Sapa, cont'd

Apparently we were a very slow group, since we arrived at the designated lunch site at least an hour later than usual. There was just so much to see along the way. When we arrived, instead of taking showers we all elected to go for a swim in the local "jacuzzi". They had built a bathing pool using water from a local hot spring, and sitting in there and looking at the surrounding mountains and village was just amazing. Definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in a jacuzzi.

After dinner Pet encouraged us to try the local rice wine, which most people brew themselves. It is very similar to Arak, which I drank in Borneo on my last trip. VERY potent, but otherwise not too bad. I would not care to drink more than a couple small glasses, however. The next morning we elected to walk to the local waterfall rather than trek to another tribe. After we returned, I managed to pick up the very sickly looking black cat I had been surreptitiously feeding under the table the night before. This was a huge mistake because a) she really didn't like being held and 2) she left black streaks all over my clothing, including my face. Any healthy cat worth her salt is an immaculate groomer, so clearly this one clearly was not so well off.

The trip back was really rather anticlimactic. We got dropped off in Lao Cai, spent a couple hours killing time at dinner, and headed out on the night train. The four of us were in the same sleeper cabin, this time a plush new one with beverage service. Not too bad. Today has been very lazy, with the primary goal of getting most of my clothes washed!! That, catching up on internet, and doing some last minute strolling around Hanoi before we head down south. The bus for Hue leaves this evening for the 14 hour journey. It'll be interesting to see how it compares to the train.