Sapa

Sapa is a gorgeous mountain village located in the far northern reaches of Vietnam, kilometers away from the border with China. Sapa is most famously known for the numerous ethnic villages located around it, in which many of the people still don traditional wear and live traditional lifestyles. We arrived in Sapa after taking an overnight train up from Hanoi. The train was a welcome and more comfortable change from the usual overnight buses (which often left us sore and grumpy in the morning). We spent a day exploring Sapa-Mark and Sarah went to visit a neighboring village near by, while I did a bit of shopping in the local market. We also hiked up to a nice viewpoint in the town (see photo below of Mark and Sarah)

Mark on the streets of Sapa

In the afternoon we booked a hiking tour and we were off hiking the next day! Our guide was a wonderful 17 year old Hmong woman named Mo who spoke nearly perfect English. We were accompanied on the trek by two Danish women as well, Maria and Seena. Since Sapa is up in the mountains, everyone terraces the land for rice paddies. The technique makes for an absolutely stunning landscape. We were lucky and had two clear days hiking across the mountains and had breathtaking views of the rice fields.

The crew-Mo in front, Sarah in pink and Lindsay right behind Sarah