26/06/13
After the terrible nights sleep I had I was pounced upon by a minibus driver wanting my money (the train only takes you to Lao Cai 38km from Sapa). I knocked his original price down to 40% but it was still $10. When we arrived I couldn't find the hostel I wanted to stay at so I ended up staying at the bus drivers hotel where he offered me a room for the same price as the hostel. After a cold shower I had a restless nap for a couple of hours until midday when I decided to explore the town. The thing I noticed first was how similar it was to Namche Bazar in Nepal. Sapa is situated at 1650m and Namche Bazaar is at 3440m but the actual layout and the atmosphere is similar. Both are perched on the hillside, totally developed for tourism, local hill people everywhere, every building is a outdoor gear shop, those that aren't are restaurants or hotels. I don't like either, everyone I have spoken to has said that Sapa is great, the best thing since sliced bread but I totally disagree, maybe if you get away from all the touristy bits it changes dramatically. I went into a cafe for some food but I physically couldn't eat the chocolate croissant I had bought. Not feeling great I booked a bus ticket back to Hanoi for the 28th, the bus was practically 1/3 of the price of the train ticket. After a little walk I went back to bed. Not my favourite day of travelling so far.
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