(Late entry)

I put the ear plugs in last night, crawled under the mosquito netting, and fell asleep. I had to get up once, glad I had the flashlight to find my way outside to get to the bathroom, but then promptly fell back asleep. I guess I was really tired because I slept until 8:30 which I imagine is unheard of in this part of the world. No real place to take a shower, so I got dressed and emerged. Pham asked if I heard the early AM roosters or the noisy pig next door, and I was glad to say that I hadn't. She made me banana pancakes for breakfast, special because I am a foreigner, not a typical Vietnamese breakfast - they were very good.

We spent a little time with the family (mother and children). One of the children had a pretty bad cough, and both were very shy and wouldn't really interact with me. I had brought some gifts, a USA national park calendar for 2012 for the family and a coloring book about animals for the children. I think the calendar was really appreciated; the only other picture on the walls was one of Ho Chi Minh. I tried to get the children to engage with me and show them the coloring book, but we didn't get far. However, I suspect they were very happy to have it.

Pham and I then set off to complete the trek. The weather was very overcast and hazy, but I think the scenery was quite beautiful. We passed through a few psmall villages, but really not much activity or people. We finally neared the main road where there were various children and people, and, at that point, a shuttle took us back to Sapa. That was the end of the trek and we parted ways. I had really enjoyed meeting Pham and talking with her.

I spent the afternoon walking around Sapa. I then found the Ham Rong Mountain park right in Sapa. It has some orchid (none in bloom) and rock gardens and a good view of the town (through the haze but from up high). There is a place to view the highest mountain in Vietnam, Mt. Fansipan, but it was so hazy I couldn't even tell there was a mountain there. There was an indoor theater with performances of traditional ethnic dances that was entertaining.

Sapa has a big outdoor market area selling some crafts and lots and lots of North Face knockoffs - jackets and backpacks mostly. There is a central sort of town square and this is the site of the Saturday night love market. However, I was told by Pham it is most active in the summer, not this time of year. There is a fire in the center. Traditional instruments are supposed to be played and the young people of the ethnic groups come to find spouses. However, all I saw was some young men in a group with some music being played through some loudspeakers.

I ate lunch and dinner in a sort of food court near my hotel. It was an outdoor area with rows of restaurants. At night I had some grilled meat and vegetables on skewers. There was a power failure in Sapa for about 10-15 minutes during dinner so it was good I had a flashlight with me so I could continue to eat. One of the offerings on the menu was apple wine. I said I had never tasted it, so the man in the restaurant opened a bottle and gave me a taste, a little sweet but good. After dinner, I found in the same food area a sort of Sapa "Starbucks", a coffee place and had a nice after dinner latte, so good.

During my walk around the town I had checked the menus at the various restaurants. I saw one place that looked very nice and seemed to specialize in very ethnic food of the area, all of which looked a little strange to me. However, when I saw Horse's penis alcohol on the menu, I decided this was not the place for me to eat.