Blogs from Northwest, Vietnam, Asia - page 7

With an early start of 06.30 I got picked up from the hostel with a couple of others and driven round to meet the coach. Getting a good seat/bed on the sleeper bus we were soon to be on our way. I hadn't organized myself with any snacks for the 6hr journey as you always stop for a rest break. Well, not stopping and only the Vietnamese being offered water I was pretty famished by the time we got there. I'd found an old banana at the bottom of my bag so that had to do me. As we got closer the scenery changed dramatically, large lush green hills, rivers and hill tribe women selling their goods along the sides of the roads. As we pulled into the station the bus became surrounded by hill tribe ... read more

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

What a sight as the ship arrived Ha Long Bay and the limestone karsks started appearing. Upon arrival we left the ship to embark on a junk for an overnight on Ha Long Bay. It is so beautiful and so peaceful to glide amid the islands. We made a stop to explore a cave which was very nice. The cave has been equipped with lighting and a rather nice walkway so it was easy to walk it. Back to the junk for cocktails and a cooking demonstration. We sat on the upper deck and watched the chef prepare spring rolls that we subsequently ate while the sun set and the moon rose! I think I was dreaming… Reality however has reared its ugly head in the form of digestive problems for Jerry. He decided this morning ... read more

Sapa is a little village in the mountains of northern Vietnam, which was a fabulous and fascinating destination. The village over-looks a plunging valley of cascading rice terraces and has mountains towering above the town on all sides. The view of this epic scenery is in the morning with a thick mist rolling in the valleys, but disappear along the day. Everyday local hill-tribes fill the town with colour and follow the tourist proposing hikes to their villages. These local people come from different places in the mountains and come from different tributes. We can recognize them at the different cloths they are wearing. We decided to go on a one day hike through the beautiful rice terraces of the Lao Cai province and visted theirs local villages. During our hike we had some Hmong women ... read more