Frienly Train offers soft sleepers, A/C and
clean four-berth cabins in 2 carriages which
go with local trains between Ha Noi and Lao
Cai. You are provided with one bottle of
water, a small snack and a napkinFriendly Express Train
to Sapa
Friendly ExpressTrain also
a part of regular train with 2 carriages in
SP1 and SP2 between Hanoi and Lao Cai.
The Friendly Train is attracted by offering
soft sleeper carriage, A/C clean four-berth
cabins which create cozy comforts for
travelers during the trip
*Wooden deluxe cabin 4 berths at US$ 60 are
per person for return
*Superior cabin 4 berths at US$ 50 are per
person for return
* Note:
- Free picking up from Hanoi to Train
Station
- One way ticket are available
- Ticket price does not include meals
Can Cau
Market
Sprawling near the banks of a river, Can Cau
Market is a clearly defined shantytown, packed with
crude stalls covered with that ched roofs. The start
of a few simple settlements can be seen high above,
many of whose residents now make their weekly
pilgrimage to the market. We are only 9kms from the
Chinese border and some traders make the journey
across from China on horseback. Unfortunately
foreigners are not allowed to reciprocate this
set-up, however tempting it may seem.
By 9 am, the market is crammed to capacity. It's
lively and surprisingly fun. The locals are mostly
of the Flower Hmong minority group. You
can't miss them -their traditional costume of green
checked headdress and multi-colored, meticiculosly
stitched and layered garments are simply stunning.
Few foreigners make it to Can Cau; those
that do brave the journey come either with a small
tour group in four-wheel drives, or - if half-mad
and on a tight budget like me -on the back of a
motorbike. The handful of Westerners here this
morning are the object of intense - though friendly-
scrutiny. There is much laughter as we try to make
basic conversation. Although the majority are
painfully shy and not accustomed to seeing
foreigners, some cheerfully allow photographs to be
taken.
Can Cau is predominately a
livestock market and not the sort of place to buy
some choice gifts for the folks back home. Beyond
the fenced-in
 perimeter, pot-bellied pigs, chickens
and water buffalo wait patiently by the river to be
sold. They rub shoulders with magnificent wild
horses, some of whom will be transporting their
masters back over to China. But the market also
sells the basics: traditional clothing, sacks of
rice, bundles of coarse, raw wool and ironware. Some
stalls sell fresh tobacco and a rather sad array of
root vegetables. Many women sell their wares from
large, wicker baskets and sit weaving whilst waiting
for a sale. I note that there are many giant plastic
containers lying around with attached tubes. I
mistakenly think this is gasoline, but it is in fact
the omni-present rice wine and some folk are spotted
wisely filling up their water bottles for the long
ride home. Food stalls serve bowls of steaming fat
noodles in broth and indescribable plates of what I
can only assume are some sort of animal innards. It
is almost like being transported back in time. There
are few traces of the outside world, save the
occasional soccer tee-shirt cast off and digital
watch. As I observe the incredible costumes, deep
shyness and the dark, weather-beaten skins, it is
hard to imagine that this is the same country as
freewheeling Saigon City in the south. It might as
well have been on another planet.
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