Trekking Ta Van

I woke up around 5 am. There was no one else awake, so I made my way out front to sit on the porch and wake up like the cavemen used to wake up without coffee. I tried to take some photos then, but the overcast skies meant the pictures were not coming out well, so I enjoyed the morning and watching the village wake up. I listened as the roosters began making their calls in the morning while watching an occasional vehicle make its way up the road toward Sa Pa. Packs of dogs would run around chasing small critters they could find. One rooster even made a walk past where I was sitting. As 6 am came around, more of the villages started waking up and would be starting their day. Older villagers walking by gave me a smile and a wave. Around this time, the bees began to get more active as well. They would fly around flowers and soda cans that were left out, looking for sugar and leaving me alone.

Around 7 am, others began getting up, and the homestay owners started getting up and getting the tables set for breakfast. The travelers mostly sat around talking about the previous day’s experiences. Around 8 am, the homeowner put out coffee, and around 8:30, the family brought us pancakes for breakfast. The family's kids were running around waving to the foreigners and even sitting down to enjoy breakfast with us. It felt very welcoming and has felt like the most authentic experience I have had when it comes to a day in the life of a Vietnamese villager. Around 9:15, Zu was getting us together to go for our trek, and by 9:20, we were off. We started by heading toward the main road. The path was a steep decline walk. Then once on the street, it went immediately back uphill.

The realization is that most of this hike will be on uneven ground. As we walked through the town, shop owners were opening the shop, and kids were playing in the street. As we reached the top of the hill we were climbing, we saw a rooster strutting along, looking for tasty bugs. Zu enlightened us with possibly the most helpful information I have ever received. She said, “Ohhh, yes, that is one of the sun chickens.”

Parts of our hike involved walking through the patio areas of homes, where villagers would drive their motorbikes through the patio as well. The houses are built very short, with taller members of our group, like Remy having to duck below the ceiling.

Once the group reached the top of the hill we were climbing, we got some excellent photos of the surrounding village and rice terraces. Kiki attempted to pet one of the buffaloes, which had let her pet him before, but this time wanted nothing to do with it.

After a quick break at the top of the hill, we walked around the hill to the next one and began making our way up the next hill. Come to find out. The hills were just mountains. We continued on our path up and headed into the bamboo forest. Once inside the bamboo forest, the trail got very muddy and slick. With portions having bamboo laid down to help avoid sinking into the mud, but ultimately getting dirty shoes is unavoidable. The forest itself was pleasant and protected us from the sun for a bit. Omid took the opportunity to climb a couple of the bamboo trees to see how sturdy they were before we made our way up through a thick portion of the forest. Just to let you know, the bamboo was very sturdy.

Once we made it through the bamboo forest, we followed buffalo steps along the side of the rice terrace. These were just small steps made by the buffalo from walking up and down the mountain. With each step being about a 1-foot height difference, it was not an easy climb up a flight of stairs. As we got to the top, we paused for a short photo break before making it up to a main road, where we just happened to be greeted by a woman guiding her buffalo up the road. Zu told us that we had to go down the road but that if we wanted to go up to see, she would wait for us until we returned. As we made our way up the mountain, we saw a lone tree on a hill in the distance. After a quick photo, we made our way back down.

As we walked down the mountain, Zu led us along the road that was also very steep but easier than the buffalo steps.

As we reached a split in the road, Zu stopped to ask us if we wanted to take an easier path to walk through the town or the more difficult way back through the bamboo forest. After a quick show of hands, it was clear that most of us would rather go to the bamboo forest to avoid the villagers that would relentlessly follow us, asking, “Would you like shopping?”

The hike back was the same path we took back down, taking occasional breaks to rest and rehydrate. Once we got back to the homestay, we all sat down to talk about the highlights of our trek while they brought us out the lunch that we had ordered that morning. We were able to enjoy our lunch just before getting on a bus to go back to SaPa. Once we were in SaPa, most of the group took this opportunity to explore SaPa, and a couple of us relaxed in the hostel/coffee shop, waiting for the bus to arrive to take us back to Hanoi. Thankfully the sleeper bus to Hanoi was much more comfortable than the one taking us to SaPa. It gave us plenty of room with zero discomforts. Ok, that last part was a little sarcastic, but I really can’t complain. Remy, Kiki, and I had five beds for the 3 of us which allowed us a little more room than we expected, making the ride back more comfortable than we had expected.

Overall I have to say that if you are coming to Vietnam, you absolutely should find the time to book a trip to Sapa. I would recommend spending more time there than I did. A two day one night tour felt rushed, but if you want more luxury with your vacation, I would say skip the homestay and choose a hotel in SaPa where you can visit the village every day, and I am sure that there are villagers that will pick you up for trekking tours while you are there.