Lao Cai – A Happy Little Mistake.
My favorite part of traveling is often the product of mistakes I make on my part. Because more often than not, they tend to be some of the greatest parts of those trips that I go on.
I left from Hanoi fully intending on going to Sapa – an area of northern Vietnam with stunning mountains and crazy trekking adventures. I booked a hostel while in Hanoi, thinking it had been for a place in Sapa. And while I had read on their website that it was set outside of the town a bit, giving you a bit of a reprieve from the touristy parts of the city but far enough to require a taxi to get back, I didn’t know that it was an entirely separate town outside of Sapa – a solid thirty minute drive.
When I got to the bus station after taking a sleeper bus that night, I hailed a taxi driver and told him that I was staying at Ta Van Hostel. And as we drove, we kept driving further, and further, and further away from Sapa. To the point where I thought I had given him the wrong address. Turns out I didn’t, and I really was just that far out of the town.
Though this is where the “happy little mistake” part starts. Because the mountains were just as stunning, if not more so, than the ones in Sapa.And the best part? We had the place to ourselves. While there were other travelers amongst us, they’re not near the number in Sapa. Our treks through the mountain were oftentimes excursions where we passed nobody else, having the entire trail all to ourselves.And that’s saying something, as some days we hiked for as much as six hours.
The town was quiet, the hostel was more than accommodating, and I found that I lost myself in the hazy mountains that surrounded us.
Definitely the highlight of my trip thus far.
Day 1
Like I said, I had taken a sleeper bus into Sapa the night after Hanoi – a six hour trip that cost me $10 USD. Sleeper buses aren’t my favorite, by any means, but they’re convenient in that you don’t have to waste a day of travel and can start out in a new place at the start of the day.
Doesn’t make up for the fact that they also usually exhaust you.The sacrifices we make.I stayed at a place called Ta Van Hostel. And while I had read in reviews that it was run by a family of three, I hadn’t realized how much it would truly feel like I was staying in these people’s home – having them cook several meals a day for me and even setting up my transportation for me to head back to Sapa by the time my stay was over.
On the morning I left, my bus was set to leave from Sapa super early. I had anticipated having to grab breakfast later in the morning, as the kitchen wouldn’t open until eight. But to my surprise, the owner of the place woke up way earlier than she needed to so that she could make me breakfast and see to it that my taxi driver to the bus station showed up. “You need to eat!” she told me when I asked her why she was up so early.It actually felt more like a homestay than anything else. You can find the differences between hostels and homestays here.
The actual hostel room itself was fairly basic, but it did the trick. Staying in the same room as me were two women from the UK who I actually ended up spending the entire three days with, hiking most days with them and indulging in our fair share of Bai Hai Noi beer together.
I was sad to leave them.
That day, I decided to hike out to the western part of the village where I had been told there were some pretty stunning views. On my way towards the trail, I ran into several Sherpas offering to be my guide on the trail.
Now I wouldn’t say I’m a prideful person, but I thought for sure I could figure out a simple trail and that I wouldn’t need a guide to help me navigate it.
Turns out I was wrong. I kept trying to blow off a guide that was tagging along with me, confident that I could find my way without help. At the very first place where I needed to turn to get onto the trail (a rather obscure and unmarked entry point, I may add), the Sherpa kindly pointed me towards it. I would’ve missed it altogether.
Still, I thought I could navigate it by myself, a little annoyed that the Sherpa kept tagging along. But again, at the next fork in the road, I took the wrong one, only to have her point me in the right direction.
Needless to say, I actually kind of needed the guide for that particular hike. The trail wasn’t as easily marked, but the views and scenery it gave were stunning. At the end of the hike, she offered me some homemade goods that I bought as compensation for her helping me throughout the hike. In all, I spent $12 for the goods – which for a seven hour guided hike through the mountains of Lao Chai is pretty great…
I went to bed that night knowing the next day’s hike would probably be even better. Though it was hard to believe that could even be possible.
Day 2
Like I said, I’m not a prideful person, nor were my UK friends. But that day we were determined to hike up the mountain just south of us by ourselves. No help from anyone else. Just a few travelers tryna make their way up to the summit of a really tall friggen mountain.
And while I had discovered it a bit before then, this was the day I realized how much we really had the place to ourselves. We hiked for around six hours that day and passed only five other hikers the entire distance. The trail (we never got an actual name), was a lot better marked than the one the day previous and at the beginning was actually paved. But it soon turned to gravel, the incline ratcheting up, the air turning thicker as we slowly ventured our way into the clouds set around the middle part of the mountain.
What was the neatest part was when we actually scaled above the clouds, with nothing but the company of other mountaintops in our view, our breath catching as we viewed the amazing scenery around us.
Getting to the top of that mountain may rank in one of my top memories of life so far.
I didn’t want to leave.
Doing a bit of research later, we found the mountain had an altitude of 5,500 feet, one of the higher peaks in the area.
Not bad for someone who hasn’t worked out in several months.
I fell asleep (more like collapsed into bed) that night knowing what a truly incredible day it had been.
There are some unforgettable moments in life. That was one of them.
Day 3
Unsurprisingly, we were a bit tuckered out the next day, so we decided to lounge around a bit. One of the ladies from UK and I tried to go get massages - $12USD for a one and a half hour massage.
Can’t beat southeast Asian prices…
But in one of life’s greater teasing moments, the shop was open, but they didn’t have anyone available that day to do massages. I think that our aching muscles groaned louder than we did.
So instead we sat down at a coffee shop for a few hours, wandered down the road to another village for lunch, and eventually found ourselves at a place called The Local Bar.
Literally. That was it’s name. Can’t make this up.
We had been in the place earlier that day and had talked to the owner to see if he’d be open that night. Since Vietnam celebrates Tet for a week or so after that actual New Years Day, some places had had weird hours during our time there.
He told us he’d be open. So at seven that evening, we three foreigners walked into The Local Bar.Sounds like the start of a joke.
Looking around, we didn’t see anybody in the place. Not even the bartender. The music was playing, the lights were on, there were just no people.
So instead of leaving, we decided we’d make the most of it and start up a game of pool. Grabbing a few beers from the glass-fronted refrigerator at the end of the bar, we threw down the money for our drinks on the bar, collectively deciding that we would play nothing but 90’s music from their sound system.
The bartender came in about an hour later, telling us that he had been at dinner and that he had to leave again to a friend’s place for a bit. He told us the bar was ours and to have what we wanted.
Vietnamese hospitality truly is something.We ended the night jamming out to Spicegirls, Cher, Diana Ross, and all the other greats, taking in the cool Lao Chai night around us.
Couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my time in Vietnam.
Where I stayed: Ta Van Hostel
Pros:
An environment just like your own home.
Owners that make sure you feel comfortable and who arrange whatever accommodations you need.
Views from their common area that you wouldn’t believe.
Cons:
None.
Where I ate: Lucky Daisy, The Local Bar.