As we traveled north in Vietnam from Mui Ne, it really started to feel like December. This was even more evident when we took an overnight train from Hanoi up to the mountain village of Sa Pa.

The overnight train ride was rather unfortunate as we’d gotten sold tickets in the dirtiest, most crowded train car (this happened to us a lot) but it was bearable. Except for the bathroom situation and the four young Vietnamese men singing “Santa Baby,” I had a nice night on my third-level bunk.

In Sa Pa, even though there were no signs of it anywhere, I started to get really excited for Christmas. Still, it was freezing (for Southeast Asia) and we spent many joyful hours around fires with pho (please tell me you know what pho is!) and Vietnamese coffee, which is pretty much the best in the world…as basically they fill a cup with sweetened condensed milk and pour a splash of black coffee in. Sa Pa, besides being beautiful, is also famous for it’s market showcasing local artisans. We loaded up on some gifts such beautiful scarves, purses, and knock-off Ray Bans (maybe not so famous for those…).

We hiked around a beautiful little park, way up on the hill, called Ham Rong Resort. The views were unparalleled for a fifteen-minute hike, and we got a little lost, saw lots of rice hats and ogled at beautiful flowers. (It wasn’t so cold. It’s still Vietnam!). Sa Pa also has a lake. And a pretty little church! We attended a service here, where we sat on the wrong side of the church (the men’s side…who knew?),  got surrounded by another tourist family for pictures, and were flummoxed by the service. I expected Christmas carols and a service I understood and I knew…nothing, ha. The joys of traveling!

{photos: a rice terrace in the hills / the start of a hike / Sa Pa from above / one gardener / two gardeners / the top of the world / a winter flower / an altar with candles in a cave / another view / little miss moppet aka my cousin / another flower / the pathway / another view of Sa Pa / the famous knock-off Bans / Sa Pa from below / church-goers / I couldn’t get enough pictures of these mountains / I promise she asked me to take a picture / the lake / the main square}

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