Sapa -Day 1 (strolling) and 2 (Fansipan)

Train station - Lao Cao at 5am; slight chaos. We had a very enjoyable train journey to Lao Cao from Hanoi (8 hours). We boarded a bus to Sapa at 7am. It is beautiful country with terraced rice patties, and jagged peaks. The road to Sapa was a little precarious, with precipitous drop offs, and only a thin barricade  between the road, and the valley floor far below. Thank goodness Kathryn slept through the bus ride.

One the morning of our arrival, went for a stroll, and captured school children playing happily

Much farming in Sapa. Almost every house we passed had a garden

We walked through a field of roses.

There is a central lake in Sapa. The hotels dominate the waterfront. We were quite fortunate on this day, as the sun made an appearance, and the fog/mist/cloud abated.

A lone pine-looking tree

After much strolling, Kathryn settled into banana crepes, and a cappuccino in a lovely cafe on the main street.
Prior to our arrival in Sapa, Gordon had organized a guide for a summit of Fansipan (Vietnam's highest point). The plan was to summit in a single day, starting early, and hopefully home for dinner. Tour guides will only offer 2-3 day guided packages (food, camping etc), but it can be completed in a longish day (thank you to Mr. Nam for organizing this).

At the trail head. This beautiful building is the license/registration office for the park. Nothing quite so glamourous in Canada? Time - 6am.

The day looked promising; perhaps the sun would make an appearance

Gordon's guide on the trail ahead

Another beautiful image, with the fog/mist rising from the valley.

Climbing higher. The weather was looking very promising. Was hopeful this weather would hold, as from the summit of Fansipan, one is able to see both China and Laos. The peak to the left (in the cloud) is Fansipan

Into the alpine, and out from the rainforest below

Sadly, this was the last photograph before we were shrouded in cloud.

Shortly after summiting (11am), the skies opened, and the rain fell steadily through the decent. Was fortunate, to get half the climb in good weather. It was chilly at the summit (2 degrees celsius), relatively speaking. Was stoked to summit the highest peak in Vietnam, despite my appearance.