Our night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai (then a car ride to Sapa) will be one to go into our book of "worst travel rides." We got to the train station early and got a really good dinner at a random spot we saw people crowd at. When we walked to our track and saw the train, Jamie got a little worried seeing the wooden benches. We were told that our seats were sleeping beds for the 9hr ride. Luckily they were when we got to our car.
Our cabin housed 6 beds and both Jamie and I got the top bunk. The unrecognizable stench was the least of our worry. The thin mattresses and beddings provided felt and smelled like they belonged to a hobo. A cockroach was also caught by a friend we met as we waited for the train to leave. As we were settling down to drift to sleep and away from reality, we realized the AC was on full blast and we were shivering. Jamie and I felt it out for we were on the 3rd bunk literally 5inches away from the AC duct. I wrapped my clothes around my exposed skin and threw the provided blanket over me.
The tossing and turning wasn't ideal for a night's rest. The train conductor doesn't believe in a slow, smooth stop. I could deal with the movement, but I kept awaken by the stuffiness and Heat, yes heat, in the cabin! It turned out, they have shut off the AC and the heat created in the cabin was unbearable with the cabin door closed! Also from what I remembered from science class, heat rises! Eventually, we opened the cabin door for some airflow, and the airflow that we got were from the bathroom. Ahhh!!!! The both of us probably got 4hrs sleep, top.
The 1hr ride to Sapa was better. The view was nice and we started seeing ethnic minorities. We met our tour guide and discussed pricing and we were off on our hike. "Lai" Let us store our bags at his small studio. Don't let the word "studio" give you any false impression of its luxury. "lai" is a Vietnamese Hmong and so communication was fairly easy. He was very nice and knowledgable about Sapa and the different villages he took us around. The sights around the mountains and different villages were amazing that we regret our photography skills cannot capture. There were plenty of dogs and farm animals to pet and hold. I got my hands on so many mangy puppies that I cannot count. I took pictures with most of them, so later I could start a collection of me holding puppies. Jamie stated his mantra of holding a piglet, and he got to. The mother pig started being aggressive and squealed as her pig was being touched, and our brave tour guide had to fend her back with his water bottle. I did not witness this because I was distracted by the many puppies.
The trek probably took us 7-8hrs. We had a wonderful moment where we sat on a waterfall overlooking downward to the rice patties below. There's a video of it on Jamie's Facebook, as well as his piglet photo. We're now making our long trek toward Laos and typing has proven difficult on this very bumpy road. The scene outside our window is amazing as well, but seeing that there no guardrails frightens us a little. We just don't look down. We miss everyone and whenever you comment or write to us, it helps a lot. Oh and please don't judge us so harshly on our informal writing as we write these entries in transit and when tired
Our cabin housed 6 beds and both Jamie and I got the top bunk. The unrecognizable stench was the least of our worry. The thin mattresses and beddings provided felt and smelled like they belonged to a hobo. A cockroach was also caught by a friend we met as we waited for the train to leave. As we were settling down to drift to sleep and away from reality, we realized the AC was on full blast and we were shivering. Jamie and I felt it out for we were on the 3rd bunk literally 5inches away from the AC duct. I wrapped my clothes around my exposed skin and threw the provided blanket over me.
The tossing and turning wasn't ideal for a night's rest. The train conductor doesn't believe in a slow, smooth stop. I could deal with the movement, but I kept awaken by the stuffiness and Heat, yes heat, in the cabin! It turned out, they have shut off the AC and the heat created in the cabin was unbearable with the cabin door closed! Also from what I remembered from science class, heat rises! Eventually, we opened the cabin door for some airflow, and the airflow that we got were from the bathroom. Ahhh!!!! The both of us probably got 4hrs sleep, top.
The 1hr ride to Sapa was better. The view was nice and we started seeing ethnic minorities. We met our tour guide and discussed pricing and we were off on our hike. "Lai" Let us store our bags at his small studio. Don't let the word "studio" give you any false impression of its luxury. "lai" is a Vietnamese Hmong and so communication was fairly easy. He was very nice and knowledgable about Sapa and the different villages he took us around. The sights around the mountains and different villages were amazing that we regret our photography skills cannot capture. There were plenty of dogs and farm animals to pet and hold. I got my hands on so many mangy puppies that I cannot count. I took pictures with most of them, so later I could start a collection of me holding puppies. Jamie stated his mantra of holding a piglet, and he got to. The mother pig started being aggressive and squealed as her pig was being touched, and our brave tour guide had to fend her back with his water bottle. I did not witness this because I was distracted by the many puppies.
The trek probably took us 7-8hrs. We had a wonderful moment where we sat on a waterfall overlooking downward to the rice patties below. There's a video of it on Jamie's Facebook, as well as his piglet photo. We're now making our long trek toward Laos and typing has proven difficult on this very bumpy road. The scene outside our window is amazing as well, but seeing that there no guardrails frightens us a little. We just don't look down. We miss everyone and whenever you comment or write to us, it helps a lot. Oh and please don't judge us so harshly on our informal writing as we write these entries in transit and when tired
Sent from my iPad
These pictures are great!! I love the puppies and child with the chubby head.
ReplyDeleteThat train ride sounds like a nightmare - I would have cried to Jamie all night.
ditto to what candace said. the picture of the little boy is amazing.
ReplyDeleteOMG, the piglet is so cute! I just want to eat him up...literally, with rice. Is that bad?
ReplyDelete