Day 288 - Trekking to Lao Cai and Ta Van near Sapa
Sunday, April 21st, 2019.
Today there was a knock on our door around 7:40am. It was the man I call Grumpy, wanting to know if we were awake. We told him we would be ready at 8:00am for breakfast. When we came downstairs, I assumed that breakfast was going to be on the table. We had talked last night, over and over about what we wanted for breakfast. Apparently, he didn’t get it and we had to start the process of ordering again!
He wanted to serve chicken noodles for breakfast but we explained to him that we didn’t like that for breakfast and if he could please just serve us plain eggs and bread. I also felt like I had to beg for coffee and his response was that he was trying to do his best to serve our family. It really didn’t feel that way, plus he always seemed to be upset. He brought egg sandwiches in paper bags and coffee from next door. When he asked if we needed any else with a proud face. I said: “yes, we need napkins”. We were the only people eating breakfast, there was no kitchen, no decorations, no reception. I began to think that it was like a ghost hotel.
Today, there was an older French couple waiting to take the tour with us. We left our hotel at 8:30am and started walking through the beautiful city of Sapa. There was a lot of construction going on so we had to walk in the street. There was water running down the street and some construction noise but once we left the city, the scenery started to change. I don’t know when or how but the view started to change from buildings to mountains, from streets with cars to dirt roads and trees. We started our real hike and thank God we had a guide because she took us through some dicey shortcuts: we even had to jump over barb wire fences and walk through corn and rice fields.
At first, we were thrilled with the breathtaking views and the natural setting but after a few hours, it got hotter and we got tired. We did take some breaks in small stands where women sold water and soda and little kids sold souvenirs. We also met many other tour groups, mostly young people. When we arrived in the first village called Lao Cai, we found many small stores selling clothes, bags, bed covers, fish chains and all sort of souvenirs. We didn’t buy anything mostly because when we first arrived in the village, we bought from a lady that accompanied us all the way from Sapa. She sold us small overpriced bags, but whatever, she looked like she really needed the money. [Gregory's note: At lunch I saw Laocal beer on the menu and I wasn't sure if it was Local, Lo Cal, or Lao Cai. So I ordered it anyway. Turns out it was local beer from Lao Cai.]
Chu, our guide, had explained that at the moment the men didn’t have work because it was not ricing harvest season. I noticed that it was mostly women sewing, doing embroidery, and selling food and drinks. Also, guess who had to carry the babies? Actually here we have seen siblings carrying the babies so they can get more money from the tourists. [Gregory's note: we also saw plenty of boys taking care of baby siblings without making any money from tourists -- sadly, though, there is a lot of child exploitation here].
We had lunch in Lao Cai. We stopped in a restaurant and Chu ordered for us, white rice, fried noodles, chicken, tofu and spring rolls. It was delicious and the view of the rice fields was great. We also spotted some girls washing their hair down by the river and a naked boy running down to bathe. I’m sure we all wanted to stay there because we had walked 10 kilometers but Chu told us that we had to walk 2 more kilometers to the next village to meet our ride back!
The temperature must have been in the mid 90s F ( high 30s C) so you can imagine how we felt walking in the sun with full stomachs! Despite the weather, we enjoyed seeing the local women wearing their traditional outfits, which were different from the colorful ones that we had seen yesterday in Cat Cat. We enjoyed seeing what they sold and discovered other things like edible bamboo and other fruits that I had never seen and even a banana flower blooming in a pot!
We also saw several animals on our hikes like pigs, ducks, chickens, roosters and water buffalos.
We didn’t spend much time in the second village called Ta Van. I think we were all done and we just wanted to find our ride. The villages offered homestay accommodations. Gregory suggested doing that, especially because we decided to spend another night in Sa Pa but I was hesitant because I didn’t know how clean the place would be. [Gregory's note: how clean -- oh, never mind. I have resigned myself to traveling with a neat freak who requires fancy hotel rooms.]
We finally saw our ride and we were all super happy to jump in the van even if it didn’t have air conditioning. The car went up to the hill for a while and then we made it to our hotel about half an hour later. When we arrived we thanked Chu for her services and gave her a tip. She was sweet and smart. She invited to stay at her village next time. I would come back here for sure! [Gregory's note: but she still wouldn't stay!]
Back at the hotel, we tried to negotiate an extra night with Grumpy. Actually, Gregory had tried before with the manager who wanted to charge double. So right there in front of Grumpy, Gregory found a hotel around the corner for $19 a night a family room for four! Grumpy was surprised and said he could not meet that price. We picked up our backpacks and walked (yes, more!) to another hotel which wasn’t fancy but much better than the previous one.
Today there was a knock on our door around 7:40am. It was the man I call Grumpy, wanting to know if we were awake. We told him we would be ready at 8:00am for breakfast. When we came downstairs, I assumed that breakfast was going to be on the table. We had talked last night, over and over about what we wanted for breakfast. Apparently, he didn’t get it and we had to start the process of ordering again!
He wanted to serve chicken noodles for breakfast but we explained to him that we didn’t like that for breakfast and if he could please just serve us plain eggs and bread. I also felt like I had to beg for coffee and his response was that he was trying to do his best to serve our family. It really didn’t feel that way, plus he always seemed to be upset. He brought egg sandwiches in paper bags and coffee from next door. When he asked if we needed any else with a proud face. I said: “yes, we need napkins”. We were the only people eating breakfast, there was no kitchen, no decorations, no reception. I began to think that it was like a ghost hotel.
Today, there was an older French couple waiting to take the tour with us. We left our hotel at 8:30am and started walking through the beautiful city of Sapa. There was a lot of construction going on so we had to walk in the street. There was water running down the street and some construction noise but once we left the city, the scenery started to change. I don’t know when or how but the view started to change from buildings to mountains, from streets with cars to dirt roads and trees. We started our real hike and thank God we had a guide because she took us through some dicey shortcuts: we even had to jump over barb wire fences and walk through corn and rice fields.
At first, we were thrilled with the breathtaking views and the natural setting but after a few hours, it got hotter and we got tired. We did take some breaks in small stands where women sold water and soda and little kids sold souvenirs. We also met many other tour groups, mostly young people. When we arrived in the first village called Lao Cai, we found many small stores selling clothes, bags, bed covers, fish chains and all sort of souvenirs. We didn’t buy anything mostly because when we first arrived in the village, we bought from a lady that accompanied us all the way from Sapa. She sold us small overpriced bags, but whatever, she looked like she really needed the money. [Gregory's note: At lunch I saw Laocal beer on the menu and I wasn't sure if it was Local, Lo Cal, or Lao Cai. So I ordered it anyway. Turns out it was local beer from Lao Cai.]
Chu, our guide, had explained that at the moment the men didn’t have work because it was not ricing harvest season. I noticed that it was mostly women sewing, doing embroidery, and selling food and drinks. Also, guess who had to carry the babies? Actually here we have seen siblings carrying the babies so they can get more money from the tourists. [Gregory's note: we also saw plenty of boys taking care of baby siblings without making any money from tourists -- sadly, though, there is a lot of child exploitation here].
We had lunch in Lao Cai. We stopped in a restaurant and Chu ordered for us, white rice, fried noodles, chicken, tofu and spring rolls. It was delicious and the view of the rice fields was great. We also spotted some girls washing their hair down by the river and a naked boy running down to bathe. I’m sure we all wanted to stay there because we had walked 10 kilometers but Chu told us that we had to walk 2 more kilometers to the next village to meet our ride back!
The temperature must have been in the mid 90s F ( high 30s C) so you can imagine how we felt walking in the sun with full stomachs! Despite the weather, we enjoyed seeing the local women wearing their traditional outfits, which were different from the colorful ones that we had seen yesterday in Cat Cat. We enjoyed seeing what they sold and discovered other things like edible bamboo and other fruits that I had never seen and even a banana flower blooming in a pot!
We also saw several animals on our hikes like pigs, ducks, chickens, roosters and water buffalos.
We didn’t spend much time in the second village called Ta Van. I think we were all done and we just wanted to find our ride. The villages offered homestay accommodations. Gregory suggested doing that, especially because we decided to spend another night in Sa Pa but I was hesitant because I didn’t know how clean the place would be. [Gregory's note: how clean -- oh, never mind. I have resigned myself to traveling with a neat freak who requires fancy hotel rooms.]
We finally saw our ride and we were all super happy to jump in the van even if it didn’t have air conditioning. The car went up to the hill for a while and then we made it to our hotel about half an hour later. When we arrived we thanked Chu for her services and gave her a tip. She was sweet and smart. She invited to stay at her village next time. I would come back here for sure! [Gregory's note: but she still wouldn't stay!]
Back at the hotel, we tried to negotiate an extra night with Grumpy. Actually, Gregory had tried before with the manager who wanted to charge double. So right there in front of Grumpy, Gregory found a hotel around the corner for $19 a night a family room for four! Grumpy was surprised and said he could not meet that price. We picked up our backpacks and walked (yes, more!) to another hotel which wasn’t fancy but much better than the previous one.
We settled, took a shower and rested until dinner time. We got a message from a French family that it is also traveling the world with their kids and asked us if we wanted to meet for dinner. Of course, we agreed. We had a fantastic time talking to them and exchanging experiences from our trips. They had done South America and other destinations that we hadn’t and vice-versa, so both families took notes from each other! Very sweet family from Nantes and hopefully we will meet again in France or in CA. Guys, if you are reading this blog, please came and visit us! Would love to host you!
We finished dinner at 11:00pm and both kids were pulling my arm to go. We said our goodbyes, the French family is leaving for China tomorrow and we are going back to Hanoi.
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