first arriving in Sa Pa

First arriving in the mountainous area of Sa Pa, it was cold and rainy.

I was SO excited to be able to put on layers of clothing... including a scarf   : )  ...what a change from Ho Chi Minh City!

Our hotel rooms weren't ready yet, so we were brought to a nearby hotel for breakfast and to hang out for about two hours before our first excursion. (There ended up being about 8 people on our tour.)

Before we even got out of the bus to head into the hotel, we were surrounded by ladies from the Hmong ethnic group. They were all very sweet... all decked out in rainboots, ponchos, and umbrellas... and all wanted us to buy their goods!

After about an hour or so of staring at us through the window... and probably realizing we weren't up for buying anything at the time, the ladies moved on to the hotel across the street.