Our trip to Sapa was amazing. While Sapa is not yet the most touristy of places, it has definitely become a budding industry in the region. You can tell because hotels continue to pop up everywhere trying to take advantage of the killer view of mountains and mist. As soon as you arrive at your hotel you have a group of young girls from the H'mong people swarming you. They are rather cute, they ask you your name, your age, where you're from, whether you have any brothers or sisters, etc. You are immediately struck by how these young ones have learned to speak fluent English solely from their exposure to foreigners in this isolated area of the country. But you also quickly realize, they've been doing this whole routine for some time now when they ask you sweetly "you buy something from me?" Fair enough.
We went trekking to this village inhabited by a local ethnic group called the Red Dzao, I thought we were lost on numerous occasions and feared that we would soon become dinner for the vultures which circled the skies...but no, we found our way. On our trek we did meet the loveliest young girl and her mother. They literally got dropped off on this isolated road where we were the only ones walking to try to sell us something. They gave us the same routine the H'mong girls tried and basically, they follow you until you do buy something. Given that we were on this road with no where else to go but the village where they lived, we started chatting with them on our way. The young girl had the nicest demeanor about her and spoke with such a soothing calm in her voice. She was 14 and she had finished school, not being able to pay to stay in longer. It was quite the reality check as sometimes you forget that these little girls who are harassing you to buy their two dollar souvenir would much rather be elsewhere. Anyway it was nice to get off the beaten track a bit and have a conversation with a local... Sapa was beautiful and one of highlights of our trip to Vietnam. We ended up back on the train from hell overnight to Hanoi only to jump on a bus heading to Halong Bay, a world heritage site.
Halong Bay was gorgeous and a popular destination for Vietnamese vacationers. There are huge limestone rocks which jut out of the blue green waters, really quite a site. You can imagine that these are the tops of a mountain range which have long since been flooded by the sea. We boarded a junk...that's right, the ship you sail in Halong Bay is called a "junk"--not the least bit concerning...anyway there are a ton of them in the bay so we were glad when the boat went to a more remote and isolated part of the area and the guide informed us that we could swim. Eagerly all of the 15 or so people on board took advantage of the only respite from the heat. What the guide didn't mention was that the area was infested with beloved jelly fishes! Almost everyone who took a dip ended up with at least one lovely stingin' rash to remember the bay by...including Hannah and Reena. They were not impressed as you can imagine. Anyway, I also kayaked (with virtually no instruction as to how in fact you kayak) through some bat infested caves before returning to the boat. But hey mom, don't worry, no rabies!
We spent the night on an island, with about 15 other people at a resort in beach huts...I know life is tough for the backpacker I tell you...I am fairly certain that there was mouse poop all over our bed when we woke up though if that is of any comfort to those of you wishing me ill at this moment. The next day we spent the night on the boat, which was pleasant, albeit cockroach infested. I also (perhaps stupidly) jumped off the top deck of the junk into the water below with some English travelers on the boat--so much fun! No worries, I have no broken bones and I still managed to escape the jellyfish...
After Halong Bay, we stayed one more night in Hanoi and then took a flight to Laos, where we currently are parked for a few days. Luang Prabang, also a UNESCO world heritage city, is very peaceful and runs at its own slow pace. Its been raining since we've arrived so we've passed the time sitting in cafes, visiting Buddhist monasteries and getting $4 Lao Massages...again life is tough for the backpackers here.
We're headed south in a few days, so I'll update you on that soon...from what I hear the buses in Laos can be as pleasant as the trains to Sapa!
A few pics from Sapa
1 comment:
"I know life is tough for the backpacker"
Traveling is tough, I feel your pain Paloma.
Ask Mila how often we used that phrase.
Post a Comment