After a murderously slow train ride from Ha Noi (take the bus), I arrived at lovely Lao Cai. Most of the hotel owners seemed stunned that I actually wanted to stay in town rather than hop on a mini-bus for Sa Pa, as most do, but I was in no hurry. It's a nice chilled town, with some good motorbiking oppporutnities, provided you can find someone to rent you one. The idea hasn't quite taken hold here, but I finally did manage to get a guy to rent me his Minsk, an ungainly monster of a thing, for about four times what it costs in Sa Pa.