Taking our first sleeper train to Lao Cai wasn’t as bad as we originally thought. We had to share with a Chinese couple who showed a bit too much affection for a 4 bed cabin, but it wasn’t too bad. The mini bus to Sapa town was a bit mental, making us slightly travel sick, but when we arrived, the views from our hotel were amazing. Wish we could say the same about the conditions of the Mountain View Hotel room! The smell of damp filled your nose as you approached the corridor and there were insects splatted on every wall. Not to mention the damp, stained bed sheets and the open extractor fan that you could see straight into the room next door. Not cool. The sleeping bag liner Alan told Vic not to bother buying was going to be put to good use in this hell hole.
We decided to hire a local from the nearby village to take us on a 14km trek in the Sapa mountains to see the rice fields and visit some local tribes. While waiting for her to arrive, Vic made friends with a little woman named Ana, she wouldn’t go away, so thinking we would never see her again she very stupidly pinky promised to buy a bracelet from her when we returned from our walk.
Our trail was fantastic with plenty of photo ops and we had lunch made by our guide in a house in one of the mountain villages. She spoke brilliant English and was full of knowledge about the area, pointing out the marijuana plants growing in the wild and explaining that indigo is in fact a plant that they use to dye their clothes (who knew).
Arriving back at our hotel 5 hours later, with tired legs and both sunburnt to bits, we noticed our little friend Ana waiting on the steps. Uh oh… Stalker alert! She ran up shouting ‘my friend you promise me, I wait for you long time’. Not taking no for an answer she started getting quite angry so we went into the hotel to get rid of her… Think again! She continued to wait for us when we went out for our evening meal harassing us as we walked up the street and went into a restaurant, walking past regularly staring in the window. Luckily she disappeared before we left!
The next morning we decided to hire a motorbike so we could explore the mountains ourselves. For £3 we had a days hire and the full tank of petrol only cost £1.50. Bargain! We had breakfast over looking the mountains in the baking sun and went to pick up our bike. Never guess who was waiting for us? Yep you guessed right, Ana! She spotted us in the hotel reception and started shouting obscenities, we eventually had to face her and she wasn’t very happy. At one point we thought she was going to grab our bag so we jumped on the bike and sped away, not before she grabbed a bracelet off Alan’s wrist shouting ‘you no good, I hope your bike break’. Nice lady!
The best way to see Northern Vietnam is definitely by motorbike, you see so much more than if you go on a tour, it is much cheaper and you get to see the less touristy villages. Passing children riding buffaloes, waterfalls, pigs, goats and stopping for a cold drink with the locals, you just can’t beat it, it’s such a brilliant experience.
We returned back to Sapa in time for a bite to eat before our sleeper bus back to Hanoi. Our trip wouldn’t have been complete without saying goodbye to our new pal, she walked past the cafe we were sitting outside of and started shouting again before perching directly opposite us on the other side of the street. Fortunately for us, she found a new victim and we got away unharmed.
All of the Sapa locals dress identical and all look the same but if you spot one with a hair lip and no eye lashes, keep your distance because ‘she no good’.
We nearly there yet? 
awww lovely write up & lovely pics.. green with envy…. Im saving now! Hope you’s are having an amazing time. Will look forward to the next stop. xxx