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Sapa Trekking - Cat Cat Village.
We slept well on the train last night, neither of us could be bothered to get up until the very last minute when the train reached the station at 5am! I really needed the loo but the staff had locked them just before the train stopped, I hoped it wasn't a long journey to Sapa town.
As we stepped off the train I went to grab the hotel tickets from Chris so I could start waving them about like the lady at the other station had told me to, but he just kept walking towards the exit! I kept asking him to stop but he wouldn't listen. How was the guide going to notice us?! Then as we walked out of the station Chris pointed at the large group of tourists standing by a big sign marked Summit hotel. We stood with the group while we waited for more tourists. I noticed one guy walking around waving his tickets in the air like an idiot lol that was almost me.
Once everyone was together we were driven to Sapa town hidden away in the mountains. It was very misty and we could just about see the mountains and rice paddies around us.
By now I was feeling desperate for the loo, I think the journey only took half hour but it felt a lot longer! When we finally arrived I ran through reception and up and down the hall ways looking for the toilets, there were no signs! Chris came walking through casually and told me they were in the restaurant after asking the receptionists. I didn't think about doing that! Thankfully I made it but I had to use the men's lol.
Once we were back in the reception we spoke to the hotels tour concierge. He explained our tour itinerary then told us to get breakfast and be back at 9am to meet our village guide. She was from the local village and would be taking us on our three kilometre trek to Cat Cat village. We were both very hungry so we didn't waste any time and headed straight back downstairs to the restaurant.
Breakfast was ok, it was buffet style with lots of bread, jam, egg and noodles. We both took advantage of the free food, Chris had five pancakes! We felt stuffed on our walk. The weather had brightened up and the mist had cleared some more. We still couldn't see the hills on the other side of the valley though, hopefully it would be even nicer tomorrow.
Still it was a pleasant walk and we saw some interesting things. At the beginning of the tour Chris went to stroke a dog. He let the dog sniff his hand first but then it suddenly tried to bite him! Chris jumped back and went to kick the dog (not violently, just to scare it away) but then it went for his foot. It was very funny, Chris ran away like a little girl lol. Our guide turned to him afterwards and warned him that the dogs weren't friendly here, unlike everywhere else we had been.
Some parts of the path were so narrow and led around really steep hills! At times I felt like a mountain goat trying to keep their balance! I could have done with another bamboo stick.
The walk took us up and down over the hills, we passed lots of little shops selling hand made clothing and souvenirs. Every time I went to look at something I was swamped by a lady offering me prices. I loved the jewellery and silk scarfs but I knew I wouldn't buy any of it. Chris always charged ahead to avoid the women, leaving me to fend for myself lol.
Some of the homes we visited had stuffed buffalo heads on display outside, we asked our guide if it meant anything. She said she didn't know, maybe for decoration. I could think of much nicer things to have on display lol. One of the shops had two stuffed Emus! They looked gross, but cool. Who would want a stuffed Emu in their home?!
When we reached the bottom of the valley, we visited a waterfall and watched a traditional dance by the local villagers. It was performed in an old hydro electric station. They wore brightly coloured clothing and used parasols as props. I liked the performance but Chris found it boring.
Once it finished we walked three kilometers back up to our hotel. We were very hungry so didn't even bother getting cleaned up before lunch. We had the option to do another trek to another waterfall but we were too tired. Plus it cost alot of money and we have seen plenty of waterfalls now, Oh and we knew we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow so instead we took a walk around town to find a jacket for me and a North Face bag for Chris. They seem to sell so much of the brand up here and at a really cheap price! I tried on a North Face jacket but hated it and Chris decided he didn't really need a new bag yet. It was nice to see the town though, well what we could actually see. The wind was blowing the mist through the town, it was so thick we couldn't see past five meters! The air felt very fresh and cold which was strange because we both expected it to feel damp. We decided to sit outside a small shop and have a beer while we watched the mist pass through and swallow us up, it looked like white smoke.
After another really tasty set menu for dinner we looked up hotels in Hong Kong. The rooms are a lot more expensive than we thought and now we know we should have booked in advance. It looks like we might have to pay over £150 just for a hostel room for a few nights! Oh well we will try looking again tomorrow morning.
Well we are going to sleep now, our room looks really nice but the mattress feels a bit knackered. My legs are already beginning to ache from today's trek! So unfit lol.
Charlotte & Chris
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