Blogs from Lao Cai, Northwest, Vietnam, Asia - page 5

Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese have a history of burying their dead twice - at least for those in rural areas where they have the land to do so. On the drive back from Halong Bay to Hanoi we stopped to see some first graves, often very simple ones with a rough plaque. After three years or so, the bones are dug up before sunrise, usually by the children of the deceased and with some ceremony, washed, and placed into a more permanent and ornate grave. Although it was now early afternoon and almost 40 degrees, we were also able to watch a man and his wife harvesting a rice patch for another family. Apparently they paid him $10 U.S. for the work that took about 1 1/2 hours. The rice fields in the delta are ... read more

Sapa walk 1st and 2nd May Started off at the hotel around 9.30am. Very hot day already but a different type of heat then what is found in Hanoi. A lot drier. Walked down the mountainside and along getting to see a lot of rice fields and locals. Along the way we had a few local Hmong women who were there to help us negotiate the paths, etc. if needed. One lady was very insistent in helping me - I must have looked in need of help negotiating the potholes etc. We stopped a few times as one of the women had a baby that needed feeding a couple of times. (See picture). Their clothing is really gorgeous and exquisitely embroidered and must also be very hot. It was only when we stopped for lunch you ... read more

From Muang ngoi Neua I made my way down to vang vieng via nong khiaw and Luang Prabang (it was a nightmare again finding a bed in the latter town, but I ended up sharing a room with a fellow traveller). The bus broke down on the way to Luang Prabang which meant that the journey, instead of taking a few hours, took the whole day. With some fellow passengers I passed the time by drinking beer outside a local restaurant and playing uno. Vang vieng features uncultured western revelry at its most shameless. I stayed in a hostel called EasyGo and met quite a few people there. I tubed (i.e. floated down the river on a rubber ring, visiting riverside bars on the way for beer pong and hammock slumbering), danced in the evenings at ... read more

I don’t like the cold. I really don’t like the cold. Anybody who knows me well enough knows that I really don’t! But I do really, really, really like Sapa. This place is beautiful and mystical. This morning the alarm woke us as 7.15am to start our last day in Sapa. We had chosen today to do our trek and it really was not the best day to choose. We should have gone yesterday but today is our last day and we have our trek booked in already. We chose to do our trek with Sapa Sisters after much researching before we left home. They are a business that is run by women for women. We had our breakfast and said goodbye to the lovely staff of Sapa Elite Hotel. Frankie’s friend didn’t want him to ... read more

We got up this morning and had brekkie that was included with our accommodation. Great brekkie of banana pancakes, – not as good as Cactus pancakes on Langkawi though! Toast, croque monsieur, fruit – local mandarins and bananas and fruit juices. After brekkie we headed out and were immediately joined by 3 local women, once again wanting to sell us their wares. They followed us for about 20mins. We walked upon some local fresh produce markets where we saw locals purchasing their fresh fruit, vegetables and meat – including dog. The produce all looks so fresh. We continued on through more streets of Sapa just wandering and taking looks at all the shops, eateries and hotels. There are loads of hotels/hostels to choose from in Sapa. A lot of choice, that is for sure. We headed ... read more