Ha Giang

Late at night, we took a VIP sleeper bus from Sapa to Ha Giang. This was already included in the three day motorbike tour package - the so-called “Ha Giang Loop” - we’ve booked. This time, our VIP sleeper bus was very different from our first experience since its beds were much more narrow. Anyway, after a six hour ride, we made it to Ha Giang where we checked into a hostel named “Hong Hao” and could sleep in a normal bed for the remainder of the night. After a short night, our tour started at the lobby where breakfast was served and many others were already waiting to get their motorbike tour started. The guides handed out colorful wristbands so we would know which biker gang we belonged to. Before setting off, we got a quick crash course about the route. And off we went, each one of us on the back of a motorbike steered by local drivers, straight into the breathtaking landscapes of Ha Giang! There were quite a lot of wonderful stops we made for taking pictures. Absolutely epic was the Snake Road, which is a famous mountain road with sharp curves and dramatic switchbacks. After this stunning stop, Marina suddenly started to get a migraine followed by nausea, and then, just to spice things up, diarrhea. Luckily, a German couple named Maggy and Ricardo were doing the same tour but by car. Fortunately, they had extra space in the car for Marina so she could switch over. Also, they were prepared for their journey and brought a mini-pharmacy with them. So Marina could get some medicine from them which helped. True heroes! Because Marina still wasn’t feeling well in the evening of the first day, she had to call it a day. She stayed in the hotel while Matthias spent the evening in Ten Minh, eating delicious Vietnamese food and watching others doing karaoke like rock stars.
After a crazy and terrible night, Marina felt better the next morning, but unfortunately by far not good enough to continue the motorbike tour. That’s why we stayed at the hotel until the afternoon and then took a taxi all the way back to the starting point. 70 Swiss francs lighter and five hours later, we arrived in Ha Giang, checked into the lovely hotel “Silk River”, and spent the rest of the day relaxing and recovering before taking yet another sleeper bus to our next destination.Læs mere