Hanoi to Sapa
Tuesday (23 January) night I went to eat at a good Indian food restaurant near the hostel with a group of people from the hostel before catching my train to Lao Cai, Vietnam on the Viet-Chinese border. My 'hard sleeper' was quite comfortable and I got some good sleep even though we arrived in Lao Cai, Vietnam at 6 AM on Wednesday (24 January) morning. When I exited the train station in Lao Cai I saw someone holding a sign with my name on it and it took me a second to figure out how this could be! Then I realized that the hostel in Sapa that I reserved a bed at had sent someone to pick me up (actually to pick a group of people up). It was about a 45-minute ride to Sapa from Lao Cai and we arrived to fog, drizzle, and cooler temps.
The weather was really uninspiring. Two girls who had been on my train and who were staying at the hostel in Sapa also had already booked a trek and left for it soon after breakfast. But I was happy not to be going out in that weather. All the trails were really muddy too. Eventually I took a walk around Sapa town which has a pleasant lake in the center. The drizzle stopped and the fog lifted a little so I attempted to walk up hill on the edge of town for some views. But the small residential dirt alley I needed to follow to exit the town had an unexpected obstacle. I got cornered by 3 medium to large growling dogs and they chased (more like escorted) me back down to a main street where I 'tucked-tail' and walked back to town. That little confrontation really got my adrenaline flowing and made me glad that I had gotten the rabies vaccination a couple years ago. A one point one of the dogs was only a couple inches away from biting into my calf. I had my backpack off and was ready to club him. Thankfully that wasn’t necessary.
I didn't do much the rest of the day other then sit around the cold, unheated hostel. A swiss guy who I had met at the hostel in Hanoi was also staying at the hostel in Sapa, so at least I had someone to talk to.
The next day (Thursday, 25 January) was another uninspiring weather day. Actually it was worse than the previous day because the fog didn't lift the entire day. The whole town was socked in. I did manage to walk up Ham Rong Mountain, a small park on one edge of town. I spent a couple of hours walking the paths of the park, which was set on the top and sides of a small hill, before heading back to the hostel. It was a really neat little park and it would have been really cool in clear weather. More lounging around the hostel and in cafes in the town, and finally we took a minibus back to Lao Cai and boarded the night train back to Hanoi. Sapa was really a dissappointment due to the weather and I think it would be beautiful with clearer skies.
The weather was really uninspiring. Two girls who had been on my train and who were staying at the hostel in Sapa also had already booked a trek and left for it soon after breakfast. But I was happy not to be going out in that weather. All the trails were really muddy too. Eventually I took a walk around Sapa town which has a pleasant lake in the center. The drizzle stopped and the fog lifted a little so I attempted to walk up hill on the edge of town for some views. But the small residential dirt alley I needed to follow to exit the town had an unexpected obstacle. I got cornered by 3 medium to large growling dogs and they chased (more like escorted) me back down to a main street where I 'tucked-tail' and walked back to town. That little confrontation really got my adrenaline flowing and made me glad that I had gotten the rabies vaccination a couple years ago. A one point one of the dogs was only a couple inches away from biting into my calf. I had my backpack off and was ready to club him. Thankfully that wasn’t necessary.
I didn't do much the rest of the day other then sit around the cold, unheated hostel. A swiss guy who I had met at the hostel in Hanoi was also staying at the hostel in Sapa, so at least I had someone to talk to.
The next day (Thursday, 25 January) was another uninspiring weather day. Actually it was worse than the previous day because the fog didn't lift the entire day. The whole town was socked in. I did manage to walk up Ham Rong Mountain, a small park on one edge of town. I spent a couple of hours walking the paths of the park, which was set on the top and sides of a small hill, before heading back to the hostel. It was a really neat little park and it would have been really cool in clear weather. More lounging around the hostel and in cafes in the town, and finally we took a minibus back to Lao Cai and boarded the night train back to Hanoi. Sapa was really a dissappointment due to the weather and I think it would be beautiful with clearer skies.
posted by Dustin at 8:12 PM
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