> From what you say, it doesn't sound like Sapa a must-see area,
> although I get the impression from tour books that it is.
>
> Would you say that it's better to go by private van between Hanoi and
> Sapa? My wife prefers to avoid trains; she doesn't like the motion.
It all depends on what you've seen in the past. The destination
features markets and hilltribe villages. Not to say, if you've seen
one you've seen them all. I don't believe that, but I do think you
must weigh the cost of traveling there verses what the tourist benefit
is. And I don't consider the cost to be cost in dollars so much as
cost in time.
You mentioned that you've been to Yangon, did you travel to Heho (Inle
Lake) and some of the villages around that area. Or have you seen the
hilltribes in Northern Thailand?
The villages in Thailand have electricity, most with running water,
TV's, and they have an array of goods to sell the tourist. In Myanmar
they may have no electricity and water from a well. Tourist are there
but not by the bus load.
Sapa hilltribes are somewhere between these two, but more like
Myanmar. Not too many tourist. The Sunday market at Bac Ha was of the
largest I've ever seen. There was everything from household items to
horses and dogs. Not much for sale that you or I would want. That
makes a good market in my book.
I think the drive down from Sapa took around 8 hours, mostly down
hill. The road isn't bad, only 2 lanes, so passing trucks can be nerve
wracking, like most developing countries. Expect the drive to take
longer going.
That said, it a days travel in each direction, or overnight by train.
The good part about the train is it is over night, so you don't waste
a day on the road. But the bad part about the train is it is over
night, you don't get to see anything.
Geno
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