Travel dates July 5 - 9, 2015

Sapa is a beautiful town nestled in the hills and mountains of Northwest Vietnam near the border of China. It has become popular with tourists because of its guided scenic hikes through villages which allow you to savor the views of the iconic panoramic rice terraces.

Sapa is about 380 kilometers from Hanoi and is usually reached by an overnight train or day bus. We chose the train, however, it does not take you directly to Sapa. The train arrives at about 6 a.m. and then you need to hop on bus for the hour transfer to Sapa. We arranged our hikes, hotel and all transfers from our hotel in Hanoi.

Maeve and Michael getting ready for the night on the train

We arrived in Sapa about 7:30 a.m. which was too early to check into our hotel. We stored our bags along with everyone else and then we were directed to a different nearby hotel for a modest breakfast. I think it was a hotel. It wasn't very nice or welcoming, especially after a night on a train. After breakfast, we returned to the lower level of our hotel and got ready for our first hike at 9:30. So we waited in this busy area where everyone could take care of other needs like renting coats, boots and shoes or even grab a shower. Names were called by tour guides, groups were gathered, and eventually everyone took off for their hike....everyone, except us.

There was a booking office next door, so we stopped in and inquired about our guide. We were assured he would return soon. Apparently he had to pick up some other hikers at a different hotel. So we waited some more and we waited more. He showed up at about 10:30 and apologized. He began to explain our tour which we noticed was not the same as the day 1 tour on our printed itinerary. He explained there was a mix up and we are just doing the hikes in reverse order. After some confusion and explaining, we were off. We didn't really have much choice.

We met up with three young female teachers. These were the girls we were waiting on and they would join us on the hike. They were from the UK and were now teaching in Dubai. They seemed like good friends and were interesting hiking companions. We hopped in a van which took us to the starting point of our hike.

Sapa is home to many poor ethnic minority groups. If you do come to Sapa for a hike, be prepared. Some of the tribal women will join you and befriend you in the hopes you will purchase some of their handicrafts. Before we arrived, we were warned not to share our names or hotel with them. Do not say you'll think about a purchase or they will never leave you. As always, we had no interest in picking up more souvenirs, so we either said no thank you or made it clear we were not interested in a purchase. Liam was worried about these women following us all day. You had to run the gauntlet past them just to get to the hotel. Fortunately, this was not a problem for day 1 as we left so late that the ladies did not know anyone else was still around. Crisis averted.

Our day 1 hike followed a paved path throughout the countryside. I think the reason this is usually the last day's hike is because it is a lesser distance and you have the option of taking the van to the starting point. I think the girls were hoping for a more rugged hike. It had rained quite a bit the day before and they told us stories about their messy, muddy experience hiking. Their shoes were so muddy they had paid someone to have them cleaned.

We enjoyed the walk. We took in the gorgeous views of the landscapes and rice terraces. We even crossed paths with a few farm animals along the way. It was a fairly easy hike as we only had to deal with hills on the paved path.

We arrived in Suoi Thau Ma Tra village to have lunch. We saw the local Red Dzao tribe women. They wore colorful red hats. Some of the older women shaved their hairline and had bigger hats. I think this entitles them to more respect as an elder.

We were able to visit a small cave towards the end of our day 1 hike. I went in with the kids and Liam went much further since he was smaller and feeling more adventurous. The locals had some lighting inside otherwise we wouldn't be able to see a thing.

The hike ended as we passed through a smaller village. We stopped to have a cup of coffee and some water. The girls ordered bottled water. They began to make a sour face as they drank. Something was wrong. They said the water tasted 'earthy'. Our guide tasted it, then tasted the bottled water we had with us. We compared labels. Ours was Aquafina, theirs was similar, but with a yellow stripe across it as opposed to the orange one on ours. I think their water was called Aquafuma.

Our guide informed us that there are people who will produce counterfeit water bottles. I think the water comes from the streams. Needless to say, we wrapped things up quickly here and left the water and coffee behind.

The small village at the end of the hike. This is not a muddy road....it's all marble

Our day 2 hike started with a few ladies from the Black H'mong hill tribe following us. We met some that were carrying huge heaps of indigo. Later we saw how they soak the indigo plants in water and the water turns blue....well....indigo. Their cloth is then soaked in the water to get its color.

Local Black H'mong hill tribe women carrying indigo plants to dye their cloth.

Making string for cloth with her hands by twisting,

We were graced with another beautiful day and welcomed the cooler temperatures in the mountains. These first two days were the first time I had worn closed shoes and pants since February.

We hiked along various terrain, stopping occasionally for pictures or a break. Eventually we had lunch in Ta Van village with of course, more opportunities to buy souvenirs. After lunch, we saw more of the local hand made clothing. We also saw how rice was removed from its shell using some simple machines and the water from the stream. This was an old time-saving process still used today.

Our day 3 hike took us to a village called Cat Cat. This was our longest and toughest walk. We almost didn't make it. We were quite sore from two days of hiking and there was a bit of complaining from the Collins Clan about making it through another day. We had heard there were a lot of steps throughout this hike. Plus, to make matters worse, there was construction on the road, so we had to walk the distance that would have been traveled in a van.

Once we reached Cat Cat we were warmed up in more ways than one. It was a sunny day, thus hotter. Fortunately, we had our sunscreen and shared it with others who were not as prepared.

While in Cat Cat, we crossed a bridge and watched many local children swimming in the river. Beyond the bridge there were some lovely waterfalls. We took a break here while we waited for a performance of local dancers. It was a lovely show and break from the hike and warmer temps.

We continued hiking to a village called Sin Chai. After lunch we considered paying some locals about $2 to give us a ride on the back of their motorbikes instead of hoofing it all the way back uphill to Sapa. I am glad we toughed it out in the end.

We returned to our hotel satisfied, but sore. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much time to relax. We had checked out of the hotel that morning and could use the shower facilities on the first floor where the hikes start. We cleaned up, had dinner and hopped on our bus to the night train at 6 p.m. There were two trains back to Hanoi. One left at 9:00 the other at 10:00. Ours was later and we had to wait outside the train station for almost two hours. We played cards, brushed our teeth and generally people-watched until our train arrived.

One of the nicest parts of all the hikes was simply being able to experience the people of Sapa. I enjoyed capturing some of the faces along the walks. Sapa was a beautiful experience. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone traveling to Vietnam.

Faces of Sapa

Two young boys playing with a knife and lighter while parents working to make ends meet.