Perhaps the most fun city in my list so far! Greeted so warmly by the locals from the start of our train ride (Hanoi) all the way to the mountains. A small town, yet so much things to see and do. Having to only shorten the list to my favourite top 5 is tough! But here goes:
1. Trekking / village hopping. Most villages are reacheable via foot, but a good pair of walking / trekking shoe is a must. Due to its cold and damp weather, treks are usually muddy and slippery. Many touts along the way - buying from one, will attract more villagers to sell things to you. Beware, but do not hate them for it, as kids and mums come all the way from their villages to sell and support their families. The two more popular villages covered by us - Cat Cat Village & Black Mhong Village. Not forgetting our hike up to Ham Rong Mountain too.
2. Ride a bike along the villages & terraced paddy fields. Tried balancing a bike (not even riding yet), but failed miserably! The bike rental dude has offered to bring me around on his bike instead (totally daring of me to take the offer), but here I am, alive & safe, typing this post out. Due to its cold weather, my face was smashing against the cold breeze and lashes were covered with dew during the bike ride. Almost frozen!
3. Massage. The best therapy after all the trekking and walking. Many massage parlours to choose from, an hour leg massage is probably about RM20. Couldn't exactly remember the price. Not only the Thai(s) are good masseuse, Vietnamese too!
4. Explore the local markets. They have pretty interesting street foods and fresh produce. We had pho and Vietnamese Coffee drip, sharing tables with all kinds of tribes. An experience that is rare.
5. Eat barbecue meals by the streets. Extremely comforting to sit next to the hot barbecue pit in the cold and misty weather! (It's really misty at night, can hardly see the road) Then, head on to the warm and cosy Hill Station for a drink where there's live band!
Essentials when travelling to Sapa:
1. A pair of good hiking / trekking shoe. The locals at Sapa wear rubber slippers, which seemed to have more grip than my Nike shoe! haha! Almost bought one home to use as bathroom slippers.
2. Motion sickness pill. Very very important as the train journey to Lao Cai is about 10-12 hours. Upon arrival, it's about another hour journey by road to Sapa town. Popular for its terraced paddy fields, roads were very winding.
3. Wind breaker. Getting one with hood is important too as it can get drizzly up in the mountains.
3 others which we would have done given more time - 3 days trek up Fanispan Mountain, homestay at a village & Bac Ha market on a Sunday.
For the adventurous one, do book a standing train ticket! One way, at least. Truly an experience not to be missed. It was then, we fell in love with the super friendly locals.