Tag: Sin Ho

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Day 23: Rain. Decision time.

After raining most of the night in Sin Ho, we woke up to thick fog and alternating drizzle and downpour. We waited to see what would happen. By 10:00 am it was a light drizzle and we decided to head out. Waiting it out could take days, which would mean the roads would just get worse and the chance of a landslide would increase. Groot seemed grumpy about the decision and didn’t want to start. After some sweet talk he was ready, and so were we. On the road for 10:30 am, headed to Lai Chau on DT128. Given the fog and rain, we failed to see any of the stunning landscape we had come for. The first 15-20 km was treacherous riding. Poor visibility, a strong side wind driving the rain into us, horrid roads and slick as ice mud. Luckily the last 40 km of the ride was brand new and paved. Waterfalls created by the now pouring rain gushed along the road, and we were happy the new road allowed these to drain somewhere other than directly onto the road. Disappointed at missing the scenery, soaked to the bone despite our rain gear and freezing cold we decided to stop in Lai Chau for the night to consider our options. We arrived at 12:15 pm – not bad at all given the conditions.

The Decision:

The road from Lai Chau to Sapa, the next leg of our trip, would take us through Tram Tom Pass aka Heaven’s Gate, the highest mountain road in Vietnam (1,900m). The pass should provide incredible views of Mount Fansipan, Indochina’s highest peak at 3,143m. It will also be cold on the best of days, near 0 degrees given the current cold snap. This could mean the rain will turn to snow and ice. It seems ridiculous to continue on in such dangerous conditions if we aren’t going to be rewarded with the views we came for.

So, decision time. Do we hunker down in Lai Chau and wait it out – or abandon the Sapa leg of our trip altogether? If we abandon Sapa, where do we go instead?

To make such a decision, creature comforts were in order. Having not splurged on accommodation to date, we decided it was the time and place to spend a little more than the $10 – $20 per night we have been paying to date. After a freezing night in Sin Ho we had two main criteria. The room had to have heat and hot water. We splurged on the Muong Thánh Hotel. At 830,000 dong / $50 CAD, this was expensive. We slightly made up for this expense by having our leftover Taro and Chocolate buns from breakfast this morning for our lunch. The Hotel also brought us a huge plate of fresh watermelon and the ladies at the front desk took pity on me as I stood shaking and dripping in the lobby, and gave me a lovely cup of hot tea.

The Hotel itself is being renovated. In Canada, this would mean that there might be some distant noise, maybe a few areas or floors that are closed off. Here? There are gaping holes in the exterior of the building- on our floor no less. These have no safety barriers whatsoever. It seems as though the entire hotel is under construction, except our one room. We appear to be the only guests, there is construction right outside our door and the hotel is freezing as it has no exterior walls or windows in many places. I’m sure in its day, this hotel was spectacular with beautiful gardens, a moat and inviting, if tacky, flashing neon lights. Today it’s nothing more than piles of construction material and garbage, an abandoned security station and a bare, sawdust strewn lobby. Way to splurge!

To shake off the cold we enjoyed a good workout listening to our favourite hard rock songs. Followed by a steaming hot shower, we felt human again.

Checking the forecast it appeared this cold, wet front was hitting much of Northern Lao and Vietnam. It is supposed to remain for another 3-5 days.

I wonder what there is to do in Lai Chau? Not much from the look if it. Another cave. At least there are Western food options here, including a decent bakery. What I would give for my mom’s incredible lasagne or pot roast. A decent plate of spaghetti would definitely do.

Off to Dreamy Bakery for spaghetti bolognese (more like spaghetti with french fries and cheap steak). No beer or wine on the menu, but they have dessert! We haven’t had anything close to dessert since the carrot cake and banana bread we bought at Many Coffees back in Sam Neua. Dessert in Lao was sticky rice, pancakes or fruit. There hasn’t even been ice cream!

While walking back to our hotel after dinner, we came upon an incredibly sad sight. A beautiful pony, tied to the exterior of a house. We are no longer in the small mountain villages where animals roamed freely, but are in a modern, cement city with no parks or green spaces. Why this poor, sad creature is here I have no idea. When I try to approach it, I see sheer terror in its eyes. It has obvious wounds to its legs and flanks. The tether it’s tied to is so short, it can barely move its head. The people inside the house see me, and fail to recognize my horror. They wave excitedly and yell “hello, hello” in their sing song way. I sadly move away from the house, for once not returning the cheerful greetings.

Back at the hotel, it’s time for a decision. There is no point in going anywhere tomorrow. Rain and cold in the forecast for the entire day. We will wait it out here in Lai Chau another day and see what happens. If anything we might move to a hotel that is, well…”open”!

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Day 22: The Sky is a Neighbourhood

Breakfast at our hotel, Hồng Ki Boutique Hotel. Despite the staff that looked like they would rather be doing anything besides serve us, it landed up being the best breakfast we’ve had. Eggs scrambled with vegetables and fresh herbs, smothered in cheese and tomato sauce and served with Vietnamese style baguette. Vietnamese style baguettes are made with both wheat flour and rice flour, giving them a lighter, airier texture and a crispy outside. The black coffee was sweet and bitter, Vietnamese style. A perfect start to a day that was supposed to be nothing short of epic.

After spending a ridiculous amount of time looking for a working ATM we gave up and hit the road for 9:30 am.

The first 95 km of road exceeded our expectations. The first 70 km of road was in excellent shape, and the last 25 km only had patches of rough road. Again thankful for the dirt bikes, we hammered through these sections with grins of delight. This was nothing like the horror stories we had been told and mentally prepared for.

The road was again beautiful, but completely different from Laos. Terraced rice paddies covering the hills and villages inhabited by women with buns of hair high on their heads (Black Thái or more correctly Tay tribe we think), and women wearing brightly coloured skirts, striking oranges and bright pinks against jet black with black and pink leg wraps (likely H’Mong). Absolutely gorgeous. We stopped at a market where all the vendors were women from the various groups of ethnic minorities that call Northern Vietnam home. The Dao, H’Mong, Tay and Giay tribes all make up some of the over 50 distinct groups. Bought some pineapple, yum, and watched as the women sewed beautiful patterns of pink into wonderful textiles they will no doubt sell at the next Sunday market in Sin Ho.

Lunch was in Muong Lay (95 km from Dien Biên Phu, arrived at noon) at a restaurant on the highway. The rice and vegetables were plain and the chicken, although flavourful, was inedible. It was bone, skin and cartilage with no meat. Oh well, can’t win them all.

Back on the road for 1:10 pm for the final 62 km ride to Sin Ho.

There is a reason road DT128 has a reputation for being one of the best motorcycle roads in SE Asia. 62 km of winding and climbing into the clouds that hang over the mountains of North Vietnam. Incredible views of the steep mountainside of terraced rice paddies that look like a giants stairway from heaven itself. As we continued to wind and climb, higher and higher towards the sky, the scenery quickly turned to thick and soupy fog, ruining our views but offering an interesting ride. Villagers would appear out of the thick fog like apparitions, the odd child still waving at what could only be a dim outline of a large, motorized vehicle barreling out of the cloud. The last 20 km was slow going and cold. We were happy to make it to Sin Ho by 3:15 pm. Shortly after we arrived the fog turned to light rain. By 6:00 pm it was pouring. This could make tomorrow’s ride challenging, as landslides that completely cover the road is common following a heavy rain storm.

So why the blog title? I love music! Right now I’m really missing hanging out on the deck enjoying a bottle of wine, selection of cheeses and a big fruit plate, all while listening to music. Today I was humming one of my favourite tunes. Highwayman (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson). A song I loved in my childhood and continue to love today, a song played by my parents on road trips. I’m homesick.

Once the fog hit as we climbed into the clouds, I thought of the song “The Sky Is A Neighbourhood” by Foo Fighters. If that doesn’t describe the mountaintops of Northern Vietnam, I don’t know what does. Villages literally in the sky, surrounded by and above the cloud. Neighbourhoods of villages, pigs, buffalo, dogs, chickens and the ever smiling children, harmonious in the clouds they call home. It was an amazing privilege to be a part of this days story for these mountaintops.

After our fill of soup and mystery meat, we opted for a picnic in our hotel room for dinner. The Phuc Tho Hotel is basic and marginally clean, but the host family are kind and welcoming, offering us umbrellas as we ventured out to tour the local market. We bought buns, canned fish with “tasty tasty” (Lao code word for MSG) and finished our pineapple. Try as we might, we just can’t find jam. Both craving a PB&J sandwich, the fish sandwiches were the best we could do.

Off to bed, hoping the unwavering, hammering rain lets up soon.