(Originally posted 23 February 2016) In February, time spent in Sapa lets you experience three seasons in a matter of minutes. It took us a few days to realise the town was much bigger than anticipated because the mist only lets you see a few metres ahead.
We are both wide awake during our 4:30 am minibus taxi ride in north-eastern Vietnam from Lao Chai to Sapa. 18-Wheeler trucks emerge from the misty whiteout honking their horns as they pass on the narrow mountain pass. We find ourselves saying our goodbyes to each other just in case and smiling nervously at the other 13 passengers jammed amongst the luggage in what feels like an eight-seater vehicle.
At 6:30, the taxi dropped us off at our hotel, which was locked up tight. Once we are eventually in, the sleepy receptionist is very pleased to offer us the room with the best view of the mountain (except when you can barely see your hand in front of your face, that is not really a perk). We were exhausted from our overnight bus trip and taxi ride, and having climbed five flights of stairs with heavy packs, we caught a few hours’ sleep before exploring the town.
Everything we need seems much cheaper in Sapa. It is a good place to stock up on some basics and get some laundry done while planning activities for the next few days. Walking in the streets results in one or more ladies from a local rural village following you. “Hello, where you from?” is the standard greeting from these colourfully dressed ladies loaded with beautiful jewellery and hand-stitched crafts.
Su is 22 and a mother of two. She lives in Cat Cat village and tries to sell her wares to the tourists every day. Her English is excellent, and we learn about her family and life and promise only to buy souvenirs from her.
Waiting out the weather for a break in the mist, we want to visit Fansipan. This peak is the highest mountain in the region, and our hotel staff highly recommend a visit using the recently opened cable car attraction. Eventually, we decided to make a go of it in temperatures around 6° Celsius.
The Fansipan facility is still shiny and brand new, with attentive staff showing the way to the cable car. The car is all ours, and we enjoy the view of the rice paddies for the first 300m before the climb starts getting steep and the mist closes in. It is very eerie travelling in a carriage swaying in the air for almost 30 minutes where all you can see outside is white.
Mention was made of a few steps to get to the summit. After 40 minutes of climbing, we are too exhausted to count steps anymore. Several water breaks later (and patches of standing very still just trying to breathe), we got to the windy 3,143m mark and could take our pics. The view is apparently spectacular on a clear day, which it certainly was not, but we are still proud of ourselves for having persevered.
Halfway up the stone steps is a brand new pagoda. It has been designed in the traditional style and is beautiful. Standing inside, out of the wind and facing the doors, we had a magical moment watching the mist flow into the temple. It blends with the incense and floats amongst those saying their prayers. This will definitely make it into the list of our favourite experiences.
Trekking is one of the most common activities in the area. As two formerly desk-bound unfit office workers, we opted for a short morning trek to a local village in the valley. The walk is lovely, with the sun trying to break its way through the cloud. The river cascades all along the route as we make our way down. The only downside is that the litter we have seen everywhere in Vietnam is also a constant here.
We enter the village after a muddy walk, and our guide informs us that we are lucky today as it is a special day in the home that has welcomed us. They celebrate an upcoming wedding in the little dark wooden home, with the future groom and his parents visiting the potential bride’s family. The young girl getting married is 13 and has already stopped going to school, and her husband-to-be looks to be about 16 and very nervous. We all toast the couple and drink a shot of rice wine—another moment for the books.
We leave Sapa tomorrow and will make our way south to warmer weather. However, I doubt we will find a warmer welcome elsewhere.