The guard wakes us at 5am, not my best time. They drop off little cakes but no strong coffee! Dawn is coming soon but it's dreary, overcast and foggy. We are in Lau Cai, 25k from Sapa.
Our hotel has sent a car so we are whisked out of the station and off on the twisty mountain road, climbing about 2 or 3,000 feet over 25km and half an hour. Huge trucks share the road with massive loads, overtaking is done anywhere on the road, anytime you like. Ted is glad it's foggy and we can't see! As we climb we enter the clouds and then serious rain. We can tell from the precipices and drop offs the views are probably stunning but not for us today. What did we do to deserve this on this trip, we have missed so many highlights because of bad weather! If this is global warming, I don't get it.
The kids are heading to school in the mist. They have ski jackets, no hats, but often just plastic sandals. Hardy bunch but I bet thereis a lot of TB up here. Our drive coughs, we put Vicks up our nose before we went on the train yesterday, hope it works to inulate our noses from all the germs up here.
We arrive at Sapa Lodge, perched overlooking a steep valley but we can't tell. It's only 7am but our room probably won't be ready until noon! It's now raining, not heavy, but umbrella material. They have big ones at the hotel, I use my own small one, and Ted's is soon broken. We head for the French bakery up the road but it's cool and unwelcoming at this hour so we give it a miss.
I am still weraing my sleep socks from the free Asiana flight package, so I head into a trekking store and pick up two pairs of light socks for $5, really nice ones, which fit my loafers but will also fit the rubber soled reef walkers I think I'll be living in here! We head into the cafe opposite our hotel for coffee and hot chocolate but it's a s low process, they are just waking up too.
9am back to the hotel and no sign of a room yet as checkout is 12:30 and in this weather people won't want to give up their rooms til they have to, I know I wouldn't!
We set up in the cool dining area, me with my iPad and blog, Ted with his soduko book. About 10:30 the sweet young receptionist comes with a key to a lovely big room with a balcony hanging over the valley with a view of the mounains, apparently! Right now a good view of fog. We are wearing everything we have and we are till cold.
Into our room, we turn on the heat to 30 but it's still struggling to reach warm 4 hours later. I have a hot shower and that helps, lots of boiling water here. Also nice jasmine tea, coffee packages and a kettle. I've brought tea, bananas, cookies, chocolate bars - and we have that big bottle of hooch too.
We while away some time then head across the road to Good Morning Vietnam cafe, where we have soups and run back through the torrential rain.
Our mountain view is elusive today. It's gonne be a long stay here and a very down end to our trip to SE Asia I can see.
Our hotel has sent a car so we are whisked out of the station and off on the twisty mountain road, climbing about 2 or 3,000 feet over 25km and half an hour. Huge trucks share the road with massive loads, overtaking is done anywhere on the road, anytime you like. Ted is glad it's foggy and we can't see! As we climb we enter the clouds and then serious rain. We can tell from the precipices and drop offs the views are probably stunning but not for us today. What did we do to deserve this on this trip, we have missed so many highlights because of bad weather! If this is global warming, I don't get it.
The kids are heading to school in the mist. They have ski jackets, no hats, but often just plastic sandals. Hardy bunch but I bet thereis a lot of TB up here. Our drive coughs, we put Vicks up our nose before we went on the train yesterday, hope it works to inulate our noses from all the germs up here.
We arrive at Sapa Lodge, perched overlooking a steep valley but we can't tell. It's only 7am but our room probably won't be ready until noon! It's now raining, not heavy, but umbrella material. They have big ones at the hotel, I use my own small one, and Ted's is soon broken. We head for the French bakery up the road but it's cool and unwelcoming at this hour so we give it a miss.
I am still weraing my sleep socks from the free Asiana flight package, so I head into a trekking store and pick up two pairs of light socks for $5, really nice ones, which fit my loafers but will also fit the rubber soled reef walkers I think I'll be living in here! We head into the cafe opposite our hotel for coffee and hot chocolate but it's a s low process, they are just waking up too.
9am back to the hotel and no sign of a room yet as checkout is 12:30 and in this weather people won't want to give up their rooms til they have to, I know I wouldn't!
We set up in the cool dining area, me with my iPad and blog, Ted with his soduko book. About 10:30 the sweet young receptionist comes with a key to a lovely big room with a balcony hanging over the valley with a view of the mounains, apparently! Right now a good view of fog. We are wearing everything we have and we are till cold.
Into our room, we turn on the heat to 30 but it's still struggling to reach warm 4 hours later. I have a hot shower and that helps, lots of boiling water here. Also nice jasmine tea, coffee packages and a kettle. I've brought tea, bananas, cookies, chocolate bars - and we have that big bottle of hooch too.
We while away some time then head across the road to Good Morning Vietnam cafe, where we have soups and run back through the torrential rain.
Our mountain view is elusive today. It's gonne be a long stay here and a very down end to our trip to SE Asia I can see.
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