Got an overnight train with a couple of friends from Hanoi to Lao Cai and then a bus to Sapa which arrived at 7am. Enjoyed Alex’s birthday cake en-route which I’d managed to smuggle through customs.
Sapa feels totally different to anything else we’ve seen in SE Asia- cold for one! fairly foggy, very alpine. Could almost feel Christmassy here so we’ve enjoyed a few mulled wines 🙂 .
Did a one day trek from Sapa down into the valley, stopping at some hill tribe villages along the way.
Once again the trek was slightly more adventurous than we’d expected so we spent quite a bit of time slipping and sliding up and down paths and trying to avoid stumbling into the paddy fields (4 out of 5 of us managed to avoid falling in!).
Saw some Black H’Mong people working together to build a house and at another village a playground….also saw them manhandling a huge pig for the party afterwards….lots of squealing and then silence!
