We arrived into Lao cai at 5.30am and were awaited by a driver with our names on it. The drive up to Sapa was a long and windy road. The boys were sick most of the journey up, hence it wasn’t the most pleasant bus ride.
We arrived at our hotel and the boys were knackered so we let them sleep in until around 9.30am at which point we started to think about what to do for the rest of the day.
We ended up getting in touch with our new Spanish friends and going out with one of the Muong ladies who took us on a tour to her village, which didn’t end up being her village but just A village – Lao Chai.
We walked down the mountain for ages and ages. It took at least 2 hours if not more! Unfortunately it has been quite foggy and so the view has been limited.
Travelling with kids when doing long hikes can be tiresome as one ends up having to carry them either because they’re tired or to try and walk a little faster.
We did not spend a long time at Lao Chai as we got there just after 3pm and had a late lunch. It would have been nice to stay and see more villages but the sun was about to set in an hour and we still needed to get back. We managed to get someone to take all 9 of us (including the guide girl) in the one car!!
Once home we chilled out and met up again in the evening with our friends for a drink and dinner. We had western food and unfortunately I don’t think this is all that great in Vietnam. They’re not very good at cooking the foreign foods and they charge you around triple the price that you would pay for just local street food. But alas, thankfully my pizza was good.
The local cooking is good value for money, whilst the western food is priced for tourists. If you’re tired of rice and Pho then this will hit the spot – just pricier, but even then, it’s cheaper than back home.
