Posted in Hanoi, Sapa on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
We initially been bought tickets for train LC2, which departs from Lao Cai at 7 pm. We thought it’s too early, so requested it to be changed to a later train. So we boarded SP2 train that departs at 8:50 pm. This SP2 train is more expensive express train service (Luc wanted USD $1 more, [...]
Posted in Lao Cai on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
I believed I got severe sunburnt when drove to Ta Phin Village. Early morning the weather was still very cold and misty, but by afternoon, it turned up to be sunny day, but I forgot to apply any sun screen lotion.
Posted in Lao Cai on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
The bus reached Lao Cai at at about 7.30 pm. So we had about an hour to walk around (or more appropriate: waste) in Lao Cai. And the bus driver was smart too. Instead of train station, he stopped the minibus right in front of a cafe. We went to another coffee shop instead, and [...]
Posted in Sapa on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
When the bus wanted to depart to Lao Cai, all the Hmong children gathered around the bus to bid the tourists farewell. Very touching if it’s genuine, but I doubted so, seemed more like a marketing gimmick. They kept asking us to come back to Sapa, and of course also reminded us to buy things [...]
Posted in Lao Cai, Sapa on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
There were a lot of mini buses and vans running to Lao Cai until 4 pm. We also found a few mini buses that run to Lao Cai between 4 – 5 pm, but don’t bet on it. The buses can be found at around the Church and Main Square. I saw a few mini [...]
Posted in Sapa on May 10th, 2005 1 Comment »
Street view of Sapa at junction of Pho Cau May and Muong Hoa. Here, there is high concentration of hotels and cafes. Buildings here are mostly French style.
Posted in Sapa on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
We later had our dinner at Royal Hotel’s Friendly Cafe. We met Gaynor here. She has traveled to a lot of place, including India, and will soon come to Malaysia. The fried rice costs me VND 15, 000. Sapa is really a very ‘tourist’ place rather than minorities place!
Posted in Sapa on May 10th, 2005 1 Comment »
A lot of tourists recommended Mountain View Hotel. So did 1 of the hotel guest that came to Sapa in the same minibus with us. It was her forth time to Sapa, and everytime she had stayed in Mountain View Hotel, and even the Hmong children there immediately recognized her. Beside, the hotel locates at [...]
Posted in Sapa on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
The Sapa markets had just a little stands on the day we visited, as it’s on a weekdays. It’s run mostly by H’mong minority hill tribe who worn their traditional costume. There was practically no other tourists at the day. As usual, it’s very much geared towards tourist, so bargain hard, and I found nothing [...]
Posted in Sapa on May 10th, 2005 No Comments »
I tried to find Ma Cha Village, which is supposedly along the road to Ta Phin village. But I unable to find it. It may seemed that what Let’s Go Vietnam travel guide said is true, finding the way between the trailhead and Ma Cha village is difficult. To my surprise, I asked a few [...]