Sapa (Harriet the Spy)

Evening all,

I must apologise for my horrendous memory and try my absolute hardest to remember all I can about Sapa I hope you aren't disappointed!
I must also apologise for my frankness in my last blog, and I hope my slang didn't offend you, I must have come across as quite rude but believe me, it was only because I was in a rush.

I'm not quite certain where I was in my last blog, but I'm pretty sure we had just finished the mouth watering brekky!

So, after we were finished in heaven we walked out, nodding and thanking the lady at the 'gates of heaven' (desk at the entrance of the restaurant).
We signed in and went up to our room which I (of course) fell in love with... I was beginning to like Sapa more and more by the minute.
The colour co-ordination in our hotel room was perfect, deep crimson reds, crisp whites and glossy golds.
The 'single' beds looked like double beds and were quite tough, it felt like there were planks of hard wood underneath the mattress but Isabella and I loved them!
We had a balcony which overlooked the myserious misty hills surrounding Sapa and neat and orderly vegetable patches.
The first two out of the three days we spent in Sapa were quite warm, like a mid Spring day in Australia, but our tour guide kept telling us that this was odd weather and the weather quite resembled the weather in summer.
Trying not to be (naiive?) we didn't believe him as (like I said before) our first two days were quite pleasant, so on our third and last day in Sapa I only wore a T-shirt and all suspecting Isabella wore her eskimo jacket 'just in case'. Well 'just in case' was just the case and all throughout the day we were surrounded by a thick, damp fog making it difficult to see 5 steps ahead of us.
My teeth were chattering with 5 minutes of walking through the little market place.
But before I get ahead of myself... A bit too late now, I should tell you about the first unusual weather days when Longan took us trekking.
So while we were eating breakfast (I'm going to have to be brutally honest here) I noticed a strange man walk into 'heaven' and talk to the waitress, but, trying not to be rude or nosy I looked away.
The man, in my oppinion, looked a bit like a monkey that had suffered from malnutrition... excuse my horrid, wicked, evil honesty, but thats what first came to mind, he left after that and was shortly thereafter forgotten.
whilst up in our cosy yet open hotel room the phone rang, I refused to answer it (damn my shyness) so Isabella picked it up, apparently there was a man waiting to see us.
"That must be our tour guide" Isabella said surely.
Our tour guide? What tour guide? We have a tour guide?!
I fumed quietly to myself and made a mental note to interrogate Isabella later, we walked back to reception to find (surprise surprise) the mal-nourished monkey sitting (very human-like) on a couch in the foyer.
Apparently he was to be our tour guide, Isabella walked up confidently and introduced herself without hesitation, I went less eager to meet the monkey-man and so I cautiously snuck over and with great apprehension and met his 'wet lettuce leaf' handshake with a firm one.
I've never had a weak handshake, its not exactly strong but its never limp, I always wondered where I got it from and wonder to myself why don't all men shake hands firmly doesn't it mean you're a wimp if you don't?
Ahhh well, maybe its different in Vietnam I re-assured myself.
So, the man's name was Long, which means 'dragon' in Vietnamese, like Ha Long bay, which means 'descending dragon' and it was later decided that we would call him Longan.
Isabella and he talked for a while whilst looking at the map.
We asked him if we could meet him in a couple of hours and he readily agreed.

I must write later as I'm being shunned off the computer
Miss you all!
xXx Harriet the spy