After a wonderful breakfast at our hotel (French baguette with eggs, fresh fruit, and fresh squeezed pineapple/watermelon juice, coffee and tea) we strapped on our bags and walked to the Sapa bus station. We were 30 min early and when the minibus arrived we were quickly on the move! We loaded our bags and secured the best seats for the 10 hour journey. There was a German couple that got the full force of our Operation Comfort as Ana yelled to Martijn in Dutch “not the last row!” Unfortunately for them- they got the last row! And that was too bad because the luggage came out from underneath and stole the leg room making them sit with their legs folded into their chest . Also while we had a bench made for two for just the two of us they had to share their three seat bench with four people. Bah ha ha ha! Did we feel bad? Maybe for a split second. But travel karma exists and Martijn paid dearly. Mr. Sleep Anywhere was smacked awake several times by the bumps in the road making him hit his head on the window and the little handle on the seat in front. The last one was a technical Knock Out, making even Martijn think twice before dozing off.
When the mini- bus arrived in Dien Bien Phu we continued to use our winning strategy to secure a room for the night. Ana stayed at the bus station guarding the luggage while Martijn ran to find a room for the night. His first stop was at a guesthouse across the bus station where he nailed a second story room with hot shower and tv. Again the poor German couple lost out- they stayed in the same guesthouse but had to walk five flights of stairs to their room.
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