Had a 10 hour night bus from Hanoi to Sapa - it seems like every time we get on one of these buses the Vietnamese stick all the Westerners at the back of the bus (with the hot engine underneath us, and the rear suspension - or what's left of it rattling away) whilst all the locals get all the nice separate spacious beds in the middle and front of the bus!
So sat at the back we were sharing with 4 guys from Kent, 1 French girl and 1 Chinese guy. It was certainly cosy, and we got to know the Kent guys really well over the space of the trip. Checked in to the same hotel and decided to book ourselves on a trek of the Sapa mountains with them.
Rather than book through an agency or hotel we booked with a H'Mong tribe lady who caught us off the bus in our sleepy state. Didn't think about it at the time but this could have easily have been one of those scams. Thankfully it wasn't and the lady who later became known as Mamma Chi was the loveliest local we had met so far. Offering to Invite us into her home for the night, she would also Introduce us to her gorgeous children and equally friendly friends.
After a good nights sleep in Cozy Hotel we were met by Mama Chi and her 4 friends. We walked and climbed up the mountains, through 100s of rice paddies and through the most amazing landscapes we've both ever seen. Mamma Chi was very knowledgable on the surrounding area and told us much about her tribe and other tribes in the area. We finally reached her home way up in the mountains, we were so high we could see the clouds below us. We had walked 22 km with only one stop for lunch at Mamma Lilly's home. We were totally worn out by the end of the day and were ready for a tasty feast with our new friends from Kent and Mamma Chi's family. The food was delicious and we were treated to plenty of rice wine which is possibly the worst thing we've ever had to drink in our lives! After tea we talked to Chi and her family about our families back home and she was just as interested in us as we were with her. She gave us a handful of gifts each for our families, she was the sweetest woman ever! That night we slept in the roof of Chi's home (more of a clay barn) and were all woken early by the cockerel (I hate these birds).
After breakfast It was time for us to trek back to Sapa town, this time we walked through some of the other tribes villages which was very interesting but these were touristy- this is where the agencies and hotels bring tourists. We had been spoilt by Chi who had taken us way away from the tourist trail.
After quite a bit more walking we finally arrived back at the main road to Sapa at this point i was exhausted so along with one of the guys from Kent got a moto back to the hotel, Ash decided he would walk it with the other lads! over the last two days I had managed 27 km and Ash 35 km - this should get us ready for China! We were both very tired that evening but were so happy with what had been a fantastic experience.