Sapa

The train arrived at Lào Cai station at about 5am and I'd only slept about two hours. I stumbled next door to a cafe and had a coffee followed by a bowl of phở. At about 8am I felt like I had snapped out of zombie mode and asked the staff about renting a motorbike. They got their friend to come by with a bike and although I definitely over-paid, it was convenient and I just wanted to get on the road. I bought my return ticket to Hanoi for Friday night and rented the bike for the three days.

Stupidly I'd taken my large bag with me, so I had it balanced on the back of the bike but it was easy enough. Within minutes of leaving the city, I was surrounded by gorgeous mountains and treated to fun winding roads all the way to Sapa. It only took about 45 minutes. I quickly found a cheap hotel, had a rest and some food and got back on the bike to explore. I headed east and enjoyed more of the glorious mountain views and famous terraced rice fields.

The weather got clearer as the day went on but I was struggling with the lack of sleep so didn't get to enjoy it for as long as I wanted to. I had an afternoon nap and then went out for a posh dinner (for one) with a big glass of red wine.

Sapa is a lovely town with a relaxed atmosphere. It reminds me of Dalat.