Hanoi ~ Sapa

After a long cold wait for the limousine taxi promised to collect me at 6:15 it arrived at 7:15 and away we went to Sapa. Couple of road side stops along the way, which are like little malls. I got chatting with a couple visiting from Singapore, both hairdressers, which was funny. They both said - it will grow! Cat weasel has really started to come into his own. The hair!

We were also joking but not joking about our coughing and spluttering driver giving us Covid. 1 girl offered me a mask but I said - too late!! Her friend agreed. Fingers crossed.

We arrived in Sapa about 2 o’clock and I found my Airbnb above a quaint little restaurant that only sells juices and smoothies (can’t imagine a roaring trade at 8’) and then set off exploring and looking for a hat for Catweasel.

Sapa is a hard to get much of a handle on what is so special about it - it’s on the edge and in the middle of steep mountains and it was very hazy today. To get the view you need to be sitting on the balcony in a restaurant, of which there are plenty. It’s been touristed to death unfortunately.

Dinner tonight came in a whole coconut and was delicious, unfortunately they won’t give you a hotpot for one and it was recommended as a must have. Being close to China, I’m sure it’s similar and watching the groups around me that were having it, it looked it. Mountains of greens, noodles, mushrooms, meat, vegetables and a steaming pot of stock. I’ll have to make some friends. A young Aust couple were next to me as I sat down, they had just finished their trek and were chatty, hard to not chat tables are an inch apart, and an older couple from Singapore after they left who were also just back from theirs, although they bailed half way. Both loved it.

I’ll have to ask at the office what the evacuation process will be if I can’t walk far on this banged up leg. Had to put my legs up the wall after sitting down for 5 hours+ as it was swollen.

Supposed to get quite warm over the next 2 days 14’. Got all the layers ready.
Reverse cycle air conditioning in the bedroom a necessity - only have what we’d call a summer doona on the bed and tonight it is already 7’.
I’ts 9pm.Read more