Monday 27th February

Lao Cai and Sapa (the tour that never was)........The Sao Viet bus enters Lao Cao around 4 am. It’s maybe 10-15c and motorcycle taxi driver huddle around open fires in the bus station car park. As the bus practically empties at the company’s office I am aware there is a border crossing point here into China and it may well be that many are heading home after a visit to Hanoi. I enquire about transport to Sapa. I’m told to stay on the bus with just a few more people in relative comfort. Not knowing what will happen next I stay awake but it will be before 5.45 am that I will be told to wait in the booking office. Just before 6 am I transfer to another bus. The company has consolidated its passengers for Sapa from the various overnight services. As dawn breaks the bus heads up the valley deep into the …… mountains. At this point the visual of terraced rice paddies and hill tribe villages against a backdrop of spectacular scenery should present itself. It doesn’t. Instead just fleeting glimpses of the valley below through swirling cloud and mist are insufficient to arouse any interest. I get a little more sleep. As I awake the tour bus is deep in the cloud belt, visibility not much more than 100 metres. Headlights blare as buses, trucks, cars and the odd motorbike wind their way through the steep gorges of the Vietnamese highlands. Destination is just ahead but offers little respite as temperatures plummet. Once outside the bus breath condenses into vapour leaving a trail of steam. It’s barely 5c. The accommodation I select is typically unheated but I settle down for more sleep. It’s much to cold to roam the streets.
Rolling the Dice........Back in Cat Ba town I rolled the dice and left its comfort seeking adventure. The gamble seems to have failed. Just a couple of days before Sapa was bathed in sunshine but now I face a dilemma; sit tight and hope for improvement in the weather or move on. In the afternoon two unfortunate events are about to play their cruel hand. By the days end my North Vietnam Tour is all but over. There will be no more adventures this tour: No motorbike rides into the mountains exploring natural, historical and cultural sites as I intended and no more uplifting reports in support which have become a feature of this website. At the same time his travel log cannot close until I am safely back at my base in Bangkok. However unpleasant its content however boring the log must continue to function. I open my laptop to get input which would help me decide my next movement. The operating system crashes as if it too has given up in disgust at the conditions. I have flogged it mercilessly for years but now it seems I have lost my best friend. (Cont on Page 10)