Hanoi - Hue - Sapa

We rocked in from Hue on the day train and we had barely been there 24 hours before I had been manhandled by a crazy man on the street trying to sell me stamps (at least I think that's what he was trying to do) and almost robbed by a pickpocket when I was trying to cross the street. I was standing there focusing on the traffic and trying to pick my moment to cross when I felt a light tugging on my bag. I turned around to see a youngish guy snatch his hand back from the front pocket (which doesn't zip) and try to nonchalantly blend in with the crowd.

Luckily all I keep in the back pocket of my bag is toilet paper! Still, I felt like grabbing the roll out, throwing at his head (naturally scoring a direct hit) and shouting “Here, if you're that desperate, have it!!”. Of course I merely went on my way, nervously clutching my bag under my arm.

Maybe I had become a bit complacent having not experienced anything too unpleasant so far into the trip. Still, there's nothing like being the subject of an attempted robbery to throw some of the more unsavoury things about travelling in SE Asia into sharp relief. Suddenly all the things that I usually don't pay too much attention to seemed a lot worse. The girls using tweezers to pick headlice out of each other's hair in the market, the dogs pooing on the footpath right where people are serving food, the cats wandering in and out of the kitchens in restaurants, the pregnant woman on the train picking her nose and wiping it on the curtain, the girl in the bus throwing up into a plastic bag and then hurling the bag out the window, the constant hassling as you walk down the street (seriously, why ask me if I need a moto ride when I just rejected the last five guys all within spitting distance of you?)...

Anyway, with my impression of Hanoi tainted somewhat we caught the night train to Sapa in the northwest. We splurged on the soft sleeper class which is the most comfy and it was indeed a very nice ride, especially as we had a cabin to ourselves (there are usually four to a cabin). We left Hanoi at 9.15pm and reached Lao Cai at about 5.30am. We jumped on a minibus for the final leg to Sapa (about 28km from Lao Cai).

Well, Sapa is enough to restore anyone's faith in travelling. As we climbed and climbed and climbed in the minibus, I was thankful that it was (a) still darkish, and (b) extremely foggy, as it meant that I couldn't see over the edges of the cliffs as we went around the blind corners on the wrong side of the road. As it became light, we could catch glimpses of the mountains occasionally through the grey, all craggy and sharp like pyramids and terraced with rice paddies all over their steep green slopes.

We checked into the hotel that the minibus took us to as we couldn't be bothered to look for another hotel in the rain at 6.30am. It was a pretty good deal anyway - $10 for a double with a view and all the mod cons. (We have found throughout Vietnam that the minibuses are usually paid to take you to a particular hotel instead of the bus stop. If you don't want to stay there you have to walk or catch a moto to wherever).

For our first two days it rained constantly. I thought it was very romantic and ethereal, with the clouds constantly hanging in the fir trees and H'mong women appearing from nowhere out of the mist. The only downside was not being able to see the view from our balcony which we paid extra for. However, obviously everyone wasn't finding it romantic and ethereal – some Dutch people we met on the minibus left after one day.

Sapa is home to many of Vietnam's ethnic minorities and it is quite surreal walking around and seeing all the people in their different traditional dress. My personal favourites are the Red Dzao who have beautiful weaving on their clothes, wear tonnes of silver necklaces, bracelets and earrings, have silver money and beads sewn onto their clothes and wear a gigantic red headdress. The Flower H'Mong wear flouro pink and yellow outfits which are all embroidered by hand – the handbags made out of the same embroidery are a great hit with the tourists. You can guarantee that almost every single female tourist leaves Sapa with at least one. The Black H'Mong have indigo dyed clothes with red accents, round black hats and black leg warmers – you can buy all the clothes at the market.

As soon as we were able after recovering from the night train I ran straight to the market. I had been restraining myself from buying any handicrafts until I got to Sapa. I had seen this handwoven blanket/wall hanging in Hanoi and I was desperate to find one in Sapa that might be somewhat less than the fortune they were charging. Alas, that was not to be (I am still hunting for the elusive blanket). On the other hand, I did stock up on huge silver earrings and necklaces and hand-embroidered skirts. Of course I also invested in the obligatory Flower H'Mong handbag.

On Sunday we went on a minibus tour to Bac Ha market about 100km from Sapa. A lot of Flower H'Mong visit the market and it was hence very colourful. On the way back to Sapa we also visited a local village and saw the Chinese border (I didn't realise it was so close). Mid-morning that day the clouds and rain finally cleared and we had an opportunity to see the beautiful countryside from the window of the bus. Although the market was interesting, it was a bit disturbing to see all the tourists sticking their cameras right in people's faces, asking them to pose this way and that.

Things were even worse at the village - it seemed like every minibus tour from Sapa stopped at this one village and it seemed like hundreds of tourists were trooping around the houses and fields. Some of them were following around some of the kids trying to get them to smile - the kids were hiding their faces and turning away but they just didn't seem to take the hint. I asked the guide whether the village got any money from all the tour groups who came through but she said that they didn't. Simply due to the huge volume of other tourists I couldn't help but feel like we were intruding in the village - it was quite an uncomfortable feeling.

All in all Sapa was really lovely. If the weather was better it would have been great to venture a bit further afield with some trekking but unfortunately it wasn't to be.