At the top of the world -- November 27-29, 2007

The next stop on our 10-day whirlwind tour of northern Vietnam was Sapa, a small community at the northern tip of the country and only a stone's throw away from the Chinese border. It's also home to emerald-green rice terraces, a breathtaking mountainous landscape and colourfully garbed ethnic tribes who flood the streets hawking embroidered textiles, silver jewellery and sometimes marijuana or hash.



Of course, the best way to explore Sapa's lush valleys, stunning vistas and tiny villages is by motorbike. We lost little time in renting our own rides and heading out with our new travel companions Rory and Danielle, a lovely couple who hail from gorgeous Hawaii. (We met in Cat Ba, and shared a 4-person sleeper cabin for the 10 hour train journey from Hanoi. They turned out to be the perfect travel companions - easy going, fun and adventurous -- so we ended up hanging out with them during our time in Sapa.)

The crisp cold temperature was a stark contrast to the tropic humidity that blankets most of Southeast Asia, so we bundled ourselves into scarves, mittens and toques and hit the road. Along the way, we got up close and personal with buffalo...



... haggled with young but savvy Hmong girls ...



... snacked on fire-roasted sticky rice, sweet potatoes and chestnuts at a roadside stall ...



... and posed in front of some pretty awesome peaks.