Unforgettable Fansipan Tour

Everyone knows that Fansipan is the highest mountian in Vietnam, roof of Vietnam. People all dream of conquering this mount one in their life time. I am a very lucky person because i did climb Fansipan 16 times when i was a tour guide in Sapa 10 years ago.

 

Of the sixteen times, i remember two Fansipan tours that i would never forget.

 

The first trip:

 

It was a foggy and grey 2 day trip to climb the Fansipan. I had two pax from Israel, they were on honeymoon. Normally, we did Fansipan tour in 3 days but because they wanted to sleep somewhere quiet, see no other tourists so i would have to climb higher than the base camp. It was 2900 m (base camb at 2100 m).

 

Starting from Sapa by a short drive to Sin Chai village where we started the adventure. The first part was easy but it was getting heavier and heavier because i and the porter - Brother Xoa (He is Black H'mong) had to carry all things such as rice, pock, apples, sugar, milk, cookers, span, sleeping bags, tents...By noon, we were all exhausted but it was only 2100 m and from this point to 2900 m where we planned to sleep, only 800 m but it was the most difficult part, very steep, and dangerous. By half way, it was about 3 pm, i asked my porter if it would rain tonight? " i do not think so" my porter said. I beleived in his experience and decide to leave our own ten, sleeping bags in the bushes because they were too heavy.

 

At 5 pm, we reached the place where we could camp, it was 2900m, very windy and cold. Quickly we chopped the bamboo trees down to make the floor for our clients' ten, collect the wood to make fire place and search for water. I and Xoa forced our way through the thick bamboo jungles to the fall which we heard the sound but it was about 500 m away from the camp. It was amost dark, scary but finally we got water.

 

At 6 pm, we could start cooking for dinner, but we had one problem. We just had one cooker to cook rice and everything. Xoa and the pax looked worry and hungry, too but not surrender to this situation. We cooked rice first, then made springroll, fried beef and pork later. Dinner was like the feast, and it was the best meal that i have ever eatten.

 

The night came slowly with i and Xoa because as the local guide in Sapa, experience with Fansipan, we worry too much, we kept our eyes open and with the sharp knife in hands because we sometimes heard the sound of the bear or saw some kinds of poisonous snakes. If bad luck,  things could happen.

 

I and Xoa had no ten and sleeping bag, sitting by the fire place, telling stories about life, jungles, snakes...but could not keep our eyes open the whole night because of the hard climbing day. We slept by the fire with the sharp knife in hands.

 

At the midnight, i heard the noise nearby, i tapped on Xoa's shouder " wake up, wake up, strange noise".

 

 

To be continued...