We took the night train to Sapa, and arrived at 7am in the morning. As soon as we arrived, we hired a motorbike and rode off into town. We quickly realized that the horn and the indicators didn’t work, which is quite dangerous in Vietnam traffic. Another problem was that there was only one place that sold petrol, and they refused to sell it to us at the price we had been told to expect at the motorbike rental place. A little frustrated, we returned and demanded a new bike. They tinkered with the bike and fixed the horn and indicators, and then rode off to get the petrol at the right price. Finally we were ready to explore the town!
Waterfalls and Village Wedding
After a long and bumpy ride over the terrible out-of-town roads, we arrived at a waterfall. It was a steep climb up the steps to the top, but the view was beautiful. 
We kept riding along the road, hoping to reach a hilltribe village. We rode for miles and miles with no civilization in sight, but the mountains and the valleys that we were riding through were absolutely spectacular! 
At one point, we rode so high in the mountains that we were in the clouds. We kept stopping, just to get a better look at the incredible views. The scenery that we saw there was worth the whole journey.
We rode through a small town that appeared to have some hilltribe people in it, but we kept riding as the signs indicated that a big town was only a few kilometers away. After reaching a crossroads, with signs indicating towns at least another 30 kilometers away, we decided to turn back. As we passed back through the little town we’d seen, we noticed that a group of tour buses had stopped. It turns out that there was a local wedding happening in the town, and the buses had stopped to see what was happening. 
The people in the town were thrilled to have visitors and posed for photos. They didn’t try to sell anything to us, they were just happy to have us there. Their traditional outfits were beautiful. Women of all ages wear them, and they look almost like school girls in them. The dresses are tunics, with colourful patterns, and they wear material wrapped around their lower legs, like knee-high socks. They have cylindrical hats and big silver hoop earrings. They look so dignified in them, and regardless of age, missing and coloured teeth, they look absolutely beautiful. 
H’mong Villages
After wandering 40kms away from Sapa on our last trip, we decided to get a proper map. We rode to the Cultural Village of Cat Cat. This village had a path paved throughout it so that tourists could trek through it for a fee. The village was huge and descended into a valley. There were little houses selling handmade craft and clothing and you were invited inside to have a look at the house itself. We stopped to have a look at a few, but the whole place felt more like a tourist park than a real village.
We rode further down the road to Sin Chai, but instead of passing through the entry gates, we just had a look from afar. This village looked more natural than the last, and there were animals everywhere along the road. All of the pigs’ bellies were so big that they reached the ground. We weren’t sure if they were all pregnant, or if some of them were just that fat. The houses looked similar to the last, and we were short on time, so we decided to head off to see another ethnic tribe.
Dzao Village
We were lucky to see a bus turning into the road leading to this village, as the road was tiny, and we probably would have missed it otherwise. We followed the bus, and stopped inside the village. We were immediately swarmed by local women. The women were dressed in big red turbans, and they wore baggy pants instead of skirts. Six of them dedicated themselves to us, and followed us as we wandered through the village. They asked a lot of questions about us, often asking the same question three times. One of the women spoke English really well. She was lovely, and she was carrying her two year old son on her back the entire time. 
They escorted us all the way to the caves, and let us get in without paying, just to have a look around. We didn’t have time to do the whole one hour journey through the caves. They mentioned that they wanted us to buy their wares, and we knew this was the point of their friendly escort.
When we got back to the entrance again, we agreed to look at what they were selling. As soon as we mentioned that, bags came out from all angles and things were waved in front of our eyes, with ‘Buy from me, buy from me’, ‘but you didn’t buy from me’. We tried to buy from the people who had been most helpful to us on the journey, and we especially appreciated the help of the lady who was carrying her son. She gave Loren a gift as we were leaving, it was a little bag. We wished her well and escaped from the eruption of handmade accessories.Bus - One Size Too Small
On the way back to train station, we were placed in a little minivan. We were comfortable and at the front with plenty of leg room. This is, until we made about another seven stops with another seven people and their enormous backpacks. There were 4 people squashed into the front seat, and backpacks on our legs up to the ceiling. The people at the back had a little breathing space, so I was sure we were going to pick up at least another four people. The buses here are not considered full until every inch of space is filled with a limb or a bag. 
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