Sapa (Northwest Vietnam Loop) – 5. Journey, Day 3-4

Day 3 (Dien Bien Phu – Sapa)

I left Dien Bien Phu early at 615am. I was enjoying the scenery and did not notice some fallen debris on the roads. I was unable to stop in time and fell. A girl on bicycle witnessed my misfortune and helped me up. I was embarrassed. Other than some superficial scratches, I was alright. However, the same cannot be said of the motorcycle. The gear pedal was stuck. I rode at first gear to a nearby village and found a helpful villager. Together, we managed to knock the pedal back into position. I thanked him, posed a photo together, took down his address and left with a promise to mail him the photo.

After the accident, I rode carefully, determined to reach Sapa in one piece. The roads to Sapa were beautiful, offering sweeping panoramas of green mountains enveloped by white clouds. I reached Sapa just before 4pm and stayed at Cat Cat Hotel. With its rice terraces, hill-tribe people, cool weather and hiking opportunities, Sapa definitely deserves a stay of a few days. Unfortunately, I was alone and did not really wish to join day tours with other travellers. However, if opportunity permits, I would like to invite some friends and revisit Sapa in the future.

Vietnam, green-mountains-river
Enjoying the view..

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Sapa (Northwest Vietnam Loop) – 4. Journey, Day 1-2

Day 1 (Hanoi – Mai Chau)

After a quick run-through of the Minsk, a filling up demonstration at a nearby petrol station and buying of a set of poncho, Cuong decided I was ready to go. Knowing Hanoi’s notorious traffic, he offered to guide me out of Hanoi. I rejected his kind offer and quickly lost myself in the streets of Hanoi. It did not help that it started drizzling.

I finally made it out of Hanoi at 1pm. The roads near Mai Chau were twisty but fun. It was good introduction to the mountain roads at Sapa.

Near Mai Chau, I stopped at a viewpoint for some photo taking. I met two friendly locals who were also admiring the scenery. Realizing that I was going to spend the night in Mai Chau, they took upon the task of leading me to Lac Village. I reached Lac village at 4pm and stayed in a White Thai stilt house (Guesthouse 19). The dinner provided by the host was excellent.

Vietnam, high-elevation-mountain-road
Roads to Mai Chau

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