I asked my friend to tell the driver to slow down. Then I asked again. It made no difference, because he kept speeding up, and I was in the back seat of a car climbing a mountain in the dark, wide awake.
That was the last stretch of a very long trip to Sa Pa, where I’d be running my first 10K trail run in Vietnam.
A Long Night Getting There
We arrived at NAIA around 6 PM, and clearing immigration took a while. The A Lounge added a small drama of its own. The attendants wouldn’t let us in because I didn’t have my Priority Pass ID with me. I told them the bank had instructed me to just show my credit card, but they were strict about it. Some other passengers were turned away as well. I got in only because I had my Maya Black card as a backup.
I can’t sleep on airplanes, no matter how tired I am, and this flight was no exception. There was some turbulence about halfway through. We landed at Noi Bai International Airport 30 minutes early, but it was a rough landing, and it was drizzling outside. I remember hoping the weather would improve.
We cleared immigration at 1:00 AM and found our driver. We left for Sa Pa at 1:41 AM. He told us we’d arrive around 6.
The Drive Up
We got there at 5:30, half an hour ahead of his estimate. I can’t say I was surprised, given how fast he drove.
Vietnamese driving, especially on a mountain road, is something I’ll need time to get used to. We told him to slow down more than once, and he never did. The speed kept me awake for most of the drive, which is a strange thing to be grateful for after a night without sleep.
Finding the hotel took a while too. I think we circled the same area three times before we found it, tucked inside an alleyway.
A Town Dressed for a Race
After checking in, we decided to go straight out and explore Sa Pa. The temperature was around 17°C.
My first impression was that it’s like Baguio City without the mall. The main street has a French colonial feel that I liked very much, and the colorful lanterns hanging outside the establishments gave it a look I haven’t seen anywhere else.
You can’t walk around town without feeling the festive atmosphere, because a big race is being hosted here. There were VMM banners everywhere, and runners from all over the world. I was excited and nervous at the same time about being part of it.
We caught the gun start of one of the races. I don’t know if it was the 100K, but everyone was pumped. It was still drizzling, and nobody seemed to care. The race went on, and it started with a bang.
We stayed a while to cheer the runners on, then headed back to the hotel around 11:30 AM.
Rest
The exhaustion hit once we were inside, and falling asleep was easy. I was glad we’d arrived safely, rain and all.
Tomorrow is my 10K trail run. I’m hoping the rain stops.
