A Relaxing Day

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Sunday 3rd April 2011
A poor breakfast of one small bread roll and jam plus cheese.
A relaxing day today spent visiting Bac Ha's Sunday market which is frequented by many ethnic tribes including Tay, Nung, Dao, Flower H'Mong, Gaiy and Phu La. The market was massive with 100s of people wearing their ethnic costumes. Ther must have been towards 1000 stalls selling everything. Clothes. gifts, hardware, food, new wooden ploughs, new wooden donkey saddles, horses, oxen, pigs, dogs hens etc etc. I bought one or two souvenir type gifts for my granddaughters, often with much persuasion from ethnic hawkers and much bargaining. I was even offered a haircut but declined.
At the market there were many stalls selling food, again very ethnic in origin, containing goodness knows what and smelling vile! Lots of the stalls appeared to be selling what looked like a very, very, fatty sausage and fatty meat..
I was really amused to spot a motor bike with a large tank strapped behind the rider carrying a lot of live fish which were all swimming about. ( I think I have already mentioned the motor bike I spied stacked precariously with several large crates stuffed with dogs: I shudder to think where they were going!)
Vietnam is a very interesting place to visit. so interesting, so different and very beautiful. Many of the villages are very crude and I certainly would not like to live there. On several occasions when we have arrived at a village a group of 8 or 10 women come out of their houses and gather in a group and just stand and stare, we must be such an unusual sight.
Had coffee and cakes at a couple of pavemement cafes, which were rather good. I also watched as a blacksmith cut off the end of some worn back hoes, used to turn over the soil for rice paddies, and welded new strips on to bring them back to order. The last job of the day was to have the bikes washed again - 20,000 dong (60p) - since they were filthy after the long, dirty ride yesterday.
Staying in Ngan Nga Hotel for another night. I have had a word with those in charge as the breakfast was not really enough and the thought of the predicted ride of 110km tomorrow on an empty stomach does not bode well. We will need a huge input of carbs. 'Til tomorrow.

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