The best laid plans are the ones you can change without lots of fees.

We took an unscheduled rest day in Mai Chau to reassess our bike tour and make some changes. We decided the equation of heat plus ridiculous amounts of elevation gain was a recipe for disaster. I’m bummed that I put us up to something way too hard in our allotted timeframe. However, I’m proud of us for deciding to put fun at the top of the list rather than suffering. We also hadn’t planned much in the way of lodging so it wasn’t a big deal to change our route of location.

So back to Hanoi we went, on a fast track to get to Sa Pa five days ahead of schedule. Since we had planned to ride into Sa Pa anyway, we just had to come up with a different way to get there. We opted for the night train – it would take care of the transportation and a night of lodging. Plus it would be helpful to check out the situation ahead of our return trip to Hanoi on April 15th.

We’re not new to the train scenario and have found it to be a mostly easy way to travel. Aside from the time we almost got stranded in Hungary, trains are the next best way to get around (bikes being the first).

In Hanoi, we were able to keep the departure chaos to a minimum by taking turns doing mini reconnaissance missions into the station to figure out as many details as possible. When it was “go time” we found our track and sleeper car fairly easily. It was actually pretty novel since it was our first overnight experience. Not knowing exactly what to expect (on-line booking left a lot to chance), we can confirm that a two-bed VIP room is the way to go. Even if you’re not 6’8″, two people is our recommended maximum for a 4-berth cabin.

AT 22:00 sharp the train pulled out of the station,  rocking and rolling its way north for 8 or so hours to Lao Cai. Arriving at first light, with no fanfare and a lot of humidity, we unloaded our bags and bikes, got some breakfast and headed uphill to Sa Pa.

20 miles, 6,000ft and 5 and a half hours later, we rolled into Sa Pa, cooked from a solid and constant climb. Apparently, the heat wave was here as well.
Thankfully, I booked ahead and we found our lodging in short enough time to cool down, have a good lunch and a much needed nap.

After a nice rest, we got down to the business of planning the next days ahead. We opted for a three day mini-adventure to remote village followed by a few nights in a bungalow tucked into a steep hillside of terraced rice fields.

Although we would be a little more locked into our lodging, we would have shorter days of pedaling, more chances to explore and cooler (hopefully) days ahead.