We Contemplate China, Then Return to the Mysteries of Hanoi.

That's China, just across the river from Lao Cai.
Our guide picked us up in Sapa in the late afternoon and
drove us to the Chinese border for a quick look before taking us
to the train station for the night train back to Hanoi.

We arrived back at the Ga Hanoi at 4:30 am. We had a hard time finding our driver, but eventually we were racing through the dark streets to Justin and Jyoti's house. Suddenly, we noticed that the street was thronged with people. We quickly realized that this area near the bus station was an informal distribution center for fresh meat and produce. The farmers and country people come here and pass their goods on to the distributors who load everything in baskets and styrofoam coolers, strap the containers on the back of their motorbikes, and zip off to all the little alley and storefront markets in the city.

It was an incredible scene involving hundreds of people, and the amazing thing was that it was all happening in the dark.

P.