Sapa - Simplicity At Its Best
Trip Start
Oct 24, 2005
1
49
150
Trip End
Ongoing
Sapa,
Vietnam
Monday, October 16, 2006
toward winter, we were worried we would be too late to experience all the beauty this place had to offer. We arranged to have three days in a row off work, and bought a train ticket out of Hanoi on the Sunday night train.
After a long weekend of plying the kiddies with sweets and games, we feverishly packed our bags and grabbed some grub before heading over to the train station. We arrived about forty-five minutes early, and queued to load our bike on the train. After much difficulty (you'd
think we'd know more Vietnamese after all this time in the country), we finally paid for the bike and got it packed onto the next train (ours was already full) -- no worries, it was set to arrive only a short while after ours
A River Runs Through It
. We hopped onto the train and found our sleeper compartment, where we slept the night away until the conductor woke us at the train station in Lao Cai (the end of the line) bright and early (about 6:30). Our train was late, so we didn't have to wait long for our bike to arrive on the next train.After successfully collecting our bike, we were off! Before lading the bikes onto the train, they drain the gas from them, so we knew we were running on fumes and began to look for a gas station. Those fumes didn't last too long, and the bike finally quit at the mid-point of a bridge. Konrad rode the bike like a scooter, and I walked (carrying our one pack) toward town. A nice Vietnamese girl helped us find a gas station, and then we were really on our way.
The drive up to Sapa was gorgeous. Once we got out of the city, we found ourselves climbing through beautifully terraced farm fields. The road was winding and at times a bit steep, but our little bike managed to get us all the way to the top, to our destination: Sapa. Our friend, Josh, had lived in Sapa for a bit, and his wife is from the area, so they were well acquainted with the town and had already given us the name of a good place to stay. On our way to the hotel, we were chased down by numerous touts on motorbikes begging us to try their hotel. We've dealt with our fair share of touts in the past, but they've always been on foot. Driving around on mountain roads, being chased by two or more bikes at a time
was a whole new ballgame. Despite our protestations, they kept right on following us, right up to the door of our hotel, Royal View Hotel. The hotel was a bit more expensive than we'd expected, and we were ready to find someplace else, but after seeing the rooms, we decided to bargain a bit and splurge for the trip
A Waterfall from Afar
. We talked them down to $40 for two nights, and found ourselves tucked away in a luxurious corner room with an awe-inspiring view of themountains.
After settling in, we set out to explore the town. Somehow, we ended up on a hike to a village not terribly far from town. Sapa is surrounded by numerous hill tribe villages, the residents of which often make their way into the town to sell their wares. These different villages are popular trekking destinations for tourists, who are interested in seeing the different
dress and lifestyle of the various tribes. The Hmong represent the largest of these hill tribes,
which also include the Dzao and the Tay, among others. Cat Cat, our destination that
morning, is home to the Black Hmong. The hike down to the village carried us along a mountain road, and into the village. The path through the village itself was tucked in amongst the homes of the people and the terraced hillsides. As we meandered down into the valley, we accrued a variety of tagalongs, most of whom quickly lost interest in us (upon our refusal to give them candy or money). At the foot of the valley, we were met by the sound of rushing water, which we followed to its source: the Cat Cat Waterfall. Unfortunately, from there, it was all uphill. We had arrived at harvest time, so as we hiked out of the village, we passed many farmers threshing their crops in order to loosen the hulls -- quite interesting for me, as I wasn't even aware such a thing needed to be done.
Most of the time we spent in Sapa, the mountains were shrouded in clouds
A Waterfall from Afar II
. Occasionally,the clouds would break, exposing the mountains and offering us unobstructed views of Mount Fansipan (aka: Fancy Pants), the highest point in all of Indochina. One would think the clouds
would be unwelcome, but they too were beautiful: big, fluffy, white, and billowing; so instead of detracting from the experience, they added another layer to it.
Our second day in Sapa found us back on the motorbike, heading northwest into the Lai Chau Province. Driving in this direction, you cross the Tram Ton Pass, the highest mountain
pass in Vietnam. On the Sapa side, the weather was grey, cloudy, and cool; on the Lai Chau side, the sun broke through the clouds, and we had to take off some of our layers because we were so warm. Traffic was very light, and we often found we had the road to ourselves as we
wound down toward the city of Lai Chau. We never made it that far though, as we were worried our little bike might have a heart attack due to all the climbing. So we turned around and stopped off at Thac Bac. Cascading down from a height of over 300 feet, Thac (Waterfall) Bac (Silver) is a picture perfect waterfall.
Billowing Clouds
We paid the small fee to enter and hiked the (very) short loop, snapping a few pictures along the way. We spent the rest of the day in Sapa, enjoying the small town atmosphere, as well as the magnificent views of the mountains. The main area of town is a mélange of hotels and restaurants, catering to the tourists who flock here year-round. It may sound unappealing, but
in reality, it has the feel of a small tourist town in the Swiss Alps, which is quite cozy and
comforting. The streets are dotted with Hmong and Dzao women who have come to town to sell their jewelry and clothing. These women often speak better English than most of our
students (although all of them implore you to "Buy me! Buy me!" -- apparently no one has taught them how to use prepositions...), and are a welcome intrusion (unlike vendors in Hanoi, whom I view as a nuisance).
On our final day in Sapa, the sun broke through the clouds, so we took advantage of the weather and drove in the other direction, exploring the villages on that side of the mountain. After our bike ride, we hit the local market, intent on buying lots of Christmas presents
Cat Cat
. The market in Sapa was unlike any market I've found in Hanoi: full of local handicrafts and friendly vendors. The merchandise here is awesome and incredibly cheap. From Hmong wallhangings to silk scarves, Hmong clothing to western wear, one can find plenty of worthwhile items to spend some hard-earned dong on. With no intention to do so, we found ourselves purchasing a beautiful hand-dyed, hand-woven bed covering -- for about $10. Unfortunately,
the fun had to end at some point, as we still had to make our way down the mountain, back to Lao Cai to catch the evening train.
Driving back down the mountain, we stopped to watch as the farmers burned their fields -- a truly beautiful sight, and an appropriate end to our visit. Back on the train, we met a very nice Dutch couple with whom we chatted for a bit. The Circle of Madison will always appear in the unlikeliest of places: the man told us he was good friends and collaborated with some of the sociology professors from the UW.
After not nearly enough shut-eye, the train pulled into the station, and we begrudgingly readied ourselves for another day of work and a return to reality. As we got ready to disembark, Konrad put our pack on his back, but I demanded it, as I would be the one wearing it on the ride ome, so he handed it over, and I hustled to the steps. As I hit the big bottom step,
my ankle crumbled, and I fell to the ground, pack and all. No trip would be complete without incurring an injury, would it? While the pain was intense, and the swelling was pretty bad, some ice, ibuprofen, and an ACE bandage helped me heal quickly. However, it still aches a bit from time to time, so it serves as a reminder of our fantastic trip to Sapa.
