Hmong city above the clouds – trip to Sapa

February 2016 in Sapa, Vietnam

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SAPA Express ‘bus terminal’ was only a few minutes walk from my hotel so I took a morning walk rather than have them pick me up in a car.

I did some serious repacking previous night and took only the necessities that would fit in a backpack, and a small carry on with my photo gear, leaving the rest of my belongings at the hotel.

What a great feeling not to have to carry or pull anything. I felt free, and I liked it. I was about to take my first ever backpacking trip.

I wasn’t planning to travel by bus. Not in the SEA. Sapa Express is, however, an exception to the rule. It is a direct ‘flight’ from Hanoi on a tolled highway and takes “only” about 5.5 hours as opposed to some 12 hours on a regular bus or the whole night on a train. The bus stops twice, once for breakfast/lunch and once for the restroom visit. The cost is USD 17 one way.

The trip went very smooth; the road was ok; the driver kept speed limit, and we were on time. Even the bus was comfortable with large reclinable seats, plenty of leg room, footrest, wi-fi and seat belts.

The last 30 kilometers was a climb straight up the hill on a small road and took about an hour (scheduled) due to many ‘roadblocks’ in way of trucks struggling to make it up the hill and strolling buffaloes. 

Sapa, city in mist

My arrival couldn’t have been more pleasant than it was. I was greeted by the sun – the sun I haven’t seen since I left Dubai. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.  After one and a half gorgeous days the sun disappeared in favor of mist. It returned first one day after my departure. So typical.

Living in the mist is .. hmmm .. very interesting and wouldn’t be much of the problem if not for the fact that Sapa and its famous manicured terraced rice fields are one of the most beautiful places in the world I not only wanted to shoot but also see. However, due to the mist and consequently very poor visibility couldn’t do either.

Staying in Sapa few more days was not an option. Chinese New Year celebrations were on the way and I wanted to experience them in Hanoi.

Sapa is the largest town in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range some 376 km North West of Hanoi and very popular with trekkers.  The highest peak of the range, Fan Si Pan, is 3143 meters above sea level. Being the last peak of the Himalayas it’s been nicknamed the tail of Himalayas.   

There are dozen upon dozens of trips organized, both serious trekking and walks to nearby villages.  I would have so loved to do at least a couple of them – ethnic minorities’ colorful markets in remote villages near Chinese border – but missed as I foolishly listen to someone else’ (bad) advice and ignored travel agents. 

Therefore, do not shy away from travel agent selling trips in your and other hotels but contact him/her right away. Speak to agents but make sure you know what you’re buying and ask for more than what they are selling. 

Hmong city above the clouds 

The clouds covering the city are so low you can touch them and need not to go any higher than a 5th floor to be above them. Then you can stand in the clouds and see the sun in all its glory above the clouds. This happened on the morning of my arrival. I still cannot forget this amazing but lost photo opportunity.

Due to town’s popularity with Western tourists, Sapa has become an attractive business market for Hmong people. They arrive early in the morning from nearby villages carrying their children tied up to their backs and plenty of handmade merchandise. You’ll meet them everywhere either flocking round the hotels and restaurants hoping to make a sale or stationary sewing at some street corner. In the evening they spread out their handmade scarves and bags right on the pavement along the main street. 

The Hmong is an ethnic minority that arrived from China in the 18th century. Undoubtedly they give a very colorful touch to the city. At the same time, they are also a bit of a nuisance. How many times can you say “No thank you” to their never-ending questions “Shopping?”, “Maybe later?”. They are very polite, never aggressive, eager to strike a conversation, their English is surprisingly good but they have difficulties to take “No, thank you” for an answer. They are smart and tough business ladies – yes, they are all women and know exactly which buttons to push. If they sense you might be an easy target, they’ll follow you and nag until you give in. It doesn’t end there. Once you’ve bought something from one they will “bully” you into buying something from another one(s).  “You bought from me now you must buy something from her too“. Something is the keyword. They don’t seem to care what they sell as long as they sell something. We had 5 of them trekking (following) with us.  

Below I’d like to share some of the shots I took of the Hmong women and the their colorful attire.   

Cat Cat Village

The Cat Cat village, an ethnic village occupied by Black Hmong tribe, lies in the valley some 2 km from Sapa. As Sapa itself lies 1500 m above the sea level it is a very easy, quick and above all very scenic walk /jog down.  And not too difficult up. 

To enter the village you need to purchase a ticket.  Not sure who benefits from ticket sale but I do hope it is the tribe. 

Walking around the village was magical. It felt surreal, almost like walking the film set. But it was both real and genuine. Cat Cat is a must-see place when visiting Sapa.

I was so lucky to discover the village on my second day, before the mist. The sun was shining. The temperature was above 20, and I was warm (in fact too warm in my winter clothes). Magical. 

Food

Sapa is a meet country. Buffalo country. BBQ country. Typically the meat is first smoked and then barbecued. 

Weather

Sapa is known as a city of four seasons a day; cool spring in the morning, sunny summer at midday, cloudy autumn in afternoon, cold winter at night.

During my stay, the weather was not too bad as compared to Hanoi. No summer though. Not even spring. Autumn at very best. Swedish autumn. I was told Sapa would be colder than Hanoi but it wasn’t.  The temperatures were low, approx 10C, but thankfully without the Hanoian chill-to-the-bone chill. The first two days were just wonderful – sunny with temperatures in their twenties (C). And then came the mist. 

Six days of mist is 5 days too many. I didn’t mind experiencing a bit of mist but to live it and breath it 24/7 felt like a total waste of my “Sapa-time”. Raincoat and rubber boots are a must. Lack of visibility makes trekking challenging and sightseeing next to impossible. And photography? CATASTROPHE.

Even though it is not as cold as in Hanoi, it is still pretty cold. Heaters in hotel rooms can only help that much. The rest of the building is not heated at all thus you need to ‘dress up’ for breakfast – winter boots and jacket. Windows are not double glazed and not much heat actually stays in them even when the heater is on full blast, what a waste of money.  To bring my body temperature up a bit I drank a lot of hot tea. I had also learned to have hot noodle soup for breakfast.  But no soup or hot tea in the world will help your frozen hands after an hour or two of sitting still and blogging.  Then bed and electric blanket that my hotel thankfully provided came to rescue. 

… and a bit of trivia

• Local people make their own wine from apples and plums which, as in any other Alpine village,  can be drunk warm. I tried a glass of local mulled wine and it tasted just fine 
• Preschool children “go to work” with their parents, mostly mothers but even fathers. The little ones are tied in the back, bit older in the lap
• Parents show a lot of attention to their kids openly
• French visitors to Sapa are in majority, by large
• There is a restaurant here owned and run by Danish and Norwegian partners. It is nicest and warmest place in town serving French wine, cheeses and charcuterie
• Every other business in town is Massage
• Many restaurants offer tissues (10 pack type) as napkins
• Toilet paper rolls are missing carbon tube inside
• Laundry is drying hanging on hangers 
• As part of Chinese New Year celebration, huge cherry trees are being transported home, put in a bucket with water and decorated as ‘Christmas trees”

What next

I feel I am done with weather in Northern Vietnam. It was a mistake starting my trip here (haven’t I told you so?) Unfortunately my hotel arrangement doesn’t let me leave just yet. In a couple of hours, I’ll be going back to Hanoi to celebrate New Year and then I want to go South. Instead of stopping here and there as I originally planned I will take a giant leap directly to Da Nang. 

There is only one teeny tiny problem. I cannot leave Northern Vietnam before I visit one of the most beautiful places in the world – Ha Long Bay. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is not very promising. As soon as the weather clears I’ll be on my way.  And then? The first best train/plane South.

p.s. Arrived in Hanoi on time at 10 p.m. and it was … warm. Yay. The streets were filled with dining families and friends. Quite a scene.