Seperate Ways

Back in Hanoi, our band of six went in three seperate ways. Claudio Lopez and Samantha went south in search of sun and sand. Rob, unwilling to risk the smell of more train travel, held down the fort in Hanoi with Harumi, who's flight was soon to go anywhere else. And Donna and I went north into the hills of Vietnam.
We took an overnight train north northwest to the Chinese border of Lai Cau. From there we took a minibus south southwest into the mountains to the very small town of Sapa.
The French, reminded of the Alps, established this small town high on a slope overlooking a winding valley. When the clouds lift (which isn't often), the views are wonderful. While our hotel was higher than most, it didn't offer a great view. It was, however, wonderful.
We stayed at the Baguette & Chocolat. An old French building that has been converted into a bakery / restaurant / mini-hotel. They only have four rooms and each is giving a pastry name in lieu of a number. We stayed in the croissant room.
It was very cold in Sapa and our hotel offered no central heating. With big french doors opening on to a small balcony and large windows and high ceilings, our room was cold. In the corner they had a small electric heater which was better at lighting the room than heating it. Knowing that, the hotel drowned our bed in with two enourmous duvets - making it the coziest room we had in Vietnam.
In the morning, the smell of croissant and pain au chocolat would waft up the stairs and as we made our way downstairs for a continental breakfast by the fireplace the smell would overwhelm us.
What makes the hotel special is its purpose. It is a training facility for disadvantaged youth. They take in orphans and street kids and give them an education and teach them a skill.
Sapa itself doesn't offer much, but the trek's through the valley are interesting. The surrounding area isn't populated by Vietnamese, but rather by hill tribes of ethnic minorities. We hired a private guide for a day to show us a few villages. She was a local and had a very interesting perspective on the politics of her world. She was bright and clever and spoke English very well - which is amazing as she has only learned it from speaking to tourists.