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Published: March 7th 2007
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The dread Boney M
After "Touching The Void", able to strike fear into anyone heading to the mountains. This morning thankfully my back and backside weren't hurting quite so much (although my lips were pretty badly cracked by now), and amazingly I had no repairs on the bike to do. So, after a lesiurely morning, drinking tea with the internet people in Lai Chau, I went to get some lunch before I headed off again. Whilst slurping on my noodle soup, my eyes alighted on a Boney M music cd sitting oddly amongst the Vietnamese music on the rack beside me. Was this to be a premonition (in the book "Touching the Void", the climber who falls off a mountain and has to drag himself to safety is tormented by a Boney M song running through his head)!?
The road from Lai Chau leads immediately up into the mountains. It's a wonderful road as usual, but not very fast. Mostly first and second gear. As I pass the Hmong people working and living along the road, I think about why I'd want to see this part of the world this way. I think it is because I hate to feel like I'm making someone put on some sort of show for me, as would be the case if
I was visiting here as a tour trek. Here, riding along, I'm the show, and I'm much more comfortable with that.
The familiar valley landscape seems to be getting narrower and narrower as I get higher and I am able at many points to look back and appreactiate spectacular scenery.
After about two hours I reach the Sapa viewpoint. Woo Hoo, only 15 km down the mountain to Sapa, and civilisation. After about 5 days on noodles and rices, I'm looking forward to some western food. However, just before I start to descend, I spot a view point at the top of a hill. I realized that this is proably the highest point I would be at in Vietnam, so I stop to check it out.
There is a building there, whcih turns out to be a base for the park rangers. The ranger invites me in, and we sit dow for a cup of coffee (he's run out of tea, but I come to the rescue with some sachets of Nescafe) and a blether. A nice guy, apparently just starting his job here on this isolated outpost. After wandering up to the top, I come back
At the Sapa viewpoint.
At the highest point of my trip to northwest Vietnam. down to hear the sound of a ping-pong game. As I pop my head round the door to say goodbye, I am asked to play by the ranger and his friend. Well, I reckon I've got plenty of time to reach Sapa, and they look like they don't get a lot of company up here.
A mere hour and a half later, I've realised that the park rangers friend is a ping-pong addict, and in no mind to let me leave. It's getting darker, and I realize that I need to head. However, they invite me to stay up here at the overlook for the evening. I'm not really in much of a mood to do so, but then I figure that I'm here to visit the local fowk, and it'd be a but of a change from a hotel. So I agree.
Whilst there, a group of Hmong people turn up, carrying bamboo. I see them hanging around, and offer to give them a lift to where they are heading on the bike. I didn't like the idea of the bike sitting idle whilst they have to tramp all the way home. They happily jump on the
Hmong.
After carting them down the mountain, I was finaly able to get a picture of the Black Hmong people. bike, but unfortuately, when I ask were to, they say "Sapa". That means a 30 km round trip, down the mountainside and back up again! Oh well, that's what I get for trying to be helpful. As we bump down the track, we drop into mist. Down and down, the light is fading fast. Finally we reach Sapa. To my eyes, it seems very strange and wonderful. I can see lots of tall, strange looking westerners walkig around, and signs for steakhouses, grills and pizza places. But this is not where the Hmong want dropping off, so we head further down the mountain past Sapa town. Here the electric lights stop, and we twist and turn down the hill in darkness.
At last we reach their village, and I drop them off. Finally, I get my photo of the Hmong people, after days of driving past them but feeling too embarrassed to ask.
Off I go, back up past the mountain (after stopping briefly, to pick up some cigarettes, chocolate and tea for the guys at the top of the mountain), wistfully looking back at the delights of Sapa. As usual, the Minsk is starting to play up,
Bye Bye
Saying goodbye to the guys I shared a meal with up at the viewpoint. and I'm not sure if I've got enough petrol, or if I even know the correct way back up. In addition, the mist is thick in the darkness, and it's getting very cold.
In first and second gear I wind my way back up the road, marvelling at the stars above me and peering frantically for the ranger building. At last, I see it in the bikes headlight. There is no lights, but I hear voices coming from the back of the building.
I enter to find the ranger and some other guys tucking into a meal. They are very pleased to see the cigarettes I brought, and they start to shovel food onto my bowl. One substance, a fatty meat, tasted particularly fine (I learned later that it was probably dog). As usual, the rice wine was flowing, with many toasts for friendship.
After the meal, the rest of the guys took off leaving me alone on the mountainside with the ranger. By candlelight he showed me where I'd be sleeping. It was early, but I was grateful to have a place to stay and a full belly.
The night was long. I was very thirsty from the rice wine. I couldn't find any bottled water, and had to risk a few gulps of tap water. This meant that I spent the rest of the night petrifed that I was about to get some sort of gastrointestinal attack. The wind was blowing a gale outside, and throughout the empty building, doors were opening and closing with the wind. It was very creepy, and I was glad to eventually see the dawn light break.
P.S. Sorry about the delay in updating the blog. Will try to finsh the entry for the Northwestern Loop, however, I'm headin into Laos tomorrow, and I don't expect to find many internet cafes!
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