A Fete in Bangkok

Prepared April 20 and 22, 2012, the Red Sea en route and in port Safaga, Egypt

Note:  Images to be added after return to Kona, May 2, 2012.

March 25, 26 and 27, 2012, Bangkok, Thailand:  Yes, Eloise, There is a Shangri-La

After an uneventful flight from Hanoi, we arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, cleared immigration, picked up our luggage, passed through customs, and were met by our A&K guide in the airport's reception hall.  Then, it was into a van for the 30-minute drive to the Shangri-La Hotel on the Chao Phraya River in the very heart of Bangkok (at least tourist-Bangkok).  The drive only took 30 minutes because it was Sunday.  On a workday, it could have taken an hour or more.

Because we have been in Bangkok so many times, there was very little tourist talk.  The guide did tell us about the after effects of the monsoon flooding that occurred in October and November of 2011.  It was the worst flooding in Bangkok's recent history.  Both the driver's and guide's homes were made unliveable by the flooding, and they had been relocated to a Red Cross shelter, living there since November.  Government support, other than the shelters, has been limited to about US$25 per person, period.  The strain of being driven from their homes and living in shelters has proven too much for the elderly, and many have sickened and died.  Our guide's mother recently passed away, mainly from illness related to stress caused by the flooding.  Although the water levels have returned to normal, there are still problems with clean-up and reconstruction.

Arriving at the Shangri-La Hotel, we were escorted by the duty host to our room, and checked-in.  Our room was in the new Krungthep Wing and was way too POSH, with a view of the Chao Phraya River and the Somdet Phrachao Taksin Bridge.  In the near-melting heat of dry-season Bangkok, it was a real pleasure to stand by the window and watch river traffic from an air-conditioned room.  Note:  Environmental awareness has not affected the Thai tendency to confuse air conditioning with refrigeration, so every inside space in the city is super-cooled to polar bear comfortable.

View of the Chao Phraya River from the Shangri-La

Since we had flown in from Hanoi, we arrived before our fellow World Cruisers, because the Silver Whisper was to dock at Klong Toey Port at 12:00pm.  Passengers could not leave the Silver Whisper on reserved buses until mid-afternoon, arriving to check in at the Shangri-La about 2:30pm.  We were reunited at an afternoon high tea with all our Silversea friends.  Everyone told us what had happened on the ship, while we described our off-ship tour in Vietnam.  Basically, they reported that the Silver Whisper had spent a vast majority of the six days that we were ashore, sailing (from Ha Long Bay to Chan May/Hue, and Nha Trang, along the coast of Vietnam) in a South China Sea fog bank.  On the other hand,  Bangkok, well into its hot/dry season, was sunny and very hot.

For the 60-plus of us on the World Cruise, the evening began at 5:30pm with cocktails. Arriving at 6:00pm, J and E made a big dent in the club soda, while most of our fellow travellers did the same to the champagne.  A multi-course,Thai-themed dinner was served at 7:00pm in The Garden Gallery, and was followed by traditional Thai Classical dancers.  We thought that both dinner and dancers were excellent.

Jerry and Eloise at Dinner, Thai Style

Photo by Norman Rafelson

Thai Classical Dance Troop

Sleeping in on the morning of the 26th, we finished breakfast from a large buffett about  9:30am.  J & E had agreed to join Don and Kat on a special shopping expedition to find fabric for a quilting project in which Kat participates at home.  Checking with the concierge, we were directed to walk a short distance from the hotel to a street of tailor shops near Wat Suanphlu, which specialize in suits and dresses made within 24 hours.  Luckily, it was a very short distance, because by 10:00am, central Bangkok was already an oven.  We found an Indian tailor, who was just opening and was glad to sell us shirting fabric.  The whole time, however, he was eyeing Don and J sizing them up for suits.  Never happened!  We shortened the trip back to the Shangri-La by using another entrance and walking for about 15 minutes through the hotel's various lobbies, connecting passageways, and arcades.  In Bangkok, climate consists of outside "fry," and inside "freeze."  We decided that freeze was much better than fry.

Checking out of the hotel at 12:00 noon, we took the shuttle back to the Silver Whisper at about 12:30pm, arrived at Klong Toey Port at 1:30pm.  It was good to be back on the ship, and after unpacking, largely done by E (J has been declared packing/unpacking challenged), we rested the remainder of the afternoon and were in bed early.  We seemed to need more sleep to help recover from the past seven days' adventures, which had been very strenuous compared with the cruising life aboard the Silver Whisper.

Decorative Stone Inscription -- Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok

The next day, Tuesday, March 27, we were to sail at 4:00pm, giving us a short day in Bangkok.  We took the 9:30am shuttle bus into the Central World ("The Largest Lifestyle Shopping Destination in Bangkok") arriving at about 10:15am -- not bad timing for Bangkok traffic on a work day.  It seems to us that Bangkok traffic is less congested now that the Skyway is fully operational.  But, it may just be optimistic observation.  The Central World is probably most famous as the shopping center that the Thai Yellow Shirt demonstrators tried to burn down in 2009.  After walking around this eight-level temple to manon, we are not sure whether we were saddened or pleased by the failure of their arson attempt.  Anyway, it is now totally restored and back in business selling things.  We, of course, followed in the cult of the shopper and purchased.  But, not too much -- cards, the new John Burdett novel, "Vulture Peak," and only one thing from Jim Thompson.  J called this a lucky escape!  Of course our friend, the Hotel Director Norman, captured some of our shopping center time on camera.

Shopping at Jim Thompson, Central World, Bangkok

Photo by Norman Rafelson

We returned about 1:00pm to the ship for lunch, and a nap.  Later in the afternoon, we watched the ship get underway for its two-hour transit down the Chao Phraya River to the Gulf of Thailand.  Then, it was south to the resort island of Ko Sui, and a day at the beach for those who like "fun in the sun" (not us).

Buddhist Temple, Chao Phraya River Bank

New Bridge Over Chao Phraya River

Vietnam: Part 4

Dear Reader:  Because we are returning to Kona in a few days, we will upload images for this post after we return on May 2, 2012.


Prepared April 16 and 19, 2012, the Gulf of Oman and Red Sea en route, Safaga, Egypt


March 23 and 24,  2012, Sapa, Lao Cai, and Hanoi, Vietnam:  The Night Train to Hanoi

Having recovered from our day's touring with a nap and tea, we, well mostly E, packed our bags, and at 6:00pm we checked out of the Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa, collected our box lunch (or would it be dinner?), climbed back into the SUV, and started down the mountain road to Lao Cai.  We were headed for the Lao Cai Train Station to take the "Victoria Express" along the Red River valley to Hanoi.  By the time we neared Lao Cai, darkness had fallen, but the route was the same that we had traveled the day before.  Arriving in Lao Cai at about 7:00pm, we were taken to what appeared to be a very inactive, local hotel and were seated in the lobby.  The hotel bordered the same plaza where the Lao Cai Train Station is located.

The reason for the visit to the hotel lobby was that Lao Cai Station did not open for passenger boarding until 8:30pm, and for the Victoria Express train at 9:00pm.  On the 207mi (333km) route between Lao Cai and Hanoi, passenger trains (at least express trains) seem to run only at night, leaving Lao Cai and Hanoi in the evening and arriving at the opposite end of the route in the early morning (~5:00am).  Also, the Victoria Express is not like the E&O Bangkok-to-Singapore train, but two private cars, which are attached to the 9:30pm Vietnam National Railways (VNR) express train to Hanoi.

So, we sat in the abandoned, marble lobby of a spookily quiet Lao Cai hotel, and with our guide, Thuan, shared our excellent box lunch -- ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit, pastries, etc.  Finally, at 9:00pm sharp, the Station gates opened, and we boarded the Victoria Express car for the trip to Hanoi.  The Victoria Express special rail car was, in fact, not that special.  It was a standard VNR sleeper car that had been renovated, repainted, and a fancy bathroom added outside our compartment by removing an end unit.  Nice, but not the E&O.  Our compartment was intended to sleep four with two pull-down bunk beds, but A&K, our travel agent, had booked an entire compartment for the two of us.  (No bunk beds, thank you, A&K!)

By the time we boarded, our side-by-side lower bunk beds were already made up.  Since we did not want to go to bed immediately, we sat on the edge of the beds and played cards, Spite and Malice, which E won (as usual).  The train departed exactly on schedule, and after we moved out of the Station and into the darkness, there was nothing to see from the compartment window except the occasional light.  After giving up on cards, we decided to go to bed; it is fortunate that neither J or E are over 5'6" tall, because anyone taller would have had a difficult time fitting into the bed.  As long as you were shortish, they were comfortable!

The 7 hour 40 minute trip to Hanoi (~27mph) was smooth, and there were a minimum of stops.  At 4:30am, the car steward  woke us with coffee (Nestle Instant).  We arrived on time at 5:10am at the Hanoi Railways Station on Le Duan Street.  Thuan was there to meet us when we stepped down from the train with our luggage; he had been on the train in another car.  Originally, we were scheduled to go for a pho (noodle) breakfast at a local restaurant, but by mutual consent, we agreed to have the car take us to the Metropole Hotel, where we checked in and had breakfast in the Club Lounge.  (Enough ethnic is enough, sometimes.)   We had survived the night train to Hanoi with very little wear except for a lack of sleep.

March 24 and 25, 2012, Hanoi, Vietnam:  Hanoi Revisited

Finishing our early light breakfast at about 6:00am, we were escorted to our room and shown its amenities, of which there are too many to mention.  Then, it was a hot shower, and a long morning nap to make up for the sleep that was lost on the train.  When we finally awoke and got organized, we went down to the Club Lounge for a second breakfast.  Yes, a second breakfast!

Since J and E had lived on-and-off in Hanoi from 1997 to 1999, we decided to just do a walking tour of part of the old city near the Hotel Metropole, and visit two museums, the Museum of Vietnamese Revolution and the National Museum of Vietnamese History.  After a couple of false starts (J's directional sense failing completely), we found the museums, which were located only a block or two from the hotel.  Getting lost is a good way to turn a short walk into a longer walk.

The Museum of Vietnamese Revolution is located in a restored, French-built government office building.  It contains 29 separate exhibition halls displaying artifacts of the Vietnamese uprisings against French colonialism, the wars of independence and reunification against the French and Americans, and the nation-building efforts since 1975.  Materials displayed are a small portion of the collection which is, in effect, the Vietnamese national archives.

Because the museum was closed from 11:30am to 1:30pm, we selected certain galleries to visit and concentrated most of our time on viewing materials from the French period up to the victory at Dien Bien Phu.  Early exhibits documented the nearly continuous uprisings against the French in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.  Many later exhibits complemented what we had seen at the Dien Bien Phu battlefield and provided more material on the political background to the fighting that was not described at Dien Bien Phu.  There is a great picture of "Tricky Dick" Nixon touring Dien Bien Phu's fortified camp in February 1954 with the French Expeditionary Force's brass hats.  Proving once again that losers stick together!  Promptly at 11:30am, we were escorted from the museum by the staff.  Vietnamese do  not miss lunch -- museum visitors or no museum visitors!

We walked across the street to the National Museum of Vietnamese History.  Breaking with Vietnamese tradition, they do not observe the two- hour lunch break.  The building was purpose-built as a museum by the French in th 1920s and is a very attractive structure.  It's collections are essentially archaelogical and anthropological and are very well-displayed and captioned in three languages -- Vietnamese, English, and French.  We spent about two hours viewing the collections, which included a number of exceptional pieces from Vietnam's pre-French colonial periods, especially Cham and the early Vietnamese kingdoms.  A special exhibit in honor of the Year of the Dragon (2012) featured gold artifacts from the museum and on loan to it that contained dragon images.  It was a world-class display.

On our way back to the hotel, we walked past the restored, late-19th Century, French-built Opera House.  Across the street from the Opera House is the newly-constructed building for the Vietnamese Stock Exchange; final touches were being added as we passed--installation of a mini-bull.  Probably, it is a mini-bull because they are only expecting small bull markets.  When we reached the hotel, we decided to have hair cuts -- they are too expensive on the ship - however, at the hotel, they were about what we pay in Kona, not cheap!  And, J went for a massage to see if this would relieve the pain in his leg after the previous day's 250 steps experience.  Actually, it did help a great deal.  Then, there was lunch in the Club Lounge and a short nap.

Our next walking tour was one of our favorites in Hanoi.  An evening stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter.  It is a great place to observe the local scene:  Young lovers, couples with small children, old soldiers, retirees, pets walking owners, all come here to take the air.  In the center of the lake is a small tower dedicated to the spirit who lives in the lake and guards Vietnam.  At the south end of the lake is the  Ngoc Son Temple, where many people come to make offerings and pray for good luck.  Walking at a moderate pace and following the sidewalk around the lake, it took us about 45 minutes to complete the circuit.

The Old Quarter and surrounding part of Hanoi has not greatly changed in 15 years.  Most new construction has been intentionally located in other areas outside the built-up portions of the older Vietnamese and French quarters.  This gives older areas a much more uniquely Vietnamese feeling than the new, high-rise developments, which could be anywhere in Asia or for that matter anywhere in the world.

Returning to our hotel, we played cards and packed for our flight the next morning to Bangkok.  At 6:00am, we were awakened, ate breakfast, and checked out of the Hotel Metropole.  Our guide and driver picked us up at 7:00am, and we arrived at Noi Bai Airport by 7:45am in plenty of time for the 9:30am Vietnam Airlines flight to Bangkok.  In Bangkok we were to rejoin the Silversea World Cruise contingent for a special event at the Shangri-La Hotel.  However, the luxury and urban excitement of our old friend Bangkok would not compare to the historical insights and natural beauty of northwestern Vietnam, which we had experienced over the last few days.

Vietnam: Part 3

Prepared April 11, 2012, the Arabian (Persian) Gulf in Port, Fujairah, UAE and April 14, 2012, Khasab, Oman

March 22  2012, Sapa, Vietnam:  Weekly Market and Lao Cai

Another early start; we were up at 7:00am and after breakfast on the road toward Lao Cai by 7:30am.  The major project of the day was to visit an ethnic minority weekly market about 75 miles (120km) from Sapa near the Chinese border at a small village called Lung Khau Nhin.  Here, we would be able to see a number of ethnic groups and the kinds of activities that take place at the market.  But, first we had to get there.

At 5,250ft (1,600m), Sapa was shrouded in fog and mist, and you could not see more than a few feet beyond the hood of the SUV.  Down the two-lane mountain road we went, toward Lao Cai.  By the time we were about half-way down the mountain at 2,500ft (750m), the fog had lifted and visibility had greatly improved.  Lao Cai is 22mi (35km) down the mountain in the Red River (Song Hong) Valley and is on the border with China's Yunnan Province.  We crossed the Red River bridge at Lao Cai and turned north on National Route 40, which parallels the Vietnamese side of the border in a tributary of the Red River.  (Our guide pointed out Chinese border guards on a ridge line along the opposite side of the stream.)  At Muong Khuong, we left Route 40 just before it ended at the Chinese border and turned east on a provincial road.  This road climbed into the mountains and along the ridge line for approximately 20mi (32km) until we reached the village of Lung Khau Nhin.

Red River Bridge at Lao Cai

The weekly market at Lung Khau Nhin takes place along both sides of the only road as it passes through the village.  Although there is an open-sided, roofed market building, it is mainly given over to commercially-made soft goods (clothes, blankets, etc.) from China.  The real market is on the street, where every type of item is sold.  A number of the local ethnic groups were represented, both as vendors and buyers,  including the Black H'mong, Flower H'mong, Lung, and Man.  (Ethnic groups in Vietnam are identified by the predominant color of the women's costumes -- leave it to the French!)

The Weekly Market at Lung Khau Nhin

One interesting aspect of the market was the trading of pack ponies and water buffalo; also, the electric utility bills were paid on market day, and the payment queue, or lack thereof, gave one the impression that the price was subject to negotiation, or at least a great deal of loud complaint.   (Sadly, automatic payment by computer does not give one the opportunity to call an employee of the utility company a dumb SOB, while surrounded by many of your friends and neighbors.  J thinks it would be a very stress-relieving activity.)  There are also strange delicacies being prepared for sale and food stalls for both men and women, who, it seems, do not eat together in public.  The market was a beehive of activity.  We spent about an hour and a half wandering around and looking at everything; we did not buy anything, therefore keeping the local economy free of international economic contamination.

Paying the Electric Bill

This is the Famous Circular Queue

Women's Food Stall

Men's Food Stall

Pony/Buffalo Market in Background

The Local Fabric Shop

The Super Market

Last Chance for Watermelon

The Other Super Market

Watermelon -- No Problem!

Hats, Many Hats

Pots and Pans in Metal or Plastic

Back in the SUV, we proceeded down the mountain and returned to the district town of Muong Khuong, where we stopped for lunch at a newly-opened tourist restaurant (Build it and they will come!).  While we ate our delicious box lunches prepared by the hotel, our guide and driver enjoyed fresh local dishes.  We think that they may have had the best deal.  Finishing lunch, we were back in the SUV for the drive to Lao Cai.  The agricultural area between Muong Khuong and Lao Cai supports commercial plantations of both tea and pineapple.  On the hillsides along the road toward Lao Cai, large acreages are given over to both crops.

Pineapple Plantations Near Lao Cai

Eat you heart out Mr. Dole!

Picking Tea

Lao Cai is the provincial capital of Lao Cai Province, and the largest city in northwest Vietnam.  Its location on the Yunnan, China border and its railway links to Kunming, China make it a major trading center -- foodstuffs from Vietnam for manufactured goods from China.  The physical boundary is the bridge that crosses a tributary of the Red River between Lao Cai and the Chinese city of Hai Chau.  Locals from both sides seem to be able to cross without a great deal of hassle.  According to our guide, they only need to have a valid national ID card.  At both ends of the bridge, both countries have erected monumental gates, but on the Vietnamese side, there is a small traveler's temple, which is very attractive.  Viewing the bridge-crossing from the park along the Vietnamese side, we were impressed with the amount of traffic moving both ways across the border.  (Another indication that nothing improves international relations like greed!)

Welcome to China

Welcome to Vietnam

Traveler's Temple, Lao Cai, Vietnam

Having completed our all-too-brief visit to Lao Cai, we drove back up the mountain to Sapa, and the Victoria Sapa Resort, where we spent the late afternoon relaxing and looking at the rabbits in the children's play area.  The resort had four rabbits which E was very fond of watching.  We had tea and returned to our suite to read and rest for our next adventure in Sapa.

E's Favorite Rabbits

Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa

March 23, 2012, Sapa, Vietnam:  The 250 Steps

Having enjoyed a late wakeup (8:00am) and large buffet breakfast, our guide and driver took us to a dropoff point above the mountain village of Cat Cat for a "trek" down the mountain, through the village, and then up the mountain to rejoin our driver -- the 250 steps.  The Cat Cat Tourism Area includes the Hmong village of Cat Cat and the surrounding area where the Dzay minority lives.  Walking through the area is on improved stone steps.  There is almost no level ground.

Cat Cat is a government tourist destination, and an admission price is paid to enter the area.  Our guide, Thuan, went to the ticket booth to get the tickets, and we noticed when he returned that he was quite agitated.  When we asked why, he told us that he had been coming here for ten years and paying admission fees which were intended to help the Hmong  and Dzay;  however, in the ten years that he has been bringing visitors, he has not seen any evidence of improvements for local people (new schools, clinics, etc.).  So, he told off the person in the ticket booth, pointing out the lack of facilities and accusing him and his "higher-ups" of taking the money to buy cars and other personal things (which he himself had witnessed).  In general, they were behaving like criminals, he said.  We were somewhat taken aback by his candor and accusations about the official corruption that seems to be fairly widespread in Vietnam.  Even more so, because Thuan seemed to us a fairly-orthodox, Vietnamese follower of the Government's policies.  But, he was definitely up-in-arms over the corruption and diversion of Government funds for personal use.

We carried on.  The upper part of the path down the mountain was filled with tourist handicraft/curio shops of all kinds.  Those shops were in front of the local people's homes.  Some of the homes contained fabric-dying vats and others were a blacksmith shop as well as an art gallery and curio shop.  Most of the tourists were Vietnamese from the Red River Valley, so there was a great deal of curio buying.

The Stone Path to Curioville

Terraced Rice, Water Buffalo - View from the Stone Path

Water Control at the Blacksmith Shop

Tourists.  What Tourists? Oh, Bore!

The path itself was a series of non-AIA approved steps of various pitches and widths, so it kept you awake or got you injured, and it was steep.  When you were not surrounded by shops and houses, there were views of the farm life and paddy fields, as well as the mist-filled valley.  All in all, it was a very iconic presentation of life in an ethnic, mountain village.  At the bottom of the valley was a stream with a waterfall.  Nearby, there was an old, French-built hydroelectric station which had been converted into a theater for ethnic music and dance.  (A new hydroelectric station now provides power to Sapa and the valley.)  We attended a traditional dance performance at the theater, which was a good way to rest and prepare ourselves for the walk out of the valley and up the mountain.

The walk up the mountain was, as you would expect, more of a trial than the walk down.  With a very deliberate pace and two rest stops, we made it to the ridge line.  We were offered pillion rides on 50cc motorbikes for the last one-third of the way up, but after considering which would most likely cause bodily harm, we stuck with walking.  At the ridge line road, our smiling driver was waiting.  (He was smiling because he didn't have to make the trek.)  Also, that number of 250 steps is misleading.  The more likely number is ~500 -- 250 steps down and 250 steps up!

The Waterfall at Bottom of the Path

The Bridge and the Stream

It is all up-hill from here!

After a brief rest, it was into the SUV and back up the road to Sapa, about fifteen minutes.  Along the road were a number of old French mansions, which seemed to be in various states of disrepair.  Sapa had originally been a French hill station, were the colonials came to escape the summer heat and humidity of the Red River Valley, where Hanoi is located.  Thuan said that most of the French mansions had been "torn down" by the Chinese when they occupied Sapa during the Chinese/Vietnamese incident of 1979.  As a consequence, the "destruction" added to the ill will between the Chinese and Vietnamese.

Back in Sapa, we had lunch at a local restaurant, with Thuan doing the ordering.  The food was excellent, most of the dishes being vegetarian.  We then walked for about an hour through Sapa, spending most of our time in the town's large, covered market.  J, of course, had to buy the obligatory map t-shirt.  Then, it was back to the Victoria Resort, a hot shower, nice long nap, and tea.  This was in preparation for our return to Hanoi on the Victoria Express -- the night-train to Hanoi.

Shop Houses, Sapa, Vietnam

French Period Gas Street Light, Sapa

Strange Things to Eat, Market, Sapa

E's Favorite Calla Lillies, Market, Sapa

French Era Catholic Church, Sapa

One Last Walk Up Hill to the Sapa Resort!

Vietnam: Part 2

Prepared April 9 and 10, 2012, the Arabian Sea en route, Fujairah, UAE


March 21, 2012, Dien Bien Phu to Sapa:  The Road Trip from Hell

Northwest Vietnam from Dien Bien Phu to Sapa

Ending a night of unwanted karaoke and disco, compliments of the Muong Thanh Dien Bien Hotel, was a 6:30am wake-up alarm, quick breakfast, and checkout for the 233 mile (375km) road trip to Sapa.  The luggage was loaded, and we drove almost due north on National Route 12 toward Phong Tho, 99 miles (160km) north of Dien Bien Phu.  (Route 12 follows the alignment of roads and trails that were major supply lines for the Vietnamese Army during the attack on Dien Bien Phu.  Even on currently-improved roads, the trip is a vivid insight into the huge logistic effort the Vietnamese made to supply their troops.)  Traveling to the north end of the Dien Bien Phu valley in a light mist and fog, which eventually cleared, we began to climb up to the first of four passes that we would cross to reach Phong Tho.

The Muong Thanh Dien Bien Hotel

Home of Karaoke and Disco in Dien Bien Phu

Goodbye Yard Art Dragon

Yard art suitable for McMansion or other tasteless dwellings.

As we entered the first pass, it became clear why we had an all-wheel drive, beefed-up vehicle.  The good, two-lane road in the valley degenerated into a lane and one-half road of marginal quality, and the road cut often was impacted by landslides.  Further, large sections of the road were being reconstructed and/or relocated because of hydroelectric development in the valleys along the route.  This also explained why Tang, the driver, said it would take ten hours to reach Sapa (22mph!).

Lowland Valley Terraced Paddy Rice

Leaving the Valley Lowlands

We climbed up to the passes, then down to the new road cuts constructed into the side of the mountains, passing through major villages of Muong Cha, Muong Lav, Nam Cay, finally reaching Phong Tho, about  10 miles (16km) from the border with Yunnan, China at Pa  Nam Cum.  This entire area is mainly settled by ethnic minority people -- Thai, Hmong, Dau, etc.  Vietnamese are largely confined to the larger towns, such as Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau, Sapa, and Lao Cai.  Earlier, settlement had been concentrated in the valleys.  With hydroelectric projects, many people were relocated by the government  into larger village sites.

Hydroelectric Power Plant Under Construction

There are small minority settlements and homesteads along the road, and slash-and-burn agriculture is widely practiced on the hillsides.  Only at very high elevations and on extremely steep slopes do you see much native forest, although there are reforestation projects underway along the entire route.  Another sign of development is the widespread availability of electric power.  It seems that no matter how isolated the homestead or village, if it is accessible by road, there is power.  (Some villages and areas in this region are only accessible by pack ponies.)

Highland Settlement with Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

Since the 1970s, the mountains of northwest Vietnam have yielded more new species of flora and fauna than any other region in the world.  We saw a sample of this when some local boys tried to sell us a critter.  We had never seen anything like it, and until we get back to Kona and J can forward the image to the Smithsonian, it remains (at least to us) an unidentified critter.  In the market in Sapa, we also saw a number of pelts of animals that were unknown to us.

Name this Critter!

Song Bird For Sale Beside Road

Seller wanted VND 5,000,000 - NO DEAL!

This was not a road trip for napping - white knuckles, yes, but no napping!  (If you napped, you would not have time to pray before you died.) After crossing numerous land slides and driving on partially-completed road beds, we reached Phong Tho and stopped for lunch at the only restaurant deemed suitable for foreign tourists between Dien Bien Phu and Sapa.  Following our normal procedure, we asked our guide, Thuan, to order cooked, largely vegetarian, local dishes for us, and the food was not only excellent, but passed the 24 hour test. (If you are not sick within 24 hours, you are safe.)  Then, it was back in the SUV, and turning south on National Route 40, we passed Lai Chau, Tam Duong, then over the pass at Phan Si Pang Mountain (10, 328ft/3148m) and into Sapa at 5,250ft (1,600m), arriving about 6:00pm (total elapsed time ~12 hours).   Much of the last part of the drive over the pass between Tam Duong and Sapa was in light rain and fog.  Although the road was an improved, two- lane highway which even had guardrails, the intermittent rain and fog reduced visibility so the trip remained exciting.   This was not a boring road trip at anytime!

There Was A Road Here

Aftermath of a recent landslide

Express Bus -- We Took Turns

Over That Edge Is Where Mistakes Go

Our route north along Highway 12 and southeast to Sapa on Highway 40 followed one of a number of roads, trails, paths, and waterways used by the Vietnamese to supply their army fighting at Dien Bien Phu.  The difficulty and dangers posed to the tens of thousands of Vietnamese who drove trucks, pushed bicycles, rowed sampans, or manually pulled guns and ammunition along this route can only be dimly glimpsed from our drive, but there is no doubt that they faced nearly as many dangers as the troops on the battle lines at Dien Bien Phu.

National Route 40 Near Sapa

We arrived at Sapa, and proceeded to the Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa, where we were checked into a suite.  Having started the day at the Muong Thanh Dien Bien Hotel, followed by the road-trip-from-hell,  the Victoria Sapa was paradise.  We had tea and cakes, long luxurious hot baths to soothe the jarred and bounced body, and a wonderful night's sleep in the cool, if damp, night air of Sapa, where we would spend the next two days.

Sapa From the Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa

Welcome to the Sapa Resort and Spa

A bouquet of E's favorites -- Calla Lillies