Over the River and Through the Mud

Sunday, December 04, 2011
Sapa, Vietnam
  When we first arrived in Sapa we were surrounded by a thick fog bank. We instantly knew when we got to our hotel, that it was going to be great. The rooms had electric kettles, heated blankets, hair dryers, and more importantly, HOT showers!! We spent one day exploring the city before heading into the mountains.

  The first day was drizzly, but it never actually decided to rain . Lizzie and I called it spitting. We still got some great views through the fog, but usually it felt like we were completely in the clouds. Our first night we camped out in tents in a valley that could have been in Lord of the Rings. We were in a flat plain surrounded by steep peaks with a river running through it. The grazing horses made the picture complete.

   Our first task was to collect wood for the fire, which was difficult since most of it was wet. We all huddled around the small fire and started playing Mafia. Our games were interrupted by the arrival of dinner, and then we finished off the day with some tea and coffee.

   The next morning we learned that extremely loud and dramatic Vietnamese music is a very good alarm clock, especially if it's annoying as well. What got me moving was the prospect of chocolate banana pancakes for breakfast!

   After breakfast we ascended out of the valley, and followed a road down to a large river, where we stopped for lunch . It was sunny and warm, so some people took a nap, and others explored the huge boulders strewn about in the river. The afternoon was marked by more river crossings and a steep descent through deep jungle. We saw some giant spiders!!

   Right before we reached our home stay, the heavens opened up. Sadly, we didn't make it in time, and we all got pretty well soaked. At the house, we gratefully peeled off our wet layers and aired out our wet feet. It was a little stinky.

   After a delicious dinner we played more Mafia, with Liv as God, but we were interrupted by the arrival of what the villagers call 'Happy Water'. You can probably guess what that is. As part of the local custom, visitors will take a small drink of rice wine with the man of the house. We enjoyed shouting, Mo Hi Ba, YO!!! That means, 1, 2, 3, Go! in Vietnamese.

   Once again we awoke to loud music, but we were faster because we knew it would be followed by a scrumptious breakfast . Our third day was supposed to be a steep downhill, but instead we climbed up the steepest uphill yet! It was sunny again, so the whole group was in good spirits. We ate lunch in a village on the opposite side of a valley from out home stay for tonight. The rest of the hike that day was pretty flat, and Thang (our guide) surprised us by arriving with a huge plant sticking out of his backpack!

  We played a little more Mafia and shared happy water with the family again. Some of us got great nicknames from our host family, like Carrot, Kitty and Zydia!

  The final day was very short, we had a late breakfast and walked for about 2 hours before we reached our lunch stop. After our last meal, we walked for no more than 15 minutes and arrived at the vans to take us up to our hotel. This wonderful trek ended very suddenly, but it was okay, because hot showers awaited us in Sapa.

   We got so lucky on the trek to have a wonderful guide again . Thang was really funny and entertaining, described by some as 'ridiculous'. We decided he learned from 'Drill Sergeant English for Dummies'. He brought a smile to my face every time he called out "hurry up!" or "Snack break!"  He was also very knowledgeable about the local customs and helped us communicate with our host families.

   During this trek I realized that how much closer our group has become since the trek in Thailand. We felt bad about killing each other in Mafia, and there was so much more support for everyone. If someone was struggling or felt sick, there was always someone to walk with them and keep them going. I am certain that I will miss all these people a lot when we have to part in 4 days.

  Tonight we take a train to Hanoi, and then on to Halong Bay. Not going to lie, we are all pretty excited for the house boat!!

  -Katie
  

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