Wandering Around Southeast Asia: Sapa Trip

Am currently in Lao Cai in northern Vietnam, about three kilometers from the Chinese border, the Red River, which we went to see. Smelled like I remember. Just got back from a two day trek in the rice paddy/ terraces of Sapa and a day to the Bac Ha market in the other direction. The trek was one of the all time highlights of my trip thus far due to beautiful scenery, interesting people and ways of life, and animals galore!! It was raining while we were trekking, which was great, and it got pretty cold at night - I slept with two shirts, pj pants and a thick blanket which was a nice change after the intense heat pretty much everywhere else. Saw so many cool and new things and felt somewhat like a pioneer even though there were plenty of other tourists there (didn't see them for the most part as our guide took us on a road less traveled. Nice.)

Going to go right into pictures as I could write all day about the things I saw there.

Rice is pretty much the main crop grown here, followed by corn. The rice growing process is super labor intensive already but add to that the steepness of the mountains and the less suitable climate than elsewhere (according to our guide, Sapa gets one crop a year while southern Vietnam around Saigon gets three) and you your work cut out for you. The people there use buffalo to help them plant and dig the terrace paddies.

Once they are big enough, rice seedlings are pulled up and transplanted to another paddy where they are more spread out.

Seedlings tied to a pole for carrying. That hill was steep!!

The area we were hiking was home to a minority group called the Black Hmong, who use indigo to dye their clothes a very dark blue (I guess) making them look almost black. The vast majority wear this traditional dress.

Black Hmong traditional clothes drying by the path

Indigo dye for making traditional clothes

On our way we passed by a very small village school where this boy and his friends were playing with their pet birds. He keeps his in this can with a little moss at the bottom!

This little girl came up to check us out while we were sitting outside in the evening with her little brother on her back. She was very cute at first and just hanging out but later came back and tried to sell us stuff. Less cute

Some piglets in the village where we stayed. Assuming they are... Vietnamese potbellied pigs! We will soon be acquiring one at home!!

After the trek I spent the night in Sapa town, which is a very cool place and reminded me a lot of Yangshuo, China, but less crowded and a little more relaxing. Today we went to the market at Bac Ha village where another minority group, the Flower Hmong, come to stock up on weekly supplies. You can tell why these people are called the Flower Hmong versus Black Hmong...