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Published: November 12th 2006
Making some clothes in Mai Chau
Was given the chances to try weaving the traditional way!!Arrived safely back from my week up in the mountains of N.W. Vietnam. WOW, what an awesome experience that was. We headed south out of Hanoi...when I say we, it was me, my own personal driver and own personal guide. I was the only one on the tour and at first I was a little wary but if it's one thing I've learned about this country it's that you have to trust...your instincts as well as the locals. Bac and Hung were absolute sweeties and couldn't do enough to make the trip a good one.
Our first night was spent in Mai Chau with a traditional White Thai family. Their housing was a stilt home...floor of bamboo, timber walls with thatched roof. Roof and walls don't meet and windows and doors consist of shutters. This also meant sleeping on the floor on rattan mat, thin mattress, a couple of blankets and a mozzie net for protection. The experience was interesting to say the least. Slept better than I thought I would. Perhaps it was being lulled off to sleep by the sounds of the village rather than the honking of horns in the city.
The next few days were
spent travelling to Son la, Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau then 2 nights in Sapa. The scenery in this part of the world is just absolutely breathtaking. Up over steep, heavily forested mountains and down into valleys where villages of ethnic minority groups live and work rice terraces, rice paddies and veggie growing. Add to that gently flowing streams with wooden waterwheels used to either thrash rice or to move more water into the rice paddies. Closer to Sapa the rice paddies give way to rice terraces which seem to balance precariously on the sides of the mountains.
Experienced many different hilltribes throughout the week.....Black Thai, White Thai, Tay, H'mong, Dzao and Dzay. Sapa was full of H'mong peddling their beautiful weaving and I spent a day visiting 2 villages just out of Sapa.....Lao Chai and Ta Van. Ended up with my own "local "guide as well as Bac on the walk through the village. Needless to say I was expected to buy something from her at the end of the trek. I didn't mind too much as she had helped me over rugged ground and streams across roads - even though I really didn't need the help. Sapa,
like its rice terraces is perched on the side of the mountain so to get anywhere within the town in an endurance walk...steps by the hundreds.
Well, the week up north went all too quickly. I've been back in Hanoi for 3 days now and am ready for Rob to arrive tonight so we can start our cycling tomorrow evening when we meet up with the rest of our cycling buddies. After 2 weeks on Vietnam roads and seeing the way everyone drives, perhaps this cycling thing is going to be a little more challenging than at first anticipated. BRING IT ON!!! Love a new challenge.
Till next time. Luv youse all. Smoochies, xoxoxo
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