Sapa - Day 3

We arrived at the station in Lao Cai at around 6 am and had 1 1/2 hour drive to Sapa. Sapa is Northwest market town located about 10km South of the China border. It is a town surrounded by the Tonkines Alps with Mt. Fansipan, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia within walking distance. This market town relies heavily on its own rice paddies and terraces to feed its people, mostly made up of the hill tribes who live in Sapa.

In the early 1900's Sapa was a holiday spot for the French colonists. In the 1950's it was retaken by the Vietnamese and then bombed by the French during the War. Unique to Sapa are its hill tribes which are considered by the Vietnamese "ethnic minorities" Some tribes have lived here for thousands of years while others have arrived within the last 50 years. The tribes have immigrated from Tibet, Burma, Laos and China. During the Vietnam War, the Americans and Vietnamese fought to have the hill tribes as their allies.

Our hotel was the Victoria Hotel set upon the hill in the town. The hotel was beautiful with lush greenery and lodge type rooms. The resort overlooked the town with the mountains in the background.

As we started our walking tour to visit Cat Cat (waterfall in French), we were joined by about 6 women from the Black H'mong Tribe. Dressed in indigo-dyed clothing, silver hoop earrings and a multitude of bracelets and necklaces, these women followed us for about 2-3 hours in a walk to and through their village in hopes of us purchasing their handmade goods. They spoke fairly good English. The women in the H'mong tribe work hard - 1 day making their goods, 1 day selling and 1 day farming and then they repeat the cycle. Women are generally married at 15 or 16 and have children. There are many traditions they follow. They are persistent in selling their goods. One woman walked the entire trek with her 2 years old strapped to her back. Their living conditions are very basic and they depend on the rice harvest to keep them fed throughout the year. A common conversation with a hill tribe woman would be "you - me - we friends. You buy from me? You buy from me later, right?" You had no problem with buying from them as they befriended you, the only problem being that 3 women befriended Jim and 3 me and they all want you to buy similar good!! They got quite upset when you bought from another! We attended a concert where the young adults where putting on a dance performance. Allison and Kristin were invited up on stage to dance with them , it was very fun and exciting for all of us! We saw the waterfall for which Cat Cat is named. There were water buffalo, pigs and chickens randomly wandering around the entire valley. The water buffalo presumably know where "home" is so no one has issue with taking anyone else's water buffalo which is essential in harvesting the land. The rice paddies and terraces are everywhere you look - it is amazing. The government of Vietnam allots families in the hill tribes parcels of land free of charge to harvest and maintain. Each family has a plot of land that once harvested should provide enough rice to get them through the year. They also eat corn, which hangs from the rafters of their homes and meat from the local markets.

We had the opportunity to see a performance given by the local teenagers who were playing music on native instruments and dancing with the music. Both boys and girls were dancing and telling stories through their dance. They invited Allison and Kristin up to dance as they pounded long bamboo sticks to a beat across the stage. They then dance between the bamboo. The girls did great and both the girls and the performers enjoyed the interaction. As we continued through the valley we saw local homes, men plowing the rice fields and the corn being made into grain. What amazed us the most was how ancient their farming techniques were and no one had given them instruction on how to modernize. Everything they do requires human driven labor, not machine.

We went back after a long day of hiking and rested for awhile as we were quite tired from the train ride the night before. Kristin was not feeling great but we all headed out to dinner. At the start of dinner, Kristin needed to go back to the room to sleep, she was exhausted. Sapa is a small town, but a hilly one so I wasn't sure she would make it back on foot. Our tour guide, Nam, who was eating with us, hailed a motorcycle taxi and off Kristin and I went. The driver, Kristin and I on a motorbike up to the hotel - it was quite an adventure and actually was fun! Kristin initially was a bit nervous but was all excited once we got going! We were all ready for a great night of sleep in cool weather and to rest for the next day's hike.

Hanoi, Vietnam - Day 2

Hanoi is one of the most bustling cities I have ever visited. A highlight at the end today was sitting in the Highlands Cafe, in the center of the city, watching the action unfold. The motorbike scene is like nothing we have ever seen - no rules of the road, drivers drive in any direction and turn whenever they want. 2 or 3 people could be on a bike at once. They go through red lights, don't stop for pedestrians but slow down as you cross the street, you feel like you are just waiting to be hit. The way to cross is to walk slow and the motorbikes drive around you!

Vietnam is heavily influenced by the countries that have occupied it over its history. The Chinese ruled the country from 179 BC - 938 AD and the French from 1896-1954. The Chinese and French influences are very apparent in the architecture around the city. The Russian influence appeared when we visited Ho-Chi Minh mausoleum, modeled after Lenin's tomb.

The Temple of Literature and National University was the first stop of the morning. The temple was built in 1070 to worship Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher. The three buildings and courtyards are examples of Chinese architecture. On site are stone diplomas bearing the names of students who passed the examinations to become doctor laureates. We next visited Hoan Kiem Lake which is in the center of Hanoi and divides the French Quarter and the Old Quarter. A great myth surrounding the lake is the Legend of the Lake of the Recovered Sword. As legend goes a magical sword was given to the emperor in the mid -15th century to defeat the Chinese invaders. While the emperor was boating on the lake a giant tortoise snatched the sword away from him returning it to its rightful place and bringing peace to the land. The tortoise has symbolic significance in Vietnam and is seen over and over again in sculpture and art. We crossed the Bridge of the Rising Sun, a bright red bridge that takes you from the area around the lake to the Pagoda, a working temple. The whole area has a very Chinese feel from the bridge to the Temple.

After lunch we embarked on our journey to see and learn about the life of their revered leader Ho -Chi Minh. Ho-Chi Minh was a communist leader and statesman whose dream was to unite North and South Vietnam. Born in 1890 and living until 1969, Ho Chi Minh is a hero in Vietnam. He was influenced by the Russians and his Mausoleum reflects that relationship as it is built in Russian style architecture. The building is cold and dark in nature. He is one of only two individuals in the World to be embalmed, the other being Lenin. The Vietnamese government pays large sums to keep him embalmed and annually his body is sent to Russia for 2 months for "body maintenance". Despite his status while alive, Ho Chi Minh lived a simple existence with little to no luxuries. The two homes where he resided during his tenure as Prime Minister and President, are preserved. The first very simple in nature and shows the life of a solitary man. The second is in keeping with the hill tribe housing which he lived in the Northern hills in hiding during turbulent times. The museum built in his honor is like no other museum I have ever been to. The layout itself is an artistic masterpiece displaying facts about his life in an unusual manner. An example would be the display of gifts given to Ho Chi Minh during his rule. The large circular area is laid out like a giant lotus leaf and each petal houses a different gift. It is quite spectacular.

The street shops around the city are unbelievable due to the sheer volume of goods and the people surrounding the area. Hang Dau Street is a street lined with stores selling shoes, more shoes that you have ever seen in one place. The same goes for handbags - Prada and Gucci knockoffs, backpacks (North face supposedly) and accessories. Hang Gai Street is lined with a mix of silk stores, clothing and art galleries.

After dinner we boarded the night train for Sapa, a village about 7 hours Northwest of Hanoi. The Victoria Train has small but beautiful wood paneled sleeper cars for 4. The girls took the top bunks, Jim and I the bottom beds and we set off on a great but very bumpy adventure North.