Travel Information

Archive for December, 2009

Sapa travel information

Visitor to Sapa in summer can feel the climate of four seasons in one day. In the morning and afternoon, it is cool like the weather of spring and autumn. At noon, it is as sunny and cloudless as the weather of summer. And it is cold in the evening. With no advance warning of a thunderstorm short and heavy rains may come at noon on any summer day. Subsequently, a rainbow appears, transforming Sapa into a magic land, which for years has been a constant source of poetic inspiration, lights up the whole region.

The best time to witness the scenic beauty of Sapa is in April and May. Before that period, the weather might be cold and foggy; after that period is the rainy season. In April and May, Sapa is blooming with flowers and green pastures. The clouds that settle in the valley in early morning quickly disappear into thin air.

Sapa has many natural sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Silver Waterfall, Rattan Bridge, Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave.Sapa is also the starting point for many climbers and scientists who want to reach the top of Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3, 143m. Hoang Lien Mountain Range is also called the Alps of the North Sea area since Fansipan Mountain is not only the highest peak in Vietnam, but also in the Indochina Peninsula. The pyramid-shaped mountain is covered with clouds all year round and temperatures often drop below zero, especially at high elevations.
The first thing you notice when approaching the resort town are some detached wooden mansions and villas perched on a hill top or hillside, behind thick pine forests and almost invisible on this foggy morning. Old and new villas with red roofs now appear and now disappear in the green rows of pomu trees, bringing the town the beauty of European towns.

Fresh and cool air in Sapa is an idea climate condition for growing temperate vegetables such as cabbage, chayote, precious medicinal herbs, and fruit trees such as plum, pear…

Sapa is home to various families of flowers of captivating colours, which can be found nowhere else in the country. When Tet, the Lunar New Year Festival comes, the whole township of Sapa is filled with the pink colour of peach blossom brought from the vast forests of peach just outside the town. Sapa is regarded as the kingdom of orchids. Here, orchid lovers are even amazed by the choice, when trekking in the forest filled with several hundred kinds of orchids of brilliant colours and fantastic shapes, such as Orchid Princess, Orchid of My Fair Lady’s Shoe. Some orchids are named after lovely singing birds such as the canary, salangane’s nest, and more.

Sapa is most beautiful in spring. Apricot, plum and cherry flowers are splendidly beautiful. Markets are crowded and merry, and are especially attractive to visitors. Minority groups come here to exchange and trade goods and products. Market sessions are also a chance for locals to promenade and young men and women in colorful costumes to meet, date or seek sweethearts.

Visitors to Sapa will have opportunities to discover the unique customs of the local residents, enjoy the pure foods, and explore the charm of the Ethnic groups in Vietnam. Vietnam package tour Sapa travel Mekong tours

Long Haul Flights: Top Air Travel Tips

Many people absolutely dread long haul flights as they know that they will probalby reach their destination tired, cramped and cranky. This need not be the case however. The purpose of this article is to share some basic travel tips to help you minimise the impact of hours on a plane on your system.

Get to the airport early: Nothing is as stressful as having to race through immigration and security knowing that there is a possibility that you can get offloaded. The stress and agitation from running around the airport can easily turn you into a ball of nerves when (if?) you finally make it onto the plane. Make sure that you avoid situations like this by budgeting more than enough time for your trip to the airport.

Get the best seats possible: Study the configuration of the aircraft you will be travelling on before you travel (there are several websites where you can do this). It may be that there are certain seats with more legroom that you can request when checking in or that you can even reserve online.

Dress comfortably: You are going to have to sit in one position for a long time, the least you can do is to make sure that your clothes and shoes don’t make that harder than it already is. If you need to make a good impression on arrival you can stik a change of clothes in your carry on luggage.

Eat and drink in moderation: Sitting still in a confined space is cannot be termed ‘optimum operating conditions’ for your digestive system. The inside of a plane is a highly pressurised environment which means that the effects of alcohol tends to be more severe at cruising altitude. The obvious implication is that you should be very careful about what you eat and drink on a plane.

Avoid dehydration: If you do want to drink: drink water! The inside of a plane is very dry due to the air being re-circulated. You can guard against the effects of this by drinking water at every opportunity.

Walk the aisles: People often find that they are stiff, sore and bloated after long haul flights. This is the case because our muscles reacts negatively to passivity. Even just a few walks down the length of the plane will leave your muscles much happier!

Invest in some noise cancelling headphones: I recently bought a good pair of noise cancelling headphones and I can’t think how I ever flew without them. The technology used does not only enhance the sound quality of whatever you are listening to, but also actively filters out other sounds. The difference that having your own ‘sound bubble’ on long haul flights can make to your state of mind is absolutely phenomenal.

I am not suggesting, with this article, that air travel can be totally stress free or that you can arrive ‘fresh as a daisy’ every time you fly. The point that I am trying to make is that, by following these simple steps, you can arrive at your destination with a distinct advantage over those who just sat around hoping that the flight would end soon!