A Night Train to Sapa, Vietnam ♥
However, Vietnam is very well known for its comfortable trains with a good network throughout the country. Travel by train could be a good choice and safe for us. Another perspective from other travelers, they said buying a train ticket in Vietnam is tricky because tour agencies would charge you more than the real price indicated in front of the ticket, and they could even name their own price whereas you wouldn’t know how much the local or other travelers pay.
From Hanoi Imperial Hotel, the staff called a taxi to send us to train station which cost 45,000 VND as it shown in the meter. When we tried to get on the train, two local people talked very nice to us and were so helpful to lift our bags; but before they left they asked 10 USD for the service which apparently they didn’t wear any uniform. My sister and I were so surprised because we didn’t expect to pay at all. So.. , just be careful, if someone, especially a stranger is nice to you, maybe he/she would expect something back in return. Not many things in life are free; it always comes with the price and gives you lessons learned.
Anyway, I was
right. The train was convenient and ran smooth to its destination in Laocai. We
booked two soft sleeper seats and shared our cabin with a lovely couple from Ho
Chi Minh City, Lian and Shian. Lian works in marketing while Shian is a
designer. They planned to trek in Sapa during weekend and would take the train
back to Ho Chi Minh City after the holiday. When they asked what we planned to
do, we didn’t have anything much to answer because we would stay in Sapa only
one night but we really wanted to visit the Hmong Village in Sapa.
After 9 hours
of the journey, we arrived Laocai Train Station in early morning. I still felt
so sleepy and had a hard time to open my drowsy eyes. At the front gate of the
train station, there was a chaotic negotiation between travelers and the local
who provide transportation from Laocai to Sapa. We did negotiate the price
because my Vietnamese friend told me it cost 50,000 VND and we would find many
minivans to Sapa.
Our minivan
was quite old but it had no problem to climb up the hills to Sapa. Dropping us
at the main plaza near the church, we needed to walk for 5 minutes to our hotel
and it was quite difficult with a steep slope uphill. Cold rain and cool air
made me feel like I want to keep myself in a warm blanket, sip a hot tea, read
a book or listen to a sweet and soft music all afternoon….
In the
evening, we went out to explore Sapa. I wanted so bad to go around and get to
know the area. We tried to find a nice restaurant but only got lost in the small
crisscross streets. Finally, we got to see the Fansipan Mountain. I couldn’t
believe that we managed to get here since the trip was far. I was happy that I didn’t
give up. I stood there and kept starring to a beautiful view of the rice
terrace. The air quality in Sapa is so incredible. I felt like I took galleons
of fresh oxygen to my lung. It was worth to come over …
The next day,
we went out to see the market in middle of the city. Memories of liveliness and
genuineness of the people and indigenous mountaineers are still vivid as I remembered.
Hmong children were so active to sell their products and speak English to me
fluently. My sister and I, we did a small trekking by ourselves in Cat Cat
Village. What a nice name to visit and very good sceneries of the mountain area
indeed!
Man…, I would love to stay more and may not leave if I have a longer vacation.
I think I could spend times teaching English or Thai to children if they want
to learn, and they teach me their language in exchange. I would learn to cook Vietnamese
food or some local dishes. I would walk to other villages and visit the people
asking how they enjoy this kind of beautiful life in simplicity.
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