Sapa is Super!

A weekend get-away to Sapa was good for the mind, body and spirit.

I'd heard and read so much about Sapa and it was high on my list of must-sees for Vietnam. The descriptions of this small town set in the mountains of norther Vietnam seem to always include phrases like "mystical mountain tops," "valley views that will make you swoon," "stunning, towering peaks," etc.

After having spent a short 3 days there, I must say that Sapa lived up to all these descriptions, as well as my high expectations. It is simply the loveliest place I've seen in Vietnam. The mountains really were stunning, I literally did swoon from the valley views, and yes - the mountain peaks do stun and tower before you.

In some ways, it reminded me of past visits to the gorgeous terraced rice paddies of Bali and the endless tea estates carved into the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia...but I found the Sapa region to be more...serene. There is definitely a stillness that settles into you...maybe it's the fact you can finally hear yourself think after the craziness of Hanoi...or maybe it's finally being able to fill your lungs with fresh air. I'm not sure what it is, but it's left me feeling calm and alive.

I boarded the Pumpkin Express for a 10-hour overnight journey from Hanoi to Lao Cai, a small town on the China-Vietnam border.

Snug but very comfy quarters. I found myself sharing the berth with a woman from Spain and a couple from New Zealand who all proved to be good company.

I spent a bit of time in the townsite of Sapa, wandering around the streets and taking it all in. The town square:

I was surprised at the number of people from the neighbouring minority communities who were in town selling their goods, like this woman from the Dzao tribe.

It's the summer season in Sapa, which means that the peaches and apricots are out. Apparently, this past March, it actually snowed in Sapa - a rare event. The cold weather killed much of the livestock and the fruit crops have also suffered.

As in much of Vietnam, the tourist industry is booming in Sapa. Unfortunately, much the

development isn't regulated, so all the developers seem to be hell-bent on trying to out-do each other for

the best views.

I heard that the weekends can get a bit crazy with hoards of Vietnamese tourists from Hanoi flocking to see the Saturday market. It's off-season now, so it didn't seem too bad - but I can only imagine what it'll be like once summer holidays begin.

To the right is a photo of an old wooden home. It seems that in the immediate vicinity of Sapa, these are disappearing at an alarming rate and being replaced by rather hideous-looking mega-hotels (many of which are backed by Chinese investors). Photo below of a new one mid-construction.

One of the main streets in Sapa...

A Dzao woman...

CAT CAT VILLAGE

Some images from my trip to Cat Cat village, home to about 600 Black H'Mong people.

SIN CHAI VILLAGE

Some images from my trip to Sin Chai village, home to about 300 Black H'Mong people.

The highlight of my trip was meeting and getting to know, Mah, a young Black H'Mong woman. I spent an entire day walking and chatting with her. She was so forthcoming, honest and willing to share her experiences. I hope to visit Sapa again, and I hope to meet Mah again.

And one final note...I've never been anywhere in the world that was so misty and foggy...I spent hours and hours just sitting in one place watching the incredible mist...it was absolutely magical and what I imagine the aurora borealis to be like, but in a misty reincarnation. At times it was such a thick fog that you could barely see 50 meters in front of you and at other times, it would suddenly lift and the sun would break through. The clouds and mist moved at an incredible speed and you could literally see it swooping down and then feel it across your body and then vanish...only to reappear a few minutes later in a completely new formation, swirling and dancing in front of you again. Amazing.