Sapa area trekking, Vietnam

For our second day in the Sapa area, we headed out for more trekking. Before our trip, we had been forewarned about the aggressive hawkers who will spend the whole day trailing after you until they have made a sale. As we took a car to start on our second day, we avoided being tagged on our way out of town, though a pair of young girls latched on to us once we were let out on the road. We have a general policy of not buying from children, so OD tried to discourage them early on, but they kept following us from a distance for some time.

My Entourage

Our trek began on a trail adjacent to rice paddies; our guide informed us that some of these rice paddies have been in place for hundreds of years. It was quite muddy in places and we had a few slips -- luckily the guide was often nearby to steady me. 

We saw quite a few water buffalo, starting with a few blocking the road. Our guide told us that you have to keep track of your water buffalo otherwise they will wonder off and be stolen. On the trail, we passed by some water buffalo quite closely -- I didn't get too close in fear of being knocked over on the steep slope.

Water buffalo blocking the road

Close encounter on the trail

During our hike we came across a dam in construction. Our guide told us that some of the villagers had been relocated in order to clear land for the dam -- the conflicts of progress.

Overlooking the future dam site

Dam construction marring the view

Photo taken from a much sturdier bridge parallel to this one 

Past the dam, the landscape was dominated by rice paddies and dotted by wooden shacks. Powerlines, however, ran through what was otherwise a seemingly ancient way of life.  

 As expected, our route took us by stalls of various handicrafts. The different subgroups of H'mong are identified by their traditional colors and patterns. Unfortunately, we don't have any good photos of the villagers, as we thought it too intrusive to take close-up shots without asking.

At one of the village stalls

Woman with traditional scarf and mickey mouse jacket

Woman in traditional H'mong costume on the right

We also had lunch at a local home, with a simple meal prepared by one of the village women. Our guide was able to translate though it was another tribal language than her own, but we didn't strike up much of a conversation. OD was still forlorn over the accident that happened on our way up the steep path to the home -- he slipped on some moss and came crashing down on his brand new camera, unhinging the lens somewhat. However, both OD and the camera survived to see another day.

Last shot before the fall

Cat Cat Village, Vietnam

Our first outing from Sapa was Cat Cat Village -- a well-trodden path on the tourist trail. OD was quite amused at the sign's instructions: "Do not give money for children" and tried to explain the distinction between "for" and "to" to our guide.



Our guide convinced me to take a try at a traditional instrument, before OD pointed out that who knows how many mouths had been on it. Luckily, I didn't pick up any germs!

The H'mong ethnic group are known for their colorful costumes. Fabrics are made by handloom and then dyed from plant extracts.



Not all is traditional in Cat Cat Village; we passed by a hut of children watching tv. Farther down the road a flock of chickens passed by a parked motorcycle.

OD had this obsession with pigs during our trek -- I asked him why he kept taking photos of them, when they all more or less looked the same, but I guess to him each pig had something unique to offer.

Cat Cat village winds down past pumpkin patch roofs and eventually to a waterfall. Later that day we had some pumpkin soup, and it was delicious!

 

After the requisite phototaking, we then made our way out of the village, over a bridge, and back towards the town of Sapa.

Sapa town, Vietnam

The second leg of our Vietnam trip was to Sapa, a northern mountain town. To get there, we took the overnight train from Hanoi. I hadn't taken an overnight train since my junior year study abroad in Italy, and I was not looking forward to a rocky night's sleep. Though the accommodations were quite basic and very narrow, I was able to sleep a bit, though I don't believe OD slept much at all.

        

We arrived early in the morning to Lao Cai and after a long grumpy wait at a restaurant, we were shuttled onto a bus to Sapa. Upon arrival, we quickly dropped our stuff off at the hotel and then we were off to Cat Cat Village (see separate post).

Our guide in Red Dao wear

Our guide, a cheerful young woman from the Red Dao tribe, took us trekking through the villages and countryside and put up with our prying questions. We were interested to learn that she was around 21, married and had a baby in daycare. Though she was reserved about her feelings towards her own arranged marriage, she spoke somewhat judgingly of another local tribe who forcefully kidnap their brides (we have no confirmed knowledge of this practice in the area, but interesting nonetheless). She shared with us that she could not read; OD then launched into a diatribe of encouragement to learn, but she did not seem convinced. She also had never left the Sapa area, not even venturing into Hanoi. I couldn't help project my own feelings of travel envy and wondered if she harbored her own wanderlust. The hills around Sapa, however, are beautiful things to be bounded by.

During our time in town, we avoided the hawkers roaming the streets, but of course we still needed souvenirs. Our guide had introduced us to her mother and sister on our way through the market, so we thought it would be nice to do our purchasing from them. When we showed up and asked for our guide's mother with the clear intention to buy, all the market ladies became quite animated, jealous of the looming sale. Once we had made our picks from the guide's mother and sister, their fellow neighbors tried to get our attention as well but we managed to extricate ourselves.

Chickens at market

Main drag of Sapa town

We stayed at Chau Long Sapa Hotel, and it was nice to come back after a day of trekking to a fireplace in the lobby. We discovered the second morning, when the mist had somewhat cleared, that we could actually see the hills of the surrounding valley.

View from our room balcony

Breakfast with a view 

The hotel also had a miniature version of Sapa town, which even lit up at night. The real Sapa at night was quite misty. The town is a touristy mix of shops, Italian restaurants, and French bakeries, making you feel a bit like you are in European town that just happens to be nestled in the mountains of Vietnam.

Part of the draw of going to Vietnam in December was a break from the constant hot and humid Singapore weather. Sapa promised us cool, if not cold temperatures. That first chill night, OD was very happy to see his breath again!

Vietnam: Halong Bay

Halong Bay is a UNESCO heritage sight and a must-see for Southeast Asia. I thought OD would like being on the water and taking photos of the limestone cliff formations; I was right -- OD took hundreds of photos, but I've pared them down for the slideshow:

The bay tour was part of our package with Handspan. Supposedly you can just show up and get cheaper deals, but the tours themselves can be hit or miss. We would definitely recommend going with Handspan's boat, as the crew was professional and the boat in good condition. Our tour also went a bit off the beaten path, so we didn't run into too many other tour boats. I thought it might be uncomfortable to spend two nights on the boat, but our room was pretty nice and we could hardly tell we were sleeping on the water (the boat docked in an inlet overnight).

With my tendency toward seasickness I was a bit apprehensive of being on a boat for so long. But the boat went so slowly on calm waters the entire time that it wasn't a problem. After the hustle and bustle of Hanoi and the hiking of Sapa, it was nice to spend a few days just chilling on the deck and letting life pass us by.


Besides lounging on the boat, we went kayaking -- a first for me -- and I thought it was quite fun, once I determined OD wasn't going to tip us over. We kayaked our way through an opening in one of the karsts and into an inlet. A monkey was spotted in the trees by another in our group -- I eventually caught sight of him, but poor OD never did (though he swiped someone's else's photo to claim that he did).


Another excursion was to a beachy island with a bar. We forwent drinks and hiked a short way up to the top for the view.

On the last day of our voyage, we were taken to a floating fishing village -- and though it was a real fishing village, it was also quite the tourist operation. A group of village women, each staffing a small vessel, waited to transport us (so were unable to get an idea of their daily lives when tourists weren't around). We were taken to the village center and allowed to gawk at the children in their one-room schoolhouse (very conducive to learning). The trip ended with our deposit at a pearl farm (and sale shop). Though the experience lacked authentic interaction, it still at least afforded us a small glimpse at another way of life -- and we got to wear traditional Vietnamese hats. 

Vietnam: Hoan Kiem Lake

Just south of the old quarter in Hanoi lies Hoan Kiem Lake (or Lake of the Returned Sword), a little oasis among the hustle and bustle. This is the place to take a break from shopping, eating, and dodging traffic (though you will have to cross a busy street to reach it). At the center of the lake is Turtle Tower (above). According to legend, the emperor Lê Lợi took a sword from the Golden Turtle God who lives in the lake and achieved victory against the Chinese Ming Dynasty.

At the north end of the lake is Jade island, home of Ngoc Son Temple; it is connected to the mainland by the red wooden Huc Bridge. A preserved specimen of a large tortoise from the lake is on display and supposedly more of its kind are still occasionally spotted in the waters. The temple area was a busy tourist site, but the courtyard area also seemed to be a popular game spot for the locals.

We also came by the lake at night, which is even more scenic with the Turtle Tower lit up and the background of city lights. A nice time for a romantic stroll (if OD wasn't so busy taking photos).