Day 8: Night/ Day 9: Early Morning – Night Train 2 Sapa.

With a lite sprinkling of rain to remove the Hanoi heat and freshen the air we make our way to the Hanoi Railway Station. 10 pm sleeper booked for four on the night train to Sapa. Tickets booked we drag our bags across the train lines looking for Gate 7, our train awaits and the train attendant shows us our sleeper. Cosy beds, air conditioned caboose and designer slippers on the whistle blows and off into the darkness we go heading in the direction of the the Vietnamese Nort/West country side. A Cold Hanoi beer before lights out and we all lay in our beds watching the scenery pass by. 8 hours later and we have all slept well and we are woken by a knock on our door, we have arrived. Stepping off the train we are hit by the cold fresh air of the countryside, the pace is calm, trees abundant and the sky is bigger. Our driver is waiting for us and we pile into the mini bus, winding our way quickly up into the mountains we pass the layered rice fields, rivers, kids going to school, orchid plantations and scooters. After an hour of climbing we reach Sapa, a beautiful town perched in the mountains and we are dropped of at Sapa Dragon Hotel Ghttp://www.sapadragonhotel.com/ greeted with amazing hospitality we are given hot towels, herbal tea and a stunning breakfast. Our room is beautiful. Stay tuned for the Day 9 Sapa adventures.