Yen Bay to Sa Pa.....
Left Yen Bai around 10:45am HOPING to hit Sapa before 5PM. Shouldn't have worried - made it there by 4! Rode around Sapa Town for an hour hunting for a hotel that wasn't totally scummy and was reasonably clean and also under 250,000 Dong / $12.50USD per night (the majority of hotels in Sapa haven't been cleaned since the French Occupation). Crashed at The Hotel Mimosa for a couple nights at 160,000VND / eight buxx per night (but no Mimosas in the morning)! Had wi-fi, a small fridge and TV (ya don't really need air-conditioning in Sapa at night at all).
Sapa prolly has thee most edible Western food in Viet Nam outside of Ho Chi Minh City, and a lasting French influence.....so a sauteed chicken breast with mustard sauce really brought me much happiness. Curry lamb at the Indian restaurant when I return to Sapa tomorrow night!
Man - there is something about not having to do your own cooking that I can really git into......
IF I had gotten delayed for whatever reason, I was gonna crash in Lao Cai (100 miles from Yen Bai), where there is a very welcoming hotel (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g737052-d1895948-Reviews-Phuong_Anh_Hotel_2-Lao_Cai_Lao_Cai_Province.html) and good hot and spicy Chinese food, but not much to see and do. Only things that come to mind are the Chinese Border (THAT story explained later) and a tiny-ass casino that doesn't allow you to drink for some reason (and I DO NOT patronize casinos where I cannot do BOTH, drink and smoke whilst fulfilling my gamblin' jones), but still, a decent place to take an overnight if need be.
Made it into The Mimosa around 5, grabbed a cheeseburger (a good one, too), a French Apple tart and a cuppa English Breakfast, then went out for a couple beers and then went to my room and died.....the ride from Yen Bai was only 125 miles....but it wasn't an easy 125 miles, thass for Goddamm sure.....
Fuckers don't want my (overvalued) Yankee Green tourist dollars?? Well....fine! Be that way......
The Chinese Border story and the quest to locate the H'Mong, Dao, Thai and other ethnic minorities.......
Tomorrow....
-E-
Left Yen Bai around 10:45am HOPING to hit Sapa before 5PM. Shouldn't have worried - made it there by 4! Rode around Sapa Town for an hour hunting for a hotel that wasn't totally scummy and was reasonably clean and also under 250,000 Dong / $12.50USD per night (the majority of hotels in Sapa haven't been cleaned since the French Occupation). Crashed at The Hotel Mimosa for a couple nights at 160,000VND / eight buxx per night (but no Mimosas in the morning)! Had wi-fi, a small fridge and TV (ya don't really need air-conditioning in Sapa at night at all).
Sapa prolly has thee most edible Western food in Viet Nam outside of Ho Chi Minh City, and a lasting French influence.....so a sauteed chicken breast with mustard sauce really brought me much happiness. Curry lamb at the Indian restaurant when I return to Sapa tomorrow night!
Man - there is something about not having to do your own cooking that I can really git into......
IF I had gotten delayed for whatever reason, I was gonna crash in Lao Cai (100 miles from Yen Bai), where there is a very welcoming hotel (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g737052-d1895948-Reviews-Phuong_Anh_Hotel_2-Lao_Cai_Lao_Cai_Province.html) and good hot and spicy Chinese food, but not much to see and do. Only things that come to mind are the Chinese Border (THAT story explained later) and a tiny-ass casino that doesn't allow you to drink for some reason (and I DO NOT patronize casinos where I cannot do BOTH, drink and smoke whilst fulfilling my gamblin' jones), but still, a decent place to take an overnight if need be.
Made it into The Mimosa around 5, grabbed a cheeseburger (a good one, too), a French Apple tart and a cuppa English Breakfast, then went out for a couple beers and then went to my room and died.....the ride from Yen Bai was only 125 miles....but it wasn't an easy 125 miles, thass for Goddamm sure.....
The Chinese Border story and the quest to locate the H'Mong, Dao, Thai and other ethnic minorities.......
Tomorrow....
-E-
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