seemaskt

Hi there,

Some of you have likely already rung in the new year while others are waiting to do so. But, here's wishing everyone a happy, healthy 2012 with wonderful journeys and adventures.

We (my husband and I ) got back from a trip to Vietnam and Hong Kong recently - well, it's actually been more than a month, but let's not dwell on that. We are in our mid-30s from NYC and plan all our trips on our on own, and for the past 3 years I've been posting our trip reports on Fodors. So, here goes.

Vietnam was not at the top of the list of countries we wanted to visit in Asia; we were more keen to get to Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Indonesia. But, with a visit to Hong Kong on the cards for 2011 (to visit my aunt, uncle, cousin and grandmom), Northern Vietnam seemed to be the perfect destination to spend 10 days.

Once I began my research, I knew immediately that we would spend a few days in Hanoi and Sapa. The more I read, it seemed Sapa had gotten touristy in recent years, so I was keen to visit a quieter and more secluded area to do a homestay - the villages in the Mai Chau province seemed to fit the bill. I was conflicted about Halong Bay; while I didn't want to miss it, being surrounded by a hundred junks didn't appeal to me either. In the end, I was able to find a 1 night cruise that sailed to a less frequented part of the bay - Bai Tu Long Bay. And, that sealed the deal. The itinerary was in place. Now, we were really excited about the trip! We were most excited about indulging in one of our passions - food, especially street food. And boy, did we!!

seemaskt

We booked 5 nights at the Hanoi Elegance 4 Ruby in Hanoi. We had them book the train tickets to Sapa (I let them know which train/carriage we wanted to be on), as well as a night on the Red Dragon cruise operated by IndoChina Junks. We planned to arrive in Lao Cai on a Sunday so we could go to the Bac Ha market before making our way to Sapa. For this and the homestay in Mai Chau, I contacted a few local travel agencies to see what they could arrange for us. We wanted to get away from the typical Mai Chau itinerary that most agencies offered; Vietnam Stay (or Aurora Travel) were the most accommodating and their itinerary the most interesting, so I decided to go with them. For Sapa, we booked 2 nights at the Thai Binh hotel. Deposits were paid for all the pre-arranged trips, and we were all set. A week before we departed, I emailed the hotels to confirm our reservation. The owner of the Thai Binh hotel in Sapa let us know that the hotel was under renovation that wasn't expected to be complete prior to our arrival, so he graciously offered to book us in another hotel in town - Sapa Elegance. I looked up the hotel and it seemed like a newer hotel in the same price range, so we asked Mr. Nam to go ahead and reserve us the room.

<b><u>The organized chaos of Ha Noi:</b></u>
Our flight to Hanoi is on Cathay and Dragon Air with a 4 hour layover in Hong Kong. The flight is uneventful and we arrive in Hanoi at 9:45am on Friday, the 11th of November. We had already gotten our visas at the consulate in New York, so immigration was a breeze. Note: Getting the visa from a consulate/ embassy is about double the price of a visa on arrival. Should have paid closer attention to this, oh well! We had arranged for an airport pickup (which is not all that more expensive than taking a taxi from the airport and you can avoid all the taxi scams), so getting to the hotel is easy, albeit long, and we are checking in by 11. The HE Ruby is on Yen Thai, a quiet narrow street in the Old Quarter to the west of the Hoan Keim lake and ideally situated. We are able to get an early checkin and some cold towels and fresh fruit juice while we wait. Our room is small but lovely and we quickly freshen up before heading out for lunch.

Our first stop is the ATM a few yards away, and we walk away with a million Dong...wow! we've never had a million in any currency on us before! The large notes takes some getting used to though. Flush with cash, our next order of business is lunch. Luckily, right across from the hotel is Bun Cha Dac Kim (#1 Hang Manh), one of the places we've been wanting to try. This is a cramped, narrow, 3 floor restaurant with a steep staircase, and serves one dish only - Bun Cha. We are ushered up to the top floor; the place is busy with the local lunch crowd. We sit at a shared communal table and are asked for our choice of drink (a couple of Bia Saigons, a local beer, is what we get), and soon all the food is brought to us. There is no menu here. On the table, there is already a plate of green herbs, a plate of cold rice noodles, a bowl of chilies and chopped garlic, and a bowl of Nuoc Cham and pickled green papaya. The server brings each of us a bowl of grilled pork patties and sliced grilled pork in a clear lemony broth. A side of fried spring rolls (or nem) completes the meal. We watch our neighbors to figure out how best to eat this dish and this is what we do - put some rice noodles in the bowl mixed with some pork meat and broth and finally some garlic, chilies, green herbs and pickled papaya. The mix of hot and cold, spicy, sweet and sour and the different textures is amazing! So simply put together, yet packs a punch in terms of flavor. The dish is filling too, we are unable to finish it all. And, it cost a total of $10.

Blisfully full, we make our way to the offices of Aurora Travel, a 20 minute walk to the other side of the railway tracks. We need to pay up the remainder of the money for our trip to Bac Ha and Mai Chau. The traffic is chaotic (reminds us of when we were growing up in India and there were more two wheelers than cars), but the trick is to walk slowly and keep moving, allowing the motorcycles to navigate around you. Easy peasy. It's not too hot either, so the walk is pleasant. Once the payment is taken care of, we start walking towards Hoan Kiem lake. The streets are filled with people, moving markets, hawkers, food stalls on the side walks, small markets here and there; the energy of the city, as with most Asian cities, really appeals to us. The lakeside is brimming with activity as well, with people strolling/jogging, doing Tai Chi, catching up with friends/family etc. We walk alongside the western edge of the lake and walk over to the Cathedral, then stop by one of the Highland Coffee locations to have a Mango shake (or Sinh To) and a Ca Phe Sua Da (or Iced Vietnamese Coffee with condensed milk). I'm not usually a coffee drinker, but I love condensed milk so much that I could drink this every day! Not sure my arteries would agree with me though. We walk back to the lake, relax on a bench and people watch for a while, stroll over the bridge to see the temple and finally make our away to a small cafe across the busy intersection. We sit on a second floor terrace with a refreshing Bia Hanoi, and watch the activities on the street below - people picking up baguettes on the way back home, stopping for food at a number of bustling street side eateries, accidents being avoided at the very last minute at the busy intersection. Our jetlag coupled with the aromas wafting from the stalls below make us very hungry, so we walk back to the hotel, take a shower, and decide to have a quick and simple dinner close by. We choose Pho 10, which is one of several Pho locations in the city; this one is a few blocks from the hotel and is small but full. We choose 2 types of Pho Bo - one with brisket and flank steak and the other with well done beef; there are condiments on the side that we generously add to the broth - vinegar with garlic and chili, hot sauce and lime juice. This really hits the spot for us; the warm broth is comforting while the noodles and meat fills us up. Quick and cheap at about $3 total. Once we are back at the hotel, we fall asleep really quickly.

seemaskt

The next morning, we are up bright and early and are among the first at the dining room for breakfast. The staff greets us with big smiles, they're just lovely. I order banana pancakes with honey and a ca phe sua nong (hot coffee), while Ajit orders an omlette and toast with tea. We share a plate of fruits and get fresh juice as well. This becomes our standard order for all 5 days that we stay here. The banana pancakes especially are scrumptious. We have to check out this morning since we leave for Sapa tonight, so we go back to the room and pack our bags. We will carry one bag with us, but leave the rest at the hotel.

Our plan for the morning is to walk around the Old Quarter, follow the Lonely Planet walking guide and soak in the sights, sounds and smells! This is Hanoi's historical heart, with narrow bustling streets and elegant old crumbling buildings with hints of French architecture at every turn. Each of the original 36 streets specialized in a specific merchandize (or Hang) that the street is named after. We love markets so we start at a small market at the intersection of P Gia Ngu and Hang Be. The market is busy at this early hour and we easily spend an hour walking around, browsing the shops and stalls with their incredible variety of foods, meats, vegetables/ fruits, flowers and fresh bun being sold and watching the locals get their Pho at the street side stalls. From here, we walk on Hang Bac, stop to take a peek inside a restored Chinese house at 87 P Ma May, pause to watch a colorful wedding procession on the street and wander up to the quiet (!) Bach Ma temple on Hang Buom. On the way to the temple, we walk by a side walk stall selling Banh Cuon, which is something else I'd wanted to try. Having had a very early breakfast, we decide it is time for a mid morning snack, so we sit down and using hand gestures, order a plate to share. There are only a couple of tables and they're full, which is a good sign. The owner quickly and deftly whips up batch of the delicate steamed rice crepes filled with minced wood ear mushrooms and pork, sprinkled with fried shallots. On the table, there are chillies, limes, fresh herbs and the ubiquitous nuoc cham to dip the sliced crepes in. This is popular breakfast dish in Vietnam and we can see why. We love it! And it only cost us 15K d. Feeling energized, we continue walking through quiet streets to another local market - this one selling everything from fruits and vegetables to all kinds of meat and live seafood. This market is a lot busier than the one at Hang Be and a lot more congested as well (it seems like we are in everyone's way), so we move on to our third market of the day, Dong Xuan. We skip the part that sells clothing and housewares, but poke around the stalls that sell rice, several types of dried noodles, many varieties of mushrooms, eggs, dried shrimp and fish as well as live fish, squid, frogs, turtles and eels. Endlessly fascinating! Oh, and something else that we see an abundance of are cages with love birds for sale. By now, we are tired, so we make our way back to the hotel.

For lunch, we go to Bun Bo Nam Bo (#67 Hang Dieu) that serves another Vietnamese speciality, its namesake dish. We are hustled into a long narrow dining room and seated at a communal table. Orders are quickly taken and in a matter of seconds, there are 2 bowls and 2 beers in front of us. In each bowl is a delicious layer of lettuce and herbs, topped with rice noodles, some bean sprouts, tender slices of grilled beef, crushed peanuts, crispy fried shallots and a sweet sauce over the top with pickled papaya. It's fresh, light and the explosive flavors and riot of textures light up the taste buds. We are in and out in about half an hour (this is not a place to linger; there is a constant churn of hungry patrons) and the damages total to $6. Seriously, as if we hadn't eaten enough already, we stop across the street at #76 Hang Dieu for some Che, a layered desert made with vermicelli noodles, beans, tapioca, coconut milk, and other additions like fruits, jelly, syrup etc; it's very sweet and has a gloppy texture. We order ours with lotus seeds and shredded coconut. Reminds us of the falooda in India. Interesting and refreshing; but it isn't something we'll crave for when we leave Vietnam. We finally end our multi course lunch with fresh sugarcane juice at #77 Hang Dieu...Aaah!

Now that we couldn't eat another bite, we decide to walk to the Temple of Literature. It's a good 20 minute walk, which we need after that food orgy. The temple, Vietnam's first university and dedicated to Confucius, is set in lovely grounds. I expect it to be quiet, but it is quite busy, with large groups of Vietnamese girls & boys (the girls dressed in traditional clothes) getting their pictures taken (not sure what the special occasion is). The temple was first constructed in 1070, though it has been rebuilt several times since. We easily spend an hour and a half here strolling through the complex. I only wish the government would move the tacky souvenir stalls to the entrance. Craft Link, a handicrafts store, has a couple of locations here, so I stop to browse while Ajit waits outside. I don't find anything compelling, so we walk over to KOTO to get a drink. Food is never far from our mind, so we order a plate of spring rolls as well. The food is fine (to be fair, we just had the one dish), but this restaurant employs street kids like Friends in Phnom Penh, so it is helping a worthy cause. We then walk back to the hotel. We get our Sapa train vouchers from the front desk; freshen up in the bathroom that is available for guests who have checked out and relax in the upstairs lounge. We meet a couple from Canada (Mike and Gail) who are also headed to Sapa and decide to share a taxi to the train station with them. For dinner, we keep it light and have Banh Cuon at #14 P Hang Ga; delicious. The LP mentions a Bia Hoi location close by at 2 P Duong Thanh with good spare ribs to go with the local brew, so we can't resist a stop there. We are the only non-locals in this packed joint, called Bia Hoi Ha Noi (they have several locations); we sit at the sidewalk tables, sip the cold very light beer and nibble on the salted ribs. The beer is brewed fresh everyday and distributed to Bia Hoi locations around Hanoi and it is really cheap. There is a lot of laughing and general merriment at the tables around us, as well as a lot more bia hoi being consumed!

At about 8pm, we head back to the hotel. The hotel staff call us a taxi at 9pm and we are at the station in a few minutes. The taxi ride costs about 50K d, which we split with the other couple. We are on the 9:55 pm train on the King's Express carriage. The hotel has very kindly sent one of their staff to the station with us and he exchanges our voucher for actual tickets. We cross the train tracks to get to the train; our cabin is clean and looks comfortable, and they've provided water and beer as well as pillows and blankets. We've booked all 4 berths which is a blessing because there is a large group of loud travelers a few doors down and we're glad we don't have to share our cabin with any of them! We are barely awake for an hour and are soon fast asleep, dreaming of the wonderful experiences that await us in Sapa.

dgunbug

What a fabulous start to your report...so descriptive and it makes me want to return. Love the food orgy! We stayed in the same hotel and loved it. The staff and location were amazing. Loved the Bun Bo Nam Bo restaurant. Unfortunately, my DH does not eat pork which makes our restaurant selection a bit limited at times. Can't wait to hear more of your report.

seemaskt

Thanks dgunbug! Wasn't the HE wonderful? Some of the friendliest staff I have ever met.
And just thinking of the food while writing about it makes me want to return.

I'll continue the report tomorrow. Heading out to a friend's place now for a NYE get together.

sf7307

This a great - brings back many memories of our trip last spring!

aprillilacs

Happy new year, and thanks for the report! I can't believe you ate so much! But it sounds like you had a great time in Hanoi. Looking forward to the rest of your report--we loved Mai Chau and enjoyed Sapa but didn't like the throngs of girls and women who were constantly begging for us to buy something from them. I'm interested to hear how you felt about it.

seemaskt

Thanks sf and april!

We felt the same way about Sapa. We loved the Bac Ha market and the scenery in Sapa, but didn't connect with the place as much as we did Mai Chau. Which part of Mai Chau did you travel to?

seemaskt

<b><u>A feast for the senses at Bac Ha:</b></u>

I'm up at about 4am, while Ajit is sound asleep. The expect the train to arrive at Lao Cai at 5am, but I mis-calculate. Plus, the train is running late, so I have a couple of hours to kill. Ajit wakes up at 5, and we watch dawn break as the train rattles along on the tracks. We love train travel, especially looking out the window as the rural scenery whizzes past. An attendant brings us tea at about 6 am, and we reach Lao Cai around 6:45. I had told Aurora Travel that we would be on the 5 am train, so I am hoping that the guide stuck around for our train. Luckily, he has, but I do feel bad that they had to wake up at 3 am to get to station from Sapa. A few apologies later, we are on our way to Bac Ha. It is much cooler here than in Ha Noi, especially at this early hour and I'm glad I have my jacket on. Our guides name in Tung, and he is in his early 20s. Tung is easy to talk to and we chat about the Sapa area, the people and their lives. The drive to Bac Ha should have taken a couple of hours, but there is little traffic on the road as we weave our way through the mountains, and we are there in about an hour. I'm glad we were not on the last train, as the traffic to Bac Ha would have been much worse then.

The Sunday Bac Ha market is the largest market in this region of Vietnam. Having been to similar ethnic markets in Guatemala and Peru, we are very excited about experiencing one in Asia. Our plan is to wander around on our own as we much prefer that, and then meet up with Tung and the driver at about 11:30. Most days, Bac Ha is little more than a sleepy, dusty, mountain village, but on market day, the place is alive, and you can feel the electricity in the air. The market draws large numbers of the Flower H'mong tribe from surrounding villages - the women decked in their Sunday best, with their richly embroidered dresses lending a wonderful burst of color to the scenery. As we walk away from the main drag, we pass by the vegetable market and stalls upon stalls selling crafts for tourists. We quickly skip these and head towards the livestock markets first; on the way we pass food stalls that are already bustling with families getting their morning breakfast fix of local delicacies. There is pork and more pork everywhere, with every last bit of the animal on display, in a pot or being grilled on charcoal. There's a variety of dried fish, all sorts of fried foods, herbs, and corn whiskey, the potent hooch decanted by vendors from large white plastic jugs to used bottled water containers. The busy stalls look inviting and we wish we were brave enough to try some of the freshly prepared food, but not knowing the contents of those pots, scares us just a little. From the food stalls, we make our way to the livestock market along a narrow path filled with throngs of people. This area is large with all kinds of animals for sale - from chicken, roosters, chicks and ducks to pigs stuffed into cages to little puppies on leashes (this was pretty sad to watch). The din from the locals negotiating/ bartering to the cacophony of the animals, especially the pigs as they are being pulled out from their small cages, is palpable and quite unsettling. The little pups are sold as pets, but are killed when they get old, as dog meat is popular in the area. Sigh. It is all fascinating nonetheless (even if hard to comprehend), and such an intrinsic part of the lives of the tribes in these remote regions. There is also a rooster fight in progress in one corner, so we join a small group of people standing around and cheering their roosters on. It isn't much of a fight though as one of them is much bigger than the other and wins easily.

seemaskt

By now, the crowds are beginning to arrive, clogging the already cramped walkways. So, we climb up a small hillock to where the water buffaloes are being sold. This area also proves to be a great vantage point from which to observe all the activities below, and there are several locals doing the same. There are many people milling around the buffaloes, quietly observing and examining them. All conversations and negotiations are quiet as well. We didn't see any money exchanging hands though in the hour that we spent up there. It is hot now, so we make our way down and over to the area where horses are sold. Horse meat is also popular here. This area is very pretty with a lake and mountain peaks in the distance. We stay for only a few minutes here, before making our way to the clothes and household goods market. This is the most colorful area of the market as all the women and girls have gathered here. Multi-hued and textured skirts, tops, beaded bibs, sandals, lovely hoop earrings and cross body purses are all sold here. There is even a photo booth where several giggling teenage girls take turns to put on bright make up and pose for photographs. It is also interesting to see that many people carry a cell phone here; teenage girls with a phone to their ear doesn't seem strange, even when they are in traditional clothes in Bac Ha. It is almost 11, so we make our way back to the food stalls and from here to the main road.

Before we have lunch, Tung wants to take us to a nearby local village, Ban Pho. We walk to one of the homes and an old woman living there graciously lets us in. The home is much larger than we expect, but basic. There is a TV and some chairs around it and beds on the other end. In the back, is the kitchen, with a large not so deep well in the middle, which is where they make their corn wine. The woman's 2 grandkids run around the house. The littlest one, who is just over a year, loves the camera and keeps sticking his face into it! Our next stop is the H'mong Kings House, built by the French and Chinese in the early 1900s, and a typical stop in most Bac Ha itineraries. We spend only a few minutes here and watch a traditional dance performance, but by now, our stomachs are rumbling and we stop for lunch at Hoang Yen restaurant. We invite Tung to join us and order some beers, fried rice for me, beef with lemongrass for Ajit and a pork curry for Tung. The pork is bland, but the fried rice and beef are delicious. It's almost 1:30 pm now, so we begin our drive to Sapa. It's takes us an half and a hour to reach town and we catch up on our sleep for most of the way, intermittently waking up to marvel at the beautiful scenery with the steep rice terraces going all the way up the hills. We arrive at the Sapa Elegance hotel at about 3pm and check in. Tung asks about our plans for tomorrow; when we tell him we want to do a day long trek to a few villages, he wants to be our guide. Not wanting to commit to anything in a rush, we tell him we will think about it and get back to him later in the evening. Our room is large, clean and comfortable with a small terrace facing the street. We take a hot shower and a short nap under the warm blankets; by the time we get up, it's already 6 pm and dark outside. Our plan was to go to the tourist center and inquire about the price for the trek we want to do with a local guide. But, we get lazy and decide to call Tung and make arrangements with him. He is excited and promises to pick us up at 9 am.

Since we have to pay Mr. Nam at the Thai Binh hotel for our stay in Sapa (given our prior arrangement), we pop up to his hotel and see if we can take care of this. Unfortunately, the hotel is locked and still being renovated with no sign of Mr. Nam. We decide to have an early dinner and call it a night, since we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. It is very chilly outside and we walk briskly to warm up a little. We make our way to Sapa Rooms, which is a boutique hotel at the top of the road going down to Cat Cat village. The restaurant is loungy; they have comfy sofas and chairs with books and board games; we take a liking to it immediately. A roaring fire in the fireplace would have been even better. We get a couple of Lao Cai beers; Ajit gets the clay pot fish and I get a soup. The soup is just Ok but the fish is amazing! I always seem to like what he orders better! We are too tired to hang around after dinner, so we walk back - the last stretch up the street to the hotel is a steep climb and we are ready to hit the bed after that.

sf7307

I love the imagery you create with your writing! (my reports are all "just the facts, ma'am" -- you may be too young to recognize that reference but dgunbug isn't )

Thought you 'd be interested to know we read in a local ex-pat paper in Vietnam that there are more phones in VN than there are people, and 95% of them are cell phones. Also, that the entire country is wired for fibre-optics, and every elementary school child has access.

arava

Thank you very much , were are going to Vietnam in May and I just started looking into it. You step by step description and enthusiasm is wonderful. Please do not stop . Are you walkers we like hikes in mountains (not climbs but walks. We want to go up Fansipan. Arava

dgunbug

sf7307 - What...do you think I'm an old bag??? LOL. I couldn't agree more though. What great imagery in this report. I'm loving it.

Seemaskt - You were very wise to arrive on a Sunday and have a driver waiting to take you directly to the market. While we loved the Bac Ha market which was full of color and action, by the time our bus arrived from Sapa, most of the animals had already been sold and we missed that portion of the market.

Can't wait for more of this wonderful report.

seemaskt

LOL sf! I didn't get your reference till I googled it, but most pop culture references are lost on me since I haven't lived in the US for very long.

Very interesting fact about how well the country is wired...we noticed that in Sapa and in Mai Chau as well. Also, Vietnam's largest cell phone operator is military owned; no wonder the reception in the border areas is so good!

Thanks dgunbug! Our initial plans had us departing Lao Cai on a Sunday, but after reading about the livestock market, I moved our itinerary around so we would arrive on a Sunday instead. Glad we did.

Hi arava, I really enjoyed our hike in Sapa, it was an easy to moderate hike. There are more difficult hikes available as well. I think Fansipan falls in the latter category and takes up to 3 days, so I'm not sure if that is what you had in mind. Have a wonderful trip in May!

I'll be back with more tomorrow.

seemaskt

<b><u> Trekking through rice terraces and hill tribe villages in Sa Pa:</b></u>

Having gone to bed early, we are up at dawn. We go down for breakfast, but no one's around yet. So, we take a walk down to the main square and church - it's cold, but clear and sunny and we can see the tall peaks of Tonkin's Alps framing this small hill town. Sapa is usually foggy and grey this time of the year, we are told, so we are glad for some sun and blue skies! We go back to the hotel for breakfast; it's banana pancakes for me (again!) while Ajit has a baguette and fried eggs. We ask the girl in the reception (her name is spelt Dung, which she is a little embarassed by , the manager teases her about it too) to call Mr. Nam and ask him to come by the hotel in the evening so we can pay him. She hands the phone to me and we agree to meet at 6:30 pm. We have some more time to kill before Tung arrives, so we decide to go for another stroll. Several ethnic minorities inhabit this region, but the most prominent in town are the Black H'mong, characterized by their black indigo dyed attire with leg warmers and a small pillbox hat or turban on their heads. As we walk, several H'mong women approach us to either buy trinkets from them or to use them as guides for a trek to their village. They speak a few words of English - What's your name?, Where you from?, How many days in Sapa?, You buy from me?, I take you to my village? - and so it goes. Some do get aggressive and keep following you. H'mong men on motorbikes yell out as you walk by and ask if you want to hire them for the day. The H'mong are outgoing and very business savvy, and with the tourism influx in recent years, use this to their advantage to make money. Every tourist on the street is usually surrounded by a group by H'mong women. Anyway, we try to be polite to a few of them and engage in conversation while we ignore the more pushy ones. There is a primary school close our hotel, with a large group of children practicing for a dance, so we stick around and watch them for a while. The kids are really cute, but there is one little boy in the front row who stands out with his enthusiastic hip gyrations and graceful hand movements. So much fun to watch! We drag ourselves away to go get some tea and a pain au chocolate at Baguette & Chocolate - this is a cute little spot; we plan to come back again tomorrow. Back at the hotel, Tung is already there with a car and driver, so we get our bags and cameras and head out for the day.

Our plan for today is to hike through 3 ethnic villages - Lao Chai, Ta Van and Giang Ta Chai. We drive 8 kms to a point from where we can hike down to Lao Chai. As soon as we step out of the car, we are sieged by H'mong women and children from the village selling trinklets. We keep walking downhill and hope that this will not be the norm for the day. It is a steep hike down and the views are lovely - of the majestic peaks and verdant hills with the terraced rice fields scattered around the valley. Sapa has a single rice harvest in the late September early October timeframe, so the rice terraces are not as picturesque as they would have been then. Nonetheless, it's beautiful. Soon, we lose most of the touts (who are off chasing other tourists), except for a young woman carrying a small baby on her back and two little girls. They walk with us without pushing us to buy anything, so we don't feel harassed. The woman speaks a little English and we talk about her family and ours; she tells me she has 3 kids all under the age of 4. Her older kid goes to a primary school in the village. She asks, very shyly, if Ajit is my husband or boyfriend and how long we've been together. As we get close to the village, I give her 20k d. When I tell her I don't want to buy anything from her, she insists on tying an embroidered friendship bracelet around my wrist. We wave goodbye and trudge down the dirt path, the 2 little girls continuing to follow us. I'm not sure how long the woman would have walked with us had I not given her the money, and I am not sure I like the idea of giving someone money to encourage them to leave us alone, but I didn't have a better idea at the time. As we walk through the village, we see a few people working the fields, some carrying baskets on their back with heavy loads of hay or wood, and kids running around. We also see men in traditional clothes wearing indigo dyed cropped pants and tunic with a bright belt. At one point, we stop to watch a some men try to catch a water snake trapped in the sewer. Tung is probably the most excited of the bunch!

We keep walking to Ta Van, which is home to the Dzay minority. We don't see too many people out on the street, probably because it is lunch time. We seem to be the only tourists around as well. Ta Van is one of the villages offering home stays in the area, so it is a richer village compared to Lao Chai. Tung has arranged for us to have lunch in one such home. We go up to the covered terrace and relax, while Tung brings up some tea and drinks for us. The little girls play with marbles with a couple of other friends across the street. Soon, Tung brings up course after course of food - garlicky french fries with hot sauce, fried spring rolls with a light dipping sauce, a soup with pork meat, steamed rice with beef and finally fruits for dessert. We are so full at the end, we can barely get up. We take a peak inside the homestay, which is setup dorm style with several beds. We thank the people who cooked us the splendid meal and continue walking, the girls running up behind us as soon as we do. They tell me their names but barely speak any English. I ask Tung if they go to school and he checks with them and tells me they go to school in the afternoons (hmm, it appears they are playing hokey today). We pass by a marble workshop and pick up a pretty knick knack. Once we leave Ta Van, we begin a much steeper climb up the hills and the views keep getting better as we go. It's a good workout after that heavy lunch! There are rest huts setup with benches at a few points along the way, so we (or rather I) can take a break every now and then. The mist swoops down the hills in the afternoon, giving it an ethereal feel. The two girls are still with us and as we are hiking farther from their village, I decide to give them 20k d each so they will go back home. They smile, give me a friendship bracelet, wave goodbye and leave. Sigh! Next, we make our way through a dense bamboo forest and reach a ridge with a small waterfall overlooking a valley where the Giang Ta Chai village is situated. The Muong Hoa river flows at the base of the hill and we see farmers working in the fields with their water buffaloes. From here, it's a downhill walk all the way to the village, home to the Red Dzao tribe, but not before we cross a rickety bamboo bridge across the river. The sun is out again and it is hot, and there is a steep climb up to the main road, so we don't spend too much time walking around this village. It's almost 3pm and it feels so good to get into the car and rest our feet after a long, but rewarding day. We had walked/hiked about 14 kms in all.

Throughout the hike, Tung has been either talking to us or on his cell phone. It's amazing how good the reception is in these remote areas, while back in New York, we lose signal even if we haven't moved an inch! At some point during our hike, he starts catching and collecting dragon flies in a bottle, supposedly to feed a friend's bird! He's quite the character.

aprillilacs

Beautiful description of the area. We wanted to hike more extensively like you did but a combination of rainy weather, automobile breakdown, and our failure to effectively communicate our desires to our guide/Tonkin Travel meant we only had a couple of shorter hikes. Sounds like you had a great day! I see that the constant attention from the women and girls kind of got to you, too. Not sure how that's ever going to be resolved, since it seems to be an effective way for them to earn money. We bought a few embroidered pieces from the women who "accompanied us" through the Red Dao village--the women were really lovely to talk with and not pushy (except they stuck to us like glue), but I was very conflicted about encouraging them by purchasing. A travel conundrum, for sure.

seemaskt

Agreed, aprillilacs. Unless there are other ways for them to make money during the off season (after the harvest), I suspect this is not going to change. In their minds, this is quick and easy money.

seemaskt

On the way back to the hotel, we pass a funeral procession. Both Tung and the driver give some money to a man in the procession collecting it, which we learn is a Vietnamese tradition. At the hotel, we pay Tung for his services and bid him goodbye. He hangs around to chat with Dung, the receptionist, who he is friends with since the time they studied English together at the Sapa Summit hotel. After we take a shower, we decide we need a good foot massage. We had several of these in Cambodia a couple of years ago and loved them! The manager recommends the Ham Rong hotel, which is right across from the Thai Binh hotel, so off we go. We sign up for the 1 hour foot massage - it starts with a soak in warm water that lasts about 15 minutes by which time the water has turned cold. The staff also has a space heater in the room that uses a bright light and gives us a headache. Not a good start. But, once the heater is pointed away and the massage actually begins, there is some hope. Strong or medium they ask, medium we say, and for the next 45 minutes, we are able to close our eyes, relax and feel the aches and pains melt away. All this for $6, but we both agree that the equally cheap massages in Cambodia were superior. We head back to the hotel for our 6:30 meeting with Nam Hong. While we wait, we get chatting with Dung. She's originally from a village close to Hanoi, but moved to Sapa recently to get a job. She's been married a couple of years, but her husband works in Hanoi. Their year old daughter lives with her parents, and she sees them only a few times a year. Her husband visits Sapa as often as he can to spend time with her. She doesn't like Sapa very much and thinks it's not very safe for her especially because she's married but lives alone. She's a sweet girl and we wish her good luck in finding a job in Hanoi so the family can be together. It's almost 7pm and Nam Hong hasn't arrived so we have to once again ask Dung to call him, this time to tell him that we will leave the money with her so he can pick it up at his convenience. For dinner, we head back to our favorite spot, Sapa Rooms. The staff recognizes us and greets us with big smiles. This time, I order the pork clay pot and Ajit orders beef in betel leaves. Both dishes are equally good and we wash them down with a glass of Chilean wine and Lao Cai beer. We then walk back to our hotel and call it a night.

This morning, our second and last day in Sapa, we are on our own. We follow yesterday's routine of waking up early, taking a walk around town and coming back for breakfast. At about 7 am, we walk down to Cat Cat village, 3 kms away. Surprisingly, it's another clear and beautiful day, and the downhill walk is pleasant. There are pretty purple wildflowers growing everywhere, we had seen them on the way to Giang Ta Chai as well. From the entrance to the village, there are steep steps going all the way down with stall after stall on one side selling postcards and other gift items, not quite what we were expecting. But, as we walk down, we do see the local H'mong go about their daily lives. There are indigo vats everywhere, and we see clothes being dipped in them and hung out to dry. The H'mong we see all have blue stains on their fingers from the dye. They have an interesting water supply and irrigation system using bamboo pipes at varying heights. We almost get to the waterfall, but instead of going across, decide to walk back up the steps and hail a xe om (motorcycle taxi) to take us back to town. Cat Cat is a nice way to spend a few hours on your own, but not as rewarding as getting to villages further away. We stop at an ATM to get some Dong, make another stop at Baguette & Chocolate for coffee/tea, and get back to the hotel to pack our bags and check out. We ask Dung to get us two seats on a van going to Lao Cai this evening (50k d each), so we can catch the train back to Hanoi. We leave our bags at the hotel, and walk to Sapa Rooms yet again for our final meal there. We get spring rolls, green mango salad and fish claypot, all excellent. Then we settle down on the couches with some tea, hoping to just chill out for a few hours. An hour later, I unfortunately begin to feel feverish. Oh no, I hate to fall sick on vacation! Anyway, we say goodbye to the staff (who seem like old friends now), go back to the hotel and get a room for a few hours (we pay 100k d). I take some Tylenol and go to bed, while Ajit reads. This works like a charm, and when I get up at 4:30, I am feeling much better. Whew! We go down to the lobby to wait for the van, and watch the staff play an interesting game out front called da cau where they kick around a feathered shuttlecock. In the informal version, they stand in a circle. They are very adept at it, and it is fun to watch them play. At 5, the van arrives and we are on our way. Initially, we are the only passengers, with at least a half dozen bags behind (we are not sure whose they are!), but the van makes a few stops in town to pick up four locals who are headed to Lao Cai as well. They are all cramped into the back seat with the bags while we sit in the front next to the driver. The first hour of the drive has gorgeous scenery with rice terraces starting all the way down at the river and going up the steep mountains almost to the top (you don't see it all driving the other way), but unfortunately it is dusk and too dark to see clearly. We both sleep the rest of the way, until we reach Lao Cai.

We need to exchange our Fanxipan carriage vouchers for tickets and ask the driver to drop us off at the address printed on the voucher. He drops us off in front of the station however. It takes us a while to find the address, but we find it shuttered. Strange! We think the place may open at 7:30, which is an hour before the train leaves, but the shop is still closed. Thinking we may have the wrong address or that the location may have moved, we ask around in the other shops, but no one seems to be able to help. Luckily, we meet a woman on the street who happens to speak some English and has a cell phone, so she calls the number printed on the voucher and informs us that a man will be by in 15 minutes and will meet us on the street with our tickets. Even stranger! We hang around and sure enough, a few minutes later, this same woman gestures towards a man squatting on the other side of the street with a few envelopes. I'm very wary of this entire operation. The envelope however has our names and the name of our hotel in Hanoi written on it, which convinces me that this isn't a sham. Hmmm...this entire process was weird, and I wondered how the others had managed to get their tickets. Anxious to get a bite to eat before we get on the train, we try to find a restaurant not serving pizza. After walking a couple of blocks and not finding anything interesting, we get into the nearest place that looks decent. We order a coke, hot tea and fried rice. You can never go wrong with fried rice in Asia, and we're not disappointed. Having rushed through dinner, we end up waiting for the train for about 20 minutes. The Fanxipan carriage is not as well appointed as the King's Express, but it is nice enough and most importantly, clean. We have reserved all 4 berths again, so are able to sleep comfortably all the way back to Hanoi.

dgunbug

seemaskt - While the constant attention from the locals can at times be annoying, I enjoyed our interactions with the women who accompanied us on our various hikes. My husband tried to shoo them away as he didn't want to feel obligated to buy any of their goods. IMO however, it was worth the small pittance that they charged to have them accompany us and to learn about about their lives. They were most helpful when the footing got a bit precarious and I appreciated their help and company. One of the items that I purchased was a small bag which I use as a wallet. I was recently delighted when a vietnamese woman noticed that my bag came from VN and we had a very pleasant conversation about her country.

aprillilacs

We took the Fanxipan coach for our train ride back to Hanoi from Sapa as well. We also had the whole 4-berth cabin, which I was really happy with. The whole boarding situation in Lao Cai, where you can't trade your vouchers for actual tickets until an hour or so before the train departs, was very confusing--one time where we were definitely happy to be traveling with a guide! Kudos to you for doing so well in a difficult situation.