A Trip To Remember
Submitted by Giang Nguyen
I cannot imagine what 2020’s holiday season feels like to everyone else. It should be, for the most part, unconventional when traditional family gatherings have to take a back seat to health and safety, let alone the ever-so-exciting trips to vacation spots. As for me, living in Vietnam, where the COVID-19 pandemic is well-controlled, I am lucky enough to check off my 18-year-old bucket list with an unforgettable trip to Sapa – the “Tonkinese Alps” of Vietnam.
Even though I had visited Sapa on a few occasions in the past, this was the first time I broke away from the hustle and bustle of the town center and ventured into the most pristine mountain ranges that I was once too afraid to set foot on. Accompanied by two amiable and experienced natives, my friends and I eagerly kickstarted our journey and rode battered manual motorbikes to Hoang Lien National Park, a part of the picturesque Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Our excitement soon wore off as we, the spoiled urban kids, realized there were no nicely paved roads, but steep slopes in a typically muddy mountainous terrain. Unsurprisingly, it took us nearly two hours, two brief stops, a few screams and wrinkles to reach our destination – Thuy Tien Lake.
Despite the difficult journey, our efforts were rewarded with the rare experience of “cloud hunting” not just once, but twice. Standing on the cloud-covered hills, we were among the very few lucky ones to capture the river of white cotton clouds floating by and billowing out into the space.
We spent the whole afternoon chilling and riding stand up paddle boarding (SUP), though technically we sat down all the time for fear of falling off. As we paddled along the lake, I got to witness lush evergreen forests, brownish rice terraces waiting to be sowed in May, grazing cattle, and a few native Bac Ha poodles by the lakeside. Somewhere along the hills, there were tranquil tribes of ethnic minorities who have resided here for decades. It seemed like right in the middle of the national park, humans and nature bonded together so naturally and peacefully.
In the next few days, we hiked across the mountains to visit some remote waterfalls and streams whose names I cannot even recall. Needless to say, the scenery was so overwhelmingly heavenly that I think words alone will not do justice to its beauty. So, let’s hope these choppy unfiltered pictures taken by my phone speak for it.
Hopefully these pictures will give you a healthy dose of nature in such a tough time. Should international travel resume, do not hesitate to visit Vietnam!
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