Sapa Continued

The next morning, we were greeted by the sun and a gorgeous view! Our hotel looked out over the Sapa valley and the clouds pulled in slowly but we managed to see a cloud-free view for a few brief moments. We ate breakfast, packed our bags and then we were met by our tour guide. He had had a rather large New Year's Eve party, so he was a little bit late and he was wearing it! We made our way down the (very) steep road, back into the Sapa valley to see a waterfall.

The beautiful view

The terrace in front of our rooms

Washing each leaf individually... as you do!

Jo bought a walking stick to help her with her wonky knee

When we got into the valley, we were greeted by the waterfall and we were very unimpressed. Our guide quickly told us that the man-made weir was not what we had hiked to see, but that we needed to cross the river and then look left. That's where the waterfall was. We still weren't that impressed, considering the amazing waterfalls that we are blessed with back home. We haven't seen a waterfall that even comes close to Howick Falls, but everyone here seems to be very impressed by what they have to offer. We were however, intrigued by the snacks on offer - braaied quails and water buffalo biltong. We didn't sample any, but we did have a cup of hot coffee at one of the stalls.

The man-made weir that had people tricked into thinking it was the waterfall.

The actual waterfall

Quail anyone? (water buffalo jerky to the right)

Marijuana grows everywhere in this part of the world. Our guide was very vocal about it and he picked some for Jo to help her with her knee. It is medicine after all.

Jo and her present from our guide ;)

"Do or Drink"... what's that supposed to mean?

We exited the valley along a different path, which eventually met up with the main road. We were meant to catch a bus from half way up, but everyone was feeling fine so we walked back up to our hotel.

Switzerland or Vietnam?

Since our guide was suffering from a bit of a hangover, he left us to wonder around for the afternoon while he went home to take a nap. Since we passed on the quail snack, we were rather hungry and decided that something to eat would be next on the agenda. Our guide had recommended a little pastry shop, and they had a deal for delicious tarts and tea or coffee! Mel had a feeling that lunch for that day was included in our tour so she checked the e-mail from the tour company to make sure. It was included, but our guide had forgotten to tell us where to go. The company felt really bad so they offered to include dinner for us as well, which was a very welcome treat. We made our way to the hotel where lunch was served and we tucked in to a delicious meal.

We were catching the train back to Hanoi that evening. This meant that we had to take a van to Loa Cai first and catch the train from there. Our guide went ahead on his motorbike, as he had to get something fixed on it, and told us he'd meet us at the station. On our way down the windy road from Sapa, we got stuck in a traffic jam! There were cars for kilometers on the mountainous road, all just waiting. When the road eventually cleared, our driver raced like a mad thing to get us to the train station. It was a terrible trip and we were all scared for our lives. There were many close calls, but we made it to Lao Cai.

Unfortunately, we weren't in time and the train had already left! Our driver then had to take us to the next station, which was an hour away! We drove along the new highway that has just been built between Hanoi and Lao Cai. It was marvelous - smooth and quick! However, when we took the exit into the town were the train would be stopping, the road suddenly came to an end. They were busy with construction, so the grader literally built a quick thoroughfare for us so that we could get to the station. We clearly weren't the only ones to have missed the train, as the small station was packed with fellow travelers.

The packed station!