It stayed fogged in all day Saturday, more foggy cloud, not soaking rain. Power cut most of the day but we had got the room warm beforehand. Chat to our hotel neighbours from Germany, Israel, Singapore, some intend to trek no matter what. There are a lot of Vietnamese tourists here for the weekend, and after we walk up to the French bakery for coffee and chocolate croissants we see villagers setting up their wares on the edge of the road, so looking cold in their flip-flops and a few asleep on the sidewalk, exhausted from starting their day high i the mountains during the night o doubt. It's pretty heart wrenching to watch.
In retrospect, this is where I should have shopped for small weavings but I decided to delay til we got to BacHa market next day.
With no power, there is no ATM and Ted is worried about running out of cash now.
Sapa is the centre of the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Nature Reserve with a great diversity of ethnic minorities: Kinh (Vietnamese), Hmong 50%, Dao 25%, Tay 5%, Giay 2%, Xa Pho. Sloping rice terraces cover the area. Staples are rice ad corn.It's sub tropical in summer, with temperate winters normally. They have 160 days a year of mist, but are home to many rare species of endemic flora and fauna.
It's the last primary Vietnamese rain forest but lots of logging tells us that won't last long. It's the only source of fuel for many here. At the convergence of the world's 14 biomes, plants and animals are unique in the world. It's just south of the Chinese border and much development and commercial activity along the dividing river.
At 3pm the power comes back so we turn our het to full blast and at 6pm head up the Little Sapa Restaurant. Only 3 of us there, we order in the dark with candles but later power comes back, goes off and comes back again. We visit with the young Dutch neighbours on their honeymoon, who are not put off by the weather and have been trekking all the same. Next day we meet them returning on the night train, it's a small world for tourists around here.
Dinner is BBQ ribs, fish on a hotplate, and cabbage/wild mushroom dish.
BTW wherever we are, even here, at 7:30am every day we get loud speaker propaganda messages from the government!
We return early to take advantage of the fact that power is on to shower pack, watch CNN news and are in cosy bed by 10pm.
In retrospect, this is where I should have shopped for small weavings but I decided to delay til we got to BacHa market next day.
With no power, there is no ATM and Ted is worried about running out of cash now.
Sapa is the centre of the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Nature Reserve with a great diversity of ethnic minorities: Kinh (Vietnamese), Hmong 50%, Dao 25%, Tay 5%, Giay 2%, Xa Pho. Sloping rice terraces cover the area. Staples are rice ad corn.It's sub tropical in summer, with temperate winters normally. They have 160 days a year of mist, but are home to many rare species of endemic flora and fauna.
It's the last primary Vietnamese rain forest but lots of logging tells us that won't last long. It's the only source of fuel for many here. At the convergence of the world's 14 biomes, plants and animals are unique in the world. It's just south of the Chinese border and much development and commercial activity along the dividing river.
At 3pm the power comes back so we turn our het to full blast and at 6pm head up the Little Sapa Restaurant. Only 3 of us there, we order in the dark with candles but later power comes back, goes off and comes back again. We visit with the young Dutch neighbours on their honeymoon, who are not put off by the weather and have been trekking all the same. Next day we meet them returning on the night train, it's a small world for tourists around here.
Dinner is BBQ ribs, fish on a hotplate, and cabbage/wild mushroom dish.
BTW wherever we are, even here, at 7:30am every day we get loud speaker propaganda messages from the government!
We return early to take advantage of the fact that power is on to shower pack, watch CNN news and are in cosy bed by 10pm.
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