From the City to the Hilltops

Hanoi really isnt as interesting of a city as Saigon. In terms of tourist attractions there are mainly just museums to visit and drinking to be done at night.

One of the museums I visited was the old French prison museum. The prison was built in the late 1800's by the French to house prisoners, with a focus on political activists.

The prison had displays that showed how prisoners were kept and treated during their stay at the prison. To be honest it really wasn't that interesting.

From here I went to the war museum. This had old war artefacts from past wars, with an obvious focus on the American/Vietnam war. Once more, this was more of the same from what I had seen in Saigon at the war remnants museum.

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After selling my bike, I was able to leave Hanoi, catching a bus up to Sa Pa in the country's north east. It was weird to be catching my first bus to a new town in a country that I'd been in over a month and seen so much! 

Sa Pa is stunning. The (now overly touristy) town is set in the mountains, almost above the clouds. The streets are lined with French colonial buildings, and hotels with stunning views aplenty. 

On the second day I went on a "trekking" tour to visit the more remote villages, rice terraces and just to see more of this incredible place. I joined my friend Rosie on this, going with a tour company she was recommended by a traveller she met. 

We started off by walking down the main road and taking a turn off onto a dirt track, into the national park area. I'll let the photos do the talking here . . . stunning. I cant imagine how much more beautiful this area would be in a few months time after the rice has started to grow and the whole area is lush with green. 

           

As part of the tour, we stayed at a home-stay with a local family. Unfortunately, due to the size of our group (eleven!), this didn't really have the homely feel that I have heard so much about from other travellers that have done similar. To make matters worse, it wasn't just our group staying at the home-stay, there were a total of about twenty tourists!

On the second day we walked a little further and caught a bus back to the Sa Pa town, about fifteen kilometres back. 

Instead of staying in the hostel I started in, looking at a concrete wall from an adjacent building out the window, I checked into a hotel. Split between Rosie and I we had a room with two single beds for the same price as a dorm with six. And the view was a little better . . . 

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The next day I hired a bike and went off exploring the surrounding areas of Sa Pa, including the waterfalls and the famous Tram Ton Pass.

After riding the Hai Van Pass and a decent chunk of the Ho Chi Minh trail I honestly didnt think that I was going to come across another road in Vietnam that would make my jaw drop. I was wrong.

The pass weaves through the mountains with mind-blowing scenery throughout, and great fun winding roads to put the bike through. I wish I still had my Win!