From Sapa we took a 6 hours trip through the surrounding areas. We visited 2 villages inhabited by an ethnic group that migrated from china some 300 years ago. We saw the schools as well as some of the farmers’ houses. Lunch was at a local family. From there we continued through the terraces and a bamboo forest. Very interesting experience, well worth the 15USD/person paid.
While waiting for the train at the bar we found this snake wine, a quite unusual drink. Since I am not the most knowledgeable person in snakes nor wines, I decided to have a local beer instead (hoping no animals had been used in the process)
Once we advanced further towards the North we found many terraces, virtually taking all the landscape. The road climbed up to around 2000m above sea level and then descended towards the city of Sapa. We spent there one day and then continued to Lao Cai. Note the Chinese letters on the other side of the border in the night picture.
From Lao Cai to Hanoi we took the night train. Believe it or not, it’s the first time we ever traveled in the sleeping coach. Also, the station chief invited us to the premier waiting room for some tea to question about our trip. The railway was so crooked that the risk of derailment appeared to be imminent, even though the top speed never exceeded 40km/h. But a very nice experience overall.
While waiting for the customs broker/customs officials to do their homework, we decided to take a 4 days trip in the Northern mountains. We rented a 125cc Yamaha YBR for 25USD/day. Great motorcycle. Reminds me a lot of my first car, a 34 hrosepower Oltcit!
Driving/riding on the Vietnamese roads is an adventure itself. Anything can be on the road: potholes, dirt, debris, trucks on the wrong side of the road, animals, crops drying in the sun etc. Specatacular views, nevertheless, and very friendly people. By tomorrow we should be in a national park, and then catch a train back to Hanoi.
The Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must for Vietnam visitor. We took a $85/person 2 day, all inclusive, bus and boat tour from Hanoi.
After boarding the ship, we cruised through the bay until we docked on an island to visit a nice cave, said to have been discovered only in 1995.
The next stop was in a village built on water, in a way similar to the one on the Titicaca lake. There we had the opportunity to do some kayaking to get a closer view.
We spent the night in a bungalow on the Monkey Island and we returned the next day in a similar fashion.
The trip was very well organized. The tour had many options/extras so we had to join 4 different tourist groups but we were never left behind. Unfortunately, very limited explanations from the guides.
