Sapa

Last night we came in from Hanoi to Sapa on the overnight train. It was about 10 hours, during which we discussed the US presidential elections with an Australian and spoke French with a big tour group that was filling up the cabins adjacent to ours. We got into the train station at around 6AM and took a long winding bus ride to the village of Sapa. We drove through some amazing scenery, sharing a van with an Austrian, a couple from France and some Vietnemese. Along the way, the scenery was breathtaking. We drovethrough lush valleys, with rows and rows of rice terraces lining the hillsides. We began to see signs of the indigenous populations working alongside the roads, carrying baskets of good or working in the fields. The bus ride was about 2 hours, with slight interruptions provided by one passenger getting car sick, and a quick roadblock provided by some of the cattle that roam around the villages. Once arrived in Sapa we got a great room with a view over the mountains ($4), and are now planning our day in hopes of seeing as much of the area as possible. I'm looking forward to being out of the bustle of Hanoi and relaxing.