Trekking Through Sa Pa

So, we made it safely to Sa Pa, after riding on the sleeper train throughout the night. Hanoi train station was a total mess, with lots of confused tourists trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Thank goodness we had booked this through our hotel because there was someone to guide us through the process. We ended up bunking with a really friendly couple from Spain; Keith and I on the top and them on the bottom. The beds were clean and comfortable, and after a sleeping pill, we found ourselves actually getting quite a bit of sleep.

We woke to Keith's alarm going off at 5:45 am, and then people banging on the doors to get us up and moving at 6 am, when the train arrived in a town called Lao Cai. Stinky breath, bed head, and all, we stumble off the train, and found another tour operator to guide us into a big bus. We took this bus up into the mountains for about an hour to Sa Pa, where our trek began. Even the scenery over there was just stunning - lush mountains covered with rice paddies that were soaking with water from the night before. The day was clear, which we were thrilled about since trekking through the rain here can not be a fun time.

We chose to do a privately guided tour, and stayed in homestays for three nights. Homestays are peoples' homes that they've made larger to accomadate guests. Some have private rooms and some have just open areas in their attics with mats laid out, and of course, with the mosquito nets above. The people living in homestays are poor and live with only the basic necessities. The homes have concrete floors, no doors (just curtains separating the rooms), and only a small table with really tiny chairs in the dining/living room. Keith complained endlessly about how uncomfortable he was in those darn chairs. With all this poverty, the people seem very happy and content. Funny, they all had TVs with a satellite dish, and they only got power in these villages four years ago. Thank goodness, to my happiness, there was running water, so at least we weren't stuck bathing in a river this time. The main disadvantage, which was expected, was that our only option to do our "business" in was a squat toilet, which became an ordeal! More on that later. We ate with the families for dinner; if you couldn't use chopsticks, you were out of luck!

Our guide's name was Sa, and she was a Black H'mong, one of the minority communities located in this area of Vietnam. All the different groups of minorities - Black H'mong, Red Zao, and Tay, they all differentiate themselves by their outfits, jewelry, headresses, and hair. When we left for our trek, two other H'mongs followed us down the mountain, and into Sa's home. Her place was WAY off the beaten path. To get to it, we had to balance on these sharp rocks that were covered in buffalo you-know-what. I was thinking, 'what in the world are we doing this for?' I knew i was going in. And, of course, as we're about to make it to her house, i go in calf-deep in buffalo dung!! I turned around, and Keith had just done the same, and he was wearing sandals! YUK!! I was so upset because it was our first day of trekking and we were already such a mess.

The first night at Ta Van village homestay it rained heavily. We were already done trekking for the day, but it left the trails the next day thick with slippery mud. It made things so difficult and dangerous! There were three H'mongs with us this day, and we surely would've had broken bones without their help. Keith slipped on his tush four times, and I hiked at a pace of only like 0.5 miles per hour. But, we pushed onward, and the views were stunning. It was overcast, and it really appeared as though the clouds were just above our heads, sneaking all the way into the valley. The rice paddies were so green, and there were no tourists (besides us) in sight.

The afternoon trek into the town of Ban Ho was disappointing. There was much unexpected construction going on here, and all that was below us in this valley were pipelines, bulldozers, and lots of thick muddy roads. They are building new paved roads, as well as a dam. This was the site of our last homestay, as we decided to stay here nights two and three. This was the party homestay!! Dinner began quiet and calm, and then suddenly the father of the hoursehold starts pouring rice wine ... and more rice wine! Soon after, he puts on this music video of a band called Daddy Cool, this 70's band that was basically a black version of ABBA. He starts dancing around and singing "Yeah, Daddy Cool," in only the strongest Vietnamese accent!! Keith and I were hysterical. It was totally unexpected! Any wonder why we stayed another night?? We were totally hungover the next day, by the way; fighting away the urge to get sick while we ate rice with fatty pork with the family for breakfast. Not a good hangover meal at all.

All the familes were so kind, attentive, welcoming. They were always offerring food, drinks, a chair, the fan. Even though we couldnt communicate with them (only a bit via our guide, Sa), they befriended us and treated us so well. What I loved, in particular, were the kiddos here! They are so beautiful, and never throw temper tantrums, and just seem happy with what little they have. They dont play with toys or fight over things. They are an intricate part of the family household, and are expected to help cook, clean, and pick up after guests. They always say, "HELLO!!" to all of the tourists walking by. One day, there were these two beautiful 2-3 year olds running after us in the street, yelling, "hello, hello!!" There was no parent in sight and the young boy would pull the little girl over to the side of the road when a car went by. They had dirty clothes and mud on their faces, but they were absolutely adorable! Pictures to come when we get home!

The only thing that I really did not like about the minority (tribes) people walking through the towns, especially Sa Pa, was that all you heard was "buy from me, buy from me." And, you say "no, thanks," but that's not good enough. It becomes incessant, and totally drives me crazy. Keith has more patience. One day, they even came into the homestay! You think I'd be used to this behavior after travelling to so many third world countries, but it never gets easier.

Another cause of great anxiety to us was having to go "number two" on the squat toilet. We waited and postponed it until we had no choice. Keith was literally pacing back and forth our room upstairs! Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? Another yuk.

We left Sa Pa via train on Wednesday, July 22nd. We were stuffed like sardines into a tiny bus, which took us from the town of Sa Pa to Lao Chi train station. Again, we got incredibly lucky with nice, normal bunk mates in the overnight train. Arriving sleepy and disheveled at 5 am in Hanoi, we rushed to pick up our luggage, shower, and make out 9 am flight to Luang Prabang, Laos. Already in a rush, we discovered that Keith had left our broken camera and all of our important travel documents back at the Hanoi hotel. This is the 2nd time he left camera - the first time was in a taxi, which the guy was nice enought to return. Luckily, we made our flight, and arrived safely in Laos.

Hope everyone enjoyed some laughs! - Kate