Not a good start! On checking out of our hotel in Sapa, Hotel Pinocchio, we were informed, more matter-of-factly than apologetically, that they couldn't return Paula's passport to her because they no longer had it. Someone else had mistakenly taken it (Facebook profile: "DaveandMarit Go Travelling" (they half-heartedly contacted Paula a few days later) - check out their profile pic - clearly t***ers!), and it was now at Bamboo Hotel in Hanoi! I think on...

We've had a great time in Sapa! Having received mixed reviews from others who've been here before, the negatives being the cold weather (the altitude is 1650 metres, the town is generally mist shrouded and it rains a lot) and the local tribespeople who hassle tourists excessively, we were braced for the worst, which probably softened the blow of the downsides. That said, we haven't really had to contend with them, as on the weather front we've had mostly glorious...

The bus to Dien Bien Phu was mentally more comfortable than the previous one, but physically less so, as the crew (these private mini-buses, somehow working in conjunction with the state, usually have a driver, a guy who sorts out payments (individual negotiations, of course, not a fixed price!), and possible one other to help with loading stuff on and off the vehicle (they also act as a courier service)) managed to fit about thirty people into what I think was s...

We'd hoped to get further than Son La the next day, but it turns out Vietnamese buses rarely set off in the afternoons, and certainly not after 3pm. And in hindsight, that's probably a good thing, given the state of the roads, the quality of the driving and the fact it's been getting dark not long after half 5. Plus, it was a relief to be off the (mini) bus by the time we got to Son La, as not only did it have the dodgiest sounding engine I've ever heard that has...

Mai Chau was our first stopping point, about five hours on the bus eastwards from Hanoi. We got there after dark, but during the journey were really lucky to get chatting to a Vietnamese guy called Kuong, who spoke fluent English, and when we arrived he walked with us to a homestay he knew of and arranged dinner and a room for us. And we stayed there for three nights, a stilt house in a small, quiet village called Pom Coong, a mile or so from Mai Chau itself, sur...