My partner and I were Sa Pa-bound!

Always money conscious, I had snagged us two last-minute budget bus tickets. The bus collected us from a bustling street in Hanoi at dawn, packed with locals and lively foreign conversation. It featured half-up half-down seat-beds and thin knitted blankets. As the bus thundered down the road, it unleashed loud beeps and groans at every opportunity.

The journey was estimated to take 6 hours according to our tickets. Unfortunately, in our case, we would experience the joy of travel for more than 10 hours. We took the scenic route – meandering through the countryside and stopping here, there and everywhere to pick up folks.

No English was spoken; therefore, we were at the mercy of the bus driver. The bus randomly came to a halt a couple of times for long periods. During a bathroom/food break, everybody deserted the bus and neglected to return for over an hour, while we waited, uninformed and confused. My partner, already frustrated due to the uncomfortable journey, was in for a treat.

You see, the mountain road from Lao Cai to Sa Pa features a steep incline and narrow turns. As you peer out of the window, you will come face to face with the most stunning scenery, rows upon rows of rice fields and cascading valleys. The climbing route typically takes about an hour, with cars and buses zooming by and horns bellowing loudly.

At the time, I was in awe of the view. I glanced over to my partner, expecting to find him just as enthralled. Instead, he was staring straight ahead, in survival mode, with his hands balled into tight fists. It suddenly dawned on me that he had professed a fear of heights once or twice during our relationship. As we often went about our lives safely on the ground, indulging in normal everyday activities that did not trigger this specific fear, the journey up was torture.

I looked on awkwardly, in the awkwardly placed seats, as my boyfriend merely tried to exist. Perhaps I should have looked into this a little more, I thought. Perhaps, at the very least, I should have booked a more comfortable and accommodating vessel?

Finally, when we pulled into the Sa Pa bus station in the city centre, my boyfriend faced me, eyes wide with horror. “I’m not leaving this place – I am never doing that EVER again!”.

We stayed in Sa Pa for three days, and against all odds (and his better judgement), we did manage to leave. I accepted the loss of the wasted return tickets and booked a brand-new Tourist-specific bus to entice him back down. Sa Pa is a magical place and remains a firm-favourite of my partner’s despite the excruciating climb (literally – we also did alot of hiking!).

I would recommend to anyone interested in visiting Sa Pa to consider the cost of comfort, particularly if you also find yourself to be a nervous-Nelly when it comes to living or dying.

Either way, the views are totally worth the nail-biting ride!