From the Mists of Sapa
North West of Vietnam
North West of Vietnam
As I sit down to write this I am back in Hanoi playing written catch up because I have just had two of the most fascinating but diverse trips – one to Sapa with a side trip to Bac Ha and the second to Halong Bay.
They were both inspiring, but first a little about Sapa. The town is northwest of Hanoi and very close to the border of China. In fact where the train stops, Lao Cai, is about a 20 minute taxi ride to the border crossing and trains leave from here to go to Kunming in China. Sapa is still some 40 minutes away along a narrow winding road and we wend ever higher to reach approximately 1650 meters above sea level and the ever present mist.
By the time I arrived at my destination, The Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel, (http://www.saparooms.com/) I was very tired. The overnight train trip is about 10 hours and I didn’t sleep well despite feeling very comfortable with the other people in the four berth cabin. I shared with a lovely young British man and a Canadian mother and 23 year old daughter who was well traveled. She had spent a year in NZ doing odd jobs and over a year in China teaching English. There is no such thing as segregating the sexes here! But they were all excellent company and we chatted for some time before lights out.
However, once I arrived at my hotel and was enthusiastically welcomed by Australian Pete and huge breakfast (included in the room rate) any thoughts of tiredness and homesickness banished to the dark recesses of my mind. I was keen to get out there and explore a little, but Sapa was cold…..mainly because of the altitude and heavy mist which obscured the great view from my room. I never did see the view, but I believe it was there.
Pete is almost evangelical about Sapa and after completing a couple of treks myself I could see why. He visited Sapa last year (I think but apologies and a correction is welcome Pete, if I have that wrong) and fell in love with the place. He was sick of the Sydney rat race, managing 120 staff in a computer company and even the great Sydney harbor view from his office couldn’t keep him in Australia. So he bought this run down hotel and is well on the way to transforming it. It’s an excellent place to stay.
The coldest months here are January and February but from March to May my guide book says the weather is often excellent. The prime time for visiting the region though is September to mid December plus the Festival of the Clouds which occurs during May – I just missed it thankfully because the hotels in the town were full.
Because of the cold, for the first time since Thailand, I was able to wear my jeans. Oh yeah! Although this will sound rather sick, I was so happy to be back in jeans. But even with several layers of clothing including a merino top and my great lightweight, all purpose Marmot windbreaker, I was still cold.
However, the friendliness of the local H’mong people who wander the streets in their multi colored and layered finery with huge smiles (see photo) helped to banish some of the cold I was feeling. Of course they were always trying to sell me something….anything…..they just wanted me to buy from them. Sometimes I would duck into a shop to try to evade them but no chance….they’d just wait outside the shop their lovely open faces peering in waiting. The shop owners who pay for their display space and other business overheads seem remarkably tolerant of these hill-tribe people wandering the streets garnering sales where they can.
Their English is quite good and they continually ask questions “where are you from….what is your name…..what is your age…..are you married….do you have children…….”? When they hear that I have two sons the younger girls get very excited and want to know their age. When I tell them, they ask if they can come to my home with me so that they can marry my lads!
During my first afternoon in Sapa I opt for a nap and instead sleep very deeply for several hours. After I woke, I wandered downstairs to the news that they had just made a roasted pumpkin and chicken soup which I order along with a fresh crunchy baguette and it was absolutely divine.
I love the art work around the hotel. Pete has engaged an artist to help him to make the space creative. He is making light shades from the local fabric, different tables, couches and a lot of pottery etc which is displayed in all nooks and crannies. I fell in love with a pottery head. The one I’ve shown in the photo was in my bedroom and the gorgeous flowers are grown locally. Later, when I returned to Hanoi I visited Tiep’s (the artists) studio to try to buy one to ship back to New Zealand but the few he had left weren’t suitable for me. I felt very disappointed.
While I am up at the hotel, they install a new reception top. It’s fascinating to see the local men working away with primitive gear as they install the hand made top. It is cut from a special tree from a village nearby.
For my second day I decided to take a guide and go to a village about 17kms from Sapa. This village has a reputation for wonderful hand embroidery and I really look forward to it. The day was extraordinary, on several levels, but more about that later.
I’m missing…..home. I got very homesick during the train trip because the 23 year old wanted to talk about the marvelous time she had in NZ and as she reminisced and enthused to the other two about our wonderful country her memory needed a little help about places and things and I too was taken on a mental trip back home.
Best coffee……none. Again!
Favourite food…..Pete’s pumpkin soup using his grandmother’s recipe. Yum. Yum.
Bargain of the moment…….just about anything in Sapa. I bought a small hand woven bag for about $3, a blouse for $5 etc
I’m loving….......the fresh air and quiet especially after the pollution and excessive noise in Hanoi.
What I’m reading….....another Nora Roberts – Blue Smoke. It’s escapism!
Travelers love……helpful and friendly hotel staff. It makes SUCH a difference to the enjoyment of a place and to getting the most out of your time there.
They were both inspiring, but first a little about Sapa. The town is northwest of Hanoi and very close to the border of China. In fact where the train stops, Lao Cai, is about a 20 minute taxi ride to the border crossing and trains leave from here to go to Kunming in China. Sapa is still some 40 minutes away along a narrow winding road and we wend ever higher to reach approximately 1650 meters above sea level and the ever present mist.
By the time I arrived at my destination, The Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel, (http://www.saparooms.com/) I was very tired. The overnight train trip is about 10 hours and I didn’t sleep well despite feeling very comfortable with the other people in the four berth cabin. I shared with a lovely young British man and a Canadian mother and 23 year old daughter who was well traveled. She had spent a year in NZ doing odd jobs and over a year in China teaching English. There is no such thing as segregating the sexes here! But they were all excellent company and we chatted for some time before lights out.
However, once I arrived at my hotel and was enthusiastically welcomed by Australian Pete and huge breakfast (included in the room rate) any thoughts of tiredness and homesickness banished to the dark recesses of my mind. I was keen to get out there and explore a little, but Sapa was cold…..mainly because of the altitude and heavy mist which obscured the great view from my room. I never did see the view, but I believe it was there.
Pete is almost evangelical about Sapa and after completing a couple of treks myself I could see why. He visited Sapa last year (I think but apologies and a correction is welcome Pete, if I have that wrong) and fell in love with the place. He was sick of the Sydney rat race, managing 120 staff in a computer company and even the great Sydney harbor view from his office couldn’t keep him in Australia. So he bought this run down hotel and is well on the way to transforming it. It’s an excellent place to stay.
The coldest months here are January and February but from March to May my guide book says the weather is often excellent. The prime time for visiting the region though is September to mid December plus the Festival of the Clouds which occurs during May – I just missed it thankfully because the hotels in the town were full.
Because of the cold, for the first time since Thailand, I was able to wear my jeans. Oh yeah! Although this will sound rather sick, I was so happy to be back in jeans. But even with several layers of clothing including a merino top and my great lightweight, all purpose Marmot windbreaker, I was still cold.
However, the friendliness of the local H’mong people who wander the streets in their multi colored and layered finery with huge smiles (see photo) helped to banish some of the cold I was feeling. Of course they were always trying to sell me something….anything…..they just wanted me to buy from them. Sometimes I would duck into a shop to try to evade them but no chance….they’d just wait outside the shop their lovely open faces peering in waiting. The shop owners who pay for their display space and other business overheads seem remarkably tolerant of these hill-tribe people wandering the streets garnering sales where they can.
Their English is quite good and they continually ask questions “where are you from….what is your name…..what is your age…..are you married….do you have children…….”? When they hear that I have two sons the younger girls get very excited and want to know their age. When I tell them, they ask if they can come to my home with me so that they can marry my lads!
During my first afternoon in Sapa I opt for a nap and instead sleep very deeply for several hours. After I woke, I wandered downstairs to the news that they had just made a roasted pumpkin and chicken soup which I order along with a fresh crunchy baguette and it was absolutely divine.
I love the art work around the hotel. Pete has engaged an artist to help him to make the space creative. He is making light shades from the local fabric, different tables, couches and a lot of pottery etc which is displayed in all nooks and crannies. I fell in love with a pottery head. The one I’ve shown in the photo was in my bedroom and the gorgeous flowers are grown locally. Later, when I returned to Hanoi I visited Tiep’s (the artists) studio to try to buy one to ship back to New Zealand but the few he had left weren’t suitable for me. I felt very disappointed.
While I am up at the hotel, they install a new reception top. It’s fascinating to see the local men working away with primitive gear as they install the hand made top. It is cut from a special tree from a village nearby.
For my second day I decided to take a guide and go to a village about 17kms from Sapa. This village has a reputation for wonderful hand embroidery and I really look forward to it. The day was extraordinary, on several levels, but more about that later.
I’m missing…..home. I got very homesick during the train trip because the 23 year old wanted to talk about the marvelous time she had in NZ and as she reminisced and enthused to the other two about our wonderful country her memory needed a little help about places and things and I too was taken on a mental trip back home.
Best coffee……none. Again!
Favourite food…..Pete’s pumpkin soup using his grandmother’s recipe. Yum. Yum.
Bargain of the moment…….just about anything in Sapa. I bought a small hand woven bag for about $3, a blouse for $5 etc
I’m loving….......the fresh air and quiet especially after the pollution and excessive noise in Hanoi.
What I’m reading….....another Nora Roberts – Blue Smoke. It’s escapism!
Travelers love……helpful and friendly hotel staff. It makes SUCH a difference to the enjoyment of a place and to getting the most out of your time there.
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