on the road again

Sorry for the blog hiatus. I was away for the weekend in Sapa. Sapa is a beautiful place in the mountains of Northern Vietnam where a large population of ethnic minority people live. It was a magical weekend for which I left my computer in Hanoi and was completely unplugged for several days. The only electronics I had with me: 1) a camera to document my journey and 2) my Nook so that Jane Austen would be with me every step of the way.

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for this one, but I do have a few things to say. We took an overnight train to get there. It was surprising comfortable because the train beds were more cushy than our beds at school. We trekked 14 km the first day through some mountain trails, stayed overnight at a home-stay, and trekked 5 km the second day. The second day, we stopped at this gorgeous waterfall to enjoy the sight and the sound of the rushing water. The scenery  in general was absolutely amazing. The people in this region grow rice on terraced fields, which gives what would be rolling hills more of a block-ish look. It would seem that you could climb rice field steps until you reached heaven. The third day, we went to a market to buy all sorts of crafty goodies. I would have spent more money if I had more time there. We returned via the overnight train and fell into our school beds around 6 in the morning on Monday to get some rest before class that afternoon. Now, some pictures:

Enjoying the train!

There were so many baby pigs running around. They were all so very cute. If George Clooney can do it, then so can I. I want a pig as a pet.

The terraces rice fields looked more like intricate puzzles in some places.

It was an absolutely lovely weekend of enjoying the cool, clean, mountain air! I got some much needed rest, and recharged for the weeks and papers ahead.