Last Wednesday, we took a night train from Hanoi to Sapa. I was so excited when we got to our cabin and there were nice looking, albeit tiny beds, snacks, and red velvet curtains over the window. There are two bunk beds in each room, and we were assigned to the top and bottom beds of one. We sat on my bed watching TV, talking, and waiting excitedly to depart. Unfortunately, once our cabin-mates arrived, things began to go downhill. The two men spent the first part of the trip talking on their phones in Chinese and watching loud videos. They reeked of cigarette smoke, which was unfortunate because we had to sleep about 3 feet from them. Eventually, Robert climbed up to his bed and we turned out the lights hoping for a decent sleep. I drifted off briefly before being woken by the most thunderous snoring imaginable. The noise was so loud and intolerable, but this wasn’t the worst of it. Periodically, our roommate bolted upright and began yelling and mumbling in his sleep – we should have brought whatever sleeping pill he had. The train clattered and lurched as it made frequent, screeching stops. When we finally pulled into Sapa Station at 6am, we had never been more excited to leave a train. We piled into a van for an hour drive to Sapa town, where we had breakfast at a hostel and met our guide, Cheng. Cheng is a Hmong woman (a minority tribe in Vietnam, Laos, and parts of China) a few years older than us. We spent the day hiking with her through winding dirt roads and rice terraces, passing by dozens of water buffalo, pigs, chickens, ducks, and goats. We stopped for lunch and to warm up by the fire at a family’s home. It was drizzling and snowing on and off throughout the day, and so foggy that at times we couldn’t even see a few feet ahead. Cheng spoke English well (she taught herself), so we were able to learn a lot about her family and culture. The final stretch of the trek was down a very steep, muddy path that was due to be paved on a drier day. In the evening, we arrived at the homestay and were greeted by Mao and her husband (Cheng’s sister-in-law and brother) and some of their family members. They brought us tea, and we sat talking around the fire. A little while later, the other homestay guests arrived. We had a great conversation with them and realized we had a lot in common. Gadi and Nike are from Tel Aviv and have both traveled extensively. They became friends after meeting in India. Gadi left corporate law to work in startups, and Nike is a general surgery resident (and two-time Olympic sailor!). It was so fun to get to know them and exchange stories about the places we’ve traveled. At around 6pm (people go to bed and wake up very early), dinner was served. We sat around a long table with the family and some friends who were helping to build the house, and ate delicious home-cooked food. Everyone ate from a small bowl of rice, and we used chopsticks to add the spring rolls, chicken, green beans, mushrooms, and other meat and vegetable dishes on top. After dinner, Mao’s husband brought out a large plastic container of homemade rice wine, which the locals call “happy water,” and showed us a variety of games, all of which encouraged everyone to drink more. This also had the pleasant effect of making us less concerned that it was currently below freezing and the house didn’t have any heat. We got in bed under a massive heap of blankets and slept surprisingly well. The next morning, we decided to do the long trek (~13 miles) with Nike and Gadi. Cheng led the four of us through stunning rice paddies shrouded only partially by the fog. We got back to Mao’s house in the evening. There were many other guests that night. We had another delicious dinner, and sat around the fire talking until the last coals’ glow turned to smoke. Everyone was traveling solo or as a pair. There was a father and son from Canada, a woman from the Cayman Islands, a couple from Switzerland, a man from Germany, a couple from Malaysia, and a couple from Argentina, and of course, our Israeli friends Nike and Gadi. Most were in their 20s or 30s and had a variety of interesting careers – lawyer, chef/restaurant owner, biologist… The next morning, we went for our final hike with Nike and Cheng (Gadi went down by motorbike so he could explore the town for longer). We said goodbye to everyone, and boarded a bus back to Hanoi. Despite the cold and the difficulty of getting there, our time in the Hmong village with Mao’s family was one of our favorite travel experiences to date. The people we met (both our hosts and other travelers) were all so warm, funny, and interesting.
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