Fansipan merupakan puncak tertinggi di daratan Indochina dengan ketinggian 3.143 mdpl. Fansipan terletak di Tam Duong, Vietnam. Kalau dilihat, area ini terletak di Vietnam bagian utara. Menurut informasi yang beredar, puncak ini terkadang diselimuti oleh salju pada musim dingin. Hmmm... menarik juga. Selain itu, untuk menuju ke puncak ini, ada 'jalur' alternatif yang dapat dengan mudah dilalui oleh seseorang yang tak memiliki jiwa pendaki seperti saya. Adanya monorail dan kereta gantung menuju puncak adalah kunci dari kemudahan akses ini. Hal inilah yang menjadi salah satu faktor pendorong untuk memantapkan hati berkunjung ke puncak ini. 

Titik awal perjalanan saya ke Fansipan dimulai dari Bandara Internasional Noi Bai yang terletak di Hanoi. Dari sana, saya melanjutkan perjalanan menuju Sa Pa, Lào Cai, dengan sleeper bus yang telah dipesan melalui website Sa Pa Nomad. Pengalaman saya menggunakan penyedia jasa bus ini sangatlah oke. Bus nyaman, ada fasilitas penjemputan dari bandara - agen bus di Hanoi dan agen bus Lào Cai - Sa Pa, dapat minum dan snack, plus yang terpenting adalah sangat on time! Bus akan berhenti di rest area sehingga penumpang bisa membeli makanan, suvenir, atau hanya sekadar ke toilet. Perjalanan saya menuju ke Sa Pa dilakukan pada malam hari jadi saya tidak bisa melihat pemandangan yang ada di luar. Saya bermalam di Sa Pa sebelum menuju Fansipan keesokan harinya. 

Bandara Noi Bain (Photo by Mba Dina)

Petualangan ke Fansipan akan dimulai sekarang! Been wanting to get there for sooo long! AAAAAAAA! Tak sabar rasanya merasakan pengalaman melewati hamparan pegunungan dari ketinggian. Apalagi selama beberapa waktu terakhir banyak sekali reels tentang Sa Pa dan Fansipan bersliweran di explore instagram. Oh ya, saya sudah mempersiapkan tiket monorail dan kereta gantung sejak di Indonesia. Saya membelinya lewat klook without so much hassle! Tinggal scan barcode-nya saja ketika sudah di stastiun sana! And oh! Look! How pretty the station is! And also the views during the trip! WHAT A BREATHTAKING VIEW! 

Setelah berhasil melewati monorail, kita harus berjalan sekitar 1 kilometer (mungkin?) untuk menuju stasiun kereta gantung. Dalam perjalanan itu, kita akan melewati taman-taman yang menyediakan banyaaak spot foto dan atraksi di sana. Sebagai seseorang yang lahir dan tumbuh besar di dataran rendah, melihat berbagai bunga cantik adalah kesenangan tersendiri! Banyak sekali kaktus, mawar, dan bebungaan lain yang jarang sekali kulihat di sekita rumah. Jalannya sungguh lumayan jauh tapi untungnya udara cukup sejuk sehingga tidak terlalu panas dan berkeringat. Jujur saja, rasanya ingin berlama-lama di sana namun apadaya. Waktu saya di sana sangat terbatas. 

Bahagia di Monorail! (Photo by Mba Dina)

Ngefotoin Bunga (Photo by Mba Dina)

(Bukan) Bunga Lavender

Koridor Bunga

Mawar Cantik

Beruntung sekali cuaca di sana sedang bagus. Memang saat itu langit terlihat mendung tidak terlalu cerah namun syukur ahamdulillah tak badai dan kabut yang berterusan di sana. Kabut mampir kemudian pergi silih berganti. But hey! The mist gives the magic vibe here! AAAAAAA I fall in love with this place! Sungguh rasanya ingin saya jelajahi setiap sudut Fansipan yang bisa terjamah oleh ratusan (atau mungkin ribuan?) anak tangga ini semaksimal mungkin. Ingin rasanya menikmati ciptaan Tuhan ini karena kapan lagi saya bisa ke sini?! Well, I didn't go around in every corner but I tried to visit as much spot as I can and yeah! No regret! At all! 

Jujur saja saya kebingungan untuk mengungkapkan kecintaan dan keindahan Fansipan. I came here without any expectations (cause damn yeah, I just wanna experience the monorail) but WOW! The view is also superb! Mungkin juga karena saya tak perlu bersusah payah mendaki sehingga tenaga saya masih cukup penuh untuk se-excited ini mengagumi tempat ini? YaAllah, my Lord... how should I say my gratitude towards your beautiful creation? 

Puncak Fansipan

Bersama Dewi Guan Yin

I looked so happy but I 100% was!

Bersama Budha

Pemandangan ini sungguh menakjubkan! I'm a beach person but I think Fansipan changes me becoming mountain person! Pegunungan hijau yang dipadukan dengan sentuhan tradisional nan religius. Kuil, patung Budha, patung Dewi Guan Yin, beserta bangunan kecil-kecil untuk istirahat yang bergaya tradisional. I have none to say but I surely love this place! Boleh, dong, saya mengklaim bahwa tempat ini adalah salah satu trekking spot favorit saya? Fasilitas menuju puncak sudah sangat mumpuni, tempat makan tersedia, toilet umum juga tersedia. Apalagi yang diperlukan? Sungguh... benar-benar SUN WORLD membuat Fansipan sangat accessible bagi orang-orang biasa seperti saya untuk bisa sampai puncak. Thanks to Sun World Fansipan Legend! It makes impossible mission becomes so possible! 

From Vietnam with Love, 

Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee Lover 

Vietnam has never been on my top priority list of places to visit. I never thought I would visit Vietnam this early. I thought I would visit Thailand first, but I didn't. This all was begun last year. The conversation to visit this country came up in the taxi from CGK airport with Mba Sasti. Well, I'd like to visit Sa Pa too, so I was in it. Th rest, I forgot how it was, but we ended up booking our flight ticket in last February (or March? I forget). And yeah. We did it. And in my opinion, Vietnam will always be worth to revisit. 

You know, other Sa Pa, I didn't expect too much. And you know what? I just thought that Sa Pa is beautiful and magical. But once I got there, I thought I fell in love! And I really fall. The center of the city is so lively, full of light, yet still feels quiet. A piece of peace there. No brutal sound of honks, no noisy sounds of the vehicle, and fresh air. How couldn't I fall in love? I like the city center, I like the pond (lake), I like the bunch number of coffeeshops available there with such a lovely ambience. 

Sa Pa Lake

Sa Pa

Sa Pa at Night

Hanoi is different. Hanoi is enchanting but not fits me well. I had difficulty to cope with the heat. It's a bit worse than in Jakarta. No sweat, no Hanoi. But you know, the old quarters are just so lovely. The old buildings, the street full of shops, the flower sellers, the vegetables sellers. Oh I love that! 

Oh boii... Talking about Vietnam, well from my experience in Sa Pa dan Hanoi of course, there are some things surprising. Here are my lists:

1. The immigration process in Hanoi (Noi Bai Airport) was the quickest and easiest that I have experienced so far! No question, no necessary to show my return ticket, hotel, and etc. The staff stamped on my passport quickly. I was so stunted till I asked 'done?' like?! How could it be so easy? I already prepared the documents: return ticket and hotel reservations. But well. Entry permit granted already! 😊
2. The shoes used by the boys and men in Sa Pa is cute. It's like something strapped used by females here. I wonder why... It's still a question though but my guess was it's something similar that they used already from long time ago. Must be something similar with their traditional sandal. Must be so comfortable and suitable for hilly places like Sa Pa. Perhaps. 
3. Men in Vietnam are cute?! Yes! But hey! The women are so beautiful, pretty, cute, and gorgeous! Oh my God! I said 'Cewek-cewek di sini pada cantik-cantik, ya.' so many-many times! You know? They slay!😭 Whenever I saw them, at the park, shops, streets, even market, oh gosh they're just effortlessly pretty 😭. And I think women there are very hardworking! (by the way, out of topic: the barista in vietnam: 'damage' 😌😍😅) 
4. The chairs in the coffeeshops are unique (well, I thought it was weird but finally I decided that it was not). The chairs are pretty short. At the first, I didn't notice it but after I walked and passed lot of cafes, also tried to drink coffee at the cafes, I realized that yeah! Mostly the chairs are short! Even, some seems like dingklik in Indonesia. Sooooo cute. Idk why. What is the reason, bruuh? 

   Short Chairs in A Cafe

   
   
5. Vietnam is a communist country. Well, I read some books about it, not the heavy one but hey I was a bit freaking surprised when I saw lot of Vietnamese using apple products. Not only the youngers but even the Grab driver, the traditional kinda becak. Well, I didn't expect that. How can? 
6. Not forget to mention how comfortable I was because I felt safe, and I never heard any catcall! What a damn luck! Hellow, been living in Indonesia and been always feel worried and unsafe around people in public (especially when we walk at night) but here I felt less worried? Oh, God. 
7. The service in Vietnam is exceptional! The bus? on time. Changing plan? you get the compensation. Already reserving the tour or bus? You will be notified H-1 day! Sempet diomelin sama sopir bus karena bus sudah datang tapi aku masih di toilet hehe. 
8.  The food! Please, bruuh! I need to know what kinda smell in most restaurants. Also, what kinda leaves (or maybe something else) that you put in Pho? Smells like ginger. I am dying to know what it is. But no offense, I don't like it 😅😣
9. The smell of the soap! Oh I love it! To be honest the smell of the soap in the hotel is like the smell of the incense in Indonesian's temple. I really love it. I think I smell the aroma similar to some air freshener in some public toilets in Sa Pa. You should really know how much I love it. I hunted it. I started to smell every soap in every washstand that I found just in case it was the same soap in the hotel. I already asked the staff in the receptionist but no answer. I even went to the store and smell every soap available there but no answer. I wish you could help me finding that soap. I fancy it for real. Even I brought some from the hotel. Well, I just took a little. No offense. 
10. Where is the hospital? Where is the primary health care? Does the surveillance run well? Oh I'm dying to know. You should answer my question. I really need to hear the answer. Perhaps, this is the sign I have to come back.
11. Vietnam talk politely. I saw a family had lunch together in the restaurant. I barely hear their voices and I was thought 'oh they are not noisy like Indonesians.' They talk in a low voice. Long story short, when I went to a cafe at the evening not far from the restaurant. The ambience was just right. So peaceful. It was just normal until Mba Sasti said to me 'Just like you said, Indonesians are so noisy.' and I was like damn! Yeah! The ambience felt so different - from peaceful becomes a bit noisy- because a group of young Indonesians were talking at the corner of the restaurant. And my question is: Do most of Vietnamese talking in a low tone when they are having fun in a conversation?
12. Men (or maybe women too?) are pretty romantic there, I guess. I saw a small flower shop at the airport and yes I saw some people were bringing a bucket of flower while waiting for someone at the arrival gate. When can I get that romantic treatment? Help! 

    Little Flower Shop

    
    

    A Man Bringing a Bucket of Flower