Back to thursday

hey folks, let me take you back a few days for the start of this entry.

So now were back to thursday. Thursday afternoon after i have just had a 2 hr class with our most annoying class and im back on the back of a motorbike heading home. The wind is in my face, and the sun is reflecting off the guys white tee shirt, so i cant even open my eyes. Were moving quite quickly, but he is a cautious drive, and uses the horn alot! He has already given me the enveolpe with the 100.000 dong in it so i can just hope off the bike and hand over the helmet, and head back inside. By now its about 3:10 and i have to finish packing. I have 3 long shirts, 2 jumpers, shoes and my sandals and im set. Im packed for the best weekend yet!

Finally B and i get a bus heading for Ha Noi, 2 hours later were outside the backpakers having a drink during happy hour with some Gappers beofre dinner and then... the train.

There were 8 of us all together. Somehow, it turned out to be all the country bumpkins from around Ha Noi. Just before the train however, i had a small incident were an atm ate my card and i couldnt get it back. But after a few phone calls i resolved to pick it up once i came back into Ha Noi. So we almost missed the train, like we were standing going "wow. this is kool. Were are we???" and the train started to pull away from the platform. Eventually we fumbled our way around and found our private compartment. We had paid extra for a hard sleeper which was just the bomb. Very comfortable, but VERY cramped. i woke up to one of my friends saying "Sao Cao. He isnt that were we get off?" It was 5:30 in the morning and even though she had been taking pictures of the sun comming up, she totally didnt notive the rest of the train getting off. There was a mad scramble, but eventually all 6 of us in that compartment got packed and we were off standing in the early morning sun, following the rest of the people through the station.

We found a bus and then hit the road. It was windey and went around and around up the mountain. There was a light fog, but also the clouds were making there way through the centre of the valley, with the mountains poking there heads up from either side of the cloud. It was a beautiful sight. There were waterfalls all the way along, and so many of the mountains had rice fields cut into the side of the mountains. after about 45 minutes, we finally arrived in SAPA. We got dropped off at our hotel, and then headed out to "Bagette and Chocolate" for some breakfast.

Sapa is a mountainous village to the north of Ha Noi. It is renoun for its hill tribes who wear their villages traditional clothing. It is very cold in Sapa and is generally raining or foggy or just cloudy. There have been lots of rain recently which has lead to many landslides which have blocked roads and even killed villages. The people there a beautiful. They have a very unique way of trading and bartering. Instead of the classic "You want. buy. buy. buy" trading in Ha Noi, they use a "you buy from me, ok? tommorow? you buy from me." Its nice and you dont even realise how anoying the process is becuase you dont feel like there bugging you at all! its wonderful!

We organised a tour to a really big waterfall - were there are pictures - and that was beautiful but only lasted aout 2 hours. We had a traditional VN dinner and then headed back to our lucsurious beds for an early morning start.

At 6:30 we all met back up in the lobby, all decked out in our treking gear. We had organised a guided trek through some local villages that was to take us all day. After some breakfast, we met our guide - a beautifully dressed young girl - and we were off. We made our way slowly down the mountain - there are photos - into the valley, through a village, across to the other side of the valley, over many streams and waterfalls and over bridges. It was still quite slippery and muddly, so somehow we picked up an extra woman each who held our hands while we made our decent. Tell you one thing, my lady saved my life more than once! We walked through villages and farmyards and even became features of the rice fields that were cut into the landscape. It was just beautiful. We stopped for lunch, and our ladies who were traditionally dressed, some with hand made baskets on there bakes proceeded to bring out there things to sell to us - as payment and thanks for all the help down through the mountains.

We moved on after lunch at a much slower pace - after beeing told that we were walking Very quickly. (so quickly that even the ladies who walk the same path 3 times a week were panting with the effort! whoops, just fast walkers i guess.) it was very leasurly but easier to walk anyway. Oh and i forgot to mention, after the cool morning the day turned absolutly beautiful and we had absolutly clear blue skys and a loverly sun all day. Crystal clear 360 degree views. Apparently they hadn't had a day like that for weeks! the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared just for us :D. some of us even ended up with a bit of sun burn!

we kept the pace and ended up running into bus loads of tourist who basically visited 2 shopping villages and thought they got the realy experience after have to trudg through a pig farm. One of the quotes of the day was when we were approaching this endless line of tourists "we dont look like them. Go away. I know, Quick i'll feed the pigs, Sanchia you milk the cow and Liana you feel the ducks." We had just been for this beautiful trek, we live in VN and we were suddenly ambushed by all these obvious tourists with the money and too clean clothing. Sure some of them wanted to real experience, but they certainly were not getting it there!

We eventually made our way back home again after no troubles and ended up realaxing back in Bagette and Chocolate. i think the name says it all, but its basically a french training cookery place. lots of crossants and the like.

it is so relaxing in Sapa and everything is just so beautiful, and the fct that we were blessed with such a beautiful day just put the icing on the cake. We headed back to our beds once more after the best walk with the best company, ready for the next day.

Sapa is also known for its sunday Markets. Its about 4 hours from actual Sapa and includes a long bus trip back to the train station an then another trip back out to the markets. It was basically tourist bus heaven. People arrived at the markets by the bus load, flooded the markets and then left, all at the same times. they would only spend about 1 1/2 at the actual markets, even though it takes about 3 hours to get there, before there tourist bus took them back again. Somehow we managed to pull a extra hour at the markets and it was surprising how things quietened down. It was a bit of a let down actually. Becuase these markets did attract so many tourist, prices were massivly inflated. They new that people thought they were getting a bargan, but when they tried the same prices on us, we knew we were getting riped off, so we tried to bargan it down. Unfortunatly, my barganing didnt get me anywere, becuase the traders didn't care if i didnt buy anything. They new they could sell it at much higher prices to another poor tourist. it turned out not to be a very pleasent environment.

Eventually, and after another 3 hour bus trip we were back at the train station and waiting for the train trip home. it was pretty booked out so we had to get soft seats this time, instead of a sleeper. We were not looking forward to it at all! It wasnt too bad in the end. The train ride is at night and about 10 hours, but we managed to get the lights off and it was like being in an airplane, but nicer becuase the chairs really reclined. Most of us slept well. we arrived in Ha Noi at 6:30 am and proceeded to find that nother was open. I had to get my ATM card back so i left to do that and people went home, and others went to buy Dvds. That was then end of the best weekend. So maybe my writing doesnt let on to how good it really was. Emphasis my not be on the appropriate points, but it was the bomb, and definitly a must see if you visit North VN. you would be crazy to miss it!

When i finally did get back to Viet Duc, B and i were watching a movie through our eye lids, and ended up bailing and going for a nap. It was 3 in the afternoon, but when we woke again it was 6:30 am. Somehow we both managed to sleep all through the night into the next day. It was nice.

So thats it. That was my weekend and it was the bomb

Hope you are all well

Sleep out