Sapa dreaming

After the rigours of Vietnamese holiday heaven, I am pining for a cool, laid back atmosphere so I can put up my feet and escape the heat. We catch the night train, aiming for the sleepy mountain oasis of Sapa in the north-west of Vietnam. At Lao Cai, we trade train for mini-van and ascend the windy mountain road towards Sapa.

Each metre we ascend lifts a blanket of heat off, and the moist breeze whipping up the valley brings the promise of cool. The van struggles up the steep road, following an adjacent mountain range draped in white fluffy clouds. The landscape is rich and green; each hillside adorned with a myriad of terraced rice paddies glowing in brilliant apple-lime. Motorcycles weave around us, honking their horns, vying for headway and fearlessly overtaking on blind corners.

The road emerges into a wide valley, with each bend in the road revealing layer upon layer of breathtaking scenery. Eventually Sapa appears, a charming yet ramshackle collection of hotels, eateries and tourism operators. The roadsides in the town are heaving with friendly, multi-lingual hill tribe women in their traditional dress, looking to chat and ply their wares. These enchanting ladies attach themselves to a group of foreigners and follow, and when the time is right, use hard-arm sales tactics to sell their handicrafts. There are so many of them though - I wonder if they make any money at all.

We pull up for breakfast, soaking in the views and enjoying the coffee, before sniffing out a hotel. Our room is nestled around from the main town centre and boasts full 180 degree views of the sweeping valley below. Already, I can tell it's going to be difficult to leave.

Now I've heard about Vietnamese culinary 'delicacies', but on a stroll through the market I came across a particularly grizzly discovery. Along with all the pieces of pig, cow, snake, eel and fish flesh, I saw the face of a friend. That's right, a canine cranium sitting on the bench for sale, along with what looked like Rover ribs. I was horrified, and quickly told Steph to avert her eyes. I have limits, and this is one...