Sapa day 5/ ➡️ Cao Bang

A few of us where getting an afternoon bus back to Hanoi today so we just had a half day hike. We set off down through the rice fields mid morning, was a bit early to be balancing on small walls and thin strips of rice terraces, so it took all my concentration not to fall. Amongst the bushes, on the side of the roads and even up in the mountains there are so many chickens with chicks. Mama stuck her arm into some shrubbery and just pulled out this tiny chick, which was just so cute and fluffy.
It's not peak rice planting season at the moment, so the terraces don't look as lush and green as they do on google photos, but are still so pretty.
We reached the bottom of the valley around midday, then walked around the reservoir. Parts of the road were flooded by waterfalls full of rain from the past couple days, and we had to take our boots off to wade through safely. We later reached a larger waterfall, which we were told in the morning we may be able to swim in. However the sheer amount of water ruled out that idea.
We stopped off at a cute lil cafe for some fried rice for lunch, before continuing on across a river and through a small village back onto the main road where our ride was waiting with our bags to drive us back to town.
I was very sad to say goodbye to Mama, she and her family were all exceptionally welcoming and kind. The beauty of a homestay is that like the word suggests, you feel very at home, so I'm very glad I came back here!
I got a 2 pm bus which was only £7, and I could see why when I got on. There was no curtains, and the beds weren't the comfiest, however it was perfect for a short 6-hour afternoon journey.
When I arrived back into Hanoi, I immediately sourced out some food which happened to be one of the best Banh Mi's I've had the entire trip! I then grabbed a taxi half an hour across town, to the other bus station, and hopped into my very luxurious night bus up to Cao Bang in the north!Read more