Sapa Day 2
Trip Start
Sep 05, 2008
1
44
68
Trip End
Ongoing
Sapa,
Vietnam
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Lan, our 4'10" guide, greeted us. She pressed against the bump on my head, asking if it still hurt. I told her that it did when she pressed it and she went into hysterics. She then repeated that same story, of how she had pressed against my head, and I said that it only hurt when she did that, about five times in the next hour. She found this very amusing. And her amusement made it funnier for the rest of us. She was such a good laugh, constantly chattering to anyone nearby and laughing away
Lan, our guide
.The trek itself was more of a walk than a trek. A good half of it was on paved roads. We climbed hills and descended into the valleys and saw the rice paddies, shaped into incredible terraces climbing the hillside, formed perfectly to allow each to be flooded and yet retain adequate drainage. We eventually arrived in Lan's village, home to about 2,000 people, sustained by rice farming and tourism. The village was rife with water buffalo, chickens, ducks, pigs and a few dogs, all of which would at some point be served on a plate for the local people.
Although there wasn't much variety in what we saw on his walk, and so not much to write about, the scenery was so impressive that it would take a long time to become bored of it. The terraces of paddies in particular were a fantastic sight. Our guides were keen, enthusiastic, and best of all really good fun. At the end of the trek we gave Lan the boots that Catherine had bought for the walk - we didn't know when we bought them that we would be able to hire wellies. The boots had cost about £9 in Hanoi after some serious haggling, and would have been a nuisance to carry for the rest of the trip. Also, at that price, it goes without saying that the quality was not the best. We also tipped her some cash which she did her very best to refuse.
Back to the hotel, quick shower, then to the train station. The train home was nice. Not quite as nice as the one we'd taken two days previously, and sadly no karaoke.
