Sapa, the home stay and the dog rescue mission

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Hi everyone,

I know it's not been too long since my last blog, but I have just got back off the sleeper train in Hanoi, it's so early that the hostel isn't open yet, so I am killing time, lucky you.

The home stay in Sapa was good but I was a little disappointed if I'm honest. I got the sleeper train from Hanoi with a couple of guys and a girl and we shared a cabin. I was pleasantly suprised by the sleeper trains, I slept through all 12 hours, the toilet was an actual toilet (a miracle!) and the bed was actually quite comfy. I think Virgin trains should consider adding a few bunk beds to their carriages, I'd pay for that!

Anyway after the train we got to have a wander around Sapa for a couple of hours. Sapa is really beautiful, it's population is a diverse mix of ethnic minorites who settled there from China, these are mainly the Black Humong (I think thats how you spell it). You can tell these a mile off, as all the women dress in black embroided clothes and wear leg warmers. I went for a walk with Irish John and we couldnt have walked more than 10 metres before a couple of little Black Humong ladies siddled on up and started chatting, directing us to the sights and stuff. "Ahh" we thought, " that's nice" and we headed off in the direction they pointed, thinking nothing of it. We heard some chattering behind us a few minutes later, turned our heads, and the 2 little ladies had multiplied to about 6. "Hmmm" we said, "thats a bit strange" but we carried on wandering down the street. We bumped into the 2 others from our tour, and they also had a gaggle of 7little Black Humong followers, "your'e doing better than us" they said, we turned around, and our little brood of 6 had doubled to 12. So we joined our teams together to form a super team of tourists and Black Humong, I felt like the Pied Piper skipping down the street with an entourage of tiny little women. Was incredibly surreal. When we got back to the meeting point to go on our home stay, the little women turned on us, trying to sell their bags, bangles and whistles. "Aha" thought, "I won't be sucked into this little game" so I said kindly no, and joined the rest of my tour, thinking that was the end of it. This was not the end of it!

Our tour walked through the centre of Sapa and then 10km through the countryside to visit some villages. 10 minutes into the tour, these little women popped up again out of nowhere and started walking with us. The tour guide then explained their little routine....they hang around where all the tourists get dropped off every morning, and they check us out, each choosing a group which looks the most profitable, then they stalk them, follow them the entire 10km to the villages, where you are then badgered within an inch of your life until you buy something. I can't believe how many chose us, we must have looked like complete mugs. To be fair to these ladies though, they only have one harvest of rice a year to feed their familes, the rest of their income comes from selling handicrafts. I ended up with a bag, a purse, a head scarf and 2 braclets, I'm not even sure how it happened! It was like a blur. Man those women could sell ice to eskimos.

After our little shopping spree and a walk through the misty hills of Sapa province we ended at our home stay. This was where I was a little disappointed. In my head I had envisaged a home stay being a couple of people max staying with a local family, getting stuck in with family life and learning about all their traditions etc. We joined up with another tour so there were 12 of us and we all stayed at this large purpose built home stay house. Once we were introduced to the family they disappeared and left us on our own for a few hours. I was a bit of a geek and went to offer my help cooking dinner, so I spent a good hour and a half peeling pototoes and chopping garlic. If I hadnt have done that, I wouldnt have spent any time with the family at all. We then just played cards all night and went to bed pretty early.

The next day over breakfast a couple of puppys bounded over, and well you know what I'm like with dogs, I was playing with them for ages. The tour guide told me not to get too attached....apparently out of every litter of puppies, the family choose one to keep as a pet.....the rest are dinner. Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

That means out of the 2 dogs I was playing with, one was kebab meat. Mum and Dad, this is where I tell you that I have bought a new member of the family to stay with us when I come home. Hope you dont mind!!!

The next day we did a 6km trek to a water fall and then got the train back to Hanoi, which is where I am now. It's been a fun few days but I am ready for some relaxing on a beach. Halong Bay here I come.

Hope you're all well and had a good weekend. Sorry for going on for ages, I just get excited when I start writing and before I know it I've written another essay!

xxx

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