In the mean time, our traveler picks up in the mountainous north west region of Vietnam. Alison and I have been traveling together for nearly a month -- two weeks in China working the for Global Young Leaders Conference and another week plus exploring Vietnam.
We arrived in Sapa this morning after taking an eight-hour overnight sleeper train from Hanoi.
The idea of a sleeper car was exciting and new and prompted the exclamation, "This is so Darjeeling Limited of us." Safely tucked into our cubby-esque bunks, like a sweatshirt tucked into it's assigned space in the kindergarten classroom, we retired for the night.
Upon arrival in Lai Cao, we took the hour and twenty minute bus ride from the rail station to the village. The pleasure of enduring such an adventure at 5:30 a.m. was only heightened by riding in the middle of the back row of the bus -- thus limiting the ability for any sort of neck support and comfort for a weary head.
Upon arriving in town, we were amazed to see the town buzzing with local villagers all before 7 a.m.
This picture does a poor job of illustrating the town's early morning hub bub, but a great job of illustrating that waiting until after noon to start drinking might by a uniquely Western social construct.
Showing up without a hotel reservation, finding accommodations for the night was the first order of business. Once this was accomplished, we realized that there were two hours to kill before check-in and set out to find breakfast.
Per our Lonely Planet's recommendations, we found Baguette and Chocolate, a French bakery, that was just opening for business. We were the first to arrive, but the establishment would soon fill up as the other sleepy train travelers settled in for a cup of joe. Breakfast accomplished in a conceivably European fashion - croissant w/ honey, toasted baguette with butter & jam, yogurt and coffee -- we explored the town's central square and tried to avoid the overbearing local villagers pushing their wares.
A typical interaction began with a series of questions not limited to, "Where are you from? What is your name? How old are you? How long are you staying in Sapa?" Before concluding with a pushy, "Would you like to by my cultural trinket?"
For those of you who find this charming, we did too ... for the first three or four times it happened. However, after hearing this exchange rinse and repeated a dozen times and being followed down many a side street, some of the luster and charm of cultural exchange wore off. Nonetheless, our ramblings did yield a number of fruitful returns.
Luckily, it was soon time to check-in to our hotel, which for $25/night afforded us a wonderful view and a balcony overlooking a lush green valley of farmland. Content to relax after an early morning start, we continued to explore the town for a bit before settling down on a outdoor deck for cup of coffee and the intention of completing Updike's Rabbit Run trilogy.
Thus accomplished, a night of balcony sitting and wine sipping awaits.
