We started early on a Sunday morning for a drive to Sa Pa, in Lao Cai province in the northwest part of Vietnam. Sa Pa is a mountain town of about 30,000 that was the home of our guide, Thai, from 1997 to 2005. It was even more remote at that time. Now, it’s a tourist destination, with multiple hotels, restaurants and the ubiquitous massage places. Much of the growth has been in the last 15 years or so.

Most visitors are Asian. The Chinese are leaders because China is close, but Sa Pa also attracts other Vietnamese and visitors from elsewhere in Asia. Beyond oldsters like us taken to Sa Pa by Overseas Adventure Travel, the other Caucasian visitors seem to largely consist of the young backpacker set from around the world and the odd couple or two from France.

It was about a six hour or so ride from Hanoi, but that included a stop for lunch in the town of Lao Cai, which sits across from China. The countries are separated at that point by a stretch of the Red River. (Most of the several hundred mile Vietnam-China border is land-based.) The two countries fought a border war in this region in the late 70s but they now appear to have a decent relationship. Though I think Vietnam has some wariness towards China based on a long history and China’s current tendency to act like the big shot.

Before reaching Lao Cai we made a brief stop at the home of a cinnamon farmer, partly as a restroom break but also for another dose of local interaction, which is an OAT thing. It was interesting to see where that spice comes from — it’s tree bark. The wood itself gets turned into toothpicks and other small items. It’s a very narrow tree that can grow to maturity in about seven years and is harvestable in about five, according to our guide. So quite sustainable; the farm had saplings started. As farmers in the region go, these folks can earn a decent income.

Lunch at Lao Cai was an amusement because it was at a combined pizza parlor and Vietnamese restaurant. The pizzas were actually pretty good, though in part that may be a reflection of the fact that we have been in Asia for four weeks. Our last pizza was in Vientiane, also not bad, but it seems like ages ago.

Later we burned fake money and made other offerings to our ancestors. It’s something the Vietnamese do in advance of the Lunar New Year of Tet. You first take the paper offerings to a temple, say a prayer, then collect it to later burn it. Who is to say that is any weirder than practices in other belief systems?

Sa Pa itself is in the mountains at around 5,000 feet and driving the last leg was very foggy. The driver had a tough job on the narrow and winding road. I could see little outside of the window. We awoke to a fogged-in morning, but then it began to clear, revealing a lovely setting that reminded one of the Amalfi Coast or other mountainous regions, absent the ocean.

Our hotel here has been one of the nicest we’ve stayed it. OAT is not noted for booking high-end hotels. They are functional and can be comfortable, though this trip brought a real mixed bag. Pat will likely have more to say about that in the future.

Our main trip for the day was a trek down a mountain lane to a village in a valley. It started out overcast, sort of rainy and foggy, but it soon started to periodically clear. The sun even peaked out from time to time. It’s strange how waves of clouds and fog roll in and out quickly, but that is evidently the norm for these parts. We also enjoyed a nice walk around the town of Sa Pa in the afternoon.

Tomorrow we head back to Hanoi, stopping first at another local school (another OAT thing) and lunch again in Lao Cai. We have one more full day on Wednesday before flying out the next day. Originally it was supposed to be more or less an open day, but the six of us agreed it would be well spent on a trip to the famed Ha Long Bay, east of Hanoi. It should be good way to wrap up this long but enjoyable adventure.