Leaving the toxic motorcycle fumes of Hanoi behind, I hopped on the night train to Loa Cai at the Chinese border, the gateway to the hill station of Sapa. I brought only a small day bag and left my backpack at my hotel in Hanoi. For 35.00 USD I got a berth in the new "deluxe" Sapaly train, which featured with soft comforters and atmospheric lighting. At 6:00 in the morning, the train pulled in to Loa Cai station and I caught a minibus up the winding mountain pass to Sapa.Sapa is nicely positioned on top of a mountain, with amazing views of the rice terraces and villages below. Because it's in the highlands, it's much cooler than Hanoi--rumor has it that just last week, there was snow in Sapa. Because of the cooler climate, things like plums and peaches and strawberries grow in abundance. The climate is like Baguio City, in the Philippines, while the view of the rice terraces is more like Banaue.
There are lots of ethnic minorities who come to town for the market and to sell trinkets, including H'mong and Red Dzao. You can see groups of H'mong following the trekkers, selling their wares .
I found a guide, a 17 year old H'mong girl named Sa. Sa took me on a long, muddy trek down into the valley to her village. 
She brought me to her house and cooked a delicious lunch of cabbage salad, morning glory, choi, fried tofu in a tomato sauce served over rice. Then, I helped Ha and her sister grind corn into corn meal using a pulley attached to two millstones, which is a kind of precursor to the food processor.
It was such a wonderful day--the views, the fresh air, the delicious lunch, and the agreeable company.
Hooray for Sa!
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