Good Morning, from the gorgeous countryside of Sapa! I've decided, Sapa is my favorite. It's the perfect combination of rich culture with many opportunities to interact directly with friendly folks, ridiculously amazing "OMG WHERE AM I" scenery, "TAKE ALL OF MY MONEY" shopping, yummy food, and a relaxed, welcoming vibe. This is my second time here and I'm obsessed (obvi). Sapa is famous for overlooking the terraced rice fields of the Muong Hoa Valley, which are picture perfect. We really only had 1 full day to soak Sapa in so we divided our time between chasing beautiful views and meandering the small town.
Before I continue with the photo sharing, I wanted to give a shoutout to Brooks for letting me take their new LSD Jacket for a test run on this trip. We're entering monsoon season here in Vietnam and this is basically the hottest and most humid time of the year. However, covering so much varying terrain through the course of this trip, I need to be prepared for cooler climates as well, like here in Sapa. This jacket was SO CLUTCH while exploring the mountainside. It started sporadically misting and I was able to whip my little running jacket out quickly. Later in the morning, as we were walking down into the valley, the sun came out in full force and I was easily able to neatly fold my jacket into its pocket and tuck it away in my small camelbak. I received this jacket 2 days before leaving on this trip. It was totally meant to be. Can't wait to take it running in Seattle and to style it with my workout wardrobe when I get home. I love the sheerness!
Before I continue with the photo sharing, I wanted to give a shoutout to Brooks for letting me take their new LSD Jacket for a test run on this trip. We're entering monsoon season here in Vietnam and this is basically the hottest and most humid time of the year. However, covering so much varying terrain through the course of this trip, I need to be prepared for cooler climates as well, like here in Sapa. This jacket was SO CLUTCH while exploring the mountainside. It started sporadically misting and I was able to whip my little running jacket out quickly. Later in the morning, as we were walking down into the valley, the sun came out in full force and I was easily able to neatly fold my jacket into its pocket and tuck it away in my small camelbak. I received this jacket 2 days before leaving on this trip. It was totally meant to be. Can't wait to take it running in Seattle and to style it with my workout wardrobe when I get home. I love the sheerness!
The second half of the day we spent walking the town and doing some shopping. The handicrafts in Sapa are unique and are truly made by the ethnic tribes in the area. The largest ethnic tribe is the H'mong tribe. Embroidery is hand-stitched and you can find bags, blankets, clothing, etc. that have all been hand sewn by the people here. We stumbled across a wonderful shop that was owned and operated by a sharp H'mong couple. The wife handled all of the business (sourcing the fabrics from her tribe, employing help, etc) and her husband hand sewed and designed EVERYTHING in their shop. I splurged a bit on a gift for Kasey and a backpack for myself. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Sapa, I encourage you to seek out shops run directly by the H'mong people.
I also picked up a couple awesome North Face jackets, or as my dad likes to call them, FAKE face jackets. Lol. The North Face does almost all, if not all of their manufacturing in Vietnam. So of course, knock off items have found their way into store fronts, but you may be surprised by the high quality of a lot of the items. I picked up a hilariously bright hot pink vest and a beautiful midnight blue coat that I can't wait to wear this winter! Both for $75, pretty good deal!
Anyways, here's a few more of my favorite snaps from yesterday. I hope everyone gets the chance to visit Sapa someday. Please consider putting it on your wanderlust list! Today we head to Ha Long Bay, THE REASON why people visit Vietnam :) Can't wait!
These photos are SOOO BEAUTIFUL!! Just like you :D I'm super glad that you're enjoying your trip to its best, Sapa is now definitely on my beautiful-places-I-want-to-visit-before-I-die list. It's sooo surreal! All the greenness in the valley and the beautiful rice fields, looks so calm and relaxing. And girl, that jacket is tight! The see-through works to perfection, it's as if it was already wet! But it probably isn't because it was just mist? And the fit is so good on you! Can't wait to see how you sport it in your everyday here in Seattle when our rainy season begins. Enjoy the shopping! I love traveling home and spending literally half what I would spend at the malls here for getting twice as much clothing. That's awesome about places where they manufacture clothes (lots of Club Monaco and other fancy clothing is made in Mexico). Wish you the best and can't wait to see more from your home country. Looks super pretty! Luv ya!!! Miss you!!!
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