We arrived back into Ha Noi from Ha Long Bay with a few hours to spare to look around and get some dinner.
We were woken at 430am and off the train by 530am. There were hundreds of people arriving and being picked up and it was pretty confusing to find our ride, but soon enough we were on a mini bus heading to the hotel. The roads up to Sapa were winding and foggy, what we could see looked amazing, but we were all glad to get out and get some fresh air as the twists and turns had us all a little nauseated.
"Truth is the torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it. "- Claude Adrien Helvetius
"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." - E. L. Doctorow
At 630am we were at the hotel having breakfast and a shower, and then began our trek through Sapa. Our Aussie friends were on the train too, but they had opted for the hard climb of the local mountain Fansipan!
Off we set, down through the market...

Some group were playing on a small stage on the side of the road at a busy junction! The photo doesn't quite do justice to just how in the road they were!
Next, this lady asked me to buy some of her fruit, I politely refused, but she insisted I took a photo of her, I said I was fine, but she became very insistent, so I did, next thing she wanted paying for that instead! Hmmm, don't be deceived by her beautiful smile! A very canny lady!
After dinner and listening to a backpacker who had clearly lost his marbles taking one too many substances on his journey through SE Asia (his friend actually checked when he last changed his underwear, had a wash, slept or a good meal!) we headed for the train.
"If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction."- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The process was a little confusing, as we really did not know what was going on and there were no arrivals or departures boards and few staff around. we were met by a guide from Vega Travel (who I can thoroughly recommend) and he ensured we got on the right train and carriage...
Our abode for the evening, shared with a nice Dutch couple. Beds a little hard and the window a little drafty, but all in all not bad. We managed to get a little sleep as we rocked our way to Sapa.
We were woken at 430am and off the train by 530am. There were hundreds of people arriving and being picked up and it was pretty confusing to find our ride, but soon enough we were on a mini bus heading to the hotel. The roads up to Sapa were winding and foggy, what we could see looked amazing, but we were all glad to get out and get some fresh air as the twists and turns had us all a little nauseated.
"Truth is the torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it. "- Claude Adrien Helvetius
"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." - E. L. Doctorow
At 630am we were at the hotel having breakfast and a shower, and then began our trek through Sapa. Our Aussie friends were on the train too, but they had opted for the hard climb of the local mountain Fansipan!
Off we set, down through the market...
and into the rural farm land of the Black Hamong People...
We passed a tree that produced loofahs, I didn't know they grew like that on trees!

And saw a litter of mismatched piglets!
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw
We headed down into the valley and to a local waterfall, market and tourist centre....
We walked upstream a little and took a drink from the freshest part of the stream, we were now at the highest point of our trek and as there were no villages upstream using the water to wash and dispose of waste it was clean to drink.
Some local dancing in the tourist centre.
The last part of this day trekking was super tough for me, I was so tired from lack of sleep and the altitude we were walking at was not doing me any favours and I was really struggling. When we got back to the hotel I came down with a cold too (which was a bit of a relief as I felt I shouldn't have found it so tough) and spent the afternoon in bed whilst my friend went off for an explore.
As night fell the whole place was covered in thick fog and it became really clear we were up in the clouds - literally. It was cold and eery and weirdly awesome.
"Behind every cloud is another cloud." - Judy Garland
We had a dinner of Vietnamese Soup, veggies noodles, broth, meat etc, I am sure akin to the chicken soup theory and by the next day I was tonnes better.
Having found the first day pretty tough I was worried about day two, but it was a breeze, a lovely walk in the Vietnamese hillside and really enjoyable, luckily day three was the same too!
Day twos weather was cool and sunny and as we headed downhill to the rice fields and countryside...
Some of the rice field vistas were just awesome, the air was so fresh and being so in nature made you feel really free.
On days one and three we had a larger group, but day two was just us, so we had a great chat with the guide and could really see how much he loved his job and why!
Part way through the walk we took a break at a place where they dyed hemp fabric with indigo dye.
Weaving hemp.
After a rest and a cool drink we carried on through the beautiful landscape...
...saw an irrigation system for the fields...
...and met some pigs...
...and passed through a village where they specialise in giving people herbal baths...unfortunately we did not have time for one.
We looked up at Fansipan and thought of our Aussie friends trekking and camping up there.
We had a little lunch...
...and headed back to Sapa to have a look around. My turn to look around whilst someone took a nap.
Lake.
Loved the dramatic skyline!
Dinner time and off for more Vietnamese soup (fish this time). You get everything on plates and a big pot of broth and add things as you wish to cook at the speed you like.
"Only the pure in heart can make a good soup." - Ludwig van Beethoven
salmon, tofu, veggies
veggies and pineapple
Delicious!
Day three soon arrived and we headed off with a larger group, including our Aussie friends..
Strike a pose! - Our great guide!
We headed down into the mist trapped between the hills...
We were soon greeted by a group of lovely Hamong ladies, who make a living helping tourists navigate the ride field terraces, muddy sections and sell heir crafts.
The ladies weave crowns and animals out of grasses and reeds and give them to you as gifts.
Princess Instant Noodle Hair in her crown!
Another lovely crown for our new Aussie friend!
A horse, I think?
Little did we know once we had accepted a gift we were paired with these ladies for the duration and as such encouraged to buy crafts and tip at the end.
The ladies were lovely and had pretty good English, which was lucky as we all had no Vietnamese, apart from 'thank you' ! We talked about our lives - where we lived, ages, husbands, babies, school and jobs as we headed through the fields.
These ladies were wearing jelly shoes...
...and one lady was heavily pregnant, but blimey were they strong and did they have good balance! For the most part we did not really need their assistance, but it was nice to have them come along with us and share about their lives and have a chat. However, there were some sections that were super difficult to traverse without landing knee deep in muddy rice terrace and we would have probably still been stuck there today if it hadn't been for them!
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."- Ronald Reagan
Balancing on the edge of rice terraces, so worth these views!
We took a little rest for a short while and played with the kids and had a chat with the ladies...
...before heading on towards the river.
What we were trying to avoid standing in (not all of us managed!)
This section was the trickiest, but also super fun, once you got your rhythm and just kept going you were likely to bounce from terrace to terrace or end up splat in the mud!
Much needed help...
Someone's having fun!
Some tricky navigations taking place...
And from there it was all downhill...
We walked through a lovely bamboo forest.
"Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind." - Bruce Lee
Hemp grows everywhere here.
And its a perfect place for water buffalo.
We bought our crafts, thanked our helpful ladies and said our goodbyes before a spot of lunch.
As we got into the next village the ladies showed us how they pound rice...
In this village they also made scarves in a batik style and this lady is 'surfing' on some waxy fabric as part of the process.
Adding yeast to ferment rice to make a local brew.
Us and our guide.
What a great trip! We headed back to town for the night train back to Ha Noi and were treated to dinner from the manager of the company, which was very kind indeed.
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain
Before we knew it we were asleep on the night train and about to arrive into Ha Noi in the middle of the night...
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