Sa Pa, Vietnam

Our trip to Sa Pa began at the Ha Noi train station and very busy it was. We managed to find the correct train and platform and got on the sleeper train without problem.

The coach was much nicer than the train from Hue to Ha Noi but still a bit basic. At least it was clean.  We shared the compartment with two Polish girls who worked in London and at 0600H we arrived at the Lao Cai station and tried to find a bus to get to Sa Pa. The usual touts and low life were at the station to milk the tourists and we did get a little bit cheated and paid twice the regular fare but itbwas a quick and comfortable , air conditioned ride for the 20 miles to Sa Pa. A pleasant windy ride through the mountains to a blessedly cool spot.

We found our hotel without too much difficulty and this was the first dud during our stay in Viet Nam. The place was pretty appalling and in serious need of Gordon Ramsay. We had a large room with a fair view but other than that nothing worked. We found a very large spider in one corner, there was a water leak in the bath room, practically no hot water, the bed felt like concrete with springs sticking though it and the breakfast was rubbish.

We probably should have refused to stay but we figured it was only three days and the staff did try to be helpful but they were pretty clueless.

Sa Pa itself was delightful. The temperature was about 80 degrees in the day with a cool breeze blowing. The mountain views reminded us of Sun Valley and we spent the rest of the day wandering around the town. 

On the following day, we did an 8 km. walk to the nearby H'mong village of CatCat. We were accosted by three ladies of the H'mong people almost immediately who tried to sell us stuff. They were a bit of a pain  in the bottom but I have never seen such incredible persistence in any salesperson before. Without any promise of a sale, these three women followed us for our eight km. walk and the Admiral felt they should be  be rewarded and she bought four hand made embroidered pillow covers from them. She bargained hard and bought for a little less than half of the asking price. She is getting better at this game.

The village was very nice, if a bit touristy and it was good to take a walk in the mountains in the cool weather.

Next day we walked around the Ham Rong mountain which offered great views of the mountains and the town of Sa Pa. The gardens and landscaping were great and we met a Vietnamese family from Ha Noi who were very pleasant and informative. We enjoyed a traditional dancing show and dinner at an Indian restaurant in town.

After another uncomfortable night, we went on a tour of the regional countryside by car with a guide. The tour was well organized and we went to a market in a village close to the Chinese border. Our guide, Ta, spoke excellent English and showed us the difference between the various minority groups in the area. There are apparently five types of H'mong people, the D' zou and the Nung, all with there distinctive dress.

We had a very good day and we are now awaiting the train back to Ha Noi and then a flight to Langkawi via Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. 

Photos to follow, next bulletin will be from Langkawi.