25th December 2006 Christmas Day

Well sorry the journal is taking so long to update but with all the problems we have had out here with the internet because of the damage to underwater cables this is now the third time I have entered this log and hope to complete it before everything crashes and I lose the copy.

Arrived at Lao Cai at 6:30am feeling rather cold and juddery after the train journey,caught a mini bus to Sapa a 45 minute ride through the mountains. The early morning mist swirled in the valleys until we got above the clouds to show spectacular scenery. On the way up we passed a couple of landslides where the road had been swept away an only recently reopened so there was no tarmac just compounded soil to fill the gap. Got to the Chau Long Hotel just before 8am and luckily could check in immediately and grab some breakfast. The sun rose above the mountains burning off the mist to give us a beautiful warm day to explore the town and get our bearings. Fighting off the hill tribe ladies & girls at every turn trying to sell brightly coloured blankets and covers. They look great but you are warned that the dyes run and rub off onto everything they touch which can be clearly seen by their hands. Checked out the Victoria Hotel the posh resort hotel in town that was very nice but you could be anywhere! As the sun dropped so did the temperature very quickly until it was close to freezing so we retired to our room, got into bed, ordered room service and watched the box. A great way to spend Christmas Night even if somewhat strange.

26th December2006

Woke to this stunning view of Fansipan the highest mountain in Vietnam and yet another beautiful morning that was only going to get better. Quickly arranged for a guide to take us on a simple trek to the local villages. On the way we passed a dead buffalo on the road that had fallen off the mountain above and luckily missed any passing traffic. Leaving the tarmac road we set off down the tracks to the first village of Lai Chau where we saw the Black Moung and Ann bought a great little babies shirt and I got a hat from the lady who's house we had been to. Our guide was a young girl who spoke fairly good English and made sure the route was not to strenuous as Ann's hip was still playing up. Once again at every turn there was a local plying their goods that in a light hearted way was quite entertaining. The Dzao village was to be next where the ladies have red head dresses and are just as persistant and this time Ann found an old coat that caught here eye. Even a lunch break could not free us from their sales tactics and as we moved off to the next village the battering continue. Being a mean git I would not pay 200,000 dong and eventually secured it for 130,000 dong (approx 4 pounds) and then everyone was happy. There after I used the American Express card trick that soon gets rid of the ladies when they know you have run out of cash. In all we walked about 5km that was just right and got picked up by the jeep to go back up the mountain from the valley floor. Went to Baguette & Chocolate to try their famous Hot Chocolate to find it was off the menu as they had no chocolate.... strange they had shelves of the most scrummy pasteries full of chocolate. Well the guy next to us wanted mashed potatoes but they were off the menu as they had no potatoes.. so he had chips --- funny old place!!!! Sun going down so back to the hotel for a foot massage.Not so cold this evening so we strolled around the town before checking out the local Italian for a change. Everywhere closing about 10pm so off to bed.

27th December 2006

So lucky with the weather as we rose to another wonderful day and after an early breakfast we set off on our own to the Kat Kat village down the hill from Sapa about 3km and continued on into the valley and up the otherside to a gathering of Black Moung attending a funeral of a local man who had died of drinking to much rice wine in his 30's. We chatted to Vietmanese chap who spoke very good English and explained how the day would be spent drinking rice wine and then feasting on the freshly killed buffulo that was being cooked in the open fields. We tried the wine and can understand how to much is not good as it was a cross between Vodka & Pure Industrial Alcohol.

We moved on to drop back down into the valley and passed a waterfall before climbing back up to the Kat Kat village and more battering and then each jumping onto the back of a taxi motorbike for lift back up the steep hill to Sapa