Sorry this entry took so long but I chose the most difficult part of the trip to write about and, unlike Brian and Ashley, I have a job I had to get back to before I had time to write.
Sapa (An alpine village built in lush green mountains by the French to escape the Vietnam heat) was an overnight train ride away from Hanoi. We had a sleeper car with all the necessities (surly woman selling beer, strange Asian snacks, good euchre table, questionable bedding and some fake flowers which are everywhere in Vietnam despite the fact that anything could grow anywhere here). The train ride ended at a station just 3km from the Chinese border which seems like a missed opportunity for some shenanigans. We had only an hour long bus ride in a misty morning before reaching Sapa. The first half hour was gorgeous. Then our trip changed drastically.
Our minibus came around a bend in the wet and narrow roads to find another minibus that had just passed us, carrying about twenty locals, smashed up badly. It had been hit hard on the side by an oncoming truck. "OH MY GOD!"
I don't think details are really necessary but I also can't imagine leaving it out of our travel tales. There were some very seriously injured people on that bus and one fatality. Luckily we had some great people on our bus. We acted quickly and i like to think that lives we saved because of some our actions. My thoughts go out to the people still healing from their injuries and I'm very proud of the people on our bus for all the help that they gave that morning.
(Okay deep breath)
First beer in Sapa: 8 am
Luckily we had scheduled early plans for the day. A guide and 6 or 7 Black Hmong women met us in front of our hotel for a trek to their village about 6 km away. Our healing from an awful morning began immediately. Despite the cold, the scenery of theses terraced mountains was amazing and the Hmong women were more so. They're beautiful, their clothes are beautiful and they're funny as hell. The little girl you see in our pictures is named Kazoo.
through a tour company we had scheduled stuff for the following day but decided to skip the big Sunday market because it was a 6 hr round trip bus ride and none of us wanted anything to do with road travel for as long as we could put it off. Instead, the four of us spent our time searching out the few restaurants with fireplaces, playing cards, and finding the most effective way to use the strange Chinese space heaters that made all the lights in the hotel flicker. We also showed Ashley a Trottier family tradition. Demonstrating which one of us could be more stubborn and difficult. Ashley passed the very difficult test of seeing that saga work back to a loving reconciliation. Well done Johnson.
Northwestern Vietnam was unforgettable. Good and bad, but I would definitely go back. It challenged the four of us but I think we came away stronger both individually and as a group.
About a week later Nicole and I started heading home with a short stop in Tokyo. I'll save you from most of the details because this is not my blog, but a few things have to be mentioned.
1)Fly Japanese Airlines. Beautiful stewardesses that perform multiple mid flight costume changes, free booze or beer, decent food and the "bird's eye cam".
2)I got to stay in a Tokyo Four Seasons (Ha Ha!) thanks Nicole
3)A story for the Stubby fans out there (for you readers unfamiliar with Stubby, that is my left index finger that was trimmed down to 2/3 scale by a snowblower way back when). When you enter customs in Japan you are required to have your picture taken and you're digitally fingerprinted. As instructed, I placed my index fingers in the machine. The digital screen then showed pictures of normal index fingers but with a huge red X over the one on the left side and a loud alarm sounded. The customs woman looked up startled like this had never happened before. I proudly produced stubby for her inspection and eventually she decided, it was apparent she was very embarrassed about the whole incident, we should opt for a different finger. Worry not for Stubby, he's a proud finger.
I loved my short time in Asia. Thanks for having us Brian and Ash.
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