Spectacular SaPa!

The train arrived at around 5.30am in the bitterly cold morning. After a short wait we climbed into a minibus which took us up into SaPa. As the day broke I finally started to see glimpses of the scenery - it was utterly breathtaking. Rice fields cut away into the mountainside like giant staircases, the mountains cloaked in mist.

When we arrived at the hotel - Cat Cat Hotel, which offered magnificent views down the valley plus an open fireplace - we were told that our plans had changed due to the weather and that we would be leaving for the home-stay on the first day. Following a quick breakfast, Gaby & I showered, changed into our 'trekking' clothes and met-up with Frederic & Catherine, from Belgium, who would be doing the trek with us, and our beautiful local guide, Xue.

A pleasant and unchallenging six hour walk to the home-stay in Ban Ho Village led us through the mountains. I couldn’t hope to describe the scenery, but all I will say is that I have never seen anything like it before and that it is somewhere that I will recommend to everyone. It was utterly bewitching.

At the home-stay, Gaby & I changed into our swimsuits - a pair of board-shorts! - and Xue took us to the nearby Hot Springs. More tepid than hot, but still it was a pleasant way to spend the hour waiting for our dinner to be cooked. (Note to self: when, in the future, I go to a hot-spring that is located up in the mountains, remember to take a change of clothes with me so that I don’t have to walk back shivering in wet shorts.)

We ate our delicious dinner - including plates of all sorts of vegetables - with Frederic & Catherine and a retired couple from Vancouver Island, called Betty & Shell. We continued chatting for a couple of hours after dinner and went to bed early, at around 8pm, where I slept under the warmest, heaviest duvet ever.


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I awoke eleven hours later. Breakfast was crepes served with bananas and honey. Xue then took us to the nearby waterfall, but after Laos (see ‘The Kouang Si Waterfalls’) my general impression of all other waterfalls has been one of "meh!" We then walked back to the village where Gaby & I handed our packs to Betty & Shell who were taking a jeep back to SaPa and had kindly offered to take them back to the hotel for us.

Frederic, Catherine and ourselves then set off on a strenuous and sweaty two hour hike back up the mountains to our pick up point. Again the views were spectacular.

When we returned to the hotel the receptionist had mistakenly given our room to somebody else. Cue complaining and the entire hotel staff began cleaning the owners room for us to use that night. However, the couple in 'our' room were only using it to shower after a trek and before their sleeper train journey. Cue the entire hotel staff moving to our room to clean it, copious apologies from the owner and receptionist, free use of the massage chair and a complimentary bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Frederic found it all extremely amusing! (We did all right out of the receptionists simple mistake, and she continued to apologise profusely every time she saw us.)

When our room was ready, and following a beautiful HOT shower, Gaby & I went wandering into town to buy some winter clothes - namely a woollen hat! We stopped off at a cafe that had an open fireplace and served delicious 'home-made' cinnamon tea served with a slice of apple. Just the thing when it’s bloody cold outside!

We ate dinner at the hotels restaurant - a massive vegetable hot-pot that we were unable to finish between us - and ordered two mugs of hot ginger tea to 'takeaway' before returning to our room to enjoy the open fireplace and complimentary wine.


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Cold nights and warm duvets must be conducive to a good nights sleep, because again I slept for the best part of eleven hours.

After breakfast we were told that we would be walking to the nearby Cat Cat Village and waterfall in the afternoon, which gave us the entire morning to explore the weekend market. I got chased by a street barber who wanted to give me a haircut - I know it’s a mess, but it’s not that bad! - and Gaby quickly amassed her own private entourage of locals trying to sell her their wares. She eventually bought two bracelets and we dived into the cafe that sold the cinnamon tea for some respite and a bowl of Pho.

The walk to Cat Cat Village was pleasant and the views were, of course, stunning. We returned to the hotel with enough time for a shower before we were packed into a minibus and waved off by the receptionist, who again apologised, and we were on our way to Lao Cai and the overnight sleeper train back to Hanoi.

(SaPa is probably, no definitely, the highlight of my trip so far - unforgettable companion & scenery - and I didn’t even attempt Mt. Fansipan so I have a readymade excuse to return in the future!)


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Why couldn’t we have found the REAL Kangaroo Cafe before we booked our trip to Ha Long Bay? It is a real shame.