Finally, I made a trip out with my friends (without the kids) and it was so fun and relaxing, just to basically follow the crowd.
Transportation to/ from Sa Pa: Night Sleeper Bus (~S$20 per trip)
This was very exciting for me because I have never taken anything like this before. There are a few operators and we went with HK Buslines. The cabin was really clean and decently furnished with blankets, pillows, charging pods, massager and TV. I recommend them highly because I left my phone on my ride back and the team managed to retrieve my belongings within 4 hours.
Ideally, this can help save a hotel night stay (which is not very expensive to begin with). But, if you are a light sleeper, this would be terrible for you. When you reach Sa Pa, it would be in the wee mornings and you have to stay sharp the entire day. They don't really wake you up at your stop, so you would need to set your own alarm. There were toilet breaks but I slept soundly through them. Hehe.
Where to stay: Pistachio Hotel Sa Pa (~S$25 per pax after dividing by 4)
This is not the fanciest hotel in town, but is definitely clean and luxurious enough for me. Also, breakfast is complimentary. It is well located at the city center and we could walk up and there for our daily needs/ exploration/ meals. It has an infinity pool and you can catch this breathtaking view when the clouds clear. There is also a gym and massage services in-house. It is much cheaper at the streets (but gosh the hygiene is questionable).
*********************************************************************************
Day 1
Sa Pa Market
Day 1 started really early, way before the dawn crack. The first place we explored was the old town, along with the Sa Pa Market (which I insisted on going, thinking it was a supermarket). You can do a bit of shopping there, but the stuff sold was not what we were interested. You could find the must-tries there. Due to sanitary reason, we ended up only trying the Chestnut cake (banh hat de). It was not as sweet as we expected. I really love it but I find it difficult to bring home. My friends found it "ok".
We also bought their chilli (without trying) as a local strongly recommended as their staple. Now that I am back home and have tried it, I have to admit it is not really my thing. Too sour. If you are intending to buy tea, this might be a good place. Around the area, there is quite a bit of cafe, we just hopped in to the fanciest one for a nice cup of drip coffee.
Glass Bridge (~$25)
Our driver bought the tickets for us. But I felt if I had bought it at Klook ourselves, we would have gotten a better deal. Personally, I don't find this a must-go. We only came here because Day 1 was rainy and cloudy. Going to Fansipan was not advisable. The view was fantastic (but similar to Fansipan) and very different because of the mist. I couldn't see much beyond. It was like living in heaven.
For the adventurous, there were zip-lining, cycling on a zipline and crossing through a zipline and bridge crossing between mountain peaks. It is not very expensive, but I wouldn't think it is a experience only unique to Glass Bridge. If you like cheap, realistic counterfeits apparels, the retail is not to be missed.
The driver bought us to other places as well, but we were unimpressed and decided to have an early night instead.
*********************************************************************************
Day 2
Day 2 was nice and sunny and we decided to scale up Fansipan. Fansipan is actually a 2D1N hiking route, but we decided to go against it because we are not that fit. And being spoilt ladies, my friends and I probably wouldn't survive the outdoor dirty toilet. The whole Fansipan has been tailored for tourists. There was a lot of photo spots and the monorail was really cute too.
For people who are not as fit, you can also purchase the monorail + cable car tickets but climb mid-way. Also, be reminded to dress appropriately! It was pretty cold at the top, especially when the wind blows and I ended up wearing a winter jacket and tights within.
Fansipan is just here to catch all the tourist money. At the mid-point, there is also a cultural village with some cultural folk show. But we stayed focus. For me, I am just impressed with the height and how crazy people are to build a buddha and a mountain top. Just going up to pray (when the cable cars were not built) is just insane! The photos that I post are just a fraction of what I saw.
For me, Fansipan really lives up to its name as the must-visit of Sa Pa. Some of my own friends have hiked up. I think the view as you scale is not that impressive. There is also biking options. If you are a city dweller, just climbing up would exhaust you and you might not be able to fully enjoy the view or the little details of their structure. So, I am glad I picked the easy way up.
This is a favourite for me. It is basically dressing up as a tribal princess and living to my "Xiang-Fei in Huan Zhu Ge Ge" dreams. I didn't get the deal from Klook, just trying to make our guys' life easier. We just walked in and negotiated a deal for a pretty dress/ head gear and basically just went around taking lotsa photos. Our male friend was literally our photographer throughout. It is probably a guy's nightmare, though the whole place was really pretty in a curated way.
I paid a bit extra (US$5) to get a photo with the horse. You could also pay around US$2 to do a bow-and-arrow on the horse pose. No regrets on it for me, because I doubt I will ever have a chance to do it next time. And beauty fades...not sure if I will even look as good in the future. We stayed so late, we literally had to take their paid service out (~US$0.50)
*********************************************************************************
Day 3
Day 3 was pretty free and easy with a lot of cafe hopping (read all about the food we ate here!). This was a thrill ride we decided to throw in. This was not in our must-go list, but I absolutely love it. I went on it twice. And the second time (at half price) in the poring rain. I would suggest going through it at the fastest possible speed. Just tell the staff, so that they will make sure there is no one infront of you to block you. Not much scenery to see, cos beside it is just construction works. But the thrill is there. One of my friend freaked out. Well, I guess it is not for all :P Locals can enjoy a free ride!
I did a massage and red dao bath at a random street massage. And kinda of regretted it because of sanitary reason. There was a pungent smell on its massage bed. The lady boss kinda barged into my bath when I was stark naked. (Thank god as a Mum, I have no body shame now. In the past I might have cried.) So here's one experience I found on Klook which I think I would have thoroughly enjoyed and so would you if you are into herbs and having a local guide. :) In any case, I think the red dao shouldn't be missed. We thought it was an experience that could be easily found on the streets of Sa Pa. But apparently not, I wanted a Red Dao Soap as souvenir, but couldn't find any in Sa Pa City. And then it can sleeper night bus back to Vietnam :)
** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" when you book through Klook for a 5% Discount. Applicable to All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.
No comments:
Post a Comment