After the peace and calm of Ha Long Bay, returning to Hanoi was a shock.
Trying to get a nap in was quite difficult because of all the honking
and traffic outside our window. I stopped by to visit Chi Huyen's
shop which happens to be right next to Co Phi's hotel. Then it was
back to the hotel for a farewell dinner for Anh Hiep. At 9PM we
were taken to the train station to go to Sa Pa to visit the ethnic
minority villages. We heard it was going to be even colder in the
mountains, so this time we brought our coats. The train ride was
very comfortable....as we slept in our bunks, we were afraid we would
oversleep and miss our stop at 7AM....fortunately, we didn't. We
then took an hour long shuttle up the mountain where we were treated to
some amazing views. Unfortunately they were erased by the fog and
clouds when we got to the top. We were treated to a delicious bowl
of Pho (beef noodle soup) for breakfast and then we were off on our tour
of the H'mong village.
Our guide was a cute little 16-year-old named Zu. We thought she
couldn't be any more than 12, though. She could speak H'mong,
Vietnamese and English. She said that she learned Vietnamese in
school, but it was much harder to learn than the other two.
English she picked up from tourists. We hiked down a muddy
mountainside path, passing rice paddies, pigs, ducks, goats, chickens,
dogs, and waterbuffalo on the way. When we got to the bottom, it
was very slippery and almost everyone took a tumble in the mud. It
was freezing out, with a cold mist and our shoes and jeans got very
muddy. Our trek lasted about 5 hours and it was amazing
to see the ingenuity and lifestyle of the villagers and the
landscape was breathtaking. Everywhere we walked, though, we
were hounded by little girls to "maybe you buy from me".
They all had handmade bracelets, blankets and clothing to sell.
When we returned from the tour, we checked into our hotel room, which we
mistakenly thought would be heated. Instead we were given two
electric blankets to keep warm. Needless to say, we didn't get of
bed once we got in. Showering in the morning almost didn't happen,
either. Just imagine going to a ski lodge, but there's no
heat and no place to build a fire....and we paid to do all of
this!!! This morning we browsed the Sa Pa Market
and hiked down to Cat Cat Village. The trek was much less treacherous
than yesterday's, but there were lots of steps.
We definitely recommend coming here during the summer and check to
make sure the weather will be clear so you can enjoy the views.
We can't wait to get on the train so we can fly to the, hopefully
warm, beaches of Nha Trang.
