Sa Pa

We are now in the mountain town of Sa Pa, high in the northern Vietnamese highlands. This morning we visited Mount Fansipan, the highest point in Indochina, at just a shade over 3,000 metres. At the top is the most enormous religious complex with temples, pagodas, and a huge Buddha, all transported by hand to the top of the mountain through thick jungle. There were huge crowds of people up there – you can travel most of the way by cable car – from India, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and even a few Europeans.  Many of them seemed very surprised to see white people up there and we were met with a succession of high-fives, handshakes and hugs! 

In the afternoon we descended to Sa Pa and explored the market ... some of the meat stalls were definitely not for the squeamish! But it makes a great place for taking photos (see extras) ... I was going 19 to the dozen until my battery ran out and we retired to the hotel for a cuppa and a rest before we venture out for dinner.