We got the
overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai which was an experience to say the least.
Through the frequent stops during the night to seeing our carriage conductor
passed out in a cupboard as a bed. I only dread to think what the food would’ve
been like. In all fairness, the cabins were pretty luxurious in comparison to
our previous accommodation and the train we could’ve got with no windows but
bars instead and wooden benches instead of beds; air conditioning, curtains
even a wee vase of flowers to give the cabin a bit of atmosphere. The journey
took 8hrs 30mins which flew by cause the vast majority of us slept the whole
thing and when we arrived in Lao Cai at 6:00am we were greeted with weather
similar to that of Donegal: drizzle, mist and a slight shiver in the air.
We began the
start of our 3 days of trekking at 10:00am the next day which was about 13km
going through different villages in the Sa Pa area. Our guide, Quong, told us all about the different minorities
living in the Sa Pa area and in the village of Cat Cat we visited a traditional
K’Mong House, which was a real eye opener. Over the trip we have come to miss
different things like cold water and cold air but these people live in the bare
minimum with animals, people and food all being in the same room 24/7. Along
the trek we met local villagers who trekked for a whole 6hrs with us just to
sell us their goods for a few dollars. Apart from a few near death experiences
like me nearly falling down a 200ft steep slope into a river the trek consisted
of breath taking scenery (Ed. Adam is a bit of an exaggerator) . The hills have
been terraced to farm mainly rice forming their staple diet. Other crops include marijuana which is
harvested for its hemp and not for smoking to make the clothing and bag products
the women are trying to sell to us. The
terraces go on for miles and miles and miles. The area is so vast and the way
the cloud roles in off the hills makes the Valley look like the set of Jurassic
Park.
Our first
day of trekking mainly consisted of contouring round the hills to our overnight
accommodation, a local Homestay. It was tough mainly due to the lack of sleep the
previous night, but nevertheless it was still very enjoyable apart from the
lack of communication between the front and the back with the leaders having to
wait 20mins (Ed. Like I said he is a bit of an exaggerator) before lunch before
the slow coaches at the back eventually caught up. Our lunch was yet again the
usual rice, chicken, morning glory and the awful tofu which is just so awful,
it’s like a failed attempt of food (Ed. He is also becoming a bit of a whinger
lol) . It was another 5km to our overnight home-stay where we yet again looked
at the mounting bowls of tofu in front of us. At this point Aaron’s whining hit
a new level (Ed. Perhaps our Adam is a little unaware of his whining J ), so we’ve decided to start a wee
thing called “Devine’s Whines” which is pretty much an accumulation of all the
little things that have annoyed him throughout the day so for Day 1 of trekking
there were 3 things: the state of the trails (they were a little too muddy for
his liking), a rash on his leg and the number of mosquitos in the home stay
(which he took over my bed to protect himself). If he can’t hack a simple 15km
trek in the open air, I can’t wait to see him on the 9hrs bus journey to Laos.
Stay tuned for more info on our trip and another article of “Devine’s Whines”.
Adam ‘The
Monster’ Eakin
No comments:
Post a Comment