One of the best things about traveling through Southeast Asia on your own with a single pack strapped to your back is that you are allowed to go wherever the wind takes you. I knew for damn sure that the wind was going to take me to Halong Bay, because it was half the reason I wanted to go to Vietnam in the first place (cliche, much? Jeez. I am embarrassing). What I was not anticipating was the ease and the affordability of squeezing in a two day trek through the most gorgeous place in the world right before I had to head back to Baltimore, USA.
That’s right. I’m talking about Sapa freaking Vietnam. The highlight of my trip and one of the most beautiful places in which I’ve ever had the privilege of spending time.
It all started when I was staying in the Old Quarter of Hanoi and I started seeing a bunch of deals floating around about a trek in Sapa, staying overnight in a local’s home. Um, okay, sounds amazing. I’m sold right there. Hiking, mountains, a home cooked meal? Seriously, you don’t have to ask me twice.
I only paid about $65 for my trip, which is a ludicrous bargain considering I got 6 meals and transportation in both directions from downtown Hanoi, a trekking guide, and a place to sleep in someone’s home. WHAT!? Honestly, deals through your hotel or hostel are going to be pretty good, but be sure to shop around. I went to Sapa with the same American boys from Halong Bay, and they paid way more than me for the exact same trip. $65 is a great price, though you will have to take a sleeper bus to get there. For me, the sleeper buses in Vietnam are bomb. You get your own little pod and it is perfectly comfortable. I slept 6 hours like a goddamn rock.
When your sleeper bus first drops you off in the town of Sapa, you’ll be bombarded by guides wanting to take you to their home after a nice long trek through the mountains. I am not one to go to random ass peoples’ houses, especially in a country where only about 5 people know my first name and that is all. I’d recommend booking your arrangements in advance, so you can politely smile and tell them you already have a guide.
Our guide gathered us inside a hotel in the town, gave us a stern talking-to about the importance of bug-spray, and enthusiastically got to know each of us. Our trek was to be about 12 kilometers the first day and 8 the second. YES EXERCISE.
And we were off!
Notice the German boy’s shoes that were once white and are now caked with dirt, as are his shorts as he fell on his ass probably 5 times in the first few miles. I, the graceful little darling that I am, only fell once, thank you very much. It is way up there in the mountains, nestled among the clouds, so of course the ground is going to be wet and slippery and muddy as hell on overcast days. My old running shoes did not make it out of Sapa alive. RIP little guys.
Sapa is part of the Hoang Lien Mountains, which are at the southeastern end of the Himalayans. It is home to Vietnam’s highest peak, Fansipan, which reaches 3,143 meters, as well as ethnic minority groups such as Hmong and Yao. Though the area is full of rice paddies and yields a ton of output, the region’s economic success is mainly from visitors after the area became open to international tourism in 1993. The area actually has a very interesting history; with almost all the buildings destroyed following the Second World War, the region only reestablished itself in the 1960s when the New Economic Zones Migration Scheme encouraged a lot of people from the lowlands to migrate up into Sapa.
I was literally close enough to touch this buffalo and wasn’t even scared out of my wits. They are so chill and could not give less of a fuck about you.
I know people who do Sapa treks on their own, but it is amazing to have a local guide who knows everything there is to know about the area and teach you things you wouldn’t know otherwise. He also taught us the difference between a few Vietnamese words which sound PRECISELY the same but have a slightly different tongue movement when saying them. And people say English is hard to learn. Pfft.
There is no denying the landscape of Sapa is gorgeous.
I mean look at it.
LOOK AT IT.
But the people were really something else. A woman trekked most of the way with us, helping us through the mud and over rocks. She was wearing what looked to be similar to moccasins while the rest of us were wearing hiking shoes or sneakers, but she was running up and down the hills with ease.
The rice paddies located along the mountain have been maintained for generations and generations of native people, the steep structure and fertile soil providing the perfect place to grow the crop. As you walk along you see many people working in the paddies. Mostly women, but you see women doing a lot of the hard work throughout this entire country (the future is female, am I right?).
The homestay we spent the night at was the home of a young couple with a two year old daughter. They were the kindest people I met in Vietnam, welcoming us into their home, cooking us a giant feast for dinner, and even playing cards and drinking rice wine with us afterwards. Their little girl was so sweet and I had to shut my womb up a few times when it got a little overexcited. “STFU,” I told it and my surfacing motherly instincts, “I have a few more years of traveling I need to do. I mean shit.”
Overall this experience was one for the books. I could not believe that the experiences I was not even planning on having when I packed my bag for Vietnam actually ended up being my favorite ones. Sapa is a gem; don’t let the fact that it is so popular among tourists make you miss out on this little slice of paradise.
