Sapa - Lao Cai - Hanoi by local bus and local train (LC4)

The alarm was set for 6 AM this morning. Last check of the room at 6:40 and 15 minutes later we were at the main square in front of the church looking for the regular bus going to Lao Cai. We knew it was supposed to leave there - that's all. This morning we were lucky. Only 5 of us on the bus, the bus left 5 minutes after we arrived at the square and headed down the mountain road towards Lao Cai and the train. According to the train schedule there is one local train in the morning to Hanoi, that's it.
Most trains leave in the evening as sleeper services with very early morning arrivals in Hanoi. We wanted to have a look at the countryside from the train which is why we were going for the morning train. Some 15 kilometres down the road and our bus blew a tire. A loud bang and we came to a stop. Not the worst place, but we were stuck there. The bus driver and his assistant managed to get the spare wheel out of its compartment but the only tool they had on the bus was a small hammer - so we waited. And waited some more. Lots of traffic on the road but nobody to pick us up. We stayed with the bus and the other passengers and after an hour we were picked up. It was now a bit hit or miss whether we would make it for the train. Some 45 minutes to departure and we still had at least 25 kilometres to go. Doing the maths some 20 minutes later it was clear we weren't going to make it for the 9:15 departure. Our only hope was for the train to be a bit delayed. We were dropped off by the bus at 9:15 in front of the station and ran to the platform only to realise that the train today left at 10:10. Lots of time.

Tickets bought we headed for a cafe next to the station for a bit of breakfast and some water, before we boarded the train at 10:10 and slowly headed towards Hanoi. Lots of fields and rice paddies on the way, and lots of noisy Vietnamese in our train carriage making it a bit of challenge to do the 10 hour train ride. Looking at Google maps once in a while we realised that the train would pass right through the Old Quarter possibly stopping at the station there. It didn't stop though. Instead it went all the way to the main station, and we walked with our backpacks to the hotel - about 20 minutes through dark Hanoi. Once we had checked in, we left the hotel for some dinner having spotted a nice place on the way. Once we got there we were told the kitchen had closed. New place - and Italian lasagne for dinner. A long day of travelling and we've had our dose of Vietnam today. Ready for more Vietnam tomorrow.

All packed and ready to go

One last view from the balcony

Leaving some old friends behind

Fansipan in the horizon

Roots at the market

Yes, its dead

Waiting

Still dead

Finally at the station

Ready for some Pho for breakfast

LC4 - our train to Hanoi

Half way stop

Mystery food and snacks

At our "hostel" in Hanoi

Dinner with a view

VietJetAir from Phu Quoc to HCMC and Da Lat - delayed forever

At 7 PM we left our nice room and resort and headed to the Phu Quoc airport with a taxi. A short drive later we were at the airport, very quiet this morning and check in was easy. We made it through security in no time and then realised our flight was delayed. 30 minutes - then one hour. That also meant that our connection in HCMC was gone, so when we eventually took off with our flight we didn't even have to wish for a fast flight - it was too late. Unless of course the next flight was just as delayed. Which it wasn't.

The Da Lat flight left according to schedule from HCMC at 11 AM so we got our luggage and headed for the VietJetAir counter where a very nice woman gave us a free change of flight to the later departure - leaving at 8 PM. A lot of hours to spend in HCMC where check in wouldn't open until two hours before departure which meant that we had to sit outside at one of the nice cafés with no A/C and look after our stuff. 

On the upside being stuck here meant we had access to some of the few ATM's that will let us take out more than two million Dong per transaction. There are a couple at the airport where the limit is five million Dong. Two million with the added fee's is ridiculous - it is not even USD 100 plus fees. Five minutes later and we were loaded with 10 million Dong. You feel so rich here in Vietnam. And we still had five hours and fifty five minutes to wait until check in would open up. 

Five hours later we both reached the "end of the Internet" having spent most of the day surfing web pages and updating Facebook. Internet at the airport is free and fast. Perfect for missed connections. Just before check in was about to open we got a mail from VietJetAir - announcing another hour of delay. We checked in at 6 PM, our flight got delayed until 9 PM but we had good dinner at the airport so when we finally made it to Da Lat airport some 30 kilometres outside of Da Lat town we were happy to see the shuttle bus waiting for us. We were dropped off a bit from our hostel, took a taxi, got our room just before midnight and crashed on the bed. Two 30 minute flights and 17 hours of waiting and a bit of bus and taxi transport in one day. It would have been slightly faster to take the bus and the boat but who cares. We are here and the place seems nice.

7 AM and we're on the road

Phu Quoc international airport

Waiting forever

Delayed forever

Ho Chi Mihn City from above

Da Lat airport shuttle

Hostel with scooter garage

Hpa-an to Pathein with local busses - a very long day on the road

Alarm set for 5 AM, we left the hotel at 5:45 and walked to the corner of the road and waited for our 6 AM bus. No traffic this early in the morning except for the odd scooter or local bus passing by. And so we waited, and waited and waited some more asking the few big buses that passed by if they were "Lion bus for Yangon". No luck

Eventually the Lion bus showed up, we got our seat (no mattresses this time) and enjoyed the equivalent of water boarding - being stuck for 6 hours in a local bus in Myanmar. AC set to "frozen" and the TV showing the DVD with monks chanting for the hour of our trip. Not being on the local-local bus which stops to pick up everybody we actually made good progress on our route. After the first hour the DVD was changed to local Karaoke and later to some version of Myanmar "The Bold and the Beautiful". It truly was a long way to Rangoon. But we made it.

Arriving in Yangon wasn't as bad as expected. Traffic was busy but no gridlocks, the bus station - one of them - is located a bit outside the city so it was relatively easy to get there and then we just had to get confirmation that the bus for Pathein left from "the other" bus station. And find a way there. The taxi drivers started with their usual crazy prices but we found one who would take us across town for around 8000 Kyat. Starting price 15000. He started the taxi, we loaded the bags, got in on the back seat and then the driver ran away. We waited for 5 minutes, then left the taxi, found another driver, haggled the price, got in his taxi and the same happened. He left to find another customer.

After some 20 minutes we finally left for our 45 minute drive across town, experiencing a bit of crazy and crowded Yangon traffic. The taxi driver made it to the Western bus station just before 2 PM, dropped us off right in front of the bus to Pathein, we bought tickets and the bus left about 2 minutes later only to stop after some 300 metres of driving and then wait 15 minutes for two extra passengers. You have to muster your utmost of patience in this country when travelling around.

The drive to Pathein wasn't as bad as feared. We had estimated some five to six hours but we made it there just before 6 PM before sunset. For the first time in a while we didn't have a hotel room reserved in advance so we had a couple of guys taking us on mopeds to the city centre and then walked around looking for a room which we found after a short while.

Check in and then we headed out for late lunch/early dinner right around the corner before walking a bit around town. There was a small nigh market at the river and by coincidence we bumped into a guy - James - who was local and relatively fluent in English. After chatting with him for a while we agreed to be picked up in the morning at 9:30 outside the hotel and he would show us around town. Great start to our visit in Pathein.

6 AM  - waiting for bus

Chanting DVD

Karaoke DVD - they love the water festival

Morning break

Off loading in Yangon

Finally on the way with a taxi

Ready for the next bus ride

And a moped to the city centre

At the hotel in Pathein - 4 guys carried our luggage to the room

Curry dinner - again

Night market flowers

Fruit seller woman with local sunscreen