Trekking In Sapa | GRRRL TRAVELER

Trekking Sapa via the mud trail

Filed under Great Outdoors, Trekking in Sapa by Christine Ka'aloa on September 8, 2010 at 5:58 pm {3 comments}

Day #8:
Falling asleep last night, to the sound of nature’s bugs and crickets felt relaxing. Nature noisy, but completely devoid of urban sounds. My rest was good, my mosquito net bedding was comfy and I was out the moment my head hit the pillow. Next morning we all gathered for breakfast– it came as a generous mound of pancakes, bananas and fruit!

By 10:30AM, a new wave of Hmong women and girls were perched, sewing, waiting, guarding their usual stake out… our guesthouse entrance. This was (more…)

Unforgettable Sapa: Hill Tribes & Homestays

Filed under Great Outdoors, Trekking in Sapa by Christine Ka'aloa on September 6, 2010 at 6:41 pm {7 comments}

Day #7

There must be a mistake, I thought. I went to the front desk of Emotion Hotel (aka Trekker’s Central) and asked why I would have another overnight stay in Sapa. While I really enjoyed Sapa, I was eager to experience the trekker’s high and unadulterated mountain-village life…

When push comes to shove and I fear I might not get my just way, I pull out “the New Yorker” in me (8 years in NYC taught me the degrees of “firm” to “jerk” I could be). I couldn’t claim a printed itinerary for proof (I (more…)

World’s Worst Toilets: Roadside Relief (Sapa, Vietnam)

Filed under Trekking in Sapa, World's Worst Toilets by Christine Ka'aloa on September 6, 2010 at 6:55 am {2 comments}

While on my Sapa trek, I wanted to take a pee break before we entered the gulf of the valley and into bush squatting territory. Our guide Kuh, led us to this local roadside rest stop to relieve ourselves. There was a low-cost entry fee to use this bathroom- just 1,000 VDN inserted into the plastic tip jar on the side of the door. Totally worth it! I thought. I’ve used public restrooms which charged for usage before… (more…)

Fear Factor Vietnam: Sapa Market, Vietnam

Filed under Fear Factor Foods, Off-beat, Weird... Reality! by Christine Ka'aloa on September 5, 2010 at 2:58 am {no comments}

Not far from my hotel, where D Phan Si Road off-shoots onto a smaller street, D Tue Tinh, you’ll find Sapa market. It’s a local market of tobacco, produce and meat and a bit of a spectacle for unsuspecting tourists, as you’ll be able to get a glimpse of the local delicacies that tempt the village palate. For vegans and vegetarians, you may not want to enter the meat section– it can feel pretty hardcore (Warning: If you are uneasy with seeing images of (more…)

Solo Vietnam: Exploring Sapa…Alone

Filed under Great Outdoors, SOLO TRAVEL by Christine Ka'aloa on September 2, 2010 at 12:32 pm {8 comments}

Day #6:
My train lurched in Lao Cai Station at 6 AM. I woke up from my deep sleep at around 5:55 AM! Wham! Just in time to stick a toothbrush in my mouth, while cramming my silk liner hurriedly into my day pack. Being a solo traveler separated from my trekking group, the last thing I wanted was to be the last one off the train and left! My Swiss roommates were further behind schedule than me, though. No one was prepared for a quick evacuation. Sleep was good, despite the violent rocking and intermittent screeching of wheels against the tracks.

The #1 disadvantage of solo travel:
Duh, I was alone. Filing off the train in a backpacker’s fog, I searched the sea of backpackers for “familiar” faces. Nothing. No one (more…)

Hanoi: Will you impress me? ( and my train to Sapa)

Filed under Hanoi, Trekking in Sapa by Christine Ka'aloa on September 2, 2010 at 5:14 am {4 comments}

My flight was only 20 minutes late, but the $8 Vietnam Airlines airport shuttle took over an hour. Here, reputable businesses are often replicated by scam businesses scouring ways to scoop clients by holding plagiarized signs. It was hard to trust I was boarding the correct shuttle van at the airport. Anyways, once in the Old Quarter in Hanoi, I’d board my trekking tour for Sapa! Night train to Sapa…oh, yeah! I was very excited.