Maybe you buy from me??

Finally able to post again! A lot of the computers we've come across are either too slow or don't support this page so it has been difficult to post. A lot has happened since our last post.

We took a fantastic trip to Sapa in the northern mountains of Vietnam. We took the sleeper train from Hanoi to Lau Cai, about 3km from the Chinese border. Then we hopped on a minibus and drove into the mountains to the town of Sapa. From there we hiked into the villages in the valley below Sapa. There are several mountain tribes living in the area. We came across three in particular: Zay, Red Zao, and Black Hmong. There were several Black Hmong girls waiting outside the hotel where we started our trek. All spoke english quite well and were a bit sassy. I quickly became known as monkey face due to my beard. Three of the girls followed us on our trek and were quite amusing. Our guide was a 20-year old girl from the Red Zao tribe and knew the area very well. It was a beautiful day. The hills in the region are all terraced with agriculture, mainly rice production. All the tribes sell handicrafts to tourists to supplement their incomes. At first we were hesitant to buy anything, but caved by the end of our journey through the hills and valleys around Sapa. We had decided to do a homestay during our trip so after a full day of hiking we stayed in the home of a Zay tribe in the village of Lau Chai. Pretty basic living. Wood fired stove in the kitchen that belted out plumes of smoke. Certainly not good for the lungs, but it cooked the food and kept you warm. The week before we arrived it had snowed in the area! It didn't while we were there, but it certainly got cold at night. That wood-fired stove can still cook up a good meal too and we ate well. Spring rolls, stir fried veggies and chicken, along with steamed rice. We were the only two staying in the home that night, besides the family, although they had room for several others. We took advantage and stocked up on extra blankets to keep warm.

In the morning, we had crepes with bananas and honey before setting off for more hiking. We hiked to the village of Ta Van and had lunch before heading back to Sapa by minibus. When entering both Lau Chai and Ta Van we were inundated by villagers, mainly Black Hmong women, trying to sell us goods. They didn't give up! They're tag line was "Maybe you buy from me??" No matter how many times we said no thanks, they persisted! In the end we bought several items from them, but all were worth it and will be memorable keepsakes. The girls that followed us on our trek were quite good business women even if they were only 10 years old!

We spent a brief 30 minutes at the Sapa market before heading back to Lau Cai to take the train back to Ha Noi. The market itself was very interesting to see. People, mainly women, from all tribes interacting and selling goods to each other. We really enjoyed our time in Sapa and recommend the region to anyone visiting Vietnam. Our next stop will be Halong Bay! Hope to post again soon!

CJ bartering with Black Hmong women
















RJ sitting next to the wood-fired stove before eating dinner in the Zay home.
















So and Ha, the two Black Hmong girls that hiked down the valley with us. The one on the right is not smiling because we didn't want any of her sugar cane. She was sassy that one!
















The terraced hills around Sapa.
















Cooking dinner with the Zay family in Lau Chai