March 7

We were up early to catch the bus at 6:30 for Sapa. It was raining when we left Hanoi. The trip took 5 1/2 hrs with two pee stops. Once we got off the highway and the last part to Sapa took about an hr. It was quite harrowing with a narrow windy road, large buses and trucks, cars and motorbikes. There were either none or very small rail guards. And just after we headed up the mountain the fog was in and out which made it even more nerve wracking.  By the time we got to Sapa it was so foggy we couldn't see any landmarks to figure out where our hotel was. We wandered along a few streets, right up to the restaurant doors to try and get an idea of where we were. It was frustrating because the fog also made it cold and wet.  After about a half hour we finally hit the right street but still had to walk nearly to the door to see the name. Ron finally found a landmark....the stone church  The hotel was fantastic. We had a great room and the people were so welcoming. They couldn't do enough for us. We decided to explore the town. The fog was drifting in and out from horrendously thick to you could see 50 meters. But now we had a map so felt a little more confident. We were still cold and wet but we found a funky bar....we were the only ones in it. Tequila it was to try and warm ourselves a bit.  We went to the local market where we saw the patterns from one of the local tribe clothes for sale. They are amazingly colourful. I was tempted to buy something but fought the urge. After a bit of rest and warm up in the hotel we went for dinner. They had 2 for 1 drinks and I had the most "interesting" mojito I had ever had...made with lemons and lemon cordial with a few mint leaves on top. And an equally perplexing chicken sandwich...lol