Hi all,

The train journey was really pleasant and we all shared a cabin so played cards and ate mangoes before getting some shut eye in the soft sleepers. We arrived in XXXXX early and it was an hours mini bus ride through the mountains before we finally arrived at Sapa, a small hill station town. It was evident straight away to see how stunning the countryside was with all the rice paddies carved into the mountains. It looked amazing and so peaceful and relaxing. Especially coming from the mayhem and madness that lines the streets of Hanoi.

We secured accommodation straight away for a bargain price of five dollars each and then explored the small town. It was so strange as it didn't feel like you were in Vietnam at all. It felt like a Switzerland ski resort in the summer. I've never been to a ski village in my life but this is how I imagine it to be like! You could see that the town had a real influence from the French with all the posh little cafes and cake shops. However the people were still very close to their roots with all the local tribes people wandering around in their traditional tribal dress trying to sell you their cloth work and stuff.

We went straight out and completed a small walk to the Tourist Mountain and Radio Tower and it was excellent to see the town from a birds eye view. All the trees were in blossom and the valley and mountains were fantastic. Also on the walk we bumped into a couple of Emu's (I've google searched this now and they were actually Ostriches!), a little bit random but always a pleasure. After a short trip into the hills it was time to have a little afternoons kip. Hadn't had one of those for a while!

That evening we had a couple of drinks in town and an amazing meal. The next day we were planning to go on a days trek with a local guide and visit a few tribes in their villages in the Vietnam countryside.

Wow - the days trekking was out of this world. The countryside was awesome, the weather amazing and the guide a real character. She really made the trek and it was so strange as the fundamentals of life are the same for everyone, even in the remote hills of Vietnam. The village people were lovely and we visited a school and entered someone's house to have a look around. The womens dress of the .... tribe was different. They all have the same name for a start and they all completely shave off the eyebrows and and the first three inches of their hair. I'd had an excellent day and it was just a shame that we all didn't have more time that we could of completed a three day and night trek - gutted.

Bye for now

Miffy x x x