Apr 26-29 2024 |
Details on section 7 of my north Vietnam journey from Coc Pai to Sa Pa, with details about my stay in Sa Pa.
False start
Getting out of Coc Pai I had a Google Maps experience one does not want to have. It showed 2 routes out of town, both to the same destination. I followed the one Google prioritized, a dirt road through some stunning views and hill-tribe villages. After 30 minutes I was instructed to turn - but there was no road there. I tried to find a route in the same direction, but it was a maze of paths up or down a steep mountain-side, so I gave up and rode back to Coc Pai. If I could have figured it out, this looked like it would have been a good ride.
Coc Pai to Pho Lu via Lung Pinh Market on DT153
Back in Coc Pai, I got on the proper route out of town - a very good one, featuring an amazing windy road, little traffic and the standard incredible views. Lung Pinh Market is at a junction where you turn south, a place where the local hill tribe people meet and sell their wares. It's worth a stop.
Not far on from the market, I came to a police roadblock and asked to do a breathalyzer test. Given it was 11:00 am, I had no issue with this. The timing makes sense: in Vietnam I saw many groups of men drinking rice wine or beer (at breakfast).
Pho Lu to Sa Pa on DT152
This is a truly exceptional stretch of road, one of the best I rode in Vietnam. From Pho Lu you enter some serious mountain terrain. Further up the road, I entered a town I thought must be Sa Pa given that the setting was so incredible - but it was not. Stunning high mountain scenery and excellent switch-back riding. The last hour into Sa Pa is a valley of rice terraces and some of the highest mountains in Vietnam.
Sa Pa
After one week in small towns in north Vietnam, I was looking forward to getting to Sa Pa, a renowned tourist destination, a place where I could get some decent pizza and whatnot. Sa Pa was ok, but it didn't live up to expectations.
The town is in an amazing setting on a mountainside with Fangipan, the highest mountain in continental SE Asia, looming over it. Sa Pa is full of local and international tourists, many from nearby China, and even numerous Filipinos. Sa Pa must be an "it" place these days.
Sa Pa has many hilltribe people from different group. One highlight of my stay was seeing a parade of different minority folks going by. That was cool, but at the same time, it felt a bit staged. One glaring problem is poverty, especially the large number of kids begging or selling wares.
There were a few highlights to Sa Pa. The first guesthouse I stayed at, Tung Mai Hotel, was superb - big windows, super bright, great location, nice management, one of whom spoke perfect English (the second place I stayed, Sap Sunrise Guesthouse, was not good for me). Sa Pa is great for shopping for outdoor gear with decent top-brand counterfeit goods from China and Vietnam ( I bought a pair of Salomon shoes for $30).
And the biggest highlight of my stay in Sa Pa was Nha Nghi Thien Phuong Banh Mi Bakery, where I ate many times. Truly exceptional.
I planned to stay 2 days in Sa Pa, but ended up staying 3 - and that was one day too many. Overall the good pizza, breakfast and whatnot did not materialize, and the hordes of tourists and sad state of minority folks didn't do much for me.
Ride: 138 km / 5 hrs
Stay: Tung Mai Hotel, $ 15 / 5/5
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