30 September 2015 –
After a nice rest at the Essence Hotel in Hanoi and an early breakfast it's time to get a move-on and head to Sapa. Now, a few things to know about this – first of all, Sapa valley is known for its rice terraces. Second, most people seem to get to Sapa via an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai finishing up with a bus ride from Cao Lai to Sapa. Third, Sapa is located very close to the Vietnam – China border. Sapa valley is just barely in Vietnam. So, let's be on the watch for customs that we can relate to from China!
Now, knowing that most people take the train…why did I opt for us to drive to Sapa instead? Well, I wanted to see a bit of the countryside in the daylight hours. We would have also lost a day that could have been spent in Sapa (due to the timing of the trains). It was through the hotel in Sapa that I learned we could drive there via a van. It's only about a four-hour drive. Not too bad! Plus….check out the changing landscapes:
This is part of a HUGE (I mean huge…or long) mosaic tile mural wall that went on for quite a ways in Hanoi:
Leaving Sapa:
Check out the flowers that she's carrying on her bike! Jealous??? I am!
Open-air market:
It took us quite a while to actually leave Hanoi as our driver kept pulling over to the side of the road and waiting…waiting…waiting. Waiting for what??? As it turns out we were waiting to give a lift to another man (guessing it was the driver's friend).
Enjoy the various countryside landscapes as we move from flat bottom terrain
through farm lands…observing farmers wearing the ubiquitous leaf hats. Some farmers used water buffalos hitched up to plows to tend their fields. We saw several people either swimming or fishing in the ponds and lakes we drove past. When I say fishing I don't mean with a rod and reel – I mean by being fully submersed in the water with a floating plastic bucket to stash the fish. Just how did they catch the fish? No idea! (Sorry, I tried to capture a photo of this type of fishing but I just wasn't fast enough with the camera.)
Is that…no it can't be…well, yes, I do think …it's a church!
Across rivers and other bodies of water:
Oh, do I detect a changing landscape? It seems that it's finally becoming a little hillier in these parts:
I think we're getting close!
Ava is reading…reading…reading. How awesome is that? (except, Ava, please put down the iPad and look out at the changing scenery too!) The van we were riding in also had free wifi for the entire drive. Isn't that convenient and surprising? It was unexpected! We were riding in the van with another family from North America. And they currently live in Shanghai. It was fun chatting with them. They've been expats for many, many years.
More hills! I'm loving this new scenery:
I think we might be getting close to Sapa …for real:
Yep, here are a few glimpses of Sapa town:
We arrived in Sapa around 1pm.
Lunch??? We chose a restaurant close to the Topas tours office and selected one of the dishes they claim is hot pot…with local chicken. Sounds good, right? We do love hot pot! The broth is loaded with ginger, lemon grass, tomatoes, and other spices. We also enjoyed fresh and fried spring rolls. Annika isn't feeling well so she opted for a ginger and honey tea. Yes, nice choice!!!
A gorgeous display of mushrooms for the hot pot. Seems criminal to destroy it!
Here's a plate of local chicken to cook in the hot pot:
Back at the Topas Tours office – we met our local guide, Tuan (which sounds like Tune). He gave us an overview of our trip to Sapa over the course of the next four days.
A map of Sapa area – to try and orient ourselves.
Are you ready to do some hiking? That's one of the reasons we came to this area…for the scenery and the hiking.
We loaded up into a minibus with our guide and ventured out of Sapa Town to our first drop-off location. We'll go for a gentle walk and acclimate to our new surroundings. Then the same bus will pick us up and we'll head to Nam Cang Riverside Lodge.
You'll have to wait and see our hike!