Sapa
Trip Start
Feb 18, 2009
1
13
42
Trip End
Aug 10, 2009
Sapa,
Vietnam
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I slept not too bad... the bunk was a little hard but I managed to catch a few hours. We arrived in Lao Cai at about 5am. People were crammed on the platforms and outside the station asking if we needed a shuttle bus to Sapa. I secretly followed the French couple hoping they knew where they were going and what they were doing! Boy am I glad I did! They had read a sign in the Hanoi station that said the buses cost 30,000 Dong per person (less than $2 US) and were able to arrange a shuttle bus for that price. So I lucked out and got the same deal. Unfortunately we had to wait for the next train to come in before leaving. And did those people get ripped off... 150,000 Dong (about $8 US)! We got an incredible deal. Once again I got the feeling that someone was watching out for me and sending me the right people when I needed them!
The ride to Sapa was frightening! The driver was driving a break-neck speeds and passing on sharp corners around mountain cliffs! The scenery was breathtaking though! We gained a lot of altitude on the drive... Sapa is at 1650m and is perched on the side of the mountain. The hotel (Cat Cat View Hotel... catcathotel.com) is BEAUTIFUL! My room has windows on 2 sides and looks out across a valley. The facing mountain is dotted with terraced rice fields. The sky is hazy but the sun did shine on my first day... very welcoming.
After a shower and breakfast I wandered around town. Had lunch at Baguette & Chocolat... again the French influence is apparent. Their fresh baguettes and pastries are amazing!
The H'mong women are a local tribe and come into town every day by foot or motorcycle taxi to sell their handicrafts. They start by following you out of your hotel and proceed to ask all the same standard set of questions (all with an endearing, genuine smile): 'What's your name?'; 'Where you from?'; 'How old are you?'; 'How many babies you have?'; and 'How many brothers and sisters you have?' They respond with very interested 'Oh's' and they flatter you by saying 'That's a beautiful name' and 'You very young'! They also know how to answer all those same questions as well. Then comes the sales pitch: 'You buy from me?' They follow you relentlessly asking you over and over. Finally when you do buy they present you with a cheap mass produced bracelet. And I, the fool that I was, cried the first time this happened! The women looked at me like I was nuts! Little did I know that they do this for everyone! Maybe so that others know that you have already bought things and you're not 'fresh blood'... they do tend to not hassle you as relentlessly after a day or two! Then of course they use the line 'But you not buy from me'! I love it all! They are so charming and sweet that's it's hard not to fall for it! And the older women are the best salespeople... they totally play on your sympathies looking sad and dejected. Things are very cheap... problem is I've bought too much stuff simply because it's cheap and I'm a sucker for these women! Damn backpack is not going to get any lighter this way!
Had supper that night at Viet Emotion... the best vegetable spring rolls I've ever had... nothing like the ones we have... and some Pho Ga (I'm addicted!!!). That evening I went to a store called Wine & Chocolate and bought... you guessed it... wine and chocolate!!!!
