Vietnam: Sapa (Part 4) - A Little Bit of Everything

This morning we visited the village which is located pretty much right in Sapa (just down the hill on a dirt track).  This one is somehow less spectacular than everything I saw on the previous day though - it's a shame as this is all that the majority of people who visit this area will get to see.

Not Impressed.

By this.

Actually, it's still pretty damn cool (in a hot and sweaty kinda way) to wander around the area taking in the landscape and surrounding mountains.  We're also right next to the highest peak in Indochina called Fansipan and it's 3,142m high (10,308ft).  I think Fansipan means "Guess is tall because cannot see top through cloud".

Rambo Woz Here

Early in the afternoon we head back down the winding mountain road to Lau Cai to return our bikes.  Halfway down the mountain we turn a corner and almost run into the back of a small traffic jam.  A motorbike lies half crushed in the middle of the road, and a policeman is taking photos.  We weave through the wreckage but I don't see any bodies - the victim has already been taken away.  It's hard to tell how serious the damage was - but I don't think they would have taken them away so soon if they had died.  It looked like the bike had collied with a car going round a blind corner - it's not unusual for vehicles to overtake other cars and trucks while going round blind bends here.  That's where generous use of the horn comes in handy.  It's how you shout out "EVERYBODY - I EXIST SO WATCH OUT!!".

Schrödinger's cat disagrees.

Back in Lau Cai and it's time to return the bikes but I'll be having none of it.  I want another drive so I spend the next 20 minutes roaming around Lau Cai.  It's interesting how when on foot the motorbike traffic looks quite insane and chaotic, but when you're in amongst it all makes sense.  Just go with the flow of the river of bikes.

Humongous's ProTip: If you encounter any road warriors, kill them and steal their gasoline.

We stop in at a guest house to freshen up and have a bit of a rest, then head out for dinner and some nasty looking apple rice wine.

Looks Legit.

One bottle of rice wine later and it's time to catch the train back to Hanoi.  This time the air-con is working, and it gets freakin' cold during the night.  I must say though - this time I managed to get some sleep - I think I prefer being a bit cold to being extremely hot.  The wine probably helped a bit too.
Halfway through the journey the heavy rain starts pouring on the roof of the carriage, and is peppered with bright lighting flashes and rumbling thunder.  I feel very satisfied and cozy couped up in my rattly train, winding through the hills in the heavy storm.



More Vietnam pics here and here.

Vietnam: Sapa (Part 1) - Train Ride to Lao Cai

I walk to Hanoi train station (the northbound side) to meet my friends to catch the overnight train to Lao Cai.  We've glitzed it up by booking seats in a "soft seat" cabin.

Balla.

ProTip:  The northbound trains leave from the western side of the station on Trần Quý Cáp (you have to travel around the block to get there) and the southbound trains leave from the east side of the station on Lê Duẩn.


My friends bring out the entertainment for the night - a pack of cards - and procede to play vietnamese poker.  I watch and try and learn how to play but it makes no sense to me and I don't quite fancy the idea of being completely covered in makeup at the end of it as punishment for losing.

I see your ox and raise you three chickens

Eventually in the wee hours of the morning we attempt to go to sleep.

Damn it's hot in here.

It just keeps getting hotter and hotter - almost impossible to sleep.  The air-con doesn't seem to be working.

Not sleeping.  Not sleeping.

A strong, weird metallic smell wafts through the cabin.  Half of the cabin gets up and runs down to the next caboose.  It turns out the air-con has crapped it's pants so I go and hang out in the next car for a while - it's the hard seat cabin.  Funnily enough - the cabin literally has hard seats made of wood.

Recommended by your local chiropractor.

It may be the cheap seats, but it's oh so heavenly in here with air-con cranking.  After a lengthy stop at a train platform, word gets through the Vietnamese ranks that the air-con has been fixed so we all head back to our seats and set off again.  It's still rather warm though and lack of sleep ensues.  It's becoming apparent that the air-con is still not working, and eventually another waft of metallic scent combined with a cloud of odd looking smoke comes barreling down the cabin.

It wasn't me.

"Everybody to the next cabin!" one of the uniformed staff shouts (in Vietnamese of course - I am fluent don't you know...) and everybody hurriedly grabs their bags and rushes into the hard seat cabin to find a seat for the rest of the journey.   I sit next to two old men and we exchange nods and smiles.

A middle-aged woman gets on at one of the train stations and starts selling corn to passengers.  She stops and starts selling some cobs to a couple directly opposite me when somebody further  down the carriage yells out.  The woman looks down the corridor past my head, quickly shoves her basket of goods under the table and then proceeds to half run, half trot the other way down the train - chased by a uniformed guard.  I guess he didn't catch her because in 5 minutes she's back to pick up her basket and continue selling her wares.

Quick!! Catch her!!!               Nap.

To be continued...

On a Whim - Part I

Good morning Kuala Lumpur!  I'm not sure what day it is.  Is it my second or first day?  My mind and body are confused.  Hey, at least I have free toast for breakfast!

Rewind the tape.  Press play.

You have now entered 36 hours ago.

Free toast for breakfast.  I'm sitting in my bunk uploading photographs to the internet[s] when two of my new roommates walk in.  To my untrained pakeha [read - white boy] eye I file them in the "miscellaneous asian" category until I know where they are from.


"Hello!"  I say.

"Hello!" Miscellaneous asian A greets back in a think accent (possibly Korean).
"Hello" Miscellaneous asian B says in a proper English accent.  My eyebrow goes up - I'm intrigued.
"Tell me more" I think.

"Where are you guys from?" I inquire so I can place them in a smaller box.

Make sure you get your travel shots first

"Korea" says Misc A.
"London" replies Misc B in that English accent again.  Not a "You 'right guvna?" accent, I'm talking Sophie Ellis Bextor.  An accent so sexy it must be written in italics.

"Hello, I'm from London".  At that point I may or may not have swooned. I'll leave that for you to decide*.

A day or two later, the girls are checking out, and Misc B (I know her name by now but I'm the boss of this story so deal with it) pops the question:
"Do you want to catch the train to KL with me?  I'm a bit nervous about traveling alone."

"Yeah that would be untrusting** eh.  I'm keen!".  Hell, I was planning on going anyway if I got bored in Singapore.

Fastforward one stressful day of catching a train 17 stops, finding a bus stop, catching the bus, purchasing a last minute ticket for the overnight train on a cheap seat, one bus trip, 17 stops again on the train, pack the bags, find a currency exchange for some ringgits, 17 stops on the train, one bus ride and a food court later and I'm enjoying some indian food at a Hawker Center near the border.

Pro-tip:  Don't eat curry before you hop on an 8 hour overnight train ride - you might get stuck between a rather round man sleeping under newspaper and a window.

To be continued...



PS.  Girl from the front desk of P&T - you know which one you are - thank you for being so nice and helpful with my last minute change of plans.


* For the record - manly men don't swoon, and as I am the manliest of manly men [no homo]*** I did not swoon.
**the official NZ phonetic spelling of 'interesting'.
*** http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=no%20homo