We decided to make a run for Sa Pa today. The steady rain had turned to drizzle and we had had enough of Lai Chau.
By 11:15 am we had on every layer of clothing we could manage, as well as plastic shopping bags over our feet and hands – a trick the locals taught us. A lovely woman at the Hotel helped me suit up and patiently watched as we loaded up our bikes so that she could bid us farewell on our journey. She did so while freezing in the rain, but with an ever constant smile.
The ride out of Lai Chau, cold, miserable and cloudy as it was, was beautiful. We rode through a lush, green valley, then began to slowly climb up from the valley floor. As we rose, we rode alongside a never ending waterfall that stepped down from the mountain like the terraced rice paddies around it.
We continued to climb until we were enshrouded by cloud and cold rain. We had the odd and very brief clearing which allowed us to almost see the valley deep below us, but these glimpses were fleeting and only served to remind us that a miscalculation through a corner could be disastrous.
Safely in Sapa by 1:30 pm (68 km ride from Lai Chau), we ventured out for Bun Cha at Bun Cha 432. The Bun Cha was good and the owner was conscious of cleanliness. After lunch we walked around Sapa. We checked out the local market (featuring dog meat and a kidney cleanse that included a dried lizard), enjoyed H’Mong tea and in general enjoyed the charm of Sa Pa. Sa Pa is touristy, but with a glitz and character we appreciated. The buildings are French colonial style, the streets are lively and grime filled and the sidewalk vendors offer street meat BBQ’d over open flame. The streets are abuzz with the excitement of a new tourist season. It’s nothing like the empty, soulless, cement city of Lai Chau. With its neon lights and cafes enveloped in fog, Sa Pa felt like a winter wonderland.
Back at Charming Hotel, things were less charming. Although the hosts are very friendly, the room is cold. It’s 7 degrees outside, and the odd, sun shaped electric heater lacks the oomph to ward off the winter cold.
No rain in the forecast for tomorrow, so likely a day of trekking to the local villages.
Live Life Epic 