 450 prisoners but in the 1930’s it housed about 2000. Below is a model of how they prisoners were cuffed to long beds.

Making our way back to the Old quarter we wandered the streets. Some pictures of our travels.

The one thing about Sue and I and our travels is we always end up stumbling upon things on our list. Le Pub was one of those things and by this point in the day it was most definitely Beer O’clock so we were grateful to have randomly passed it! And the best part…. Jager bombs. I had been dying for a red bull and so when it is cheap as it was here, jumped at the chance! So a jager bomb and a beer later, we were off to find the spa for our first of many massages on this trip.

We didn’t find the place recommended in our book but found another spa. Decided on a manicure and a massage for $20. The manicure was decent until they wanted to do our massages right away after they had just painted our nails. Totally ruined by the time we had gotten on the massage tables. Pointless. But the massage was pretty good. They literally walked on our backs which I haven’t had before. A funny moment when all of a sudden there were 4 feet below my bed and there was a change of the masseuse. And then a shuffling of other feet as someone else left the room. But left there relaxed and ready for our over night train to Sapa.

Some thoughts about Hanoi. Although busy, it is a wonderful city so full of life until midnight then everything shuts down and the streets are empty. Mid February, they still were playing Christmas music and had Christmas decorations up. They love Backstreet Boys. Actually all of Vietnam loves Backstreet Boys (more on that later). The people are super friendly and loved to smile. As an introduction to Vietnam, it was perfect.

There is a part 2 to our Hanoi adventures. We came back to Hanoi after Sapa and Halong Bay. Stay tuned.

 

The Travel Bug

29 Saturday Jan 2011

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It’s official. I have the travel bug. Having being to London, Paris and Italy in the last year and a half, I have seen what is out there and I want to see more.

I started planning my next trip before I even left for Italy last summer. We knew we wanted to switch things up and not do Europe again but we weren’t sure where. We talked about Thailand for a while but then when friends came back from Vietnam and we had done a little research we decided that it was the perfect place to head to next.

15 sleeps until we embark on the latest adventure. We are flying on Cathay Pacific through Hong Kong to Hanoi. In addition to Hanoi we are planning on visiting Sapa, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Nha Trang and then Ho Chi Minh City with an extra night spent in Hong Kong so we don’t miss out on that experience.

There are so many things I am looking forward to on this trip: Experiencing the different culture and foods of Vietnam. Celebrating Susan’s 40th birthday in Halong Bay (it also happens to be a full moon that night). Taking my new DSLR camera on a serious test run and my older brother flying in to meet us for a couple days from Manila.

But of course, with the trip being so close, I am already planning my next trips. Chicago in October to run the marathon. Coachella Music Festival in April 2012 and a family reunion cruise in the summer of 2012. From there, who knows? The world is waiting for me!