Lucky Charms Travels

Sa Pa--pronounced "Sha pa"-- just south of the Chinese border, is nothing short of majestic. The magical landscape forced us to pinch ourselves on more than one occasion. To think that the Lancastrian expatriate tour operator--whom we met in a Ha Noi dive-bar--led us to believe that SaPa lacks physical beauty beggars belief. Perhaps there was an Asian 'Hostel' movie plot there after all (for those who have watched the Eli Roth-directed horror flick, the Brit in question tried to sell us a remote home-stay elsewhere, somewhere "far more beautiful and authentic"). Hmmmmmm....

Close call with grisly deaths aside, following the pleasingly palatable night-train from Hanoi, we were both delighted with what we saw upon arrival. Katmandu meets Brigadoon at the top of Vietnam. Terraced rice-field landscapes, sculpted over centuries of labour and love. A whimsical town not short of its own inimitable brand of excitement. Ethereal fogs and morning rainbows, which Boo, in her own, delightful brand of humour, likens to a Lucky Charms cereal box. The sunrises boggle the mind. Did I mention the views?

For textile junkies, trek-loving peeps and, frankly, anyone who appreciates beauty, this is truly utopia. The local ever-present tribeswomen, from the Hmong to the Dao (Yao), are wonderful: full of spirit, courage and a playfully innocent sense of humour that is sorely lacking in much of today's "developed" lands. Equipped with a standard toolkit of sales banter, we found them to be a constant source of fun. "What your name?" "Where you from?" "You buy from me later--pinky promise?" All good, clean entertainment if received with an open heart. We both feel truly lucky to have experienced this wonderful spot and having met equally wonderful people--particularly the women.

Food-wise, it hasn't represented the highlight of our trip to date. However, we discovered a like-bellied eatery in Sapa Rooms--a tasteful boutique hotel decorated in the region's artistic gems which offers affordable Vietnamese and Western fare with sweet and humble service that only Asia can offer. 

Our accommodation--the Thuy Family Guesthouse--is charming. Managed with grace and professionalism by Beet (spelling unknown), the views of Fanzipan Mountain, Sapa hillside and those unbelievable rice-fields, are worth the trip alone. Breakfast is served in what feels like a treehouse in the sky (Sa Pa, the town, lies at an altitude of 1650 metres). Noodle soups, delicious fruit and pancakes represent the highlights of the morning's fare. A local specialty is the ginger tea with Sa Pa honey--blimey...it made me a feel a far better person than I am. The rooms are clean, the much-needed laundry service is efficient, and those views...all for $18 a night--not too shabby. On the subject of drink, for the most part, stay a country mile away from all wine, whether it's the local plonk or the inevitably-cooked Bordeaux's and cheap Aussie imports--it's all dreadful and predictably overpriced. However, the beers, teas, coffees and smoothies are plentiful and well worth your bucks.

Now onto the next leg of our trip. A little luxury onboard a 1930's-style Indochina "junk" boat (if ever there was a misnomer) touring beautiful Halong Bay. I feel like I am seven-years old again, entering Main Street, DisneyWorld, for the first time.  I should feel guilty, but I don't:)

--Alain

Comments

[Boo]

Thanks Trina! Glad you're enjoying the blog! We are hoping to Skype with the kids soon!

Joyce, Thank you for the heads up on Halong Bay. We took your advice and booked a great boat. It made all the difference!

[katrina]

what a delight! Saturday morning and reading your travel stories, Alain! This was magically delicious (for boo.) I hope all of your blogs are this good. No doubt they will be. Thanks for taking all of us along!! xoxo to you and boo.

[Joyce]

You are not kidding the booze is terrible, Edwige and I kept wondering WHY if we spent $10 or $30 was the wine sooooooo bad.
Cocktails not so bad in agood bar.
Beware Halong Bay, every junk looks gorgeous in the brochure and then all of a sudden they look old and beat up

[Alain G. Mahmoud]

Thanks, Andy. See you next month in Bangkok!

[Andy Chatman]

Alain this photo of you is surreal -- just spectacular. Keep smiling and relish the adventure!!