Hanoi:
We got back to Hanoi after a long Bus trip back from Ha Long City.
Our hostel was kind enough to let us shower before we got on the overnight train to Sapa. Not that it mattered because it was still hot outside when we left for the train station at 8pm with our heavy backpacks.
When we got there the bus stopped outside the complex about 2min walk to the inside of the building where we got our tickets.
When you purchase your tickets at your hotel, it is only a booking ticket. You then have to receive a paper ticket with the official train station name on it. The official paper copy is then supposed to be stapled to the original, so you have the same seating arrangement. However, we where jibbed and the tour guide took our tickets and gave us others with different seating then what was on our original ticket. (Sorry if it's too confusing)
So we where put into a 6 berth hard bed sleeper with all the locals and children, which was fine - it was a little dirty. There was a guy who looked like an official train station person that looked at our tickets. He then showed us where we where supposed to sit, but then wanted US$2 for showing us when we could have done it ourselves. We think he was just a local trying to make a quick buck! We told him we didn't have anything small enough to give him and he kept demanding the money. Candice got really cranky and started shouting at him, which wasn't a good idea cause he could have come into our cabin and taken money during the night if he wanted. It’s funny how they don't understand English until it comes to them wanting money!
Sapa:
After all the hassle we where on our way. We arrived at Lao Cai station (pronounced Leow Kai - Lao Cai is really close to the China boarder, about 5 mins drive) we got off at 6am and we had to catch our bus up to Sapa which was about another hour on top. When we got to our hotel, we didn't know what to expect after the train incident.
However it was really nice. The view topped it off with all the rice patty fields cascading down the mountains around us. It was so beautiful.
We then met our tour guide Chi (Like Chi Tea) and she took us for a walk around the surrounding villages to a nice waterfall. The tribal women try to sell you stuff that they make, like shirts out of hemp and jewelry.
It's wonderful because they all wear their traditional clothing. A lot of the tribal women would sit outside our hotel just waiting for a sale. Sapa is a really beautiful friendly place, everyone with a smile on their face.
That night we met up with a couple of poms we had met at Ha Long Bay.
We went to the local drinking area to have a few more Beer Hoi's (Bia Hoi - Real spelling) to finish off where we had started in Cat Ba. We all finished up early because we knew we had a long trek in the morning.
Our tour guide met us at 9:30am and we went for a wet, muddy, slippery trek down through the mountains to a village where we had lunch. The trek went for 7hrs with people slipping in the mud all over the place. Candice managed to slip about 5 times and was COVERED in mud. Jamie managed to just get his shoes muddy and nothing else (good grip shoes). The hill tribe ladies helped most of us down (not Jamie) through the slippery bits so we wouldn't slip down into their rice paddies. After we had arrived for lunch - nothing is for free - so we had to buy something off the tribal ladies for helping us.
After lunch we walked to the check point where we met a bus to take us back up the mountain to our hotel. We were all SO keen to get back and have a shower. However, the bus couldn't reverse back up the track that it had come down because it kept slipping. So everyone pilled out and the men had to push it up the track. That didn't work, so they managed to turn the bus around in a really small area so we could get a run up. It managed to work so we where all really happy!
We got to the hotel and they had showers available for those of us that can't stay up on two feet in the mud and others who can. Thank goodness because we would have smelt on the train back.
Back to Hanoi:
We all got our gear together and caught the bus to the train station at 5:30pm. We then had to wait till 8pm at some guy’s restaurant, so we would buy something while we were waiting.
This time when we had our tickets changed we were really cautious. So we made sure we got the correct ones back, which we did and got to travel in style this time. We were in a 4 berth soft sleeper, which was really fancy. We shared a room with an Israel couple and we all slept like babies.
We arrived in Hanoi at 5:30am and had to make our way back to the hotel via taxi. When we arrived, everyone in the reception was still asleep so we had to wait a little while. Luckily they had one room available for us so we could get some more sleep. When we woke it was straight to the Tamarind for breakfast - YUM YUM!!
