Sapa

April 4 - 7

Sapa is a small town in the mountains of north-west of Vietnam. The town itself is really nothing special. It's incredibly touristy. We were constantly being harassed by locals wanting to sell us something. 

We spent our first day seeking out hiking possibilities and wandering around the town. Some beautiful views of the mountains! And clear blue skies..!

Our hostel room had a little balcony where we sat to watch the sun set behind the mountains.

The next day we set off for an overnight hike! Unfortunately the skies were covered in cloud and fog. We started off by walking down some very steep hills on uneven ground. Many locals accompanied us, and gave us a hand going down the tricky parts. 

The trails got significantly easier after the first hour or two. We walked all day through mountains and rice fields. We saw lots of buffalo, pigs and one little goat who seemed to be rather enjoying the view!

We discovered at lunch time that the local ladies walking with us were only there to sell us their crafts! Phoebe and I both got sucked in and bought bracelets. Lovely bracelets - and less than $2 each.

We walked through some local villages and learnt about traditional medicines and crafts. 

Our 'homestay' in the evening was (once again) not really a homestay. It was more of a little hostel in the middle of nowhere. But, still beautiful! And nice to be somewhere remote. 

We spent the afternoon climbing over rocks along the nearby river, then chilled out in the evening, chatting and playing cards. 

Day two didn't really involve much hiking, more of a slow two-hour stroll. But stunning, none the less.

We had some questionable terrain - including walking along the edge of rice fields and trudging through a muddy, slippery bamboo forest. 

We sat for a while at the top of a waterfall, admiring the rice fields that surrounded us. 

Our last day in Sapa we walked a couple of kilometers out of town, until we reached Cat Cat Village. The walk was all downhill and offered constant spectacular views - the skies were clear and the sun was out again!

After walking by many fairly-identical market stalls, we found ourselves on the top of a little hill, where we sat, chatted and admired the surrounding mountains. 

We wandered a little further and found a waterfall. 

At that point Phoebe and I rushed back to Sapa, to make sure we had plenty of time to shower and eat before our overnight bus. To speed up the process, we got a motorbike taxi back up the hill.