The train from Hue arrived on time in Hanoi. We were woken up 15 minutes before arrival at 5:20 AM, just after daybreak. Too early but we had slept well on the train from Hue. Malene struggling a bit with the lack of A/C in the lower bunk bed but apart from that an OK experience doing the night train in Vietnam. Contrary to some of the stories from other travellers we actually found the train to be quite comfortable. Not as nice as a hotel room but still. We shared our compartment with another Vietnamese woman who was quiet, the A/C was partially working which meant the top bunk was cold and the bottom a lot warmer, there was a couple of OK toilets in our carriage. Not anything fancy, but working and by Vietnamese standards clean.
Next on the plan was to find a taxi that could take us to a bus company with an early morning connection to Sapa. There is a morning train running from Hanoi to Lao Cai and a bus connecting to Sapa but it takes more than twice as long time as the express bus - easy choice this morning.
At first the taxi drivers didn't really know where to take us. There is not a bus station in Hanoi for long distance buses to Sapa - instead you go to the bus company's office somewhere in town and they make sure you get on the bus.
Eventually we found a taxi that could take us to the Sapa Express Bus office and after a few attempts the driver succeeded in finding the office where they were just opening up at 6:15 AM. No luck though - it was sold out this morning but the nice guy at the office rang the other company that was also having a 7 AM departure and we were confirmed on that departure - and only had to walk 400 metres down the road to office. At 7 AM the bus arrived, we managed to catch a Ba Minh bun for breakfast just before the bus left and the next five hours were spent taking a few naps in the comfortable bus going on the highway to Lao Cai and then up the mountain road to Sapa for the last hour.
Being dropped off in Sapa was slightly chaotic as in "everybody out of the bus" - as our bus guide suddenly yelled. We were greeted by the usual crowd of locals wanting to sell us souvenirs, hiking trips and other stuff. We told them no, looked at our map and walked 15 minutes to our hotel only to miss it since we were paying so much attention to the left side of the road that we missed it being on the right side. They were a bit confused with our arrival but after a while they told us we were staying at the sister hotel next door, we walked there and got a really, really nice room with our own balcony. Nothing beats the feeling of a shower after 18 hours of continuous travel - and a nice bed that doesn't move.
We relaxed for a couple of hours before going out for some late lunch, then heading back to the room and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Mikkel was the only one making it our for dinner tonight. Malene was too tired after some long days of travelling. More relaxing in Sapa tomorrow. It feels like the right place to chill. And we need it.
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| Breakfast to go |
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| Getting closer to Sapa |
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| When you have been too long in Asia |
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| We've moved in |
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