Sapa!

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Saturday 7th May

Transfer back to Hanoi and as usual I was busting for the loo and had to ask Jimmy to pull over but he wasn't keen as he didn't want me to use a squat loo. As I was desperate the driver pulled into a petrol station and I ran off to use the loo. Possibly the oddest toilet yet...it was a squat toilet in a cubicle with floor to ceiling glass. Perhaps they have the same aim issues as me but don't mind looking at each other.....?
Once back in Hanoi we booked a cheap sleeper ticket on to Hoi An for Wednesday night and got prepared for our trip to Sapa.
A lady arrived at our hostel and instructed that we should follow her; she hopped onto her moped and we walked to the end of the road and were then told to get into a taxi and she drove in front of our car. Once at the station she was like a head mistress treating us like numpties but still very cute and clearly nervous that we were going to miss the train. Once on board I freaked out a bit as the top bunk was crawling alive with cockroaches. Ewww!!!!

Sunday 8th May

All the timings are off in Vietnam and so you depart really early and arrive ludicrously early...so we arrived into Lao Cai at just gone five and then had to wait to take a mini-bus to Sapa Town.
In town we had a quick outside cold shower with a awesome view over the rice terraces of Sapa and then went for a walk into town before our guide arrived at 9am. As soon as we stepped foot outside these young girls from the village were asking us questions..."Where you from? What's your name? You have brother and sister?"
They were adorable and before I knew it I was pinky promised into buying something when we arrived at their village later in the day.
As we walked further into town we were asked the same questions by more women...definitely the only English they know. At one point I gave a fake name so as not to be hounded later on and they asked Michelle her name and she said "Amy!" I burst out laughing...no point in giving a fake name if it is my name...then 5 minutes later she changed her name to Penelope...in ear shot of the other ladies. Clearly Michelle would be useless as a spy!!

Back at the hotel we met our wonderful guide Pam. She told us to grab our wellies and then we began our 15km hike to the Hmong Village. Accompanying us were the Hmong village ladies in their traditional dress carrying anything from 12kgs of fruit to pots and pans to 1 month old babies.
As soon as we set foot outside of Sapa Town and into the rice terraces it became clear why so many women were accompanying our group of 8. BALANCE. Trekking through the muddy muddy rice terraces is extremely difficult and they were there to keep us up right. I did ok with the odd slip but Michelle who in her own words has the balance of a walrus was covered in mud within the first hour. The ladies soon cottoned on to her need for help and at times she was being led by two...like she was royalty...
Having walked for 4 or so hours across stunning Sapa we stopped for lunch and were greeted by an expat from Somerset. He served us lunch at the same time as saying "Even the dogs won't eat that meat." Er why is it on my plate then? To be fair I was grateful it wasn't dog as I had seen one a la spitroast earlier in Hanoi.
Sapa is utterly gorgeous made even better by the local Hmong women. They do everything. Pam who had an 8 month old baby boy had taught herself English, French and Spanish from the tourists, had guided a week until giving birth...that's 15km a day and then one month after giving birth she was back in the rice terraces. Meanwhile her husband sits at home drinking the Happy Water and sadly for Pam goes off to visit his mistress. She says she won't let him take a second wife but knows about the mistress. It is very sad because she didn't want to get married in the first place but if she got to 25 years old without a husband she would have been rejected from the tribe.
Pam is a truly wonderful woman.

As we exited our lunch stop our child friends from earlier had arrived and Mai immediately said "Amy you buy from me? You buy a little something from me? Having handed over money for my village helper I was reluctant but guilt got the better of me and before I know it I had bought a non silver ugly bracelet which I can't use as I am allergic and would never wear!

Michelle ended up buying a broken bag to say thank you to her lady and I tried my best to give the bracelet back to Mai. She said "No Amy it's ok you are now my special friend" and gave me an extra sparkly cotton bracelet. I tried to give it back so she could sell it on again but she wasn't having any of it.....
Mai was really cute and walked with me until she ran into her home. I really hope she is still in school and not about to be dragged off to be married at 15 years old.
Normally in a Hmong village girls get married at about 16 and have their first baby at 18. Pam was really stubborn and told her daddy "No I don't ever want to get married!"
Sadly, she was "persuaded" at 20, as she said if she got to 25 and was still unmarried she would be left on the shelf forever. I must get cracking then...only 7 months to go!
When I told Pam this she laughed and said "Not to worry, after the Happy Water we can find you a man. He is lovely and he doesn't have any teeth!" Pam thought this was hilarious and said "Hey what is worse? Black or no teeth? My daddy tried to make me marry a man with no teeth!"
The girl is a comic.
Pam also told us about her younger sister who was taken to a man's house for 3 days and cried the entire time as she didnt want to marry him. It seems staying with a man for 3 days produces assumptions from the tribe and you are almost tied into marrying him. Very similar to traditional Mongolian marriages where a man steals your sheep so that you will go to his Ger to get them back and once there he will keep you there until you drink his milk (actual milk not the other) and then you are considered his wife. Not good. Not my idea of romance!

My helper had come back asking if I would like to buy anything from her including bags, bracelets, keyrings etc but I said no and then she noticed my new bracelet. I gave it to her and she was utterly delighted...as was I. She then gave me 3 other cotton bracelets and gave me kisses. She was adorable. I don't know if she thought it was real silver but she was chuffed to bits.
We carried on trekking for another 2 hours and then arrived at our gorgeous home stay just before the heavens opened.

We walked into our homestay and it was gorgeous and the view was breathtaking. We sat outside in the rain with hundreds of critters buzzing around enjoying a feast of food. Pam, her husband and the homestay family joined us. Pam explained that most of their meals are just rice and cabbage and they would maybe eat meat once a week - no wonder her husband ate so fast. She also said someone has stolen her Papa's buffalo and they don't know who; so are having trouble attending to their rice fields. My lady came back during dinner and gave me a kiss and a cuddle and a key ring for free. I kept trying to give them back but she wanted me to have them for free. She was adorable!
After dinner we enjoyed shots of very strong Happy Water and merrily wished Pam goodnight so that she could get home to her bubby.
Totally gorgeous. Totally fell in love with Pam!

Monday 9th May

We had pineapple pancakes for breakfast...amazing...totally unhealthy but I am sure I will never get used to rice or noodles for breakfast.
We began our trek, extra slippery today due to the rain but only 6km. We set off with a different set of women and Pam told me about a woman in her village who had had 18 babies. She used to sell the boys at birth and keep the daughters as they bring in more money from about the age of 11 by doing the treks with the tourists and you also receive a payment when the daughter is married off. Delightful.
Then suddenly I slipped. Slipped on the mud with my Vietnamese hat to help me crash into bamboo followed by the inside of my arm. It did stop me crashing down the mountain but boy did it hurt!! Pam then told me off for going so fast! There was no way on earth I was going to take the girl's hand though...she was 19 weighed about 6 stone and had her one month old baby on her back. NO WAY. I would have taken mother and baby with me. I'd rather break my neck.
Lesson 8: Don't run on rice fields

After a stop for lunch we made it back to our bus and my lady from yesterday was there again and she came over to stroke my face, give me a cuddle and wave farewell. The Hmong women made us feel so welcome.

Tuesday 10th May

Meet Pam in the foyer at 9am for another hike around the town to another village. Slightly different from Pam's village and you couldn't see many children as they went to school. It is clear most of the girls in Pam's village stop going to school as soon as they learn a bit of English.
As we walked back to the hotel I asked Pam what her favourite food was and she said "My favourite food in the WHOLE world....CHIPS!" Couldn't believe it! We could definitely offer up that and so I asked her if she would like to join us for lunch. She was really suprised and taken aback and said no one had ever asked her before. She had been touring for 3 years and the food is included in our tour price!! She said yes and so we sat down for some chips! PERFECT.
Pam then took us for a final walk into the town so that we could buy some souvenirs...she was keen to point out the local against the Vietnamese goods on offer. Sadly Michelle's bracelet that she purchased from her lady helper had been shipped in from China. EVERYTHING comes from China! Sapa is a wonderful town buzzing with tribe and local life. Thoroughly recommended.
If in Vietnam don't do a tour contact me and I'll give you her number. She will MAKE your trip cheaper and the money will go where it should go!
After a quick shower and dinner we are back on the train to Hanoi sharing a cabin with 3 Vietnamese fellas who hadn't seen a pair of boobs in a LONG time. They were staring incessantly so we climbed into bed early and went to sleep. Sometime at about 2am I felt a "tiggling" on my thigh and rolled over to see one of them standing up and staring at me....still very sleepy I just ignored him and rolled back over. After a quick trip to the toilet he was back and tiggling my thigh again and had obviously spent the time in the loo using his language translator and showed me his phone which said "Embrace and Kiss."
Errrr NO MATE. I said no and rolled back over, but now I couldn't sleep with nervousness! Very strange indeed! I wonder if anyone has ever said "Yeah ok!"

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Photos

Snake Wine
As strong as the Happy Water!