Looking for bus:
Our wonderful Sa Pa sister guide reserved a sleeper bus for us. No idea what that meant. She also arranged for a taxi. We hobbled, well I did, to an ATM. Yay got money!! Then looking for shopping. I had just so many steps that I can take. Learned a new skill from Julie, for impaired knees and going up and down steps: up to heaven with the good foot, down to hell with the bad knee and it worked. Not much to shop for. Decided a beer would be a good idea. I didn’t care where but Julie wanted to be in the sun. All her sweat had dried and now she was cold. I didn’t care. So we sat down at the first outside place. She checked around to see if there was a better place. Ordered beers, they never have the ones we order so we got what we got and then realized that we had five minutes before the taxi came. Julie graciously went to get the back packs and we verified with the SaPA Sister desk that the taxi was here she said she had to order it so we went up to the street. More stairs. We think someone else took our taxi. Another driver comes up. We say bus, he says yes, we say 50,000 dong, he says yes. We repeat, he says yes. We get in. He drives around then stops randomly and makes a call. Then he doesn’t know where we want to go! Wtf!! Then he gives me the phone. It’s SaPa sisters and I say yes, we want to go to the bus station. He grumbles and takes us to a street and says it’s the bus. Not again!! There are busses to the right and left. We asked our guide what was the name of the bus, and where do we go. She said they would see us! Ugg. We went to the left. A lady at the desk said no tickets, not available until 5:30pm. We tried to say we had a reservation and that we could pay for the tickets. She was so unpleasant. Then a man from the bus motioned our way, seemed like he was saying that there was room. She was on the phone, others were waiting. And then a nicely dressed woman with make up said come this way. I answered who are you. Julie asked if she knew Ching at Sa Pa sister and she did. So another leap of faith! There have been so many this trip that haven’t worked out so well. She took my heavy backpack. Word was out that I was injured, again!! She basically flagged down a bus, driver came out, luggage stowed and take off your shoes before you go in. It was a bus with three sets of reclining seat, staggered upper and lower with room to put your small stuff by your feet. It has internet and maybe a bathroom! This has been the craziest trip!! Four hours to Hanoi. We have a hotel and no idea what we are doing next! Well first the hospital for some Rabies stuff, I hope
Travel Pig 