Good Morning Blog Fans

Good Morning Blog Fans,
here we are in Sapa, it's the Vietnamese Alps and such a pretty place. I have been writing this blog in my head for hours with all the funniest anecdotes you could imagine but as I just ran to the loo they seemd to have left me with the same haste as last nights dinner. Sarah bless her was afflicted with a similar problem that managed to keep us both awake for the majority of the night although hers was aural. She is still convalessing horizontally while I on the other hand was up with the morning chorus, which in Vietnam happens to be the most outrageous cocophany of car bus truck and scooter horns. It's not on the scale of Hanoi but it's equally annoying.
Now to the description of Sapa; Brighton comes straight to mind, let your mind drift and imagine the stoney beach waves crashing, the pier. Move on to the lanes for some shopping and a coffee preparing yourself for the evening in the pub with the customary pub grub and then on to the world renowned "Gay friendly" nightlife that has only one UK rival (London) then back to the hotel or guest house for what is left of the night for some well earned sleep.
Well Sapa is nothing like that at all it is a beautifull serene landscape that has Indo China's highest peak and an untold number of various tribes of "village people" (ok a bit like Brighton) who will greet you will a toothless smile and a "Hello" followed quickly by "Where you from" then "Whats your name" lastly the most important line of them all is "You Buy From Me".
Sarah and I have adopted the alias's of "Far" and "Cough" the rest I will leave for you to work out. This place really is a welcome break from the hustle and pollution of Hanoi although we both absolutely loved Hanoi. The air is crisp and clean and the scenery is breathtaking we have a view from our room that looks down a valley onto the mountains or big bumps in the far off distance. The slopes of the hills are a patchwork of terraced rice paddy and a glorious green canopy above. I was reading that one of the villages uses almost exclusively hemp for there clothing and weaving and their houses, shacks or homes but so far there is no evidence of any other use. (Nudge Nudge Wink Wink)
The Journey here, well what a palava. Two questions were on our minds train or bus? Both take when all is said and done take approximatly 12 hours give or take. Apparently you can't sleep on either due to the noise and the train cost ten times more than the bus. Surprise, surprise we opted for the bus. I have come to the conclusion that the bus travels overnight because if it didn't there would be thousands of stranded tourists in Sapa, because if they could all see exactly what was going on there would be absolutely no way that they would get on the bloody thing to go back. We had a very excelent driver whose guide dog seemed to do most of the work as the driver had both hands on the horn for the entire journey. We traversed mountain roads at a speed that would have left Jenson Button and Louis Hamilton seething with envy! We were overtaking on blind bends the like of which would not be seen at F1 Monte Carlo on roads that mountain goats feared to tread. We were obliged to part company with our footwear upon entry to the bus and walk on a type of mattin to our seats that had the consistancy of broken glass. Fortunately the bus was not overcrowded (wondering why???? NOT) so we had a double seat each, Sarah drawing the short straw was accompanied by a traveller who joined the bus about 2 hours after we got on in Hanoi and proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach for the next 10 hours inot a never ending supply of carrier bags which he appeared to be collecting and saving for some reason known soley to him.
7.30 am our arrival in Sapa devoid of the will to live we were shunted off of the bus to the welcome of Hello where you from etc etc. I am forced now to wonder when and if these people sleep as they are the last thing we see at night and the very first in the morning.
Let the search begin!!!! For a hotel room that is, we had done our "Lonely Planet" stuff and internet stuff and tried to be as well prepared as possible. We were soon to be joined by the Hello, where you from? you look at my hotel tribe.(Just Shoot Me)
For those of you that don't know me that well I am not usually at my best first thing in the morning and add into the mix a bus journey straight from a night with Freddy Cruger and a night without sleep and you have awoken the primevil monster in me. Sarah drags me quickly into a coffee shop for some much needed peace and a cup of the most delicious coffee ever made. After this burst of liquid energy we are off and we found the room with a view, it's wonderfull. Having said this we still can't quite work out why there is an 11pm curfiew but it doesn't matter as I am early to bed and early to rise these days.
Yesterday we had our adventure heads on so went to explore a nearby village. Cat Cat village is located in a park reserve and very picturesk. Cat Cat village is also at the bottom of a very bendy windy trail perhaps about 1000 meters below the level where we started from. Around every bend there was a new incredible vista, the wow facter was in the red zone. At the very bottom was the village next to a beautifull waterfall and some ice cold paddling pools which my weary feet availed thenselves of. If I only knew how weary my feet were about to get; Oh my God the treck back up this hill!!! A near verticle climb that nearly was my demise, was it ever going to end??????? Once at the top again and a litre of water that didn't touch the sides and "Hello, where you from?" My reply being down there!!! and my name is "Far" and her name is "Cough" leave us alone!!!
I should take me aching bones up to the room now blog fans to check on the well being of the love of my life, in the vein hope that by some miracle I can ease her suffering and that a shower might ease mine.
As usual please forgive my grammer and spelling as the spell check is like us two having a bit of an off day.

Take care blog fans and may all your winters be short ones!

Chris