Where was my recent escape? Assuming you have been following me on Instagram and Facebook, yes it was Vietnam last month. When I was kind of done with working and getting too dipped into my own brain killing game I knew I needed an escape, to somewhere green, somewhere surrounded by mother nature and somewhere that offers ‘purer’ air, which isn’t saying much coming from the Honk. Sapa therefore came up in my mind not only because I’ve never been there before (always keen to explore all the cool places around the globe) but also because it offered what I wanted that was GREEN!

RICE TERRACE – I guess what mainly makes Sapa such an attractive place for photographers is its spectacular race terraces, even though now is not the best season to visit there. Summer and early autumn are the best times case since as you can see the mountains loom as a montage over the picturesque rice terraces during the harvest season.

TRANSPOTATION – Vietnam has a rich history and a variety of cultural traditions, and it’s so cheap and easy to go around! You can buy tickets or join a tour in the main cities. I went there after staying in Hanoi for a couple of days (another travelogue for this city is coming soon) Sinh Café is the most famous travel agency in Vietnam, but be careful as there are many fake ones in Hanoi, so make sure to go for this one Sinh Café I don’t recommend taking the overnight train. I was told by a lady from LA on my way back to Hanoi that the train was too slow, around 9 hours and one really couldn’t sleep due to the noise. Sapa Express was the most gorgeous and luxurious bus I’ve ever taken, and so it seems that bus is a better choice over train.

PLACES TO GO – If you join a trekking tour, these places are mostly included: Cat Cat & Sin Chai Village; Y Linh Ho; Lao Chai and Ta Van. They are all basically hilly villages that still reserve traditional northern Vietnamese culture. Also if it happens you visit there during weekend, don’t forget to check out ‎Bac Ha Market which only opens on Sundays‬. It’s the biggest minority people’s market in ‎Northwest Vietnam‬. I’m sure you will enjoy your souvenir shopping time before heading back to your homeland.