General considerations about trekking
For more genuine experiences it is better to reach very remote villages, and stop to sleep there.
The surroundings of Bac Ha are inhabited by Montagnards as well, the area did not seem very “commercial”, maybe it would not be bad to make an attempt here.
Before leaving I contacted some agencies, like the Sapa Sisters, because it is one of the few operated by Hmong. They get good reviews. The excursions they quoted to me was 30 USD per day. I did not confirm, and I decided to do differently: once there I just booked with an agency near my hotel, 12 USD. But I did not like the trip, I’ll talk about this later. You can go by yourself without problems in the closer villages, no need at all a guide or organized trip. You pay an entrance fee of 40 thousand dong
7/22
After lunch in the crowded Sunset Boulevard Restaurant at Bac Ha, along with other Western tourist we leave to Sapa on a minibus. Even the tourists buses conceal pitfalls, here there are no surcharges, however, we have to stop in Lao Cai to admire some gems, the bridge to China for instance, not to mention the stop at a friend’s restaurant, where, I have to admit, nobody presses us to buy, the water has an affordable price, and we can take advantage of their restrooms for a pee break.
From Lao Cai, we go fast like hell up the hairpin bends among rice fields, and reach Sapa in half an hour. We do not have reservations. I was recommended the Family Guesthouse, but, unfortunately, this is not part of the “friends” array of our driver, who then abandon us in the opposite part of the city without too much simpering. I leave the luggage and Roberta sheltered under a canopy, (it is drizzling), and I start looking for the Family Guesthouse. Unfortunately they are fully booked, and same is Pinocchio hotel at next door, so I start combing the whole street, jumping inside all the hotels that look not too expensive. At White Lotus Hotel they show me a comfortable room for 25 USD.
http://thewhitelotushotel.com/
Sapa seems too “full” of buildings, and it is almost impossible to enjoy the views from the city center. There are many restaurants where you eat well, and a lot of shops selling souvenirs and technical clothing. We are constantly harassed by Black Hmong ladies who follow us anywhere. In the square opposite the church, other women, Black Hmong, Red and Black Dzao exhibit their souvenirs.
Too tired after the train ride, we discard the two days trekking with overnight stop in a tribal village, and decide to stay two nights in a row in the same hotel.
We have dinner at Little Sapa Restaurant, 71 thousand dong for a very tasty dish of fried tofu.
7/23 – excursion to the villages of Linh Ho, Lao Chay and Ta Van.
After a breakfast during which the awkwardness / laziness of our hotel staff reaches a farce level, we buy for 12 USD at the Travel Mate agency on the opposite side of the street a one day trek to the surrounding villages of Linh Ho, Lao Chay and Ta Van. It is a very easy path downhill, mostly on the road, with the exception of small and steep cuts in the fields, so it is advisable to have shoes with a knurled sole, absolutely not recommended flip flops, or Converse.
The scenery is gorgeous, as you walk in the midst of terraced bright green rice paddies, even blinding at midday when the sun comes out, bordered by towering mountains, and observing everyday life in the villages.
The tourist are followed by hords of women, first Hmong, and then Dzao who try by every means to sell some souvenirs at stratospheric prices (if compared to the same ones sold in Sapa stores), or asking for tips. If you clearly tell them from the very beginning that you do not want to buy anything, they will leave you alone..
We meet a family from Modena, which informs us that their cruise in Halong Bay, our next destination in two days, has been cancelled because of a typhoon. Ahi ahi ….
Lunch, included in the price, is consumed in a concrete industrial canteen style restaurant, where all the tourists of the day are grouped, under the constant bothering of the vendors.
When in Ta Van, some minivans take us back to Sapa avoiding the uphill road
I would not do again this experience in hindsight, and I believe that the further away from the easiest and popular circuits you go, the greater chance of living more authentic experiences you have.
We have dinner at Sapa Kitchen
7/24 Sapa – excursion to the village of Cat Cat, and return to Lao Cai
During the check out procedure the receptionist gives us two Austrian passports, the color is the same, but not the emblem, thank goodness I checked! I ask if she has news of a typhoon in Halong Bay, and she looks at me bewildered
We buy for the afternoon, 17.00, a seat on a tourist bus with destination Lao Cai, 50 thousand dong
This time we go on our own to Cat Cat, the admission fee to the village is, like yesterday, 40 thousand dong. The only way to reach the village is a staircase that at least initially is surrounded by stalls, but as you descend you meet normal houses, and vendors are much less aggressive.
It ‘a pleasant trip,. In the valley we find a waterfall, ponds, paddy fields reflected.
Return to Sapa on foot.
After a final ride into town, we have a look at some technical clothing, North Face goretex jackets are sold at 40 USD, duvets at 60 USD, some friends have told me that the quality is good, but I do not really need them, and above all I still have more than 3 weeks holiday, and I want to travel light.
Our tourist bus, under a torrential rain, does not stop right in front of Lao Cai station, but 100 meters away close to a restaurant of another friend. I’m so surprised to see how people do not get angry, and even sit down at the tables and order dinner as if it was normal. We, stubborn in our principles, just wait that it stops raining a bit, and then walk to our train.
The hard sleepers are a nightmare, a very thin mattress, pillow full of hair, dirty, infested with cockroaches, very hot, since air conditioning does not work. The other 3 occupants of the compartment are Italian, the ones I mentioned in the first and general section, who paid the same berths at a higher price in the private office of the railway officer who spoke fluent English. On 3 tickets the surcharge is 35 Eu, which is a huge sum. The sixth berth would be reserved by a Vietnamese, who, as soon as he sees us, he calls the conductress, and asks to be moved to another compartment. The vacant place will be occupied during the night by 2 Vietnamese in the same berth.
For those who want to experience something “strong” I suggest to cross the train from head to tail, and have a look at the kitchen-wagon, walls are covered by a halo of fat settled layer upon layer, the greasy and messy crust deposited on cookers and cookware leaves me stunned, and the contents of buckets used to collect food waste makes me think more of a stable (but dirty). It is not easy to make me speechless, but here they succeeded in this enterprise. I take some pictures, and the cooks chase me.