There was nothing I wanted more than being able to strip off all my clothes. The air conditioner didn’t work. The humidity was unbearable. Then there was this dang precious train that screeched every thirty seconds, accompanied by some excruciating trembling and bouncing. All of my bones dislocated. They rattled in helplessness and agony. A vicious knock on our cabin’s door woke me up from my frenzy – leaving me sweaty and uncoordinated. I stared at the ceiling like a lifeless zombie then lazily peeked out the curtains. Outside the window, luscious greens and the calm river gently sang. They were coaxing the sun out to play; but she ran and hid like a shy maiden behind the clouds. What a flirt! But how much I wished I could ride the wind and join them to their secret dance.
We reached Lao Cai at 5:30 in the morning. The hour-long bus ride to Sapa city felt familiar: the winding two-lane roads with mountains on one side and steep valleys on the other, the fresh smell of the creeping fog, the gentle hands holding, and the Vietnamese mom who tried to shush her son’s fussiness by telling him that he will be eaten by monsters. The boy curiously stared at me a few time but I frowned and squinted at him! Oops, that only made him fussier (but he kept coming back for more). Oh well, zombie Thien doesn’t like yappy children, especially this early in the day.
The bus driver dropped us off and told us in broken English to climb up some stairs then turn either left or right to find the tourist office. I could barely understand him, but I forgot that I could speak Vietnamese (fail!). Nevertheless, we found it – a crowded room with various groups preparing for different activities and waiting to depart to different villages. Our guide was not there yet; he had to walk all the way from his village. I was happy when the tour agent let us know we can take a shower and have some breakfast while waiting. Whew, I could no longer stand to smell myself. If there were an odor test, stinky Thien would lose to a monkey at this point; and that would make for a very unfortunate start of the day.
