12 to 13 November Hike through the mountains of Sapa

Unfortunately, I didn't have internet access and didn't have time to post any further entries yesterday, which is why the hike will now appear as a summary and today's post as a separate entry. Since these were mainly days of hiking, there are more photos (which I recommend viewing in landscape format on your phone) than text. Thank you for still finding your way to this entry despite the break, I am very happy about that.

The day before yesterday, we arrived in Sapa at 4am with the night bus from Hanoi and were fortunately able to sleep for a few more hours in the bus before heading to the starting point of our tour. There we were able to leave our large and somewhat unwieldy backpacks and pack everything necessary for an overnight stay in our day backpacks.

Off we went, and after a few minutes we left Sapa behind us and were surrounded by rice fields. These were terraced and covered both mountains that started from the valley, all the way to the horizon. The circular boundaries between the terraces created impressive views, and the sky with sunshine and clouds added the rest.

We were once again incredibly lucky with the weather, because it rained and was very foggy the day before our tour. The rain wouldn't have contributed to safety on the already slippery ground, and the fog would have spoiled the above photos. So thanks to the weatherman!

After about nine kilometers, we arrived at a small settlement where one of the local ethnic groups lived, and we all had lunch together at a large table with many different dishes. Some of the women had been accompanying us since Sapa, wearing their beautiful traditional clothes and carrying baskets on their backs. They sometimes chatted with us a little or made small figurines out of grass, which they gave to us as gifts.

After we were satisfied and strengthened, we continued through the village and got some insights into the local life. Pigs, chickens, cats, dogs, and buffaloes were running around everywhere, and almost all of them had offspring, which was especially fun to watch. However, it remained a mystery to me how the residents managed to distinguish their livestock from others. Maybe it's simply regulated that everything belongs to everyone, officially Vietnam is still socialist after all...

After a few more kilometers of relaxed hiking, we arrived at another, slightly larger village where our homestay was located. A homestay is an accommodation with a local family, where you cook and eat together and also offers a place to sleep. Once we arrived, we got to know the other people who stayed overnight with us and talked for some time. Andra and I also sat in a café in the late afternoon with fantastic views over the valley surrounded by mountains and enjoyed the sunset. However, we soon went back to the homestay to cook and eat. We sat together for a while, but then went to bed quite early, as we had had an eventful and exhausting but also very wonderful day.

The tour of the past few days has been and is an unforgettable experience. The green curved rice fields, the pigs, and the mountains of Sapa quickly found a place in my heart, and for me, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth that I have had the pleasure of seeing. Everyone should come here at least once to see and admire it with their own eyes, because sometimes telling just isn't enough.