Sapa, Vietnam

Sapa is a relatively small town (less than 40,000) in the north of Vietnam in the mountains that boarder China. The surrounding area is home to small villages of Vietnamese natives. We arrived in the morning and after catching up on some sleep (overnight train), we headed up a trail to the top of a mountain that overlooks the city.

One of the nicest things about Sapa was that the temperature is significantly cooler than anywhere else we'd been in SE Asia. Very nice to be able to walk for more than 30 seconds without sweating. As always, Mark managed to find a dog to play with.



We had all afternoon, so plenty of time to stop and smell the flowers.



The following day we headed out on a 2 days trek. There was no shortage of water buffalo used by the locals for plowing their rice crops. T wasn't pleased about this.


The main industry in the area is rice. The hillsides are covered in terraces with some pretty elaborate irrigation systems which all feed out of natural rivers.




Despite Sapa being nice and cool, we quickly dropped to lower elevation and were back into humid bamboo forests.


Only one way to fight the heat.



We arrived to our homestay at about 3 in the afternoon (our guide informed us we were her fastest group ever...no big deal). It was such a cool spot. Tiny little village surrounded by rice fields with a huge waterfall behind it.



When this chicken was nesting, they swapped its eggs with duck eggs (i think the mother died), but the chicken and the ducklings were none the wiser.


For the rest of the afternoon we headed out the waterfall...



Sorry Marieke, you're pretty than T, but he's got a big advantage when he keeps taking Mark to romantic spots like this.




The next morning we headed out early and hiked into the fog. A nights rain and muddy clay paths made for a grueling first couple hours until we reached the summit.






Ban Ho village from above...


Unfortunately T was left in charge of bringing sunscreen on the hike...and in a shocker to us all he forgot it. After getting pretty burnt the first day, T and I were forced to resort to natural means of sun protection. Yes, i know, it looks ridiculous...but it actually worked really well.



Dermott, if you read this, this place is for you. Waterfalls everywhere!!!!


And a final picture with our guide Dom. Don't let her tiny stature fool you..she whooped our ass on the hikes, and she didn't in running shoes.


A last meal before the train. The view from the hotel restaurant was amazing...

Halong Bay, Vietnam

After a few days in Hanoi, we left on for a boat tour in Halong Bay. This was highly recommended by basically every traveler we met in Vietnam, and was well worth it. We went for the slightly more expensive option, which included better food, free kayaking, and karaoke (this was the big selling point for Mere). After a quick scare with the girls forgetting their passports at our guesthouse, we were on the road for a painful 4 hours in a minibus, in which Mere recounted some less than tasteful camp stories which the entire bus could hear (i don't know how they could, she has such a soft voice).

Finally we arrived..oh yess

The steep rocky cliffs had a very similar look to Krabi (Thailand). Absolutely beautiful. We were also very fortunate to have a clear sunny day, which hadn't really happened much in Vietnam for us yet.

The bay was full of women in row boats selling snacks and drinks. The beers on the boat were kind of pricey, so this was a nice option. However, if you got caught with outside beers you had a to pay an "opening fee". Mark staked it out and managed to get a bunch into our room while the crew was distracted. Unfortunately he was rattled for an hour afterwards because he almost got caught. Ya...he's a real badass. Maybe crime just isn't your calling Mark.

The first activity of the afternoon was to go to a set of caves. The view over the bay from the entrance was very nice.

The caves turned out to be a lot more impressive than we expect. Pictures won't do it justice, but here's a few.

After that it was into the kayaks. There was a cool lagoon about 20 minutes away that is only accessible by going through a hole in a massive cliff.

Kayaking back into the sunset.

Quick stop for some beers before we got back on the boat....love it.

And a swim before the sun went down. They weren't down with us jumping off the top, but everyone pulled the ignorance card.


And finally Mere got her wish...karaoke time. When we first got up there the crew were all watching a Japanese soap opera and told us "no music, no karaoke". Fuck that!!! They caved pretty quickly though. Best song honours go to Mere and Jenny for "Oh What a Night" (seen below), best commentary goes to T ("Try the salmon, it's excellent"), best rap goes to Mark (the song wasn't even a rap song....what a thug!), and best joke goes to Andy for his borderline jokes that only a sweet old man can get away with.

Didn't take long to get the whole boat rockin (that's Andy in the foreground). Despite the pretty large mix of ages, it turned out to be one of the funnest nights in Vietnam.

Even the crew got into it. The guy in blue shirt left and put on pants for this performance. Love those Vietnamese love songs.

Later in the night, T returned from the bathroom with news "Two things. First of all, Mark is passed out on a couch, so we need to mess with him (all present agreed). Second, the ladder in still in the water, so I think we should have a late night dip." Mark was actually awake, so he got up before we could do anything, and joined us for the swim. Crew; not happy. And that kids, is way you don't leave the ladder in the water.

The next day was another beauty...nothing to do but relax and enjoy the sun.

Part way through the morning we passed by a floating fishing village which was pretty cool..

After 1 night back in Hanoi, and a last night out with the girls, we said goodbye. Take care ladies, safe travels home, and see you back in the T-dot.