If you are as adventurous as I am, you will find yourself in the most interesting and surprisingly delightful places. Whilst doing research for my pending trip to China, my boyfriend and I came across Sapa tour in Vietnam with TrekkingSapa,com, very close to the Chinese border. At first, I was very weary of doing a mountain hike because I am accustomed to the warmer areas of Asia. Alas, we figured we would be okay as there was an English speaking guide advertised.
Our guide met us at station in the morning then go to Sapa town by a private car.We had breakfast at a nice restaurant and we enjoyed the rural scenery as well as the sounds and smells of the Vietnamese countryside. Once we arrived at the village, I felt very touched at the humble way that villagers live and immediately wanted to run away from corporate life! We spent an hour or so looking at the market stalls until we found a nice family who fed us. The meal was very simple but very enjoyable. The Vietnamese people seem to love foreigners as well, watching us with curious but friendly eyes.
YASMIN HILS