Inday Clara Travels Solo #15: What to expect when it’s raining in Lao Chai Village, famous for its Rice Paddies in Sapa, Vietnam.

After a glorious day visiting the Cat Cat Village and the Love Waterfalls, I didn’t expect the weather to change drastically there. The next day, it was raining! It wasn’t raining that hard but the fog that came with it was not forgiving. Me and Uncle Louis were planning to see the rice paddies at Lao Chai Village that day. Upon seeing the weather that morning, we were blankly staring across the sky for a few minutes not saying anything. I knew he wouldn’t want to go out. But I was keen enough.

We headed out to meet with Big Mike since we plan on going there together with their motorbikes. We then had our breakfast at a nearby café. It was probably around ten in the morning. Big Mike told me the weather probably would be like that for the rest of the day. I was getting a bit sad cause I wanted to see more of Sapa, Vietnam. But my two companions didn’t want to disappoint me although they knew I wouldn’t be able to see the rice paddies in all its glory. So we decided to head out. The rain turned into a drizzle. I bought a waterproof jacket for $19. The weather was extremely cold and the one I brought with me was just not enough.

The start of the drive was fine. It was a long one though. Along the way, there were parts of the road that was dirt but most were concreted. After an hour, there were still no rice paddies. The fog wasn’t cooperating well. We met this buddy along the way.

And some travellers as well having their trek together with their guides.

We continued our trip until we finally saw this…

Well, at least that was a start!

We stop. I took a photo and I was really happy! The rain actually made the trip exciting and fun. That thrill that anytime it might rain hard or the sun might come out shining brightly. We continued our trip. We passed by this bridge then headed our way down the bend. The ride here was a bit bumpy. We reached the Lao Chai Village around 1pm. We stop for a while and had our lunch.

We took the time to walk around the village. We passed by a unique souvenir shop. The stuffs that the old guy sells were handmade and crafted from a marble rock. I was impressed with the details of his designs. Uncle Louis bought a chess set.

We continued the trip and finally I was able to see a much better view of the rice paddies. At this point, I was already happy having to experience the not-so-usual-happy-sunny-day trip I always wanted. But if there is one thing I've learned from this, it's not always sunny just as our lives are. There are always happy days and sad days but its alright. It is how we react or respond to these kind of experiences that will show how our day or our lives will unfold. And I chose to be positive despite the rainy weather we had during this trip. It was all worth it!

It isn’t advisable to take a trip to these paddies on a motorbike especially when the weather is like this. Wear a rain jacket or anything to protect you from the cold weather. Make sure your gas tank is full. The Lao Chai Village is far from the Town Center. Even if the weather wasn’t that good, I enjoyed the trip. Big Mike and Uncle Louis made sure of that. Our road trip ended around 4 pm. We had a sumptuous dinner before I bid my goodbye to Sapa, Vietnam.

Thank you so much for reading! By the way, I am organizing a charity work called The Awesome SMILE Project for the street children here at my place in Cebu, Philippines. A part of my earnings from my travel blog will be donated to this project!

You can check it out here for details.

The Awesome SMILE Project

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