Who says it doesn't rain in California? It rained on and off during the month of February and many had considered this an omen, since it rarely gets wet in Southern California. And worse, the Nationwide Series race at the Auto Club Speedway was postponed, as the rain had caused California to weep... I saw on the news that it snowed in Vietnam! That, of course, caught everyone off guard. Though it may never snowed in Vietnam, the temperature had dropped to -2°C, and sometimes -15°C in Sapa over a three week period during the month of February 2008.
Sapa a frontier town and district in the Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam, is one of the main market towns in the area, home of many local trades such as H'mong, Dao and Tay. While its hotels and restaurants were full of tourists who traveled to Sapa to enjoy the unusual scene, happiness for some was already paid for by the misery of others since freezing temperatures had killed a record number of cattle: "families and farmers, draped blankets over water buffalos and lit fires for newborn calves to keep their animals alive for not facing the hardship from the loss of even a single cow. The cold spell, which began early February, was one of the longest running and most-severe to hit northern Vietnam". So far foreigners and locals alike generally remained in good spirits, but not all seemed to appreciate the irony of the situation -- especially for those who had come to Southeast Asia to escape the snow back in the North and Midwest, and yet to their amazement found themselves looking at white-capped peaks in a region of the world known for hot weather and tropical beaches...
Sapa a frontier town and district in the Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam, is one of the main market towns in the area, home of many local trades such as H'mong, Dao and Tay. While its hotels and restaurants were full of tourists who traveled to Sapa to enjoy the unusual scene, happiness for some was already paid for by the misery of others since freezing temperatures had killed a record number of cattle: "families and farmers, draped blankets over water buffalos and lit fires for newborn calves to keep their animals alive for not facing the hardship from the loss of even a single cow. The cold spell, which began early February, was one of the longest running and most-severe to hit northern Vietnam". So far foreigners and locals alike generally remained in good spirits, but not all seemed to appreciate the irony of the situation -- especially for those who had come to Southeast Asia to escape the snow back in the North and Midwest, and yet to their amazement found themselves looking at white-capped peaks in a region of the world known for hot weather and tropical beaches...
Sapa Trekking season has already begun as we are entering the last week of March. Although the weather is still foggy and wet, tourists are too excited to explore the region in the mud and in the rain, of course with a lots of ups and downs. There are so many beautiful mountain valleys to walk down, amazing sceneries to witness and unforgettable experiences with many hill tribe villages to live through, that tourists almost forgot the pain, cause for them, that's the best opportunity to really soak in the true feeling of the town, the surrounding countryside and it's beautiful people. Everyday there are always things to love about it up there and believe me, travelers like you and me, we certainly all left our hearts in Sapa, one way or another!
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