Not Approved by LP

Back in a wet and misty Sapa for which it is so famous for.  Even the colour of the valley and rice paddies now just a memory as the field have been cut and a winter feel taking hold.  Paradoxically this is the time when the foreign tourists starting to come.

Left Diem Bien Phu for Lau Chau.  If the state of the bus is any guide to the journey ahead, this was a good test and proved to be the case.  A knackered looking thing but proved most adept at high speed around the mountain bends.  The first part of the journey very rough and dusty, the area very poor and not a lot to see.  Then did improve with a surprising amount of forests on the hillsides and fairly coulourful.  But like here, as the rice is cut then they burn the stalks and all you get is smoked filled valleys and little colour.

After Muong Ley the driver insisted I sit at the front to enjoy the scenery, not something I normally choose in Vietnam, in fact as far back as possible is my choice.  And it wasn’t a good start as within minutes flames flared up as the electrics caught fire, taking an oil can and rubbish with it.  Amusingly the first thing the driver checked after repairs was the horn as we always joke is it possible to drive in Vietnam without a horn.Then 2 further delays for landslides meant it was getting late and I guess the driver didn’t fancy a night ride in the mountains.  So for the next 3 hours it was foot down, hold on tight, blow that horn and tear around those mountain bends.  In fairness the driver knew every bump and bend and was very good but would have made a great video just watching him drive with the amount of movement he was putting in, arms flying everywhere as he battled the steering wheel.  Made it to Lao Chau in the dark but was an impressive effort.

Next day it was over the mountains which I climbed a few weeks ago and still looked equally impressive.  This time the driver was extremely cautious, not surprising given the tortuous never ending hairpin bends.  But the views somewhat lost in the clouds but nice enough.  But it was sad to see at one tight bend,  police and motorcyclists standing at a point where the barrier had been taken out and someone had obviously just gone over and the driver used the word for “foreigner”, a timely warning of what can happen.

Tomorrow head off to BacHa.

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