Fansi that… the Roof of Indochina

Alternate titles for this post:

• Fancycan on Fansipan
• The cheeseburger that went 3/4 of the way around the world
• How National Geographic tried to kill me

Mt. Fansipan, the top of Vietnam and the highest peak in Indochina at 3143m. Located in the northwest part of Vietnam near the town of Sapa, the journey to this remote part of the world was long and arduous… for the cheeseburger. It started in Germany, proceeded west to Boston in a DHL box, lingered there for a while before being transferred to a backpack and flying to Chicago then Hong Kong and finally to Hanoi. From Hanoi, it boarded a night train for the journey north to Lao Cai, then a minibus to Sapa. In Sapa, it was re-packed into a day pack and transported by motorcycle to the park entrance, and finally, carried lovingly to the summit of Vietnam’s highest peak.

But was it necessary?

According to the National Geographic Traveler book that I bought before going to Vietnam, the trek to the summit is a three or four day affair due to the difficulty of the terrain… hence my belief that a cheeseburger in a can would be necessary to ensure I had edible provisions atop the mountain.

The reality of the situation is much different. I met my guide in Sapa around 9am, was taken by motorcycle to the trailhead where we started climbing by 10am, summitted, and returned to the high camp by early evening with plenty of daylight left. I’m quite certain this could be done as a day trip with an early enough start.

For a variety of reasons that I will not go into, I am very late writing this report… the summit cheeseburger was consumed on November 17th 2008… a mere 9 months ago. As a result, my memories of many details are fading… except one… the cheeseburger in a can should be avoided at all costs…. that is the most revolting thing that I have ever put in my mouth, and I’m quite pleased that I survived the consumption of it to tell the story… or at least show the photos:

— Krusty Bunz