A Blog to help all those moving to hectic Hanoi, wanting to learn about the culture in Vietnam or simply interested in the opinions of an adventurous expatriate teenager!

Friday 9 March 2012

Sapa

This last week I took a trip to Sapa, recommended by all the guidebooks because of the tribal people living there and the beautiful countryside, perfect for hiking.











You can take an overnight train from Hanoi sharing a cabin with 3 others in bunk beds (since I was with friends it was fun on the contrary sharing a room with a stranger is not my idea of fun) and then you arrive in Sapa at four in the morning.



Staggering through the train station onto a bus you travel on these horrifically vomit- worthy winding roads, the sunrise is a welcome distraction.



I was in the 'Action' group where we did a 7 hour hike passing through four different valley sections. All the way I hummed Taylor Swift songs and it was amazing to see the people there in their traditional tribal outfits. We didn't go up Fan xi pan the highest peak in Vietnam but the walk was extremely tough with knees aching, thighs burning and sunburns all around. We saw so many interesting things and I took a ton of pictures along the way and the women we were walking with weren't tired whatsoever!



We were talking to one of the women and she told us that she dated her husband one week before he asked her to get married. They now have a son so she was extremely happy as sons are important here like in China to support the family.



There are many ethnic tribes in Vietnam including the H'mong people wearing these colourful outfits.

If you want an overview of the place check out the Lonely Planet website:

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