The train from Hanoi to Lao Cai was quite the experience. We all slept like babies from the rocking of the train. However, at one point I was awoken by heavy swaying and I could have sworn we were going to tip off the tracks. Luckily, though, we did not and slowly fell off to sleep again.
At 5:30 am, we hear knocking on the doors all down the train car letting us know that we are arriving! My first thought of the scenery of this region was that of amazement. The expansiveness of the rolling mountain hills covered in rice patties along the winding roads was pretty spectacular, which trust me it only got better.
When we arrived to Sapa it was the beginning of a national holiday in Vietnam. Right away we could tell that this is a hot spot for the local tourists. It was only 7:00 am and the streets were already crowded with Vietnamese vacationers walking below the french style buildings Sapa is famous for. We dropped off our bags at the beautiful, recently renovated Mountainview Backpacker’s Hostel, and headed up the hill for a delicious breakfast.
After, Chris rounded us up with some Xeoms (motorbike taxis) to take us to check out all of the villages that the CBT Vietnam project has worked with over the years. We had wind in our hair, winding down the steep mountainous roads that overlook one of the most beautiful places. Can’t get much better than that!
The group then pulled into Tavan for our first lunch in a village, and do they ever cook amazing food. Usually, the meals in the villages consists of rice, a few different types of protein and some veggies. As well as, the best spring rolls!
On this first day we opted to save Lao Chai for the following day as we would be there all week. Tonight was all about Ta Phin and checking out how our most recently completed phase of CBT Vietnam’s project is doing. We stayed at the lovely Ly May Lai’s home with her husband, their 3-yr old baby, along with a few other trekkers. Her and husband built a beautiful new home that can be easily recognized by its bright red roof. We were pleased to see that when they planned the construction of their new home they kept it inline with the traditional Red Dao homes. This shows that they understand the importance of their culture and keeping their home authentic if they want to sustain their tourism business. The evening continued with many laughs and jokes were shared over dinner and plenty of rice wine.
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